Late to Open

Can a person that has a current lifeguard certification be allowed to watch a group of fellow swimmers until the swim facility calls in another guard? What are the liability issues and it is not really a problem. We did get into the pool about 10-15 minutes late but it is of no issue.

500 swim warm up
6x75 swim50/kick25

Main Set, 4 times
5x100, reverse IM order, 1:45 interval

100 swim
75 swim/25kick
50 swim/50 kick
25 swim/75kick
100 kick
4x50 on 60 sec
To stay close to the interval, I need to modify at times. The last set, butterfly, is appropriate at the end of the main set. I think I dropped 2x50, so I will modify total yards to 4050.

8x50 back on 60 sec

4050 yards

Warm Up Early, Dual Meet Today

I went to Finley at 0900 this morning. I used the time for a good warm up session, I am going to Petaluma this afternoon to participate in the dual meet that has been arranged between the two masters workout groups there. I am looking forward to this afternoon, I hope the weather is compatible with outdoor swimming in January.

500 free swim
5x100 free, smooth
250 kick on back with fins
250 inverted breast kick
10x50 choice

2000 yards

We headed over to Petaluma High School for the dual meet that turned out to be only a scrimmage due to the fact that the other team did not come. i do not know the ins and outs of the story, but it sounds like it may be ugly. Anyway, it was a lot of fun. There were about 9 of us and Dea Ann ran the event as a swilm meet, real time. She acted as starter/referee and did a fine job. She is a really good coach. We had whistles, and a start horn. I swam my events, 100 fly-1:11.5; 200 free-2:23; 100 IM-1:19; and 50 back-39.3. I figure that I swam another 500 or so for warm up/warm down so I can put down another 1000 yards for today.

1000 yards

Kvetch Master

It is too warm, like the Y, this morning at Finley AC. Why can't the pool management keep the pools a constant temperature? Not to kvetch, okay, I kvetch every day, mostly about water temperature variation, sometimes about clarity issues or turbulence and tidal actions at Fridgway. Kvetch appears to have found its way into the common American lexicon; I notice that this the proper spelling for the Yiddish word. It did seem a bit warmer than usual this morning, but it beats Ridgway in more ways than one. It was a nice swim, I had no idea what the plan for the day was but I decided I am not going to swim with the noon group today.

500 free warm up
500 back, purposeful
500 breast, body awareness
5x100 free
20x50, various paces, intervals, strokes, most on 1 min, 1 broken 200@45 sec, 8x50free/strokes

The practice dual meet is at Petaluma High School tomorrow at 1 PM. I signed up for the 100 fly, 200 free, 100 IM, and 50 back. USF Valentine Affair is next week. I have entered 200 free, 200 fly, 50 free, and 200 IM.

3000 yards

Day of Rest

Thursday has been the no swim day for quite a while. I made a decision to put the Y membership on hold for a few months so I will now supplement the swimming with more swimming instead of Y dry land workouts. There are two or three reasons, first being the economics of a month pass at the pool and the Y dues. I also want to see if my swimming speed declines without the dry land work. I also want to have more time so I can pursue riding the bicycle with more effort. So today, Thursday, I swam easy.
250 free
250 back
500 free
250 kick with fins
250 back
500 free

2000 yards

Therapy and a Workout

I held up pretty good today. I was thinking about going to PHS but reality set in around 0415 and I swam at Finley. I used the time at Finley to do more of a therapy swim, which means that I did not swim very hard in anticipation of the workout at Ridgway with Morales at noon.

500 free swim
500 back swim
10x25 breast kick
250 kick on back with fins
10x50 bilateral breathing swimming, easy

2000 yards

I had to go to the Ridgway workout at noon because it is butterfly day.

4x100 free on 1:30
12x50 choice on 55

Main Set
4 Times

Broken 200 breast/fly 60, 55, 50, 45 interval
300 free(250)

breast/fly relay
3x50

2950 yards

4950 yards total for day

Ringer Status

I think that it is a hoot that I have bn invited to swim at a dual swim meet between the two masters workout grouops in Petaluma. The meet is at the Petaluma High School pool this Saturday, January 30 and it looks like that there are all the events at a regular swim meet, minus a few. I have entered 200 free, 100 fly, 100 IM and 50 back. I hope to capture the essence of this meet in images and I will make sure I have a good post after the meet.

I need to log the second workout I did yesterday at Finley at the noon hour swim.
500 free
5x100 free
5x100 back
500 free
200 warm down

2200 yards

This morning I was at Finley to swim some yardage. I felt a bit of yesterday's workout.

