Swimming in a Vegas Pool

I just got back from Vegas where I was invited to a meeting on CNS drug development. The meeting was held at the Four Seasons, a hotel inside the Mandalay Bay. The meeting was quite interesting and I met a whole bunch of new people there. But it was also very busy and I barely had time to get some exercise in.

That exercise consisted of swimming for 45 minutes in the Four Season's pool. I probably swam about 3/4 of a mile. As it was quite windy and overcast there was nobody there so I got the pool all to myself. I am afraid that my swimming has not improved much since I quit doing it. I am still unable to breathe every other stroke and I still have a very strong preference for breathing on the right.

Other than that the trip was unremarkable. I never left the hotel/resort, which was definitely a first for me, but I guess it is something many people do. Actually I did that once before when I visited Puerto Rico for a meeting and stayed at the Conquistador. But that resort was quite a bit bigger and much more isolated than the Mandalay. In Puerto Rico there was literally nothing nearby.

On Tuesday I did a 24 mile ride. On Wednesday I traveled to Vegas, sat on a 3hr panel, and had dinner with the group. Afterwards we went to Mix a fancy bar with a spectacular view of the Strip (See photo). Today I swam as described.

Happy New Year

I totaled 559 hours of exercise in 2009. That is 74 hours less than the year before, and 80 less than in 2007. Maybe I am growing old?

The biggest percentage drop is in swimming, and the reason is obvious. After Ironman Canada I decided to take a break from triathlon for a year. I did not renew my USAT membership and I canceled my pool membership as well. As a result I ended up swimming only 69 hours, versus 99 in 2008 and 109 in 2007. Nevertheless, I made a breakthrough in swimming in 2009 and I set a new PB for the IM swim at 1:18:33. It is the first time I broke 80 minutes.

The biggest absolute drop is in cycling where I went from 398 in 07, to 407 in 08 -when I got a cycling license, to 350 in 09, largely because I did not have a road bike for much of the year. I suspect the drop in total exercise is because I ended up spending most weekends at cycling races with Alistair, and there I was without a bike to race. So, I stood around and then I did something short when I got home instead of spending a few hours on the bike.

I actually ran more in 2009, totaling 139 hours, versus 127 in 08, and 131 in 07. I also set a PB for the marathon, finishing Boston in 3:22:21.

When it comes to Ironman, 2009 was a very slow year. First, Lake Placid was a disaster at over 12 hours due to inadequate training, and then Canada made it even worse, because I ran out of sugar on the bike. Clearly, my heart wasn't in it this time. That is why a break is needed.

Last swim at the pool

I swam 1.25 miles today. It was better but far from perfect. I can breathe on both sides now and breathe on alternate strokes, but I still run out of air. But my balance is better and I get more air so I think it is only a matter of time and practice now.

Although my swim time improved significantly in Canada, and a 1:15 now looks feasible, I have decided to take a break from triathlons and ironman. I am looking for a new challenge. So forthwith I canceled my pool membership. It no longer makes sense. The kids never really want to go to the pool and I won't be swimming much in the near future so why pay the monthly dues? Maybe if we all take a break we'll feel better about it and want to do it again at some time in the future?

My bee sting is recovering nicely and I think I really know how to deal with these issues now. That is quite a relief because having a swollen limb for 5-10 days is both unpleasant and quite incapacitating. Hopefully that will no longer happen.

I plan to concentrate on distance cycling in the near future. I rode several times since the ironman. Last Wednesday I rode 23, then on Sat I rode 40, on Sunday I wanted to do 40 but had to stop at 33, and yesterday I rode another 40. All going very well and I am in good shape. I will try to build up a road bike and go to some races before the season ends or maybe try a double century somewhere? Who knows?

Then if things work out, maybe a cross country trip is the stars?

The ironman at Lake Placid

After a very quiet week, where I only swam twice and nothing else, the ironman kicked off on Sunday July 26. It had been raining all night and the roads were wet when we drove to transition. The clouds looked threatening but it was dry for now. The forecast was for scattered thunderstorms, some severe, with the chances of rain increasing as the morning went along. I was quite apprehensive after my downhill-in-the-rain adventure on Thursday.

