To the waters and the wild

Kurt.Godel

Wed 30mins Fastlane; 10min yoga, 45min turbo, 10min stretching

Turbo:
10min EZ
4*(10s MAX, 2:20 EZ) seated
4*(2min build 6-8PE, 3min recovery) keep cadence over 80rpm
5min EZ

Like last nights run, this turbo was less strenuous than usual. Thankfully the higher cadence comes easier now, this should help with running form in races. It can be hard to get rid of old grinderman habits.

Kurt.Godel

Thurs 15min yoga, 30min swim; 15min yoga, 30min run

Swim:
400 WU
4*(25k, 25fist, 10s)
100 EZ
2min rest
400TT 5:52
400 swim down
I have a Thanksgiving dinner tonight, so moved tonights TT to lunchtime. 5:52, pretty annoyed at that but something else to learn from. Splits were 1:22, 1:28, 1:32, 1:30. I started well, in control good turns with fly kicks, BE3/4, but messed a turn at 125m which left me gasping for air, and it went downhill from there. I touchturned the rest, BE2, had nothing in the legs, it just felt like my lungs were screaming the rest of the way.

Would it have been faster if I kept tumble turning? Probably, but at that stage lack of oxygen was the limiter, form etc went south. I'm going to have to work on ways to get more air, and be at ease as I do so. At the moment I think I'm gasping too easily, and breathing in general is the problem.

Run: 20min EZ, 10min build to 8/10PE
Nice cold afternoon to get in the run... useful to exorcise demons from the earlier swim TT. I'm not going to dwell on it, lesson learnt and let's move on, but this run was a good way to run off a bit of steam as the pace progressed towards the end.

Kurt.Godel

Fri 15min yoga, 45min Fastlane; 45mins weights; 30min very easy run

Fastlane
400m WU
8*(25k,25fist)
3*(200 in 3mins, 20s, 200 in 3:30, 20s)
200swimdown

Distance estimated from pace clock but should be thereabouts. One thing the Fastlane is useful for is stroke corrections- if you start snaking or overrotating or whatever, it lets you know immediately. During these faster 200's I noticed my form starting to struggle, I tried a few things to correct before deciding on a faster overhead return. This seemed to make a big difference to keeping good streamline, and its something I might try when next in the main pool.

Kurt.Godel

Sat 60min run (45min PE3, 15min build to PE 7/8)

Brilliant morning to start the weekend- the sun hadn’t come up yet and it was below freezing as I ran towards the predawn over Courtown. The legs felt better than ever, really good running form and it was a struggle to keep the pace slower than 5min/km for the first three quarters of an hour. Picked things up a bit towards the end, lovely to be out there this morning.

shotgunmcos

Been so so long since I've swam. I'd have though 5:52 was ok in a SC with the winter to improve.

More oxygen? Do you really gain more for the tumbles over touch vs the cost? Are you breathing every 2? The short breaths on the 1:22 first 100 cost? Do you settle at all to every 3 and bring length focus into the middle 150-200? Basically, did you have a plan or just hop in and swim hard?

Kurt.Godel

Hi Mike, yes there was a very specific plan for each 100 in the TT. It lasted until 125 where once again breathing became my limiter, thats the most annoying thing of all. Quickly fixed if I get more practice in flip turning until it becomes second nature.

I started the 400TT BE5 or so, and was BE3 to 125. BE2 isn't ideal in a 400, especially so if you are gasping and form is dying anyways.

There's a big time saving over touch-turns, albeit a greater cost if I miss a breath while flipping- I take your point regarding the cost, but the real goal is the LC Nat Champs in March where I'll need to flip turn in the 1,500 if I want to do well. Any of the guys I swim with flip turn for all distances, and they grab a meter each turn. So more practice needed.

5:52 is ok except I swam 5:45 in Sept. I'm probably coming across as too annoyed at the time; my run fitness is the bigger goal at the moment and it has been progressing nicely. Overall I'm very happy with where training is at, and its consistent. If over-analysis of swim chatter serves to distract while progress continues to be made all round, than maybe thats no harm. I'm enjoying the training right now, and looking forward to gains towards summer races.

Kurt.Godel

Sun 15min yoga, 1:55turbo, 10min stretching

Turbo:
10 mins steady to build
4 * (10' all out 2.20 easy)
6 * (10 mins building from PE 3 to 8 every 2 mins, 5 mins easy)
5min cool down

I guess one of the lessons in this workout is control, and from the garmin graphs afterwards, the build efforts were well controlled. The Garmin 935 is wrist based, so is harder to read the immediate numbers when on the bike, but getting used to "feel" for a power range is probably more useful for races.

