Wekk #6 Swim #1 1-24-11

This was the first swim of the new swim program.  It definitely was a lot tougher with some different warmups and a longer cool down.  For a minute it made me question how I was going to be able to handle swimming a 1/2 mile then completing the other two legs of the triathlon.  I know I will be fine by the time I get to race day which seems both like a long and short time from now.

Week #5 swim #4 Jan 22, 2011

It's amazing how little things can piss you off and mess with your head if you let it.  10 laps into the 14 I had to swim today, some little shits came to the pool.  I use my sandals on the side of the pool to count the number of laps I have swam.  These little bastards not watching what they are doing, bump my sandles.  I was pretty confident on my lap count in my head, but I began to doubt myself and was pissed.  I got things straightened out on the edge of the pool and got back to swimming.  I quickly cleared the frustration from my mind and got back to swimming.  Knocked out the 700 yards a little slower today, but still did it in about 18 minutes.

Week 5 Swims #2 and #3

My plan for the week was to try to get up to 4 days in a row swimming.  I've gotten to three straight days of swimming 700 yards, and my shoulders have had it.  Not going to make it to 4 straight days, but I will get 4 days of swimming in this week.

For both nights, my pace slowed a bit and put me at an approximate 17 minutes for the 700 yards both nights.

Last night I found out Jim Dreyer's new quest.  He is hoping to build a boat out of empty bottles and row non-stop from somewhere in Michigan to Chicago for some sort of celebration this summer.

Week #5 Swim #1 Jan 18, 2011

These first swims for the week are tough.  I think the time off between swims for the weekend is what the problem is.  Anyway, swam 700 yards last night in approximately 15 minutes.  On a positive note, I've been able to maintain a consistent pace all the way through, and even as the distance has gotten longer.

Week #4 Swim #3 Friday 1-14-11

Swam next to Jim Dreyer again. 

Was only going to swim my scheduled 600 yards.  Stepped it up and swam 700 and felt like I could have kept going, but no need to push it too hard at this point.  Still managed to add in another 500 or 600 yards of drills though.  Next week is my last week of beginner training, then off to intermediate training from now til March

Week 4 Swim #2

The highlight of the evening was getting to swim next to Jim Dreyer.  For those of you who don't remember him, he's the guy that swam across Lake Michigan and made multiple attempts at swimming across Lake Superior for charity.  Dude had some crazy contraption that he swam with that looked like two parachutes hooked together.  He had to get about a 1/4 of the way down the pool before these things were doing their job.  Being that he was swimming with those things and some paddles on his hands, I couldn't really watch his form to learn anything though.

Anyway, I swam another 600 yards last night in 14 minutes.  I then did another 500 yards of just swimming drills for the next 20 minutes or so.  It was a good night of swimming overall.

Week #4 Swim #1

Uggh!! 600 yards last night was a chore after having that much time off from swimming.  I still managed to crank it out in about 14 minutes.  That pace might be a little bit on the slow side, but I can work on the pace later once I've got more of the endurance side down.

Swimming program Week 3 Swim #3

Ok, so three days in a row of swimming didn't sound that bad when I setup my schedule for the week.  I'm definitely feeling it and am glad that I get to rest now until Monday.  Still knocked off the 500 yards in 10 minutes.

For the next two weeks I'm swimming 600 yards in preparation for the more advanced portion of the training program.

Swimming Program Week 3 Day #2

Yesterday I swam 500 yards in about 10 minutes.  That's no swim cap, a swimsuit that acts like a parachute and 5 second rests between intervals.  I was really pleased with my performance given I had just swam 500 yards the night before.  In another hour I will be back at the pool to swim another 500 yards.

Ah!! 2011 you've come at last

Well 2011, you are here.  With you, you bring some new adventures and challenges.  I welcome you.

136 days from now, I will face my number one goal for 2011 to complete a triathlon.  I don't want to just finish this triathlon but I want to complete it.  By completing it, I mean a constant 1.75 and 2 hours of constant physical exertion.  No clinging to life boats, no walking, etc.