Training Log Archive: vmeyer

Bad night. Very tired by 8 PM, but I tried to fight it. Failed, and slept from 8:15-9, and then was awake all night. Another nap from 5:15-6:15 AM. Totally wasted, limping into work late at 9. No pool, no inclination to do anything but make it through the day, which I did, barely.

Then had maps to print for the QOC meet. Printer started doing the out of calibration thing, just like last week. Resolved it easier this time around. Up to bed by 9:30 and watched HGTV until almost 11, and, sadly, I missed finding out whether she picked House 1, 2, or 3.

C • Sleep & TV 6

C • I'd heard about the foot fr... 1

80 laps, had to share the last 10, though the woman went into another lane partway through, so I was mooshed against the lane dividers for nothing. Oh, well, there are worse things.

655 637 632 640 640 636 641 654
Rest 20 18 17 20 20 20 18

Breathing a bit ragged today but got better about half way through.

Getting to know the people at the pool, which is kind of nice. Well, maybe they are getting to know me, and my prepencity for leaving my stuff behind. So, I walk in, and they give me the look, and I say, yes, I left my water bottle behind. Again!

Tried to work the legs as hard as I could. Used the bigger belt. Did not sink.

C • not sinking is good 6

80 laps: 646 r12 638 r13 627 r21 638 639 r18 639 r19 639 r19 627

Was going to do 90, but it seemed really hard today. I started the extra 10 but only made it 10' before accepting that I had had enough. And, that is OK.

C • OK 7

3250 642 17r 637 647 631 14r 617 (50 laps)

Lots of people, lots of turbulence. Shared for 30 laps.

Tired of fighting with my lane buddy, especially when he was doing breaststroke type thing on his back, so I went over to the diving well.

Back to the lap pool after it cleared out - 610 22r 610 to finish out the workout.

Event: QOC Combat Village
 

Swam off of fat this morning. Seemed fine. Did have to do one diet coke. Not quite ready to give that up. No belching.

After I had two McD breakfast burritos and one hash brown (down from my usual two - I do like my greasy, fried potatoes). Half a PBJ and 2 cookies for lunch - donated the other half and four cookies to the overtime, lost girl...turns out her core temp was quite low after.

Good pasta dinner made by Roger. A good way to recover - mentally and physically. And, there are many people worse off than I am, which is why I stopped logging the last time - can't stand to see my whining.

C • morning exercise 3

In the 25 meter pool.
5823 728 734 729 721 713 711 708 700

Got there at opening time and took a lane in the diving pool. I did this to avoid having to share a lane at some point in the lap laves because my hand is still painful, especially after smacking with a hammer on Friday. Thought it was best to avoid smacking it again today while swimming.

While there were no lane dividers up, I have observed that people tend to follow a lane line, whether swimming or pool running in the "tank." So, took lane 2 and was happily swimming along when some geezer with dumb bells and flippers jumps practically on top of me and forces me out of the lane. OK, I haven't done many Sunday morning, so maybe this is his lane. I move to lane 3, and there is another geezer swimming laps in lane 4, except he can't swim straight and he knocks into me twice. Agh! He leaves soon after, and I think I am safe, except two more geezers with dumb bells and flippers take over lane 3, RIGHT ON TOP OF ME!! Surprise, surprise, I actually slap the water and get their attention, and one apologizes, but then says there is the next lane over free for me. I say, No, there hadn't been. But, I ease over some, but now I am unfairly encroaching on the runner in the next lane. So, I swim faster to get the hell out of there while pondering what I should have said - like, I was there first, so what gave them the right to be so damn inconsiderate?!

Sigh...

The middle of the day went better. Very cold at the QOC event, but it was manageable, and I had great help from Amy, Dan, and Brooke. If I couldn't run, at least it was a pleasurable volunteer experience.

But then, near the end, things turned sour, and I left with a bad taste in my mouth when we had to deal with an arrogant parent/coach who had sent his barely Brown level girl out on a Red course. Meet notes had advised against moving up, so this jerk moves this girl up two levels. She found her 2nd and 3rd controls and was recovered on the road 2.5 hours later. His school had 3/11 finish, one of which was overtime. The other schools were 12/17, 10/17 (1 OT), and 11/15.

