Up To Date

Swimming is returning to roots. I had a peaceful and energizing swim this morning at the Finley Aquatic Center. The Center will be hosting a bicycle event this weekend and Levi Leipheimer is involved. There are expected to be thousands of people and Finley is going to be closed through the weekend. There will be swimming through Friday morning.
1000 swim choice, mostly free, some back
500 kick with fins, on back
10x100 free, on 1:45 paced @1:20, 2 breaks
500+ speedwork, including 12+ hard/ez, 2x25 back, 10x25 on 30
100ez
3200 yards

Additional Swimming

It was okay to go to Ridgway later Friday morning. I said hi to a bunch of people, Deb S. was swimming too. I swam a bunch of 50s with Cesar and another swimmer after I swam about 250. I think we swam 10. I then just kind of messed about.

I looked forward to the Saturday swim at Ridgway. Saturday workout with the leaders usually is a shorter workout, focusing on speed. Therefore the yardage tends to be shorter for those of us that keep track of that sort of thing. I think we swam about 2100 yards, total. We did a bunch of 50s, and a set of 25s, using the starting blocks for 4,8, and 12. Fund.

I took Sunday out of the pool. I came back to Finley on Monday morning.
1000 swim, choice
500 kick on back, dolphin, with fins
5x200 fly/free
2x100 ez
speedwork, including no breathers
2x100 ez
about 3500 yards

Friday Morning at Finley

Cooler than usual, that is how the water is today. This morning started cool, a bit of moisture in the air, not a crisp morning but very pleasant. I strarted swimming then looked at the clock, it was a bit after 0715, so I swam until 0730 and then started swimming some butterfly. Slow at first, I began to pick up the pace a bit. I took a break, swam a reverse 400 IM to reready myself, then swam some more 50 blutterfly. Then last one was 38 before I started talking. No yardage was kept.

I was forwarded an email from the NBAM, North Bay Aquatic Masters. Good to hear from them. I would llike to swim with them again. I am wondering if my swim program will be changing soon. More on that in a bit.

Weekend Recovery

Three days is 72 hours. That is how long my last tour was, ending on Tuesday morning. I was looking forward to the water and I went to Finley first thing. I just swam. The first swim after a tour is always hard due to the problem that I have with cramping. Over the years I think that I can say that the cramping is an effect of stress and my metabolic system is reacting. It usually takes a day or a workout to eliminate the stress chemicals.
On to the workouts/practicing for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Tuesday, Finley 2 times
0930-Swim 35 minutes
1230-Swim with Jim Perilman
warm up
alternate 50 breaststroke with Jim,
interval varies about 75 sec
elbows very sore
concentrating on bringing pelvic base forward and lunging forward off that base

Wednesday
30 minutes swim
10x50 back descending to 41, on 60/1:30
probably more than ten, just swim baby

Thursday
15 minute swim
15 minute kick on back with fins
30 minutes butterfly swimming
15 minutes speedwork/freestyle/blutterfly
including, 25hard/25return 20/60, 25s
I am on my way to the pool now, I want to swim with the Friday nooners, I will see.

Doubling Up For The Weekend

I probably should just give it a rest, but I want to swim. The dreaded Saturday/Sunday/Monday shift/mandatory overtime came upon me this past weekend. I just cannot find a pool that I can swim in on the weekends. The earliest opening swim facility is the Petaluma Swim Center, and it opens at 0700 this season. Both YMCAs are not available either. I think that the Marin Y opens at 0730. So I supplemented my weekend off with two swims on Friday. They were both at the Finley Swim Center.
A note: Terra Linda and Petaluma Swim Centers close for the season on October 17th. I am looking forward to rejoining the Petaluma masters group that works out at the Petaluma High School pool at 0530. They only swim on M/W/F, and I can supplement that with the Marin YMCA.

Friday morning
25 minute aerobic swimming
IMs. I swam several easy 200 IMs, just easy, but not garbage yards. I worked on regaining my form, what I had anyway.
4x25 butterfly, paying attention to my form.

Friday evening
I think I swam 400 yards for a warm up
12x50 free descending
3700 yards total

Comments to the SCAQ Blog

We found out the other day that one of our own, swimmer Rich Hartley, passed away while competing in an organized swim in New York City. He unfortunately was found unconscious while attempting to swim from shore to shore under the Brooklyn Bridge. This event was first seen by me in Monday's edition of the Marin Independent Journal, and the SCAQ blog picked up on the news too. I commented to the SCAQ blog on Monday and today regarding Rich's passing. In the SCAQ blog there is a link to an article in Newsday about the incident and it further states that the organizers of the open water swims in NYC require a form of proof that a swimmer has accomplished either meeting a set pool standard or have completed another open water swim. This type of requirement should be noted by the organizers of triathlons, especially the governing body of USAT, because there have been far too many drownings in triathlons.
I did not know Rich personally, although we did share some pool time at TLRC. I always wondered who that older guy swimming next to me was and why I had to swim pretty hard to keep up with him while he did open turns and I was flipping mine. Turns out he is a very accomplished swimmer with a long history of competitive success. Apparently he was one of the first swimmers to successfully swim from the Bay Bridge to the Golden Gate Bridge in 1980 and he recently completed the Bob Roper Invitational, which is another SF Bay swim.

