So since at least two people on this board are interested in my adventures in joining my University's team I thought I'd create a thread (much like ande's swimming blog) to detail all of it. Yeah.
Since the season doesn't actually start regular practice for another week and a half, this is mainly an intro post - and I'll update it with what happens when I go meet the other girls on the team and such! Stay tuned! It'll be better than any general hospital or passions!
Today I actually swam for the first time (since my freshman swim test last year) in the University pool. It was huge. And cold. Over the summer I got used to swimming in health club pools with water hovering around 80-85. Not exactly the most comfortable water at times, but at least nice and warm. The Ratner pool here is...freezing by those standards. I'm guessing the water temp is 75 at the warmest. Gives new meaning to the term "warm up".
I was really nervous when I first got in - the girls and guys returning members were having informal practices and I was sort of afraid they'd notice me. Although, I don't think they did. Or maybe they did and I just didn't hear what they said about me. Haha.
I also swam a 600 for the first time in a long time. I mostly stuck to 400s and below in my summer workouts (yeah, I know, I'm a little bit of a wimp). Unfortunately, that couldn't last. The coach suggested when I met her that I get in the water and swim 6-800 straight every day this week as part of my workout. It kind of hurt. Actually, it was one of the odder experiences of my life. For the first 200 or so my chest was tight from my asthma and I was freaking out about the distance (I was also really cold). Then all of a sudden I started to get really into it and just kept on going. I probably could have done 1000 if I wanted to.
The workout was cut short - only about 2300yds - because I promised my friends I'd come home and cook dinner for them tonight. And that's where I leave it tonight.
Background: For those who didn't see my posts on the board throughout the year, I'm a soph. in college who has been going through the prepartion to join my school's team. I attend the University of Chicago (a div 3 school) and was a competitive swimmer for seven years before high school. Burnout put me out of the water for almost 5 years, however, and I'm only recently getting back into it.
Originally posted by hmlee
Did I make the right call here? Or was I too conservative?
Only you can answer the question about whether you were only concerned about your back or whether the idea of a sprint 200 just seemed too painful (in terms of effort, not your back).
I was actually pretty well rested at the time of getting out to go on the blocks...I know that if not for my soreness in my back I *could* have still done the 200. Perhaps it wouldn't have been my fastest time, but I still would have been able to finish it.
As for what I'll swim in the meet...not sure. It'll probably be consist of one to three events of short-short/mid distance free or backstroke. I'm a horrible breaststroker even when healthy, and my fly has been suffering because of my back lately.
I'm still not that fast in free/back right now...out of shapeness as well as injured...but I can at least swim them. I'll probably know more about it next week.
Originally posted by Larry
Who knows what would've happened if you'd done the 200? You could have surprised yourself and ripped a great time. Next time, go for it.
I can attest to the likelihood of that. Many of mt PB times in practice have come towards the end of a workout.
It is quite possible that I would have had a great start and had a surprisingly good time....
However, since I've only been able to do open turns and haven't done a start in five years...I consider the likelyhood of that to be slim...
I'll probably do the race event tomorrow (as long as it's not even worse than the 200!) depending on my health. I'm conflicted between pushing myself after a hard workout and being conservative to protect my back. On the one hand, I really want to get starts in and get times and see where I am and where I need to go...on the other, I am afraid of worsening my injury now that I am finally starting to heal.
It's beautiful. I have a friend who swims Wash U and I believe the conference meet was there. Always good when a new 50 meter pool is built. Cold pools are fast, but they sure do wake you up in the early morning!
Starts are one of the things that bother my back, so it actually might have been good to give yourself a little more time before you did this. Next week you should probably try.
Yeah, the UAAs were held here last year! They won't be here again this year, but I think they might be here again during my Jr. year. We'll see....
Well, I had morning practice today. I woke up and I wasn't feeling all that great. I ran out of my muscle relaxer prescription the night before, so I didn't have any last night. I really didn't get a lot of sleep because there were a lot of poeple comming back from bar night - a local frat party that's held every wednesday - and being extremely loud in the hallways at like 1-3am.
So I woke up pretty groggy and sore but decided to go to practice and swim anyway. I got in the water and I was feeling alright..today was sprint day. Yey....er not. I'm not really a sprinter, so long sets of sprints are just evil. Especially with my injury.
After we finished the main set the coach had us hop out. Since our first meet is a week from Saturday, she wanted us to get up on the blocks a little and swim events as though we were in a race. I haven't done a start in five years, but all the same I was thinking I might try it.
Until she told us the event...
She wanted us to swim the 200 free on a race pace.
At that point after the high intensity workout we had had I was thinking that it probably wasn't a great idea for me. I wasn't at the point where I needed to get out of the pool...I probably could have swum more. I just didn't know what a full start + fast 200 would do to my back which was already aching.
So I opted out.
My coach seemed to understand, although I felt kind of bad about it. I know that I have to get up on the blocks over the next week (probably a lot) because I need to get a decent start down if I'm going to swim in our first meet (which I'm not sure that I will...but probably...). I'm thinking that the next time we do that (maybe tomorrow morning?) if I don't swim the event with the other girls I'll at least start with them or something.
Did I make the right call here? Or was I too conservative?
Today's workout:
Warmup:
300 free swim - alternate 25 swim, 25 drill
300 IM swim - alternate 25 kick, 25 swim, 25 drill
300 back swim - alternate 25 swim, 25 drill
Fins on:
8 x (3 x 25 fast focus on technique on the :40; 1 x 50 six side kick / 3 stroke free or back recovery on the 1:00)
Fins off:
300 pull
12 x 25 on the :30 alternating build/sprint
50 easy swim
...Block part...(I didn't swim this)
Cool down:
200 easy swim
Total today: 2,950yds