500 free
10x100 back, straight swimming
500 kick on back with fins, alternate/fly
500 free, good pace
10x50, breast/free, free/fly
200 ez

3200 yards

At noon I walked to the Ridgway pool, hoping that the water temperature had come up to be tolerable, and more comfortable. It is back to normal now. There is a masters workout today, but there was an open lane, and then I shared a lane later in the swim.

7x100 IM,
7x100 IM, reverse order
200 free
6x25 fly with 25 swim back

1900 yards

Warm Up Morning

I spoke with an aquatics professional this morning and he stated that the other pool, Ridgway, was very cold yesterday. He said it was 75F and they probably should have not opened because it was too cold. This morning the water temperature is perfect at Finley.

500 free
500 kick on back with fins/alternating
500 free, moderate pace
500 kick on back with fins/dolphin
500 free, better pace
500 free/back
500 free/breast
500 free/fly,
200 warm down ez

4200 yards

Cold Water Training

The pool is very chilly this morning. Estimates were anywhere from 75-78 degrees F. but after workout I was not hypothermic as I was the previous time the Ridgway pool was cold. Maybe I swam a bit harder today. Perhaps it really was not as cold as first perceived.
Again, Warren S. led the group

500 choice warm up
8x50 choice on 55 sec

Main Set-Purple Haze
4 times through

6x100 on 1:30, kick on 2 min
1, 3, 5, free
2 kick
4 IM
6 stroke

200ez

3400 yards

Tornado Warning, Contra Costa County

That is the first tornado warning I have ever heard. There are tornadoes in California. Several years ago, we saw several funnel clouds during severe weather along the I80 corridor near Fairfield. I have witnessed funnel clouds in Southern California many years prior. They happen, although they rarely appear in the media as eventful weather, just more like freak storms. They do not approach the ferocity of twisters in the middle of the continent either.

I walked to the pool this morning. I did not get an accurate count, but Susan N. swam with us, as she is no longer swimming with the morning group at Ridgway. I am wondering if the main guys, John an Warren are going to the quadrathon at SI tomorrow, hence the shortened workout. Saturday workout is usually shorter and more sprint oriented. I did a 500+swim before I joined the group.

500 swim, choice
6x25 build ion 35
28x50, choice on 1 minute, 3 ez, 1 hard, -150 talking
1000 free swim

3100 yards

Average Workout with Butterfly

Good morning, good water, and it was not too busy today. It was a good morning to swim, it was not raining, the water was warm and I just felt good. The old cold is no longer an issue, the shoulder talked to me this morning and the back is normal.

250 warm up free
250 warm up back
250 kick with board
250 breast kick w/o board
10x100 free 5 seconds rest
10x100 fly/free; free/fly
100ez
10x50 on 60, free/stroke, 4 flys

3600 yards

USMS 1 Hour Postal Swim

3910 yards

I would like to thank Debbie Lamb for timing this evening.

Technical Racing Suits

I just received the email newsletter from United States Masters Swimming. They have set forth a ruling about the technical swimsuit issue. Effective immediately, the suits are no longer allowed in SCM and LCM events. The ruling takes effect on June 1, 2010 for SCY. I am reading that they will be tolerated for the rest of the United States short course yards season.

Why is USMS making the exception for the 2010 short course yards season? I can speculate that there is some money behind this decision. I reason this because of the situation that USMS got into with BlueSeventy, and also because of the elitist attitude of American Swimming, considering that short course yards is not recognized by FINA. I was just about to regain my faith in the swimming community but USMS seems to have gone astray for the moment.

Is USMS going outside the box on the swimsuit issue for the benefit of the majority of its members, or is this ruling an attempt to appease some of the elitist masters and one of the main sponsors of the organization?. Is it a wise move to have 2 uniform standards? Double standards send a mixed message and I think that we all should abide by the rules set forth by the overwhelming majority of the world swimming community.

Swimming in the Rain

I actually arrived at Finley before the doors opened this morning. I could not wait to get in the water. I could not sleep very much this morning, that explains why I swam so early. I was out just a bit after 7.

500 free/back warm up
1500 free
20x25 free, build and watch form
5x25 texas 25s with turn, rest until read

2750 yards

Not a Good Day To Swim

I changed the routine a bit this morning and I do not like it. I rowed before I swam again and combined with the cold I did not swim well.
300 swim
500 kick with fins
10x100 free last 4 with 5 seconds, but sloppy, sore and tired.

2000 yards

Not a Sick Day

I have a cold. Big deal. I went to the pool this morning and I arrived earlier than I usually do. I tried to get a good warm up.

