Tuesday, September 24, 2013

**UPDATE**

I am postponing this swim due to family obligations. 

I will be helping my best friend train and crewing for his English Channel swim in 2014.

Bear Lake, I promise you, I will be back. Promise. 2015?

THANKS GORDON FOR HELPING!!!! KEEP MY WORKOUTS HANDY. I'll be back.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Location: Western YMCA, Newark, Delware. SCM Outdoor Pool
Time:2:00-3:00 pm
Distance: 3000 Meters

Last day of the outdoor pool. Sigh. I grew up in Florida training outside year around. It's been years since swimming outside since my high school days. I do enjoy it.  The unpredictable weather makes the swims more interesting indeed!

Weather was on the chilly side. My car said 65 when I pulled up to the pool. Breezy and mostly cloudy. Someone joked that we were the Polar Bear club. Ha the dude has no idea what temperatures I've swam in (mostly to help train my friend, Lelane, with her ice swim !)  Never forget the day of Lelane's Ice Swim. She probably picked the coldest day of the year. It hurt to stand outside. Brrr...I swam Lelane in to shore..in yes, a wetsuit, neoprene hat, gloves. ha. I was still freaking shaking like a leaf for an hour after that swim with her!


Anyway, not feeling great lately. Super stuffy nose. Difficult to get enough air while swimming. Like swimming with a clothes pin on your nose. Fun! Sinuses clogged and achy. Yay. Mind over matter. Not sure when to call it quits some days.

1000 Warm Up
1000 Kick w/fins
5 x 100's pull
500 steady pace

=whopping 3000 Meters. Wasnt pretty but still enjoyable to swim outside one last time!!!!

Friday, September 13, 2013

Location: Western YMCA, SCY Outdoor Pool (only open through the weekend!! BOO!! Then inside pool swimming until next summer. UGH)

Time: 9:00-10:30 am
Distance: 4100 yards


Weather is PERFECT for swimming today. 70 degrees, overcast, breezy. Water temp maybe upper 70's. I was happy. Felt so much better than the day before.

1000 warm up Free
8 x 25's swim on the :30 (alternated Fly and free)
6 x 200's Pull
50 easy
4 x 200's Kick with fins (no kickboard, 6 beat kick and reverse side)
50 east
2 x 200's Free hard
400 Cool Down




 (swam yesterday, September 12, 2013)
Location: Western YMCA, Newark, DE, SCY Outdoor pool
Time: 1:30-2:45
Distance: 4000 yards

It's been SO hot these past few days here. We are talking off the scale humidity. Poor air quality. So, swimming outside at this time of day was brutle. Taking a breath was torture. My allergies have been bad too lately. So, I'm gasping for air as it is. Phew.

1000 Warm up Free
800- 8 x 100's kick Free with fins
1600- 16 x 100's pull on 1:30 (just barely made these..)
800-  4 x 200's Drill for first two 200's and kicked for other two
400 Free bld
200 Cool Down

Not the greatest practice for me. Tired and hot!!!

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Location: Western YMCA, Delaware, SCY Outdoor pool
Time: 11:45-1:00 pm
Distance: 4000 yards

Ok. Promise you won't see a blog post tomorrow. I actually waited around this morning for the UPS guy to show up with my Waterproof Ipod (early birthday present). Gave me 24 hours recovery since last swim.... Anyway, I've used music off and on over the years. I'm not sure it's good to use all of the time. I don't want to rely on music so much that when I can't use it (e.g.-Bear Lake crossing), I won't go completely insane. Sometimes I even take the music off after half the workout. But come on, how can Justin Timberlake not help keep my groove going?

So my two swimmer buddies showed up again. Competitive swimmers. Honestly it's a rare find around this area. Neither of them talk to me nor even say hello. Weird swimmers. We are all to proud for our own good maybe. Maybe someday they will be so impressed by my swimming abilities they will ask what I'm training for and I can share my goals. (ha keep dreaming Alison). For now, it's all in my own head. Maybe I'll keep it that way.

So, DAY 10 of swimming. 

Altered workout from what was given:

1000 warm up (choose not to pull..swam it all Free)

8 x 25 swimming with focus and strong kick. ( HAD to throw in some butterfly. I love butterfly...for 25's  anyway )

6 x 200 (1,4th easy, 2nd and 5th strong, 4th high effort).....I noticed something I've never felt during this set today. Chest pain. I don't mean like heart attack type pain but more like either my lungs or just my chest muscles hurt. I got better as I continued but for a few 200's I was hurting.)

