Tuesday, August 5, 2008

continuing

Hey, check this out, I am adding a post to my famous blog. This is to remind myself that I need to post every now and then to keep my viewers up to date with the latest in swimming and diving. With the 2008 Beijing Games about to start, I need to tell you that the summer season has been really good.
I am really excited by my recovery from the spine fusion in December. I have taken the recovery and rehabilitation seriously, I did not have any outstanding setbacks and I have no regrets. I am back to work as a firefighter in San Rafael, California and I sure feel better now than before, although I must tell you that work is work. We work a bunch of overtime in San Rafael, due to a particular manning pattern that the city adopted several years ago. We are also having a bit of trouble recruiting good candidates for several open positions. There are several factors contributing to this perceived problem recruiting candidates inclluding salary, retirement issues, and other benefits issues. I think we are okay, but many other similar size departments offer better packages.
I had good success this season. I was only out of the water for 5 weeks. I swam several personal bests this year too. I will be looking for several best times this scm season. I am going to try training slightly different. I am going to emphasize more weight training sessions which will include training with heavier weight.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Lost Post

For some unexplained reason the most recent post, the one about the national meet in Austin. has vanished. Perhaps it is due to operator error that it has never been posted. In a nutshell, I swam really good, not outstanding, but really well. I did most all of what I expected to do in Austin, including eating, touristing, and relaxing. I have been back for 2 weeks and it seems like the meet was last year. I now look forward to the long course season. The open water season is incorporated with the long course season, but due to my unfortunate experience at the Santa Cruz Rough Water Swim in 2007, I have no enthusiasm for the open water this year. So, on with the blog.
I saw that Merritr.com blogged about the demise of the ASU Mens Swimming program. She has a good blog. I am going to try to attach a link. If I only knew.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Welcome Home Worlds Champions

The great John Morales and Warren Schenstrom have arrived stateside after sweeping up handfuls of awards at the FINA meet in Perth. Joe Dunn also came home with awards in every event. I need to check the results closely, but I understand that Santa Rosa garnered an astonishing 19 medals total for the meet, including top 5 finishes for john and Warren in the OWS. I went to Ridgeway this morning and the girls were there. They were getting together after workout to make a welcoming sign for John and Warren and I was invited to come over and help make breakfast, which I did. Hillary, Leslie, Becky, Deb, and Hermine were there and I enjoyed every minute of making home fried potatoes, bacon, and Hillary made excellent eggs/w benefits, as she called them. Coffee, berries, and croissants were also consumed, and I saw an empty bottle of Champagne when I did the cleanup as they went to Warren's to welcome them home.
I was kinda tired when I swam. I rode for about 50 minutes before swimming. 500easy free,10x25 breast kick,6x25 free kick, 100 fly, 5x25 fly, from the middle of pool, and 5x25 free,no breath, 100 warmdown and done.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Sunny and Warm

Today it feels like summer is around the block. Our typical California spring usually lasts about a week before we just get right to summer. I even had a bead of perspiration on my brow after my bike ride, late this afternoon. About an hour or so, out the Rodata Trail, almost to Sebastapol. I took the day away from the pool. Today was a rest day, except I had to go for a ride, it was just too nice of a day. I saw a big raptor, either a hawk or an eagle perched in an oak tree beside the trail. I stood right under it and watched it for about a minute or so, until it flew off. So really no swim or workout news today.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Thursday Night Blues

What we need here is some life, some spring in our step. Let's get moving, you know what I mean. Swimming was easy this morning, I was a bit sore, and I usually spend about 50% of my normal workout either warming up, drilling, and thinking, but now that I am in the taper of the season, I have been cutting back on the front end stuff, the warm up, the drills, and thoughtful swimming. So this morning I swam 500 warmup, 250 flutter kick, and 10x25 breaststroke kick on the back, directly to 4x fr/fly/fr/fly, then to 2x50 free easy,then ending with 8 2x fr/fly working the fly. 100 warm down, 2K and that was it. Nothing fancy, nothing too fast.

