Shout It Out, I Did 65 Flip Turns

Yes, and there was not much missing. Honestly, I think I will know by tomorrow if there is any negative effect on my back health. I swam the Jon Steiner Memorial Postal 1650 this morning. My time was exactly 1 minute 1 second slower than last years effort. This was more than a timed swim, it was a test. I am testing the level of discomfort in my lumbar region as I have avoided any and all tumble/flip/somersault turns of since May 2010. I had a CAT Scan done soon after I discontinued the somersault/flip turn and it was noted that there may still have been a minor fissure in the fused area. That was enough positive reinforcement to have kept me from the flip turn until today.
I had the opportunity to do a nice long warm up swim, my timer son, Joe, went back to sleep after I talked with him! I am sure you would have done the same thing if you had went to bed just an hour earlier. Party on, Garth. I got out of the water and called him, again, and he walked on to deck at 09:29.41.
It was a cool, crisp morning. The water was at least 82F and it was clear. All in all the conditions were beautiful. I felt really good, I am glad I did wait until this morning.

Last week I did a 2km test on the erg. I said that I should do a 2km test every Saturday. I will try to get to the Y, Sonoma County Family YMCA, today. I do not think there will be a test, maybe a quiz.

Shhh, I Did A Flip Turn

I don't feel too much after the morning session. I erged steady for 30+ minutes, pulled with other ergers, the quiet lady and Stan. It is kind of nice to erg with companionship. I kind of tag along, I let the other person set the pace and I row with them.
I want to say that it was fun following the CRASH-B Sprints World Championships from Boston University on Twitter yesterday. It looks like there were over a thousand competitors, in my age group, boomer 55+, lightweight division, there were like 14 rowers. I could have rowed to the top of the bottom third of the group. I am working on it, I hope to compete next year.

I did do a somersault turn this morning. It was beautiful, and it felt swell. I did some dolphin drills too. And a few easy laps of 1 arm. Okay.

I plan to swim at RBA next week. Maybe Glassell Park and/or Santa Monica too.

Test Set

I think that I will have a test set, erg 2K, every week. I will try to keep a consistency to the idea and since I did the test set yesterday, which was a Saturday, that sounds like a good day for doing it. in the past, when I have done similar self tests, either in the pool or on the erg, they have generally have been spontaneous in nature.
The local masters swimming coach has been hinting to me that she wants me to swim on a medley relay, breaststroke. She has some more work to do before getting me to commit to coming out of competitive retirement.
Saturday's erg workout consisted of
10 minute warm up.
2K test set
2:03.
1:58
1:53.
1:58
7:54 Final Time
The last 500m really felt like an effort. Good.
10 minute warm down

The erg session was followed by 20 minutes in the pool.

The Big Swim(Cal/Stanford)men was swam at Spieker at 1300. Came down to the final 400 free relay. Nathan Adrian caught Stanford swimmer at 50 but could not hold on at finish. It was a cold and rainy day, but the fans packed it in.

Library Additions

The indoor rowing scene is expanding. There are several books now available that are expounding on the value of the ergometer as a tool for lifelong fitness. Although there are several manufacturers of indoor rowing machines, also known by the more scientific term, ergometer, and as I sometimes refer as an ergonometer. The machine that has become the industry standard, and is used widely worldwide, is the Concept2. Virtually all rowers use the Concept2 as a training aid and indoor rowing has in itself become a sporting activity, with competition from the local levels to internationally recognized championships and standards.

I recently acquired two new books specific to the indoor rowing enthusiast. They are both similar in the content as neither goes into technical aspects of rowing, and they encourage everyone to enjoy their new activity.

Row Daily, Breathe Deeper, Live Better, A Guide to Moderate Exercise by D.P. Ordway
2008
www.iuniverse.com

Indoor Rowing, Perfection in Exercise by Jay Nithus 2009

I also added another scientific manual from HK(Human Kinetics), www.humankinetics.com
Lactate Threshold Training, 2001

Logging yesterdays erg workout was 10x500/min rest, interval training @90%
This was erged at the noon hour. I swam in the AM.

Today erg was a constant 30+minute variable finished with 7km
Swim down 25 minutes

Posting Results and Update

I had a really good erg at the GSIRC last weekend at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center. Results are posted here. It is located at the top of Nimbus Dam, which impounds Lake Natomas. It is a rather nice facility and has hosted many rowing competitions, including the 2010 NCAA National Championships.
There was a check in table and I did make weight, and although there was no awards given in the lightweight veterans division, I feel pretty good being a lightweight, ha.

There were 3 boat bays and a loft in the main boathouse. The first bay was basically staging and for officials. The mid bay had about 20 ergometers for warming up(see image). The next bay was set up for viewing on the monitors and a video display of the race. The actual race/competition/heats were in the loft. Everything is computerized, so my ergometer had my name on the screen and I was ready to erg. I was warmed up, but I still got upstairs about 5 minutes later than I should have been. I did get to set the drag to my proper adjustment, which was just under 110, about 108.
I performed like an advanced novice. The championship CRASH-B Sprint standard is 2 kilometers or 2000 meters. It is easy and practical to break the distance into 4 500 meter segments. My advanced novice performance included taking the first 500 at championship qualifying speed, then realizing that I could not hold that effort and backing off to a more realistic speed, as I recall that should have been slowed to a 1:55 500. The wheels then became wobbly in the next 500 as I tried to regain composure for the final 500. I think that I fell behind to a 2:16 for the third 500 which put me at 6 minutes approximately or so. I held form and pace for the final 500 at 1:55 and finished with official 7:54.
QT for this year's CRASH-B Sprints at Boston University on February 20 for my age division as a lightweight is 6:53.
Wow, I have some work ahead of me.

Oh, and I am still swimming too.

I recently replanted strawberries. Sets were on SALE at Harmony so I picked up set of Albion and a set of Quinalt.

There are 3 new apple trees and 3 new blueberry bushes that have taken up residence too.