50 easy recover

4 x 200 moderate pace (ok so I pulled on two of these..burned out beyond belief at this point)

50 easy recover

2 x 200 hard (swam one and kicked one..sorry..complete toast)

100 easy

200 pull easy 

=4000 SCY



Monday, September 9, 2013

Location: The USUAL, Western YMCA, Newark, DE, SCY outdoor pool
Time: 10:30-11:45
Distance: 4300 yards



I'm sick. I'm very very sick. I told myself that I wasn't going to swim today. I needed to do something else. Run, do weights, something. Ha.Yeah Right. What is it about swimming that nothing else can do to fill this soul of mine? I suppose I know I have a gift. And it certainly isn't running or biking! ;)
So headed out a little later than usual to swim today. Good thing I did. I guess these fellows that showed up were on their lunch break. I hit the jackpot when about 4 studly dudes filled the lanes all around me. Ha. Sorry. I love swimming these macho hot shot dudes who can't believe a woman my age can swim. Yeah, they were basically faster than I. It's okay. I bet they weren't on their 9th consecutive day of swimming either! ;) They didn't last long in the water either. Endurance over speed maybe  my new motto!

Anyway, I was tired from the moment I jumped in. Sore. Sore calves, sore arms, and just sleepy. I knew which workout I'd choose. No equipment today. Just lots of (barfy) 100's on the clock. I know it's what I need. Bring it on.

300 Warm up loosen
1200- 12 x 100 on 1:40 (hit the wall at 1:30 about every time. This is WAY too slow....Not happy with that.)
200 4 x 50 recovery. Easy..Mixed in a little BR and Fly (not sure what I'm doing as far as Master's swim meets this year......)
1000- 8 x 100 on 1:40, stronger effort (again on 1:30 mostly. Maybe 1:28 )
200-4 x 50 recovery (think I came to a halt swimming here..the dudes swimming beside me probably lost all respect for me after seeing this)
400- 4 x 100 on 1:35 FAST (omg. Sorry but this was rough. Burned out. Alternated Free with IM on these) Fastest time on the Free was 1:25. Ugh. 


*Now, question is..do I take off tomorrow? Swim through the soreness and pain? If I hated swimming, the answer would be easy. Problem is ..I love it.



(swam on September 8, 2013)

Location: Western Y, Newark Delaware, SCM Outdoor pool (my fav..love SCM)
Time: 2:00-2:45 pm
Distance: 2500 meters


You would think weekends would allow me to get in more distance however my schedule is mainly the opposite. Weekends equate to passing the kids back and fourth and who is doing what while the other watches the kids. I ended up getting in a short block of time and my 11 year old son wanted to come along (yes this kid can swim!) I knew getting in a real swim would be a challenge. My son would ask me each time I was at the wall how many laps I had swam. Little does he know I have no idea how many laps I did. He pretty much put it into perspective for me. I love how he admires my swimming skills. I think it's great for kids to see their parents working hard and having goals!!!

ANYWAY..rambling again.

200 IM warm up (yuck..ha IM can't be a warm up, can it?)
800- 8 x 100's free (did these on 1:45)
1000- 4 x 250's pull alt between touch and pull and reg.pull
500- 100 kick, 4 x 100's Drill (fist, fingertip, then last 2 x 100's easy free)

Had planned on doing 3000 but with my sweet little son all dressed and starting at me, and my shoulder bothering me as well, oh and threatening skies, I called it a day.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Location: Western YMCA, Newark, Delaware, SCM Outdoor pool
Time: 9:100-10:30
Distance: 6000 Meters/6500 Yards

YAY!!!! Finally I got in some decent distance. Finally some motivation. Maybe what's motivating me is  the Memphre swim in which my swim buddies are partaking in as I type here. I was actually signed up to do that swim this year. But then knew with a service dog coming that I wouldn't be able to train like I needed to.  I attempted Memphre (25 miles from VT to Canada) as a relay a few years ago and the cold got to me (surprise..ha but not just me. Many others pulled for cold or injuries) I was a crew person for my best buddy, Bill Shipp, last year as well for Memphre. Witnessing that swim was extraordinary. These marathon swims are intriguing. I love swimming in the dark myself. But it's also a time when it's cold and quiet. I did a 10 mile training swim last year for Memphre and my goal was 17 miles. I made 10. Again. The cold got me. Most of the swimming was in the dark. And even once daylight hit, it was a cold and rainy Fall day. Picked a bad day for that swim!

So...rambling here. Back to the topic of today's swim. 
Super sunny with some chill to the air. I thought this morning, "oh perfect..I can swim in some colder conditions." Well, HA. The pool is now heated and too damn hot. The sun was also blazing down on me. So, that took some time to get accustomed too. 

Here's my workout.....I liked it actually. :)

2000 Free swim
1500 Pull (I'll admit my left shoulder started hurting. I'm always curious why my right shoulder never hurts. I must be a tad off balance and pulling more instead of rotating my body .. work on this!!)
1000 Kick with Fins
800 Free

(......hit 5300 and said oh shoot, gotta make this even....
added...)
.
200 rotating breaststroke and Free easy

(....well shoot I made it to 5500. Why not just get to 6000....?)

5 x 100's swimming the first 25 of each butterfly. 

=6000 Meters DONE.