600 warm up swim, free/back
12x50 kick/swim on 55 seconds

Main Set
3 Times
3x200, 3:00, 2:45, 2:30
100ez between sets

I was pretty much done after the first two rounds. My alternate workout was as follows
3x200 on 3:00
100 ez
3x150fly/back/breast
100 ez
6x50 free/fly
5x100 free/fly
250 warm down

3500 yards

Count This as Training

I think I am on to something, as about 17 other swimmers are this morning. There are 4, 5, 4, and 5 swimmers to a lane. John M. led the workout this morning.

Warm up of 400 swim

3x100 kick 2 minutes
3x100 kick/swim
8x25 ez/hard on 40 sec

4 times through
3x100 on 2 minutes(250)
75 swim fast 47 free, 60 breast, 60 back, 57 back

100 ez

2600 yards

Slow Down, I Moved Too Fast

Thursday came and passed without any cause for alarm..I was back in the water this morning. Remember Wednesday noontime, my body did, especially yesterday..I took it pretty easy on oneself. I only used the clock during the last segment..

500 free
500 breast, ez
500 back
250 fly
5x50free/fly, some effort
250 swim
250 kick
8x50 free, on 60sec, 25/25 at 20sec

2900 yards

Butterfly Wednesdays at Noon

Ridgway is where I wanted to swim today. I went to the Y and did some dry land training this morning because I heard that Morales and the bunch do a fly set on Wednesday at the noon hour. They do. I showed up early enough to have a significant warm up before I joined in with the ad hoc workout group today. These are some of the most gifted masters swimmers around, some compete, some don't and I am just happy to be able to swim with this group.

1000 swim
400 kick with fins

12x50 choice on 55
Main Set, 4 times
100 fly on 1:30
2x50 fly on 60, 55, 50, 45
300 swim, (-100, -100, -100, -100)

200 relay leg/free
100ez warm down

Note: I swam free/fly and only 200 recoveries

3900 yards

It Was Too Warm, But Not Today

I am too lazy to have an outstanding masters swimming blog like Tony A. or Rob D. They put extra effort in their pursuit of good blogging. G. John Mullen has started a newer blog called Swim Science. Is he related to P.H. Mullen, who wrote Gold in the Water, the story focusing on the Santa Clara elite team, Coach Dick Jochums and Olympic Champion Tom Wilkins. See the list of blogs for the latest links to other good swimming blogs.

It felt much better in the water this morning. I know the water temperature was cooler today.

1000 free swim

1000 backstroke swim

100 butterfly drill
2x200 fly, last 100 @1:45, not paying too much attention.

2500 yards

Biofeedback.
1. Water Temperature
2. No pain at injection sites
3. No extra relief, same stiffness
4. Right Clavicle irritation with backstroke
exertion

Too Warm, Too Tired

What was it this morning. I felt pretty good when I got to the pool and remembered that I forgot my towel and suit at home. I returned and there was still a half lane, so I got in and started swimming. It was tough going this morning. Was the temperature of the water a bit elevated? Was I really tired from Sunday's workout(4200)? A little of both, or neither? My left shoulder was sore, tired.

1000 reverse IM order
5x100IM slow
1250 free slow, I could not get going this workout. Time constraints and forgetfulness contributed t o a poor workout.

2250 yards

Sunday with Warren

They always are so profitable, I get to add up so much yardage, and the intervals whew, they are good for extra swift swimmers, but a bit narrow for me. I think I probably fell off about 200 yards off the official total, but I was happy to be with these gifted athletes.
Get in the water earlier if you want more time to warm up on Sunday.
50 ez swim
6x75 30swim/25kick

4 times
2x125 on 1:45
150

4 times
2x125 kick on 2:15
100 kick

quick set backstroke on :45 interval
alternate free/back

6x50 breaststroke on 1:30, dolphin kick
100ez

4400 yards total minus 200

Speedsuit Suite Workout

We were asked to bring our tech suits to workout this morning to do some kick swims. Okay, I did not wear any of those old fashioned, now illegal for competition, tight, ill fitting, suits that are now at the bottom of my swim bag decomposing. Bah, I did not like the idea of speedsuits from the get go, but I had to go along with the trend fearing that I would be left in the wake of everyone. Moving on to the guts of this mornings workout:

600 swim warm up
5x100 kick with fins
8x25 free, build
3x200 kick/swim on 3:15, on back with fins/free
100ez
200 kick/swim for time 1:36kick/1:16swim; 5sec transition
100ez
3x100 kick
100 kick on back with fins/dolphin; 1:36
100 ez warm down

2800 yards

Go to Ridgway Today

I went to Finley this morning, because that is usually what I do after I wake up, have some coffee and check the morning news. It is nice, but I was kind of bored today.

1000 swim
100ez
500 kick on back
100ez
6x50 breast long pulldown/breakout
10 minutes treading water

2000 yards

We will see if I swim Friday noon madness at Ridgway today.