When we got ready for the swim, the skies opened up and a cold rain fell. It kept on raining throughout the swim, in short bouts that were quite intense. I started on the far right hand side to avoid traffic but even so the swim was a battle all the way to the turn buoy. It was a bit better on the return but not much. I swam 40:56 in lap one. In the second lap I swam closer to the midline and was able to follow the yellow string that connected the buoys. But it was a fight all the way to the finish and at one point my mask got kicked off. Second lap at 40:25 for a total of 1:21:21.

It was dry now but the skies were dark. After a long run to the transition I decided to take it easy and make sure I had everything. Transition one took me 10:46, another first. The first loop on the bike went very well, although the start was slow. I raced downhill to Keene, hitting speeds of 47-48 mph. The low profile front wheel really helped my steering. What a difference a day makes. Just two days ago, I had eased down the descent in driving rain, trying to survive in one piece. Now the roads were dry, the wind was easy, and the road was clear. An exhilarating ride, those 9 miles!

I rode well for the first 36 miles, often hitting in excess of 25 mph. My first split showed 21.72 mph even though it contained some short but nasty climbs. The second time around I would average 20.27 on this stretch, showing the first signs of fatigue.

My splits were 1:39:28 for the first 36 miles, 1:11:30 for the half and then 1:46:35 to 92 and another 1:18:33 to the end. That last 30 I did at 15.28 mph! Talk about a slog.

Overall it worked out to be 18.87 mph. Not too bad, especially when you realize that all was more or less OK for the first 86 or so. Then my speedometer battery died, and so did I. I had to drag myself up the last hill. Overall, the weather stayed dry except for a few sprinkles, but there was a ferocious headwind up the Whiteface climb to the finish. I could really sense the lack of long distance riding here.

It also became very hot and muggy and I was sweating profusely making the second major downhill feel rather chilly.

When I hit T2, I could barely walk. My left foot hurt badly -not sure why- and I was crampy and stiff. I also felt empty. T2 took 8:07, another long delay. But even that was not enough to allow for some recovery. The run was painful and slow and I was unable to find a pace that I could hold. I ran and walked the first half at 2:19:06 and the second half at 2:20:45, for a total of 4:39:51.

I knew the race was over when I hit mile 91 on the bike. I just wanted to finish. I did so in my slowest time ever, 12:16:11. Even Switzerland was faster by a minute, but in Switzerland I did not have to deal with a complex transition process.

It never rained again during the day, other than a few sprinkles on the climb. But it was plenty hot and muggy. For some reason the weather here is never very good. It is either cold and windy, raining cats and dogs, or hot and muggy. And it can change in a heartbeat too.

I am glad I finished but it is clear I wasn't ready for an ironman. Having no racing bike and having done only a few long rides so far this year, I was sorely lacking in preparation. The bike leg killed me. It took 5:56:06, again one of the slowest.

Although Lake Placid is tough, I don't think it is any harder than Switzerland or Canada. I just need to prepare better next time. No excuses here!

Cycling and more

I am trying to arrange a trip to Belgium for Alistair so he can cycle over there, where there is competition. It is far from easy. The logistics are just mind boggling but I keep chipping away at it hoping things will go well in the end. That is only if air fares stay within reasonable ranges. I shudder at the thought of how much extra I will have to shell out to have him travel by himself, AND, take a bike.

I took the non-functional Ergomo off his bike and then "investigated the unit." If it wasn't broken before, now it sure is. And there is probably nobody around to fix it.

My preparation for IM Lake Placid is so-so. I went to the pool today and swam 160 laps or 3/4 of an ironman swim. I inserted 30 laps of breathing on the left (helped with a buoy) but I cannot say I am ready to adopt this new technique yet. I think it will be a great success if I just go freestyle for the entire distance.

On Tuesday I rode 35 miles with Alistair, pushing on the climbs. Then yesterday I dropped off my bike and took the little ones to the pool, where I swam a mile and a half with some technical stuff in between. I swam some laps with Annelise, who is really getting better and she is now almost as fast as I am swimming freestyle (goes to show you how slow I am).

Monday I ran 8 miles on the treadmill, doing a "fit" test in the process. First successful, uninterrupted 4.5 miles at 9 mph. Then I ran another mile at 9 later. I keep on thinking I did not do enough volume for the ironman. But that is small potatoes compared to the horrible weather forecasts for Lake Placid. I hope I don't have to go 140.6 in the freezing rain.