Venting is over.

C • Swim lane etiquette 2

Rest day, if you can call spending hours with a 3 year old restful...it was a little exhausting. Not that I am complaining one little bit. Time with Lailah, and Sarah and Matt later, was a wonderful way to spend the day. Lailah and I played with My Little Ponies (legacy edition), puzzles, Cabbage Patch Kids (again the original versions), made cookies, read a book, and pretended to nap. And, that was all in the first hour. ;-) A fine way to spend a rest day.

No work - MHD, though I can't imagine why, since I haven't worked much this month anyway. Oh, well.

Decided to rest on my laurels from yesterday and pool run instead of any swimming. Used a smaller pool belt today, so had to work lots harder to keep form and not sink. Planned running workout got cut in half.

For the rest of the hour, I decided on doing an easy pace for 30 minutes without stopping. This was in the 25 m pool, and at the end of 40 laps there was 30 seconds to go, so I hauled it to the other end to make 41 maps in exactly 30 minutes.

Well, well, well, look what some sleep, fresh legs to kick harder between breaths, and a lane to myself brought about! Rested between sets of 20 instead of sets of 10 and stayed strong to the end. WooHoo! I am giving myself a 2 for today. If I keep this up, I will have to add another 10 to stay nearer to my goal of 60 minutes.

4947 647 618 30r 607 612 37r 605 606 29r 607 604

Ugh, stretching and strengthening. Hate it more than laps. Eight different things in 30 second sets on each side, concentrating on the ankles, but also a bit for the hips, hamstrings, and quads.

Speaking of hips, they were quite sore today, even before the swimming. Need to do more core DVD to get them used to the action.

C • Core 3

40 minutes of stretching and ankle stuff.

Had to report to work at noon, which was the same time the pool was opening for the day, so went to the backup plan instead. Can tell that I have neglected the core. Was not able to do the situps and had to stop at the side planks. That was enough for today.

Yeah! It is a No Snow Yet Snow Day!

Pool open until 8:30 AM, so with a little prodding from Roger, I got up and out the door. Feared that it would be packed, but it wasn't. Could have had several lanes to myself.

Did 40 laps with no rest, then 1 minute rest, then 3 laps before I needed to get out and get a drink of water (had forgotten my water bottle, and I was coughing).

Then did the last 37 laps with no rest. These were all faster than the first 40 with the last 10 in 623. Cleared my watch after typing the times into AP but then lost the log entry...

Lost my lime green swim cap on Saturday. Thought it would be in Lost & Found, but no joy. I didn't really like it anyway, so I get to replace it with something better.

C • early morning 6

Ankle stuff for 18 minutes. Some felt good, and some not so good.

Had to make a decision today - ride earlier (40 F) when I was most likely to get it done or later when it was supposed to be warmer, but I would be wanting a nap instead. Decided on earlier, and it was a good choice, further enhanced by Roger wanting to run an errand out to Vienna, the distance from the house be the perfect amount for a one-way ride. So, Roger gave me a head start and picked me up at the Vienna caboose arriving there just a minute after me.

It was a struggle at times, especially with the headwind and lack of bike legs, but I enjoyed the ride. Somewhat empty trail, especially compared to how busy it looked a couple of hours later and bonus of not having to ride up the hill to the house after. Breathing very heavily up the (little) hills, so there is still cardio work to be done, but I'll take it, for now.

Nice lunch with Roger as well, and a nap.

Holiday hours of 12-5 at the pool tomorrow, so decided to go a bit longer today and maybe try a bike ride tomorrow instead.

Got there right at 7:30 AM and had a lane to myself for the first 85 laps. Some heavy turbulence in the lanes on each side, and some heavy breathing in my lane, but I made it.

100 laps FS
656 629 631 645 642 644 645 643 648 646
TR about 3:15 of rest, none longer then 30 seconds.

C • 100 7

Event: Georgia Navigator Cup and Extreme-O :: Sweetwater Creek State Park
 

Good thing the plan was for pool running today since there were no lap lanes available.

