Swim Progress

This is very difficult for me to admit. I can't believe I am about to say this.

But I am swimming really well right now. And kinda enjoying it

(runs and hides)

It was about this time last year that I took the plunge and joined masters swimming at Dynamo. Under Maria's direction, I became a much more confident swimmer. And I assume I became a faster swimmer. But I never really came to terms with swimming. The 5 am wake up calls sucked. The initial shock of the pool at 5:45 am was never well received. It often took me a solid 1000m before I was awake. So while I continued to build my volume and endurance, I never took a solid liking to swimming. Fast forward another year and I have a different outlook...and possibly different results.

Naturally, I went back to my training log to determine if I am swimming more. I typically take about 3 months off from swimming at the end of the year. My training log seems to indicate that I was a bit sheepish about getting back into the water in January. That being said, I expected my swimming to be limited. For the first 10 weeks of the year, I only averaged 5600m a week. This began to pick up steadily in March when I joined Dynamo.

This year was a bit similar. In November and December, I swam once a week at most. In January, I picked it up a bit. By February, I was swimming masters with NAC. If I control for the two weeks that I didn't enter the pool at all, then I am averaging 5700m a week for the year.

As I am writing this, I am actually a bit dumbfounded. I thought for sure that I was just putting in more regular volume. I thought maybe consistency was the key. I guess not. Onto theory number two.

So today I tested a different thought. I love the pool where I work and swim. It is a great competition pool. It is deep throughout, has super wide lanes, wave breakers and basically no current. After talking with the masters group, I have learned that this is a 'fast' pool. Well that might explain my swimming. I was noticing that my intervals were often a few seconds faster than normal. My t-pace (1:32), tested a few weeks ago, was a PR for more and netted a per 100 pace faster than my in season speed. Must be the fast pool. Or so I thought.

I had the day off today so I visited another masters group in town. The workout called for repeats of 3 x 100 on 1:40 or holding a 1:30 pace. I was confident that I would easily hold the pace. But I was uncertain how the pool dynamics might slow me down a bit. Was it just easier in the other pool? Well I pushed the first set and came in around 1:25. I worked to back it off, as to play nice with my lane mates. I finally settled into a comfortable 1:30 pace. In fact, it was a bit too comfortable. It didn't feel tempo at all. In between the sets were an easy 300. I was cruising to a 4:35 finish and feeling like I was just enjoying the swim. During the final 100, 2000y into the workout, I was still able to push it a bit and go under 1:25. The final confirmation came when we were told to do a 200 all out. I went 2:35. That is probably 15 seconds faster than I can ever recall. Guess something is working for me.

I came home, talked to Jess and contemplated this for most of the day. As mentioned, I thought for sure it was just a volume thing. But apparently not. Onto theory 3, 4 and 5.

Theory 3: I am trying at a time that makes sense for me. The 5:45 am class didn't work for me. I typically had decent evening swims on my own but I was often fatigued from work. Instead, now I am swimming a masters class at 9 am. When I swim on my own it is often around 7:30, after I coach a class. I think my body is awake. I can't say that I look forward to jumping in the pool but I do so less begrudgingly. And I am ready to work once there.

Theory 4: I am training with swimmers. At Dynamo, I opted for the triathlete lane. We pushed it, but there was plenty time for social hour. Not at NAC. The 9 am class is brutal. And I fall behind quickly. Half the class is former D1 swimmers. The other half triathletes. As a coach and a business owner, I see it as my job to be fast...or give that appearance. So I work when I am there. Or maybe I get worked. Swimming with faster people pays off.

Theory 5: Stroke improvement. I will be the first to admit that I am very overwhelmed teaching people to swim. This is my weakness as an athlete. And I don't have all the experience as a coach. Doing so gives me a lot of time to reflect on the different aspects of the stroke. Whereas before, I would get information overload when I googled swimming tips, now I have a very direct approach to it. I am looking for very specific things like--drills to develop a high elbow during recovery. This forces me to think and learn more and more and more about swimming. Now when I am in the pool, I am thinking more about implementation. Somewhere along the way, I think my stroke changed. I think I developed a much stronger pull. And now I am onto working on better hip rotation.

It is really hard to pinpoint what is working. I am actually concerned about getting ahead of myself. However, there are very few times in the past 6+ years that I can admit enjoying swimming. I am seeing really good results. I have a better attitude about it. And I am *almost* looking forward to the swim portion of the season.

Masters Swimming

This blog might be the most painful one I have ever written. It forces me to search deep inside and admit something that I don't want to admit. I really don't want to admit it. But I am....kinda...enjoying...swimming. (shudders)

I have attended masters now for a month. Not a day goes by that I don't hate the 5 am wake up call. But after every single workout, I am glad that I made the choice. Of course, I am a zombie the rest of the day but the feeling is starting to grow on me.

In the past weeks, I swam with the triathletes. The workouts were typically in the range of 2500-2700 and lasted about an hour. This week I decided to make the switch and join the real swimmers. Suddenly I was overwhelmed again. These people were crazy fast. And my first workout jumped to 4000m.

All in all it really is an enjoyable experience. I am moving to swimming 3x a week. I am slowly meeting and getting to know my lane mates. It is just nice to have company while I suffer. I feel like 90% of the time training is so isolated. With other people, it is much more motivational and helps the time go by quicker.

So I am one month into a three month experiment. I do feel that my swimming endurance has improved significantly. I know that my mindset about swimming has improved. I certainly hope that my speed is increasing. Guess we will know it about a month if the 5 am wake up calls are paying off.

Finding Nemo

My transition back to the pool this week took a different turn. After years of talking the talk, I finally walked the walk. I attending my first masters class. This has been a goal for years. No longer can I rely on physical strength to power my way the water. I need a strong focus on becoming more efficient and faster. It is time to train my weakness.

Masters carries with it a very intimidating vibe--the notion that dozens of great swimmers will engulf you or workouts that are so convoluted that you are the one asking dumb questions. It kinda felt like the first day in a new school. Fortunately I had visited the center before so at least I didn't go looking for the pool on the roof.

Alas, I set my alarm for 5 am. It came early. Hmpf. I rolled out of bed and got moving. I am was the early bird, arriving at the facilities 20 minutes before class. In fact, only three cars lined the parking lot. I decided to stay in the warm car until closer to time.

I nervously made my way into the pool area and introduced myself to the coach and explained my situation. She seemed eager to tackle a new project. I then made my way to the pool deck looking all the people who clearly knew what they were doing and had all kinds of fancy toys. I waited patiently to be told what to do. Fortunately, I found another swimmer that was relatively new so we jumped into the lane together.

It was really nice to work with a coach and begin to understand how to improve my stroke. It was even better to be in a nice, cool pool as opposed to the sauna of a pool at the gym. In the end, the workout lasted about an hour and only covered 2500 yards.

It was much more difficult to get out of bed this morning. I think my body is in shock from the sudden schedule shift. The swim went great. I am definitely working hard in the pool and training much different than before. Hopefully a few months of this will really pay off.

Special thanks to Dynamo and all3sports for their partnership.