I probably could have kept going. I was on a roll. But knew I had family waiting for me back home.
Finally. Something over 4000. Ready to up my yardage on a regular basis. Time to get to work here.:) 

Time to go check on the progress of my swimmer friends, including Sarah Thomas swimming a DOUBLE Memphre (50 miles!) She just swam a double Lake Tahoe 6 weeks ago! WOW WOW WOW!!!



Friday, September 6, 2013

Location: Western YMCA, Newark, Delaware, SCY Outdoor pool
Time:  9:30-10:45
Distance:  3500 yards

Glorious Friday morning but I'll admit I was moving slow today. The outdoor temperature has finally dropped. I love it. I enjoy the challenge of swimming outside when the temperatures drop. I know its what I need to work on A LOT more to prepare for Bear Lake next year. It's not that the cold bothers me that much, however my body is unpredictable, suffering from hypothermia after only 8 miles in VT this past July. I am hoping that it was all caused by a long time medication I was taking. I soon after had medically induced Lupus. I've been fine ever since getting off the medicine and hope never to get hypothermia so easily ever again.

Anyway, I was kinda in a grumpy mood. You know. The negative self talk "I don't wanna be here. Where are all the good looking guys today? ( hey I can look..) Gosh, I need music so bad and my darn Ipod is broken". Ha all of that. I did find that after about 500 yards into swimming my attitude changed some. I started feeling more confident and more into race mode if you want to call it that.:) Again, swimming is so mental. For me anyway. 

So, WITHOUT a workout from Mr. Gordon..hint hint....I just made it all up as I went along. I'm too easy on myself and can't do this much longer.

1000 warm up Free, moderate pace
4 x 250's pull Free
5 x 200's kick with fins
2 x 250's swim

=3500 yards

I know. It's time to up the yardage. I've been swimming for like a week straight. Ha ..that in itself is an accomplishment for me I'd say lately.:)
Debating on an outside, ow swim tomorrow with maybe the jellies or just a long SCM swim outside...............hmmm......
(swam September 5, 2013)


Location: Bear YMCA, Bear, DE, SCY Inside, very warm pool
Time: 11:00-11:30
Distance: 2500 yards

Was one of those days yesterday. Drove all the way across town. Having some stomach pains from what has been an ovarian cyst. Knew the swim would be a challenge but also that swimming is much more realistic than a run when not feeling well.  Got to the pool with the sign we all fear. "Pool closed due to contamination. Will reopen at 7:00 pm" (note it was only 10:00 am when I arrived.) Ugh. Threw me all off. There aren't any other outdoor pools open in the area after Labor Day. Welcome to the North. I grew up in Florida where we swim outside year around. The Western Y's indoor pool is known to be hot. My other option was to drive across town to a different Y with an indoor pool, in hopes it wouldn't be 90 degrees. 
So that's what I did. Only 3 lap lanes available. Pool was very warm. Maybe upper 80's. Felt great until I started actually swimming. Ha oh well. Did 2500 yards and called it a day once an elderly man asked to share a lane with me and hit me good each time he swam by me :) 
Some day I will own my own lap pool.........

Warm up- 2 x 500's free
500 Pull
500 Kick
2 x 250's Free swim

=2500 pathetic yards.....

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Location: Western YMCA, Newark, Delaware, SCY Outdoor Pool
Distance: 4000 yards

I actually considered running or doing some cross training today. But the sun is shining and it's a gorgeous day to swim outside. I also brought a 7,000 yard workout with me. The intentions were there. The amount of time necessary wasn't. I need to get to the pool as early as possible to swim these longer swims. I seem to find any excuse not to do longer swims lately. Not sure where the motivation is hiding. It's ridiculous.

400 Warm Up Free
2100- 3 x (300 pull, 2 x 100 IM's on 1:45, 4 x 50's FAST on 1:00)
600 pull
400 kick with fins
2 x 250's  - 1st one build, 2nd cool down


(swam 9/3/2013)

Location: Western YMCA, Newark, Delaware, SCY outdoor pool
Distance:  3500 yards

Sorry!!! Not sure what I swam exactly. Last time I wait a day to blog my swim!

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Location: Western YMCA, Wilmington, Delaware, Outdoor SCM Pool
Time: 11:15-12:30 pm
Distance: 4200 meters

Didn't swim as much as mentally, I wanted to. But physically not feeling well still (side pain), so happy with 4200 meters in an hour and 15 minutes. I am working on being mentally tougher. I swear swimming is like 80% mental. When I have self doubt, negative thoughts running through my head, I swim slow. If I can just flip that switch when I need to, I can do anything!!! All about believing in yourself, being in the moment, and swimming each swim like it's your last!!

600 Warm Up
300 Fast

500 Pull (Gosh I really love pulling)
200 strong
400 Kick with fins
100 Sprint
600 Pull
300 Fast
500 Pull
5 x 100's odd's IM, even's Free
200 Cool Down

=4200 meters/4500 yards