Breathing

Last weekend in Mariposa I went on a ride with a varsity distance swimmer, whose kid was in the same bike race Alistair was in. Inevitably we discussed triathlon and my poor swim results. I braced myself for another onslaught of the swim technique and body position speech, but to my surprise he did not go there. Rather he said, swimming is all about breathing.

It is something I have remarked on before and I immediately sensed that this guy might have some useful hints. He was also prepared to listen and he started out by asking how often I took a breath and whether or not I was breathing bilaterally. Then he asked if I kicked and how much I kicked. He recommended I kick slowly and only enough to keep my legs up. That is something someone told me years ago when I asked about freestyle (and before I knew how to swim freestyle).

He told me buoyancy was key and I needed to control my buoyancy with my lung volume and with a slow and steady kick. He recommended that I breathe only every third stroke and told me if I could not keep that up I was working too hard. He also said I should be able to swim a pool length (25m) without breathing. Ironically enough I can do that and I always start out my swims that way. I also noticed that this first lap is really my fastest lap of the day.

He advised me to learn to breathe bilaterally so I would develop equal amounts of strength in both arms, and so I would go straight naturally instead of doing so by making subtle corrections with my one arm (and wasting energy in the process). He also said breathing slows you down and when you breathe out completely you sink, which is not good.

Since that day I have gone to the pool twice and tried to follow his recommendations. It is not easy. I can't seem to get into a good rhythm and I never get enough air. So far, I totally fail at breathing on the left side and I run out of air quickly, plus it appears my legs sink deeply every time I try to breathe on that side. I realize this will take time, but so far the experience has been a dismal failure.

Monday, a one hour swim, mostly focused on "technique," i.e. breathing on the left and swimming while breathing every third stroke. Not a great success.

Tuesday, a 10.5 mi hilly run.

Wednesday, a 30 mi bike ride to the top of Redwood Rd.

Today (Thu), another hour of thrashing around in the pool trying to breathe on both sides and/or to breathe every other stroke (I decided to take it one step at a time and even that is not going so well).

Gold Nugget

On Wednesday I rode 62.5 miles. It felt pretty good. Then on Thursday I ran 1 hr on the treadmill and I was able to cover 8.4 miles, a new PR for indoor running.

On Friday, I picked up Alistair from his USA cycling camp at St. Mary's and we drove to Hornitos for the Gold Nugget Stage Race. The first stage was a 9 mile uphill time trial starting at 5PM. We arrived early in the "little ovens" and I rode for about an hour on Alistair's bike. It was 100F out. Then he got ready and I drove behind the 15-16 group to the end of the stage. Alistair finished second that day. Only two survived the fast tempo to the top.

On Saturday, there was a road race in the morning, and I rode 3 laps of 5 miles after Alistair finished. It had some climbing in it but overall the course was pretty nice and not too difficult, with some shade to boot. I rode a bit more over lunch and then we got ready for the 3PM time trial. Alistair was second in both races and by the end of the day, he led the GC by 10 seconds.

On the way from Coulterville to Mariposa, we blew out a tire on the car and that added some extra spice to our trip. When we got to Mariposa, Alistair was exhausted and he quickly fell asleep while I did some more riding before dinner.

On Sunday there was another road race and I had planned to leave right after so I did not take any cycling gear to the start. When I got there however, other parents were going on a ride and one of them offered me his bike. I also got some shoes (a size too small) and a helmet (also too small) and I borrowed a jersey from Alistair and rode in my regular shorts. We rode 2 loops of 12 miles each (the race was three) in the opposite direction and watched the riders. We got back in time to watch the finish. Alistair won the stage and the GC.

After the race we had to leave early to check out. Then we drove home and by 3:30 we were back but pretty tired. I decided to rest for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Today I swam for about one hour. I tried to work on my technique and (once again) tried to breathe on my left. I probably swam a little over a mile doing so, but made very little progress. It feels really weird to breathe on that side and I can never seem to get enough air that way. Lake Placid is near, we will see how it goes. I should be tapering now, but I feel I have not done enough hard stuff to prepare properly.