Back and forth, back and forth, in an often turbulent pool. Shared a lane with another runner, but with no lane dividers up, it was a bit of a scrum at times. Made it through unscathed though.

5515 652 713 (BS) 657 701 653 643 647 649 (80 laps) TR 2:34

Had the lane to myself the whole time! WooHoo!

Got a new bathing suit, well, really a bathing suit to replace the two piece bike shorts and tank top that I have been wearing. The same arrangement but one piece and without the light bike padding.

I think I like who how it feels to swim in, but sadly I now have a nice rub burn on my right underarm. Boo!

Also, my foot hurt pretty badly today, I think as a direct result of standing barefoot and putting a jigsaw puzzle together last night for about 90 minutes.

Arms tired.
Legs tired.

5659 732 728 728 657 701 656 652 645 (80 laps) 3:00 TR

Wow, my butt was dragging, though a bit of the slow time can be attributed to having to share a lane almost the whole time. After smacking my left hand on the lane divider three or four times, I had to be more careful because, damn! that hurts!

Had to check out the 5:30 AM session sometime... Wide awake since 3 AM, so silly to keep wasting these opportunities. And, now it is done for the day, and I can clock into work earlier as well.

20 laps in the 25 meter pool.
Arms are tired.

Legs are tired.

Had a fast woman in the lane with me today. Worked hard to keep the ratio down to no more than 3 of her laps for every 2 of mine. Did sets 4-5 with no rest.
01/13 5306 640 640 633 635 644 644 635 635 (80 FS) TR = 2:19
01/12 5402 641 640 640 653 640 657 658 633 (80 FS) TR 1:37 Extra laps 12 (800)
01/10 5413 650 646 649 644 649 657 638 640 (80 FS) TR 2:32
01/08 5545 652 704 710 659 705 652 638 705 (80 FS) Total rest 3:15
01/05 5543 705 705 656 643 647 656 700 711 (80 FS)
01/02 5622 711 700 649 658 648 710 704 723 (74 FS 6 BS)
Corrected some the total time for the last two sessions.

Beautiful day, if a bit windy, so I walked to the pool and back.

Long, boring write up about lane sharing strategy, sharing a lane with frog man, doing extra laps, both accidentally and on purpose, but I closed the browser window before posting said write-up.

Summary - went faster, rested less (no rest between 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9), went longer, happy with the effort.

01/12 5419 641 640 640 653 640 657 658 633 (80 FS) TR 1:37 Extra laps 12 (800)
01/10 5500 650 646 649 644 649 657 638 640 (80 FS) Total rest 2:32
01/08 5545 652 704 710 659 705 652 638 705 (80 FS) Total rest 3:15
01/05 5600 705 705 656 643 647 656 700 711 (80 FS)
01/02 5622 711 700 649 658 648 710 704 723 (74 FS 6 BS)

C • keep up the good work! 6

Event: QOC Patapsco
 

The pool near the house was closed today, and I couldn't bear the thought of going to a new pool [new = out of my comfort zone], at 5:30 AM, when it was pouring outside, so I gave myself a pass [even though I was wide awake at 4 AM!]. Ah, well, it was going to be a long day on my feet, so I am OK with skipping today.

Left the house for the QOC meet at 8:30, arriving a little after 9:30. Roger was like a little old lady the whole time before I left, fretting about the rain. I kept telling him that I would stay dry, had a change of clothes if I didn't , and that I wouldn't do anything stupid.

Had already decided on the way there that I would set up in the O'Mobile, even though I would have to make sure I was out of there by 3:15 to get home in time for date night.

Lots of boring stuff, with the punch line being that I got home in time for date night, and I didn't do anything stupid, like get sick. Though, that usually manifests itself a few days later...

10x25 yds x 8. All under 7 minutes with less resting in between as well. WooHoo! It must be wearing the swim cap.

And, the conditions were rough as well, literally. Lots of turbulence. The pool is closed this evening, so the lunchtime swim was packed. At least two people in every lane. I even got kicked at one point by the person in the next lane over.

