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1,000 Yard Time Trial #3

This is a recovery week – only a little over seven hours of scheduled training. It really has come at a perfect time. I was feeling tired and sore last weke and running the Cherry Blossom really took me to the edge. I spent Monday hobbling around on sore calves and was famished all day long. I could not eat enough to satisfy my stomach’s growling. I was also exhausted. Yesterday was only marginally better for both my legs and stomach. Last night, I did manage a short, easy run. And after the run and some stretching and icing I started feeling much better. That was a relief because today I was scheduled to do another 1,000 yard time trial. Thinking about the improvements I made between the first and second attempts at this had me a little worried that today I wouldn’t be able to further improve.

I got into the pool feeling refreshed and loose. After a 500 yard warm up of kicks and swims, I set the stopwatch and took off. With the Cherry Blossom race in mind, I decided to employ a similar strategy – start strong and hope I can hang on. The first 100 felt great and I snuck a glance at my watch as I did my flip-turn – 1:29, I think. Too fast for 1,000 yards, I knew, but not so fast that I wouldn’t survive the 1,000. I didn’t look at my watch again for a while, but I could tell that I was slowing down a little, which was fine. In February, I swam 16:07. Even if I swam just under 16:00, that would be great – just a few seconds would be a nice improvement. I resisted the urge to check my watch again and just concentrated on form and pulling and getting my flip-turns nice and smooth. There was a guy in the next lane who was doing fast 50’s, and on some lengths I could either see him in front of my or feel him behind me, so that pushed me too. I checked my watch at 600 and I can’t remember what it read, but I remember knowing that I was definitely on pace to beat 16:00. I tried sprinting the final 25 and tried keeping my form under control, but I’m sure any observer on the pool deck would confirm that I didn’t achieve either of those goals. I hit the wall at 1,000 yeards and hit “stop” on my watch – 15:34. Sweet! Another pretty solid improvement. That works out to 1:33.4/100 yards, an improvement of 33 seconds over the course of the 1,000 yards and 3.3 seconds per 100 yards (roughly 4.6%). Compared to the December time trial, I shaved 1:47 off the 1,000 and nearly 11 seconds per 100 yards (or almost 9% improvement). I’ll definitely take that.

There are a lot of factors that have contributed to this improvement – first, I can’t see it to be sure, but I think my swim skills, form and efficiency in the water are vastly better than they were just a few months ago; second, my swim volume is way higher than it ever was last year – in fact, today I hit 100,00 yards on the year – and my muscles are used to the swimming motion, which contributes to the improvements in form; and third, my swim confidence is up and similar to my feelings about the Cherry Blossom, my swim racing skills are better than they ever have been, which means I’m comfortable going out strong and confident that I can swim the distance, even if it sometimes feels like I won’t make it. Of course, I haven’t tested any of that in open water just yet, but when it comes time for that, I’ll be better prepared than ever before.

Yesterday I finally signed up for the San Diego Triathlon Challenge, which is CAF’s signature triathlon. It’s a half-iron in La Jolla, nice and close to the parents, and another really tough bike course. I’m excited to do it – there are tons of challenged athletes who compete, either solo, or in relay teams. It should be a great way to really see the good that my fundraising has done. On that note, I’m now at nearly $8,600. Thanks again to everyone who has so generously donated on my behalf. Coincidentally, today Assaf sent me an article from the May 2006 “Cosmopolitan” magazine about a triple amputee named Cameron Clapp. His website is here. He lost both legs and his right arm after getting hit by a train in 2001, when he was 19. He bounced right back, and with the help of an unbelievable spirit and drive and some very sophisticated prosthetics, he was walking, running, swimming, golfing and racing in triathlons (including the San Diego Triathlon Challenge) in relatively little time. As Assaf put it – this is why I’m raising the money.

Run – April 3
Distance: 5.75 miles
Time: 48 minutes
Average heart rate: 130
Course: West Side Highway
Conditions: Cold (mid-40’s), windy, clear

Swim – April 4
Distance: 2,200 yards
Time: 45 minutes
1,000 yard time trial – 15:34

Strength Training – April 4
Time: 30 minutes