Rollers

Alistair has a time-trial this weekend so we focused on riding on rollers this week. I rode on Sunday, on Wednesday and once again on Thursday. The above graph is from Thursday's session. I rode pretty hard for about 56 minutes and then took a little break (see the drop in power and the slight dip in cadence). The first 56 minute were recorded in aero position and the goal here was to keep my pace and output steady. After the break I pedaled some more sitting upright -which is a whole lot easier- and using a smaller gear. My cadence stays the same pretty much throughout. I burned 1,111 calories on that ride.

Wednesday's ride was a bit longer but my power output was slightly less. I burned 1,001 calories then.  On Sunday I rode hard for 30 minutes and took it easy the rest of the time. All riding was done in a pretty warm garage (72 ambient). The heat stress is part of the training for me as most ironman races take place in hot environments.

On Tuesday I ran on the treadmill for 1.5 hours keeping my speed at 8.1 mph after a short warmup. My overall average was 8 mph and I finished 12 miles with a few seconds to go. Most of it I ran at an inclination of 0.5. Since my treadmill broke, I run at the club, where the ambient temperature is always well above average (74-75) and cooling is hard to find.

On Monday, I swam slightly more than 2 miles (180 laps) in 1:15, all freestyle. That is slightly slower than my (very slow) "race pace."

The fundraising for Lake Placid is going a whole lot slower than I thought it would. I have sent out almost as many requests as I did for Arizona, with very little to show for it. I guess the economy is taking its toll.

Too tired

Yesterday I took Alistair to the Jr. Crit. in Livermore. I signed up to do the masters 35+ 3/4. It felt like the right thing to do. As soon as the race started however, I knew it was a huge mistake. First, I fumbled and could not get my foot in the pedal, causing me to have to chase right from the start. Even then I could feel that my legs were trashed. I did get on but I was stuck at the end of the pack. I was not able to move up and a few laps later I lost contact -blame it on my poor cornering skills. I rode one lap alone and almost caught back up (a mere two bike lengths), but it was useless. So, five minutes into the race, I called it quits and went home.

I went to the pool and swam 2,000 yrds instead. That felt better. Livermore was also my second experience with RockTape (a Kinesiotape lookalike). I cannot say it did me much good. It also came off in the pool. 

On Friday I rode my mountain bike for 22 miles and the superglue held. I was just about to start bragging about superglue and tubeless tires, when I noticed -this afternoon- that the tire is flat again. I would say that superglue is a great temporary measure, something that will get you home, but once the tubeless tire has a hole, it is history. So much for a $50 brand new Michelin XCR Dry. I think it lasted for all of 75 miles (being patched twice with superglue to boot).

On Thursday I ran on the treadmill for an hour. I ran 8.3 miles, matching my best time and a confirmation that I can hold 8.3. It may not sound like much but I run all of it in a hot room with little cooling and most of it at a slight 0.5% incline to simulate the road. 

Today I rode on rollers for an hour. I warmed up and then rode 16 minutes at high speed, followed by a ten minute easy roll. Then I did another 10 minutes at speed, and I finished with some easy spinning. It was a good workout. Alistair did the same workout in preparation for next week's time trial in Davis.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is considered the unofficial start of summer. This year, it felt more like winter. There was fog all day on Saturday and Sunday, and temperatures dropped into the low 50s. Not fun. On Sunday I went to the club and ran for 1hr on the treadmill. I ran 8.3 miles, which is about as far as I have ever run on a treadmill in one hour.

On Monday, the weather was better and I rode 30 miles to the top of Redwood road. I averaged a normalized power (NP) of 288, one of the highest NP readings ever. I rode quite hard.

On Tuesday I ran for 9.3 miles on the trails around Grizzly Peak. First I ran up to the "Steam Trains" and then back down and on the backside trail to Sibley. From there I went home over Grizzly Peak Blvd. The weather was much better and it felt quite good to be out.

Today I swam 160 laps in the pool.

Sad day for cycling, triathlon

Friday, May 22 2009, was a sad day. Steve Larsen, the only pro road racer, mountain biker, and ironman triathlete died at the age of 39. He collapsed while on a training run. The cause is as yet unknown but a heart attack has apparently been ruled out by autopsy -not as easy to do as you might think. Attention is now focused on the breathing problems Steve developed over the past week. 