Butterfly Made Easy

I woke up a bit confused this morning. I forgot what specific instructions I was to follow before this mornings procedure. I did not have to go to bed hungry either. I made a fair pot of coffee, did I tell you that the coffee maker that I am presently using is a piece of garbage. I told the manufacturer, but my complaint seems to have fallen on deaf ears. It was just an email. I was looking forward to a post workout meal too, it seems a light meal before the procedure was called for in the instructions.

The warm up was a bit different this morning in that I pretty much did alternating 50s of backstroke and freestyle for the
1000 swim, alternating 50back/free
1000 kick, last 250 breast kick on front/back

100ez

100 fly drill(warm up)
2x200 free/fly

500, quick set, free/fly

100ez

Butterfly felt good. I want to do some more butterfly. Tomorrow, Thursday, has been my usual no swim day of the week. It will be sustained as a day out of the pool again tomorrow. It actually feels like I am getting in shape. I think I am going to wait a bit longer before sprint training. I will continue training at the same level I am at until I feel more comfortable to be able to sprint train. My recent goal at USF will be the 200 free, 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke, and possibly the 200 IM.

3200 yards

Lazy Tuesday

I had to get to the pool at 0600 and I was in the water 8 minutes later. No one was swimming hard today, including me. I tried to put a bit of oomph into the latter part of the morning, but I seem slightly tired.
1000 warm up
500 kick on back with fins, dolphin/free
5x100 free on 1:45
10x50 free
5x50 back/free
5x50 breast/free

3000 yards

Log This Workout Now

Not much going on today in the water. I waited until 1000 to get in the pool at Finley. I was at the Y earlier in the morning. Look at my rowing log at http://www.Concept2.com/rankings, and I am attempting to log my swim yardage at the USMS Go The Distance webpage. Do I need to log anything else? I got in the habit of doing this type of record keeping when I was a marathon runner. I think I may still have some of my old training logs from the days of long distance running.

1000ez free/back
4x100 kick/kick,drill
700 free pick it up

10 minute drill
20x25, 5sec rest/10sec rest; free/stroke; stroke/free

2600 yards

22,500 YTD

Let's Kick Again

Why not? We swam enough on New Years Day to have earned back to back kicking workout sessions this weekend. Warren came up with the set sequence, as follows:
Kick pyramid
100 dolphin
200 100dolphin, 100back
300 100dolphin, 100back, 100breast
400 100dolphin, 100back, 100breast, 100free

3x50 free

400 100dolphin, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle
300 100dolphin, backstroke, breaststroke
200 100dolphin, backstroke
100 dolphin

3x50 free

hypoxic set
6x50 free, 3,3; 3,2; 2,2; 2,1; 1,1; 1,0(breaths per lap)

Thank you Warren.

500 quick set, butterfly, ez

300 yard warm up included before the set commenced

3400 yards

Abbreviations for Weekly, Monthly and Yearly Yardage

The abbreveations for weekly, monthly and yearly totals are thus:
WTD-week to date
MTD-month to date
YTD-year to date
I will try and use these abbreviations during the course of this log.

Continued

I sent an email to DeaAnn Joslin this morning telling her about the swimming opportunities here in Santa Rosa. It seems that the Petaluma High School pool is on the fritz again. The pool is having water supply issues, so I invited all Petalumans that are affiliated with DeaAnn swimming groups to swim in Santa Rosa.

Swimming this morning at Ridgway, it seemed to be a rather lightly attended, probably due to the fact that many swam the New Years Day Challenge. We(John Morales, led the workout as it seems he usually does on Saturday mornings) mostly did a kicking workout.
300 yard warm up
3x200 kick on 4 minutes
100ez
3x150 kick on 3 minutes
100ez
3x100 kick on 2 minutes
100ez
3x50 kick on 3 minutes, descending
200ez warm down

2300 yards

YTD 8500

Happy New Year

Wow, there are so many people on deck, just getting in as I walk into the pool area and ante up plus a tip for the lifeguard! I estimate that there are 35, upwards to 40 swimmers and the goal is to complete as many 100 yard intervals on 1:30. Now I am now clear as to exactly how much time is alloted, but it would take 2,5 hours to complete 100x100 on 1:30. I found a lane with Frank, Gail, that other guy and Fred joined us soon thereafter. I swam for about 2000 and then swam on pace for the next 1400. I then continued on a 1:30 pace for the next 2600 and then finished with about 200 warm down. It looks like a total of 6200 yards for New Years Day. We met at J and E. Morales for a wonderful brunch and get together after. Great way to start the New Year. I need to check out the USMS distance log, although I usually keep a fairly accurate web log when possible.

YTD 6200 yd