Kurt.Godel

Mon 30min S&C, 20min run; Masters swim

Run: 10min EZ, 10min build to 8-10PE
Found it hard to keep the pace down for the slow part.

Masters:
200WU
8*(25k, 25fist, 25fast)
10*(50k with snorkle)
20*(25k MAX dive start, 25swim easy)
300 swim down

Lots of kicking tonight, playing catchup in the speedsters lane. Its still not natural (kicking), but there's only one way to change that.

Kurt.Godel

Tue 45min weights, 15min easy jog; 60min run

Run: 20mins EZ, 20min build to 5/6PE, 20min build to 7/8PE

Office work caught up with me this afternoon, and by the time we had to go to swim class I neglected to get in my pre-run stretches.Not ideal, and it was a very cold night to be out, but at least it started slow. I could feel some tightness from last nights kicking but no damage done. As the pace increased it didn’t feel so cold. I finished off into a biting headwind for the last 15 mins, reminded me of so many cold cross country races as a nipper.

Kurt.Godel

Wed 10min yoga, 40min turbo

10min EZ
4*(10s MAX, 2:20 EZ)
5*(1min build to 8/10PE, 2min EZ)
5min cooldown

This was horrendous! Time just stood still during these hard minutes on... I messed up the first couple of reps by going out too hard (sprinting pace), but managed the build better in the last few. The final few seconds... my god I swear the second hand on the clock stood still. I feel like puking now, 20mins after its finished, a much tougher session than I'd considered at the start.

Kurt.Godel

Thurs 15min swim yoga, 60min Fastlane; 15min S&C, 15min easy jog

I couldn't make Masters tonight so did an hour in the Fastlane. Focus was on hand exit (a recent observation told me I was slicing the hand out the back, immediately fixed once pointed out) and using that to help drive from the hips with rotation. The exit was easier as the rotation improved.
Oddly enough (to my mind anyway) I did some backstroke- focus on rotation- and freestyle rotation (and streamline and core) all became much, much better straight afterwards. Every day is a school day.

griffin100

Kurt.Godel wrote: »

Thurs 15min swim yoga, 60min Fastlane; 15min S&C, 15min easy jog

I couldn't make Masters tonight so did an hour in the Fastlane. Focus was on hand exit (a recent observation told me I was slicing the hand out the back, immediately fixed once pointed out) and using that to help drive from the hips with rotation. The exit was easier as the rotation improved.
Oddly enough (to my mind anyway) I did some backstroke- focus on rotation- and freestyle rotation (and streamline and core) all became much, much better straight afterwards. Every day is a school day.

That's interesting on the hand exit thing. I discovered something similar myself this week. Started using some new paddles and they showed up a really bad hand exit - too far back and sliced, so much so that one of the paddles came flying off my hand and through the air behind me :eek: Small adjustment and all of a sudden technique was much smoother and 20 x 100m @ CSS pace felt very easy. It's amazing how little changes can make big differences.

joey100

What paddles did you change to griffin?

peter kern

thumb hold paddle.

joey100

https://www.finisswim.com/Agility-Paddles

Thought it might be these ones alright but said I'd just check and see.

peter kern

the good thing is they are easy to take on and off and are almost indistructable.
otherwise i dont like them too much ( and very few people seem to be aware they come in diffternt sizes )

griffin100

joey100 wrote: »

What paddles did you change to griffin?

I was never a big paddle user, I had some cheap simple ones that I used occasionally but never liked doing so.

A couple of months ago I was in the NAC and I seen these for a tenner so picked them up. Using them immediately brought home how poor my hand entry was - far too steep. Straightaway by changing my hand entry I knocked 5 secs off my 10 x 100m steady interval pace.

Back in the NAC earlier this where I picked up these larger paddles (my kids use these ones). These were the ones that showed by poor hand exit. If you read the blurb they are designed to 'improve hand lift motion'. They felt ok (if a little big) until the end of my stroke when they would bring me a dead-stop when I tried to lift my hand out of the water. I've only used them the once but when I made adjustment to the back end of my stroke I was able to comfortably do 100m @ CSS pace x 20 with 10secs between each. That's the first time I've ever done more than 10 repeats at CSS pace with this sort of rest interval.

I'm sure that my technique is poor enough that there is lots of low hanging fruit to be fixed but I'm still very happy with the recent progress.

Now considering picking up a set of these.

peter kern

interesting, assumption is never a good idea...

zico10

griffin100 wrote: »

That's interesting on the hand exit thing. I discovered something similar myself this week. Started using some new paddles and they showed up a really bad hand exit - too far back and sliced, so much so that one of the paddles came flying off my hand and through the air behind me :eek: Small adjustment and all of a sudden technique was much smoother and 20 x 100m @ CSS pace felt very easy. It's amazing how little changes can make big differences.

