Dear All,
Thanksgiving swim activities of forum participants showed big determination on the part of many, big yardage, and maybe a dash of refuge seeking. Swimming over end-of-year holidays has a completely different rhythm: holiday/family obligations are greater, taking time from swimming, but there is also the wonderful, once-a-year New Year's swim, different for every coach and club.
Any big achievements over this period? Bananas? How did you manage migrating pool schedules? What is planned/did occur for New Year's swim?
Regards,
VB
Very cool! I hope you give it a try! Let us know if you do and how it goes. Worse case, you can always stop if you must. We did 60x100 long course last year and it was not bad at all. Some were IM and Drill by groups of 10 so it went by faster with the variety.
Well I ended up doing the 100 x 100's (scy) this morning. I got a pretty good sleep last night (went to bed around 10), my alarm went off at 7:20 am, and I got up around 7:30. Had a slice of cinnamon toast with peanut butter on. I still hadn't decided if I would go yet at that point. Around 8:20, when I realized it was that late, I started to get ready. Showed up at the pool almost right at 9am (start time).
The start was a bit chaotic. Lots of people just standing around, some fast swimmers (who are much faster than me) trying to take the lane I typically swim in. Eventually, the coach told us that we had 4 more lanes in the main pool, and I went over to that side. I dove in last (4th) in the slowest lane of the 4 faster lanes. In addition to our head coach, Paul and Laura Smith helped out with coaching/motivating us along the way.
I was expecting to do a few hundred warm-up first. However, we went right into the set. The first 10 were on a 1:30 interval for my lane, not a bad pace to warm up. Then we went to a 1:40 pace, then down to 1:35, 1:30, and 1:25. After that (1/2 way) we took about a minute break. Then we went back to 1:40, then 1:35, 1:30, 1:25, and the last was supposed to be on 1:20. I don't exactly know what I did it on, I think the first 3 or 4 were 1:20, then after that it was mostly touch and go (I didn't even look at the clock, Paul kept yelling at me whenever I came in, so I just went).
General comments:
* I don't know where all these people came from!!! I swim 80%+ at the morning workout, maybe 15% noon, and 5% evening, and I don't remember seeing 1/2 or more people at any of our regular workouts.
* The people in my lane (all gals) went way too fast at the beginning. On the 1:40 interval they must have been getting 20+ sec rest per 100. Some were doing fly/back/IM, "because we have so much time." I actually said something to Paul at some point that if they had so much time to chit-chat and do IM they should be in a faster lane. One flat out refused to even attempt a 1:20 interval on the last 10 (she moved to a vacant lane).
* If I had to estimate, I'd say about 70% of the people who showed up finished the whole thing. Some had planned to less (like only do 5,000), some couldn't do more, some just did whatever (saw a few people doing 50s here and there).
I finished the whole thing, not exactly sure how long. We were supposed to start at 9, I think it was closer to 9:15, and Paul said it was about 11:45 when I got out (I did an easy 250 after). I had eaten at home, and brought some water with me, otherwise I didn't eat anything else until I got back home. I did take off my drag suit somewhere in the 80-85 area. I got out my pull buoy and paddles around the same time, getting them ready to use, but I ended up not using any toys.
Would I do this again? Maybe, but probably not. I did it, know I can do it now, but I'd much rather do a longer open water swim, where you actually get to see something, go somewhere.
Hoping to get in my weekly long run tomorrow. We're getting a little rain (rare for the Phoenix area), and it won't take much to dissuade me from running.
Very cool! I hope you give it a try! Let us know if you do and how it goes. Worse case, you can always stop if you must. We did 60x100 long course last year and it was not bad at all. Some were IM and Drill by groups of 10 so it went by faster with the variety.
Well I ended up doing the 100 x 100's (scy) this morning. I got a pretty good sleep last night (went to bed around 10), my alarm went off at 7:20 am, and I got up around 7:30. Had a slice of cinnamon toast with peanut butter on. I still hadn't decided if I would go yet at that point. Around 8:20, when I realized it was that late, I started to get ready. Showed up at the pool almost right at 9am (start time).
The start was a bit chaotic. Lots of people just standing around, some fast swimmers (who are much faster than me) trying to take the lane I typically swim in. Eventually, the coach told us that we had 4 more lanes in the main pool, and I went over to that side. I dove in last (4th) in the slowest lane of the 4 faster lanes. In addition to our head coach, Paul and Laura Smith helped out with coaching/motivating us along the way.
I was expecting to do a few hundred warm-up first. However, we went right into the set. The first 10 were on a 1:30 interval for my lane, not a bad pace to warm up. Then we went to a 1:40 pace, then down to 1:35, 1:30, and 1:25. After that (1/2 way) we took about a minute break. Then we went back to 1:40, then 1:35, 1:30, 1:25, and the last was supposed to be on 1:20. I don't exactly know what I did it on, I think the first 3 or 4 were 1:20, then after that it was mostly touch and go (I didn't even look at the clock, Paul kept yelling at me whenever I came in, so I just went).
General comments:
* I don't know where all these people came from!!! I swim 80%+ at the morning workout, maybe 15% noon, and 5% evening, and I don't remember seeing 1/2 or more people at any of our regular workouts.
* The people in my lane (all gals) went way too fast at the beginning. On the 1:40 interval they must have been getting 20+ sec rest per 100. Some were doing fly/back/IM, "because we have so much time." I actually said something to Paul at some point that if they had so much time to chit-chat and do IM they should be in a faster lane. One flat out refused to even attempt a 1:20 interval on the last 10 (she moved to a vacant lane).
* If I had to estimate, I'd say about 70% of the people who showed up finished the whole thing. Some had planned to less (like only do 5,000), some couldn't do more, some just did whatever (saw a few people doing 50s here and there).
I finished the whole thing, not exactly sure how long. We were supposed to start at 9, I think it was closer to 9:15, and Paul said it was about 11:45 when I got out (I did an easy 250 after). I had eaten at home, and brought some water with me, otherwise I didn't eat anything else until I got back home. I did take off my drag suit somewhere in the 80-85 area. I got out my pull buoy and paddles around the same time, getting them ready to use, but I ended up not using any toys.
Would I do this again? Maybe, but probably not. I did it, know I can do it now, but I'd much rather do a longer open water swim, where you actually get to see something, go somewhere.
Hoping to get in my weekly long run tomorrow. We're getting a little rain (rare for the Phoenix area), and it won't take much to dissuade me from running.
