You just gotta get in the pool--(for free!)

SWIM: 1900y in 48 mins. 3x100WU, 200 kicks, 12x25 intervals, 1000pulls, 50 CD, 50 sprint.

BIKE: 31.5 miles in 1:55. Windy ride at New Town.

LC is right, you just gotta get in the pool. And I've found a good schedule: Masters Mon and Weds and Sat if possible. I've never been a class-driven swimmer before. But I need to try something new! And it's so much more fun when you know others in the class.

So today I went to Sat Masters and shared a lane with LC. A highlight was the 1000y pull. It was the longest swim for me this season and it wasn't too hard. Sure, the pull buoy made it easier. I like to think that the buoy sims a wetsuit. But I finished under 20 mins, and I've set a benchmark!

Left the swim a few mins early, rushed out the door in cycling gear, and met DH for breakfast! :)

Off to NT for the first weekend of 6 there. The plan was to swim if needed for the men-prog. In the end, it was just a ride. A windy ride (aren't they all out there?). I rode with a group of about 5-7 others rode out to PdS. Even in the wind, this ride felt strong and it was wonderful to stretch out the legs on the open roads. I felt last night's ride a little bit but not bad.

I should have run afterwards, but I didn't. Motivation just wasn't there. I'll run tomorrow.

Friday night ride, first Hog Hollow climb

BIKE: 39.1 miles, 2:45, all in-town riding. Ave HR 160.

A great way to end the work week: a bike ride! After turning down offers to ride all spring I finally made it out. LC and I took off from FP on the Bi Shark route. We didn't hurry, maybe we should have. It got dark on us in the last few minutes!

I'm still a bit rusty on the bike, but there's only one way to get back into it. Ride!

My first Hog Hollow climb of 2011 went great. Of course the Bird made it an easier climb :) Go Triple!

I felt some burn, but didn't suffer terribly. But I won't say it was easy either. It hurt. But I loved it! And I enjoyed the company. LC is competitive with herself and is always looking to improve. How can you not enjoy that?

Thursday run...and run pace analysis

RUN: 6.4 miles in 51:44, for an 8:06min/mile pace.

So my running is doing OK. An 8:06 is pretty damned good for me. So following yesterday’s post lamenting my lack of improvement in the swim…

Evergreen 2007 10K at 8:57 (flat)
Memphis in May 2008 10K at 9:37 min/mile
Evergreen 2008 10K at 8:43 (flat)
Quartermax 2008 10K at 9:15 (hilly!)
Quartermax 2009 at 9:29 (hilly)

Hmmmm……half marathons:
2006 Go St Louis 9:38
2007 Go St Louis 9:07
2008 Great Illini 9:42
2009 Go St Louis 9:02
2009 Racine 9:05
2009 Clayton 8:45
2009 Redman….don’t go there.

Wow…that 8:06 today is looking Bitchin’ Awesome (word of the day).
Looks like I need to do a 10K and get that PR!

Wednesday swim: not getting any better!

SWIM: 1500y in 45 mins. Mostly 100 and 50y of focused swimming.

Really? Only 1500y? Really? I didn’t feel that slow. I wasn’t stopped that much. I wasn’t doing kicking and pure drills like in Master’s. So why so slow? What’s going on here?

That works out to a 2:48min/100y. In normal swimming I can do about a 2:00min/100y. But these numbers put me at ~45s longer for each 100y?!? And if you include the 100’s I did, so I wasn’t resting between each 50…

An Olympic race is 0.932 miles or 1.5k or 1640y. An HIM is 1.2 miles or 1931m or 2112y. My most recent swims (OK, granted, most of them have kicks and drills that you really can’t count) are all over 2:30min/100y! OK, and to be fair, I was doing unhurried 250y intervals on this past Monday at between at about 5:30min, which is about a 2:12, so that’s OK. But I’m looking at an Olympic swim time of 36-41 minutes?!? And an HIM time of 48-52 mins?!?