I didn't think your hand could exit too far back. Or am I taking you up wrong?

griffin100

zico10 wrote: »

I didn't think your hand could exit too far back. Or am I taking you up wrong?

Perhaps slicing is a better description than exiting too far back. Whatever I was doing the paddles didn't like it, like I said at one stage the paddle flew off my hand and went airborne. The change I have made is trying to keep the hand and wrist in a good position and lifting the hand from the water rather than swinging it at the end of the stroke - sorry if that sounds weird. Whatever it is it's made a difference to my speed.

Sorry for hijacking your log Kurt

Kurt.Godel

griffin100 wrote: »

Sorry for hijacking your log Kurt

You don't have to apologise for swim chatter around here, you know that! (now if it was bike chat You'd be told to sling your hook )

Great that you found the improvement. Have to admit I was like Peter, would have thought the agility paddles (love these paddles for hand correction!). Assumptions!

Kurt.Godel

Fri 30min run, 15min S&C; 45min weights

Run: 20min EZ, 10min build to 8PE
I had a busy day in Dublin, an important review meeting I've been preparing for all week. Drove back via the mountains (Lug looked stunning with its white cap) and caught the last of the days light with a frosty run in the local forest.

Came home to the splendid news that The The are playing Dublin next July, I used to love this band back when I was cool.

Kurt.Godel

Sat 60min run

45min easy, 15min build to 7/8PE

Got the kids out of bed early and to courtown pool, where I waited until the sun started to come up. A couple of laps of the harbour and it was bright enough to enter the forest. Some recent trail widening was evident, looks like they will put down a more permanent surface over some of the muckier sections. Back onto the road and picked it up slightly to make up the hour.

Kurt.Godel

Sun 1:55 Turbo
Turbo:
10 mins steady to build
4 * (10' all out 2.20 easy)
6 * (10 mins building from PE 3 to 8 every 2 mins, 5 mins easy)
5min cool down

Same as last weeks session, the overall power was a little lower but control was there alright. More to the point, its another consistent week ticked off.

Kurt.Godel

Mon 30min S&C; 20min run; 40min Fastlane

Run: 10min EZ, 10min build to 8/10PE
The effort at the end was more like 8 than 10- still it felt like a decent little run.

Fastlane:
I skipped the Masters as I was too tired after a days work, and felt guilty come 8pm... so into the Fastlane for 40 mins of swimming, focus on hip rotation. Pointing the hips really brought home just how flat I'd been swimming lately. I think perhaps too much pb in the Fastlane contributed to this- the extra bouyancy is needed, but I've switched to using buoyancy shorts instead and they allow greater kick and rotation. I wonder if bouyancy shorts are just better than the pb, for this reason?

Kurt.Godel

Tue 45min weights, 15min easy jog; 15min S&C, 60min run

Run: 30min EZ, 20min build to 5/6PE, 10min build to 7/8PE

Dropped the kids to the pool then onto the familiar sidewalk. There’s a bit of a bug going round and I didn’t feel in top form, but picked it up towards the end.

joey100

Mind me asking about your running Kurt? Just curious about why you seem to build every run towards the end?

Kurt.Godel

I don't mind you asking at all joey! I'm not sure on the particulars, but I'd say its better for injury prevention- previously I've had a lot of calf/knee/achilles injuries from running, which I think came about through no stretching and straight into hard effort. This way it gives the muscles time to warm up, which (coupled with the large amount of S&C going on) should help stave of injuries.

There was a great thread on the running forum some years back about a guy who went to Iten for a month from Ireland. First day, running with the pack, boom! He shot ahead of them, at what he thought was warm-up pace... they were running the first couple of km at 6/7min km pace, and would gradually speed up from there (of course they flew past the mzungu towards the end!). He talked about it with them after and they called it the "Kenyan shuffle", they would build into practically all their runs, to stave of injury.

And beyond that high-falutin' reason, I do it because its working. Consistently getting faster and training every day without issue for the past couple of months.

Kurt.Godel

Wed 10min yoga; 65min turbo

10min EZ
4*(10s MAX, 2:20 EZ)
5*(5min build to 5/6PE, 3min EZ)
5min cooldown

There's a cold going round the house so this week will be a little easier. The efforts today were manageable, although clothed in a nice steady sweat.

joey100

Sounds good Kurt, and if it's working even better!

I suppose I was coming from the part of why do all your runs have a hard part, I can understand the building towards the hard part but alot of your runs seem to end in PE of 8-10. I'm just curious really! I like looking at what works for other people, I now for me I run the majority of my stuff easy, Limited by HR but very very few of my runs would have a PE of 8.