I thought I pulled my shoulder muscle this afternoon in the garden doing nothing. I banged my right shin on a plastic garbage can and bruised it a bit. I only rode the bike to the pool(and back) and then to TJs and back, about a total of 10 miles, a normal day. I really need to be careful for the next couple of days, I really should not do anything stupid, like fall off my bike, or hurt myself gardening. I'll be careful.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Wednesday Night

I just said hi to the mates in Perth by entering a comment on John Morales down under blog. They had a 4th in the free relay with a really fast time of 1:47. for a 200+ and a 3rd in the medley relay. Great swims, there is a video of the relay posted at santarosamastersdownunder. We, being Dave, Warren, Joe and myself, finished 14th and 11th in 2006. Congratulations to the Aussie crew.
I swam AM at Finley and I got wet on the way home because it was raining. Workouts just get easier as I enter the taper period. 2.5K on the way down to 1500. I was still a bit sore from Mondays PT. We did pretty much the same routine today at PT. It seemed like we spent less time, but the effort was there. I really need to watch the calves, thighs, and groins. I would hate to pull a groin, strain a calf muscle, or otherwise injure myself today.
I think that I need to enliven this meager blog with some stuff. I have been looking at some other blogs, and they are much more sophisticated so I will sleep on it and get ready for tomorrows workout.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Taper Tuesday

I am supposed to begin my taper period this morning. I was real tired and sore, like I was at a fire last night. We worked real hard at PT on Monday. Dan had me pulling him around the office with a stretch cord around my waist with 35 lbs. in my backpack. We did a ceiling hook simulation set in addition to a gurney lift simulation set. I am still sore, even after swimming this morning. It was easy. 1000 Free, 250 dolphin on back with fins, 250 kick on side/roll, then 4x100 easy fly, 4x100 fr/fl/fr/fl, 10xfr/fly for 3K. Less tomorrow, and I won't be sore.
I saw the neurosurgeon who is taking care of me, Dr. Alan Hunstock, this morning after swimming. We chatted, we think things are progressing, and I will return to see him on June 3, in 6 weeks. I will continue with physical therapy until then. I will take the necessary time off from PT next week and will continue when I return from Austin.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Monday Morning

I need to keep after this log, I need to be consistent. Sunday was a nice day at Ridgeway, if only because there were a bunch of swimmers enjoying a sunny, blustery morning swim. Circle swimming was being performed in several lanes, about half the lanes were circle swimming. I kept it to a minimum, 500 dps, 500 kick, and 10x50 with flip turn, hard start and turn, and 10x25 breaststroke sprint, working on timing and coordination, with a 25 free swim back, on 1:30. Rest is good. It is important to sprint with perfect form and technique. Therefore a longer interval may be necessary to concentrate on perfect form. 2.5K . Talked with Rob Ground, updated him about my back recovery, updates about work and such.
I went to the Y at around 4PM. I am usually kaput at that hour, especially on Sunday. Golf, nap, baseball, nap, etcetra, but I went for what should be the last dry land weight day of the training period. Good day at the Y, lifted normal dumbbell routine, and I added some extra weight for a power workout. Benched10x180, 5x200, 10x180, with normal warm up and warm down sets.

Monday morning must mean that today is a no swim day.. I do go to PT, physical therapy, this morning. Is thisi the beginning of the taper, I will ask myself? I really don't like to write down planned workouts in advance, so I will just rest today and try to keep my caloric intake to a minimum.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Saturday Morning at Ridgeway Pool

I heard that the Hermine and some of her friends were swimming at Ridgeway Pool this morning. Bob, the retired cross country coach, and a relay teammate of mine, was there too. We both did or own thing or two, while the ladies did their workout together. I did a simple set including a 500 dps swim, 5x100 kick alternating 100flutter/100dolphin on back,5x100fly easy continuous, 500 fist free,dps, and I finished with 20x50, 25free/25hard fly. 3K simple but the dolphin on back with no fins was encouraging. The first 10 fly sprints were snappy, the last 10 were breathing every stroke. Overall a very good workout. I am not doing any dry land training today. Since I have been off work, I have been able to swim consistently every day. I have worked into my swim schedule a planned off day on Saturdays, although I am swimming through this Saturday as I will begin a taper in a few short days. I am always wary of the tapering part of the preparation for a big meet. I think that I have been moderately successful before and I need to be confident and stick to my plan.