To review the past few years:
Evergreen Olympic 2007: 39:48
Memphis in May Olympic: 31:49 (really?)
Evergreen Olympic 2008: 37:13
Great Illini HIM 2008: 45:12
Racine HIM 2009: 32:44 [this race doesn’t count, the swim was short]
Redman HIM 2009: 46:31

So excepting the fact that sometimes the swim time includes a run to the timing mat…or a climb up a hill…I’m not getting any better. It’s about time to get better. It’s DAMNED time to get better!!!

FOCUS!!!!

First brick of the Piggie/Savage season

BIKE: 1hr, about 18-19 miles. 3x6’ (2’) at z4/5.
RUN: 22 mins, 2.5 miles. First 1.8 miles in 15 mins (8:19m/m)

So yesterday I lamented my poor focus lately, and resolved to take a “one at a time” approach to things to avoid the overwhelming feeling I’d get. 12hrs in, and so far so good. Oh boy, 12hrs!

Tuesday’s will be my speed day for the bike and run. Between a good quality, hard ride in the morning and a fast brick (or BRR speedwork) afterwards, this will be a key day to be focused on fast fast fast.

Managing a z4/5 interval without an HR monitors isn’t all that easy, so I went for effort. I probably spent more time in Z3/4 than z4/5, but I “went hard” either way. While riding indoors is not the favorite option, for these hard intervals it’s so much easier than going outside where intervals are limited by stoplights and traffic. So indoors it is for now. For the first time in a few days, my focus was clear, the goal visible, and my willingness to push at the surface. I did a good number (20 mins or so) of standing or sprint intervals of 30s or 60s each.

This carried over to a fast run, right after the bike. Sometimes I let the cold hold me back, letting myself get worried that the cool weather wouldn’t be good with sweaty clothes. But today was ~48F and sunny. Cool, not cold. I took off fast, like someone was at my heels. The first 1.8 miles were in 15 mins. Not FAST, but fast. I felt light, competitive, clear, crisp. It felt downhill the entire way. Great for the first brick of the Pigman/Savage season!!

Keep it rolling….

Get Focused!

SWIM: MMM 1hr 1900y. Not really a main set: 4x100 kick; 4x150 as breathing every 4,3,2; then 2x250 steady.

I arrived mostly on time for the swim, I'm getting better every week. Minute by minute, I'll get there. Some big news kept me up last night!

The swim felt just OK. Not fast, not neat, not too sloppy although I'm willing to be it was. I experimented with early and late hand entry. The early hand entry makes it easier for me to time the catch.

Time to start layin out some goals, and time to start thinking ahead. I'm getting a bit overwhelmed here these last few days. I have so much to do that I just freeze up! My memory, focus, and concentration are all out of whack. One thing at a time. One goal at a time. Last week I tested a new goal-setting system. It works if I let it work. Today I didn't let it work. Try it again tomorrow!

Tomorrow: Morning bike ride and short brick run. Goal of the ride is LT intervals at z4/5: 3x6' (2). Goal of the run is to learn brick running. This is short--Aresenal and back. Goals for work: get the presentation ready!

Failed day

SWIM: 14 minutes. 13 laps. :D
BIKE: 75 minutes, about 20 miles.

I was going to swim 30 minutes of drills. But it just wasn't in me. 11 minutes in, and I was mentally done. But one of my goals this week was to get into a pool three times. Done.

The plan for afterwards to find a bike ride, 1-2 hrs long. I dressed at the pool, but felt cold when I stepped outside. My motivation was already low, and this didn't help any. I decided to drive to CCP and stage there. Some event and some construction in CCP was just another excuse.

So I evaluated what was going on. What was killing the motivation? Not tired. Not hungry. Just flat. Flat. What does that mean? I wanted to ride, but didn't want to ride. So why force it? Why send myself out in the wind and suffer? Because I knew I'd feel better once I got going.

But no go. So I decided to go home and get an indoor ride in. That worked for me. But what was I just saying yesterday about FOCUS?