Steve Larsen, who used to live in Davis, where he had a bike shop, recently moved to Bend Oregon and had a real estate business there. He retired from pro racing but kept competing at the amateur level. In the early 90's he raced for the Motorola team alongside Lance Armstrong. He also won Ironman Lake Placid, and came in a respectable 9th in the Hawaii Ironman. He won the National XC title twice and competed in XTerra events. He leaves behind a wife and five children.

The kids were off from school Friday for the Memorial Day weekend. Alistair and I rode 50 miles on Mines road around noon. It was quite warm at 84F and surprisingly windy. We rode out past the county line and over the first climb (midway to San Jose) to mile marker 23. The road continues as San Antonio valley road and then Hamilton Rd. The markers go up from San Jose and climb to 27 at the county line. Then they count down from 20 to Livermore. We took only one water bottle each and were quite dehydrated by the end of it. We also rode hard in sections and that may have added to our water deficit.

Today I swam 166 laps or 3,000 meters in the pool. I started out strong and fast -certainly as compared to the other two pool users, but faded a bit near the end. I took a brief stop at 106 (half ironman distance) to clear my goggles. Then I swam until 152 when I had to stop for a cramp in my foot. I continued on for another 14 laps with breaks in between.

Or you could try this...

Ian Thorpe in the windtunnel. Here is what you can do once you have all the muscle you can build. Or take some steroids? Apparently there were allegations at one point...

Today I swam 2 miles. It took me a whole lot longer than Ian but I feel pretty good about it. I think I did well.

Yesterday I did a brick in the gym. 50 minutes on the stationary bike and then a 30 minute, 4 mile run. On Monday, I swam 165 laps or a little bit more than 3/4 of an Ironman swim (about 3K). And on Sunday I did the same gym brick I did yesterday. Saturday I spent 1:15 minutes on the stationary bike. The reason for all this indoor activity? Cool and rainy weather, look no further.

You be the judge

Take a look at those deltoids, pecs, and lats. If you want to know why some people swim fast, here is your answer. 

Compare that to the average upper body of a cyclist or a runner. Remember that Greg Lemond was worried about a bit of extra shoulder muscle after some cross country skiing in winter!

Once you have this kind of upper body muscle you can focus on your stroke. You can eke out some extra speed by changing your position a little bit. You can do all the things the swim books tell you to do. 

What is also striking when you see Bernard is the size of his hands and feet. He has veritable flippers, but so does Thorpe and so does Phelps.

First things first

Ask any swim guru about swimming and they will tell you that it is all about "technique." Read any book on swimming and you will find the same recommendations. No wonder then that everyone thinks they need a swim coach to teach them the subtleties of swimming. No wonder everyone is spending so much time trying to perfect their stroke. Stroke drills, you don't see any runners or cyclists doing these types of drills, now do you?

The focus on technique has always bothered me. Surely technique is not what stands between me and swim glory.

And then there is this piece of wisdom. You need to lift weights. Why, is anyone's guess. My guess is that gyms like to get customers and gyms are all about weight lifting. Most coaches and trainers work out of gyms so it is not surprising they think (or are made to think) that all those weights must be useful for something. But there is one thing here that does matter. One thing that makes sense. Weight lifting, as some have pointed out, mostly benefits swimmers.

Now take a look at those swimmers and what do you see? Tons of shoulder, back, and upper body muscle. When I first saw Alain Bernard I thought he was a weight lifter. If you saw him out of the pool and did not know who he was, you would think the same.

Here is another tidbit. Scientists recently measured the power of the dolphin tail stroke. The results were surprising to everyone. It had always bothered people that dolphins could jump so high or swim so fast. For years everyone had been looking at drag (drag is related to technique), and that led to strange postulates about special skin properties. Remember the shark skin craze?

What scientists found recently however, was that dolphins produce a lot of power. At least an order of magnitude more than earlier assumptions. These dolphins are very strong. Earlier data and estimates on dolphin power output were way off the mark. These puny estimates were the main reason everyone went looking elsewhere for an explanation. Technique? Drag?

And that brings me to my key point: swimming is all about muscle. Muscle is key. Without a lot of muscle you will not swim fast. And poor me, a late comer to sports, who always focused on cycling when I finally did work out, I have no upper body muscle to speak off. So, it is no surprise that I am a poor swimmer. Building muscle where there was none before has not been easy.