Now it is time to hit the training table.

I can not find proper results for Perth. I heard there was a lightening alert during the womens 800 Free and there had been some confusion and they are letting those that missed their event have an opportunity to swim the next day. I wonder if lightening down under caused a delay in results being posted?

Friday, April 18, 2008

Up and Swimming

Hi, I finally am an approved blogger. Now, to blog, and blog I will. As time permits, I will be looking back on this year,as I recover from a lumbar fusion procedure procedure, and I will examine my progression from hospital bed, to the indoor pool at the local YMCA five weeks after surgery, back outdoors to the public pools in Santa Rosa and finally some training for meets culminating at the USMS Championship Meet May 1-4 2008. I want to thank my friend and fellow SRM swimmer, John Morales, for planting the idea for my own blog. John is at FINA World Masters in Perth and he has a nice blog, santarosamastersdownunder. We wish John and fellow SRM swimmers Warren Schenstrom, Joe Dunn, and Mali Apple the best of luck in Perth at Worlds.
I think I will go to see the coaches daughters swim. And swim they did. The coach I am speaking about is the tall outgoing blond hottie on the deck or on the blocks, Santa Rosa Masters coach Hermine Terhorst, Pacific Masters Swimming Coach of the Year for 2007. She just loves to teach old people new tricks in the pool, she has a real knack for teaching adults how to swim. And she competes!!

Briefly, I am getting ready to culminate my comeback in 2 weeks. Is a 10 day to 2 week taper appropriate for me? I have been done this several times in the past, I remember doing a carbohydrate loading regimen the week before a marathon, and there was a peak and taper period that I did for the marathon in addition to the carbo loading. I don't think that carbo loading is appropriate for swimming, unless you are a marathon swimmer, and plan to spend more than 2 hours in the water.

I swam in the Pacific Masters Championship meet last weekend. I swam best times in 500 and 1000 free. I had 50 free and 50 fly dialed, on target and the 100 fly felt strong and the 200IM was uneventful. I need to improve the technique for the 50 breast to get back to 32. I will attempt to make a significant improvement in my 200 fly in Austin. I did not swim 200 fly at PMS Champs, although I feel confident and I think if I swim 'thoughtful' I will surprise myself.

Peace

Monday, April 14, 2008

Beginnings: Preparing for the Taper

I think I better learn real fast about this blogging. I am looking forward to logging my experiences in this forum and perhaps I will learn a thing or three with the thoughtful comments that may be elicited by the blogging bloggers of cyberspace. Do I need to begin by introducing myself or anything like that? How about my mission statement relating to this blog? That would be easier, I will try to figure out how to post my profile in a minute. I intend to keep a log of my thoughts of and efforts in the swimming pool leading towards the USMS National Meet in Austin soon.
Real quick, like yesterday's 50 free, we had the Pacific Masters Swimming Championships this past weekend at the Delores Bengston Aquatic Center in Pleasanton California. There were over 700 competitors again this year and the weather was absolutely wonderful! Sunny skies, warm tempratures, and just a tiny whisper of a breeze helped make conditions perfect for pr's, bt's, pb's, lifetime bests and masters bests, and really good competition too. I saw tons of people having fun, socializing, and swimming out of their minds. What a great meet. My teammate and friend, John Morales, took possession of the PMS Mens 50-54 400IM record, with an outstanding performance of 4:31.__