1,000 yard Time Trial Redux
The main training excitement today was my second attempt at a 1,000 yard swim time trial. The last (and first) time I tried this was in mid-December and I finished it in 17:21, which works out to 1:44/100 yards. I knew for certain that I’ve improved a lot since then. I’ve done a lot of drill work, put way more time in the pool and gotten used to swimming long sets. My swim confidence is high and I’ve learned a lot more about pacing. I also had that swim lesson and feel that I’ve been doing a good job getting the tips John gave me incorporated into my technique. Finally, I’ve been comfortably swimming faster than 1:40/100 yards. So, today was the day. And I’m happy to report that I kicked ass and showed some major improvement. My time today was 16:07, which works out to 1:36.7/100 yards. That’s an improvement of 1:14 over the 1,000 yards and over six seconds per 100 (roughly 7% faster). I’m really pleased with my improvement. I doubt that I’ll take a huge step like that again, but I am convinced that I can keep improving.
A few other observations from today’s swim: first, I pushed it much harder than I did in December, but still had energy at the end and was able to swim a fast, comfortable final 100. I don’t think that I could have comfortably swam today’s 1,000 much faster than I did, but I also wasn’t pushing myself to the limit just to get through the swim. Second, I noticed some “form” things to work on – I get lazy on the pull sometimes and when I concentrate on getting a good pull I feel my body get an extra boost; I also still get lazy with the kicking, but again concentration seems to help with that; When I get a good kick going, I again feel that extra boost, but I also find that I have trouble breathing consistently when I’m concentrating on the kick. I need to work on consistently putting all of those things together. Third, and this is the least important (especially with LP in mind), my flip turn is improving and I think I’m pretty streamlined coming into and off the wall. It still wouldn’t look good to a coach or real swimmer, but for me, it’s pretty good.
I didn’t write last night because I didn’t have anything other to say than that yesterday morning I did a quick strength training session. Strength maintenance is boring. Today I have a ton of updates.
Elizabeth’s Knee
Elizabeth went to another doctor today – Dr. Jordan Metzl, of Triathlete Magazine fame. I saw Dr. Metzl a year and a half or so ago when I was having some hip pain. He recommended some exercises and sent me on my way to full recovery. Elizabeth and I agree that he also gave her much better advice than the quack she saw the other week. Dr. Metzl told her to forget about the custom orthotics (he gave me the same advice) and the physical therapy she was doing, recommended some different shoe inserts and has her seeing a different physical therapist. She’s not running this Sunday in LA, but she’ll be back soon enough and better than ever. She sounded better today than she has in a while. I’m sure it will be tough to be in LA this weekend and not being able to run the race she trained so hard for, but her visit with Dr. Metzl helped her realize that there will be other races. I have to say that today shows one of the wonderful things about living in New York. Dr. Metzl writes for Triathlete magazine and active.com, he advises all kinds of world-class athletes and has done a bunch of marathons and iron-distance races. And he’s right here and we can see him.
Crono fit issues
Last night I took the Crono to another bike expert to have him help me with the fit. I actually think we got it. He assured me that the fit wasn’t “wrong” and all he made were a couple little tweaks. He gave me some pointers about relaxing on the aerobars, calling me a “power cyclist” and said that the discomfort I was feeling might be from tensing up too much on the aerobars. I’m going to try relaxing and next week will hopefully finally get a ride outside on the Crono. He’s certain that if it’s still not right after a few long outside rides, we can tweak it to get it there. Phew. I rode tonight for 90 minutes on the trainer and it felt pretty good. I did my best to relax my upper body and not tense my hands or arms. I think the bike’s gonna work out, which is a huge relief.
Charlie
Yesterday morning I took him in to see the vet and get his stitches removed. The vet said he’s progressing ahead of schedule and looked great. He tested Charlie’s knee and said that it feels like it’s solidly in the groove. Phew, again. The poor little guy is still confined to home and leash walks for another eight weeks, but at least he’s done with the cone and only has one more day of his meds. The hair where he was shaved is slowly, slowly growing back. Thankfully, he’s been a good sport through all of this.
Strength – February 26
Time: 40 minutes
Swim – February 27
Distance: 1,900
Time: 41 minutes
1,000 yard time trial
Bike – February 27
Time: 1:30
Average heart rate: 113
Indoor ride