First and foremost, swimming is about muscle. I am slowly learning this truth. So, unless you are a good swimmer -a natural so to speak- forget about stroke and stroke drills and focus on power. You will need to build muscle. All the rest will follow later, your speed, your position in the water -once you get some upper body muscle, aka pounds, you will no longer be out of balance with your legs hanging down-, etc.

So does form matter? Sure it does. Once you are a good swimmer you need to focus on your stroke. Because that is the only place where you can make additional gains. Once you have built all the muscle you can support and perfuse, your only options are to focus on drag and stroke mechanics.

Unfortunately for us mortals, that is where swim coaches spend their time. They work with individuals who are excellent swimmers to begin with. Those guys do not need any more muscle. They need form. They need that little bit of an edge that will make all the difference in competition.

But us mortals, what we need most is power. So forget about your stroke and focus on your power output. Focus on building muscle. That is where the big gains are. That is what will get you to where the competition really is.

3,000 m in the pool today 5/4

a gym brick 50/30 yesterday, 5/3

1 hr stationary bike on Saturday, 5/2

1:10 on rollers on Friday, 5/1

More updates

On Thursday I rode over Papa Bear and Happy Valley. I got a flat on the descent after I hit a major pothole. There was a crew working and a piece of road was missing but I could not see it because it was in the shade. When I did see it, it was too late.

On Friday I ran my 10.5 mi hilly loop over Shepherd Canyon. I think I am getting back in shape!

On Saturday I rode 40 miles to Castro Valley over Redwood. I was going really fast and my ergomo -sans speedometer because I lost the magnet somehow- registered 2,000 calories, 230W average power, 260NP.  So, it wasn't just subjective. I did ride fast. I completed the ride in 2:17, with two short stops (one at the golf course).

On Sunday, I took Alistair to the Ronde van Brisbeen. I ran the course in reverse, watching the masters 1,2,3 and the cat 4s. Alistair did really well. I ran 13.6 miles (8 loops) and became somewhat of a celebrity to the spectators, who started cheering me and taking pictures of me.

Today I swam 1.75 miles. The first 53 laps (1/4 IM) were fast, and even at lap 70 (1/3) I was well ahead of a 1:15 ironman pace. That is more than seven minutes off my best time. I am not sure if I can hold it that long, but it is the fastest I ever swam.

The latter half was a bit slower, but overall I did the 154 laps in just under 1 hour. My swim had definitely improved. I just want to confirm it for the record, somewhere in a timed event. The reason: more muscle, and maybe a tiny bit better positioning?

26.2 days to go

I got a message from the Boston marathon that read, 26.2 days to go to the 113th Boston marathon. How is that for originality? 

I am planning to run a whole lot more this week and next just to make sure I am ready.

Today I swam 2/3 of an Ironman swim in the morning (140 laps) and another 1/3 in the afternoon (72 laps). Overall I had the feeling I was doing very well. I think I have my "catch and pull" down and it seems to make a difference.

The only troubling fact is that my right shoulder starts hurting when I swim more than 1 1/2 miles. My right shoulder suffered a grade III AC separation last year. You can still put your finger on the tip of my clavicle and press down and it feels like pressing down on a piano key. Even so, it rarely hurts (apart from swimming and that is new) and it does not seem to limit my mobility much. It sometimes feels funny when I make certain movements but it does not really bother me.

I am not sure if this because:

1. I am doing something wrong. My swim position is off (not very likely, my position is probably better now than before).

2. I am using more power so the stress is greater. Compared to a year ago, I am putting in a lot more power now.

3. Something else happened to my shoulder (arthritis, micro-trauma, that too seems unlikely).

Swim, spin, swim

For a while we were thinking about driving to Monterey and do the CCX cross country race at Ford Ord. But neither Alistair nor I managed  to produce enough enthusiasm to make it happen. It is possible that the weather had something to do with it, because Sunday was cold, cloudy and rainy. After sitting around all morning, I decided to go to the pool and swim 3,000 meters.

After a good strong start, I slowed down considerably midway and near the end, it turned into a slog to the finish. Not fun. Seems like I will never feel my best in the water.