01/10 5500 650 646 649 644 649 657 638 640 (80 FS) Total rest 2:32
01/08 5545 652 704 710 659 705 652 638 705 (80 FS) Total rest 3:15
01/05 5600 705 705 656 643 647 656 700 711 (80 FS)
01/02 5622 711 700 649 658 648 710 704 723 (74 FS 6 BS)

Was expecting to swim again today but left my goggles, ear plugs, and new swim cap at home, but I did have my new pool shoes, so pool running it was.

I liked the feel on having weight on my feet vs. barefoot.

I did deep water for 30 minutes, 10 minutes of walking in the shallow end pushing off on each foot completely, then finished with 20 minutes of deep water. A couple of other guys in the tank, so that was a little interesting.

Then the high school students came in for a class. Now, that was interesting. No school issue suits here. The suits included a bikini, and a strapless 1-piece, as well as cotton t-shirts cover ups. Lots of long hair not pulled back and hindering the swimming process.

Placeholder for counting number of visits to the pool...

OK, two day break is enough. A little concerned about my breathing capabilities today after having an asthma attack in the middle of the night, so I was prepared to abandon the effort if necessary. Turned out OK. Even pushed a bit on the 7th set [I can't count!].

11 AM was a good time to go.

01/08 5545 652 704 710 659 705 652 638 705 (80 FS)
01/05 5600 705 705 656 643 647 656 700 711 (80 FS)
01/02 5622 711 700 649 658 648 710 704 723 (74 FS 6 BS)

C • eighth set 2

Have a bit of an upper respiratory infection, and have been coughing a bit the last 4 days or so. Add in fatigued legs, and a day off from swimming was a good call.

Enjoying a cup of apricot tea with honey, and then it is off to bed for me.

C • Recipe variation... 3

Event: QOC Patuxent - rescheduled
 

Back to the timex for lap tracking today.
10x25 yards for a total of 80 laps of FS.
705 705 656 643 647 656 700 711
Rest period totaled 2:40 in chunks of 10-45 seconds between sets.

Got there right when the pool opened at 7:30, snagged the first lane, which it seems people don't like if they are fast and had it all to myself for the hour.

Worked on breathing half as often on half of the laps and trying to continue to kick strong through the breathing instead of slacking.

After swimming, it was off to the QOC meet. Sixty-one starts for this make up meet. Rainy forecast and snow on the ground, as well as the fact that it wasn't on the schedule until two weeks ago kept the crowd small. Enjoyed the low key feel of the event. It never really rained, though there was probably lots of dripping in the woods. The steep reentrants were quite treacherous, or at least that is what I heard.

We'll call it 70x25 yds, all freestyle. It was at least that many. I wore the FR 910xt in swim mode to see who good it registered, and there were a few wacky readings in there.

WooHoo! snow day! And, though schools were closed, the pools opened for the afternoon session. Thanks to an email notification, I knew this and was there when they opened at 11. Lane to myself was my reward.

50 x 25 yards, 10 lengths each
651 FS
714 BS
640 FS
730 BS
655 FS

Not sure that I am doing this correctly, but I think my tired legs says that maybe I am.

Spent the afternoon basting a quilt and quilting. A good day. I could get used to these 0-1 day work weeks.

#10

Back to work today, so fitting a trip to the pool would be more challenging than it has been up to now. Choices are 5:30-8:30 AM, 11-2 PM, or 6-8 PM. Best choice in terms of time management would be somewhere in the 5:30 AM to 7 AM range, but even the wonderful encouragement of my fellow APers couldn't get me out of bed for that today. Ironically, I was wide awake at 4:45 (insomnia has been back in full force) but was adverse to getting up before it was light out.

So, went at lunchtime instead, which adds the travel time from work to the workout, and I will have to work later this afternoon since it was longer than my lunchtime. But, I got it done, and that counts big today.

80 laps in sets of 10 (250 yards). First 60 were FS, then the next 10 alternated 50 yds FS with 50 BS (my BS is about the same steady speed as my FS). The last 10 were 2 FS, 2 BS, 6 FS.

Happily had a lane to myself for the first 30, then some ~13 boy dove in and pretended to be training, mostly when his father was watching, but was more frolicking around and bugging the shit out of me. Was able to switch to the next lane over with 20 or so to go.

711 700 649 658 648 710 704 723

Pool - Splits