I started another round of physical therapy on Tuesday at another facility. I apparently have to work on rotator cuff strengthening and stabilization. The therapist noted that I have a specific muscle that is not working properly and he kneaded it to the point that I actually saw a noticable physical difference after treatment. It is only slightly better today.

I swam easy on Tuesday, no counting laps, no pace clock, only a bit of stroke work. Probably 2500 yards.

Today I swam at a new venue. North Bay Aquatics has a masters workout at Redwood HS in Larkspur. The workout is M-Th at 0545-0700 and Ken DeMont co-coaches with Don Swartz. The NBA seniors were also swimming this morning. Ken coached the masters and Don worked with the seniors.
I can not remember the exact workout, but it made good sense. Some progressions, some stroke work, some hypoxic work, some descending 50's. And a 200 warm down.
It felt link 2500 yards. Maybe there is a NBA website with the day's workout.

Before And After

I was real grumpy Friday morning. I was going to see the shoulder doctor people in the morning after I got off duty and went to Finley to see how the shoulder was behaving. The clicking was still there, but the rotating pain was minimal. I swam about 1200 yards before I got out and went to the doctor.
Needless to say, they appeased me very well. Ellen the nurse assured me that this is the time, about 7-8 weeks out that patients are grumpy and anxious about the residual pain and clicking. She told me it is normal, and it is still in the healing and readjusting period. The P/A then told me the same thing and offered me basically anything, more time off, light duty, or anything else. She said that if I need any documentation about the work schedule, to ask. They made me feel so much better. I walked out of the office feeling so much better and I am going to start another round of p/t next week.

Friday I went back to Ridgway at 1130 and just swam, I did not count any laps, not clock was involved and it just felt good. I probably swam a total of 3500 yards for the two sessions.

I also went to the Y to do shoulder p/t. I rowed 15 minutes and then did p/t.

Saturday started at the Y with another 15 minute row and then about 25 minutes of shoulder p/t.

I swam at Ridgway with the ad hoc masters workout group. John M. led the workout, keeping to the theme of sprint work on Saturday.

400 warm up, choice
3x100 kick, 2:15
3x100 kick/swim, 2 min
3x100 swim 1:45

4 rounds Medley order
3x(75 free, stroke count12/13, 25 stroke)
50 ez in between
about 2700 yards

Ez at TLRC

Yesterday was a rough day at the pool. I swam pretty well, but the rotator part of the shoulder was uncooperative and sore, especially doing lame style butterfly. This morning was a bit more tolerable.
2000 swim ez choice
250 kick on back with fins
250 back, ez
250 fly ez 1 lap at a time, some 50's, just a bit of pain
250 breast ez, mostly kick
3000 yards

Slumping Trapezius, Biceps Tendon Severence

Now what?! Cassandra, the Lifeguard/swim coach, noticed how pronounced my long head of the biceps is gone. She also pointed out to me that I have a slumping Trapezius. I have had point pain and tenderness exactly there for some time. I noticed it during the p/t and I did tell the therapists, several times. They even treated it with manipulation and massage. Excellent. Finley is having a pump changed so there were some swimmers from across town at Ridgway. I just swam until I couldn't take the pain any longer. Competitive butterfly is out of the picture for the time being. I thought I was coming back. I think that I need to change the focus of the blog. I am still in a state of undetermined suspension. I will be back to update this issue, soon.

Looking For Maui Channel Results

I heard that DeaAnn sweam the Maui Channel again this year. I was at the Petaluma Swim Center on Saturday and I saw some of the Petaluma swimmers including Greg, Larry, Mike, Lloyd and Pat. Pat told me that DeaAnn was in Maui doing the swim, wow! It was a real pleasure to swim the long course, it was my first long course workout of the season, although I did swim in the PMS long course meet before the shoulder procedure. Speaking of the shoulder, I will call the doctor to request more p/t. I am also going to ask if I am supposed to have clicking in my repaired shoulder. I don't think so, but I do not know. It has been 7 weeks since I had the procedure.
I swam easy at Petaluma Swim Center on Saturday, about 2500 meters with 600 meters of kicki9ng on my back with fins.
Sunday I swam with the Ridgway group including Morales, Foraker et al. Don led the workout and I swam about 2700 yards, I don't remember the exact workout, but there were 3x200 broken at the end of the session.
I did swim on Monday, Labor Day. I remembered to go to Finley and I swam exactly 1 mile, 70 laps, not too fast, not too hard. I went to work and here I sit, waiting for the shift to end so I can swim on Wednesday.

TLRC And Then To Work

First day back to duty as firefighter on Engine 55 in San Rafael. The station looks the same, except for some clearcutting of the hillside, again. Dan retrofitted goofy door handles on E55 and we have new uniform shirts with SRFD patches on both sleeves. Apparently we must look even better than before. Uniform.

I got to the TLRC pool later than I wanted but I was in the water at 0615. I swam real easy.
2000 yards swim
250 kick with fins on back
250 breaststroke kick
150ez warm down
2650 yards