Yesterday was even worse. After spending the whole morning on a conference call, I couldn't get started and by the time I did there was barely more than an hour left before I had to pick up the kids. I ended up riding my rollers and that too turned into a drag. Without a functioning power meter, or even a speedometer for that matter, I had no idea how hard I was working. All I know is that it felt very hard. After an hour, exhausted, dehydrated, and ready to cramp up, I called it quits.

Today, the weather finally cleared up and the sun reappeared. I spent the morning writing and after lunch I decided to give the pool another try. I swam 160 laps, with only a brief pause at 80 and 120 to clear my mask. Overall it felt pretty good and I think I was doing well. I did not time my effort exactly but it appears I did the 160 in a little over an hour. For me, that is an excellent swim pace.

three miles

I swam over three miles today. This morning I swam 160 laps or 3,000 meters, and after lunch I added another 110 laps, or 1.25 miles. 3 miles is 264 laps in our pool. Needless to say, I am very happy. 

First off, no problems whatsoever, no cramps, no tight feelings in any muscle, no tired arms, no nothing. That is very good. I can now be pretty sure the long swims "did their thing" as they say in the business.

Second, although I did not time it, I have the distinct impression that I swam fast too. It certainly felt fast. Unfortunately there was nobody in the pool this morning to compare to. In the afternoon, Alistair swam and even though I did not stay with him, I wasn't that much slower either. It was certainly a lot better than I had done previously. I also felt as if I could have stayed with him if I had wanted to push it a bit.

All that sounds good, but as they say in England, the proof is in the pudding. We'll see once I get to Lake Placid in July. Hopefully, I can keep up the training and then, we might show some real telling numbers. I know I have said this many times before, but this time is different, believe me. I would be surprised if it did not pan out on the longer distance.

Back home

Yesterday I flew back home via DC. It is a long journey and not at all a comfortable one. The first part wasn't too bad as a friendly person in Brussels gave me an exit row seat. Although the flight was long I could move around easily and there was plenty of room to stretch out. So far so good.  

Entry through DC was more or less OK too. The immigration guy took longer than necessary, I thought but overall things went well. I did not have to wait for my luggage for very long either and customs was fast. Next came the two hour layover and a full flight to San Francisco. I wasn't so lucky this time and the flight was full. I was seated way in the back. No room to move, much less to sleep. Not so good. The rest of the trip was uneventful, albeit very tiring.

I slept pretty well last night and only woke up once. No problem falling asleep again though so I can't complain. I also feel relatively good today and I was only lightheaded for a short time this morning. The sun really helps and the difference in brightness between Belgium and California is striking. The colors are just so much more vivid here.

I swam 144 laps or almost 1.7 miles, all free-style, non-stop. I did not swim very fast and it felt a bit awkward at times but overall I can't complain. The long swims seem to have had a lasting effect. Now all I have to do is work on my speed a bit. I wonder if that will take another 5 years too?

Inclement weather

Back from DC where it was nice and warm, to San Francisco, where it is cold and wet. Yesterday we had a dry interlude in the rain although it was pretty cold. I went on a 30 mile mountain bike ride in Redwood and Chabot. This time I rode the Goldenrod loop and came back over McDonald. Overall it was pretty muddy and one could certainly tell that I had been off-road.

The trails were OK though and even though there was mud everywhere, nowhere was it deep enough to get bogged down or lose significant traction. I only "slipped" once and had to hop a few steps before clipping in again. At one point I had an encounter with a dog that would not stop and whose owner was clearly not in control. She was also deeply immersed in her iPod and was totally unaware of her surroundings. Not good.

Today, more showers with periods of clearing in-between. I swam for an hour and 10 minutes and covered 160 laps (or 3,200 yds, or 3/4 of an ironman swim). I had some minor trouble with pre-cramping in my right foot but nothing bad enough to make me stop. Although I was quite happy when it was all over. I did swim the first 53 much faster than the second 53, and then I slowed down some more on the third "set." Not that I stopped or anything and I did a continuous free-style from start to finish.

Added another 3/4 mile swim in the afternoon. In the driving rain, but it felt really good. I was going fast (I think).

I am happy to report that a second person has joined team Cindy. Eight more slots to go!