Swimming Workout Log

Date: December 19, 2008
Total distance: 2,700 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 6 x 400 yard freestyle on 6:00 - A1 (at aerobic threshold)
Average time: 4:35
Times: 4:36 / 4:33 / 4:36 / 4:34 / 4:36 / 4:35
Notes: This set wasn't fast, but I still felt very weak from the flu bug I have been fighting for over a week. I didn't feel like I worked it but it really tuckered me out. I hope I can start working hard again next week.

Date: December 18, 2008
Total distance: 1,600 yards (Short Course Yards)
Notes: I have been very sick for the past week. This is the first time I've been in the water in a week. I was able to swim up-and-down but didn't have the strength yet to do anything organized.

Date: December 12, 2008
Total distance: 1,000 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 10 x 50 kick with board on 2:00 A4 (as fast as possible)
Average time: 34 seconds
Notes: I planned to do 16 of these, but was only capable of doing 10. I've been getting sick lately and really felt it today. I got real tired and dizzy and had to stop. The times weren't too bad, but I definitely pushed the envelope on this weekend-warrior body today.

Date: December 11, 2008
Total distance: 2,000 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 8 x 200yd free on 4:00 A3+ (Above anaerobic threshold)
Average time: 1:59
Times: 1:57/1:57/1:59/1:59/2:01/2:01/2:02/2:02
Notes: I was pretty happy with the times. I haven't been south of 2minutes in this set in a long while. For how little I have been swimming it has been going ok. It helped that I did this set in perfect pool conditions. Water was 77F. My previous 200s sets were done at 83F, and I usually go 2 seconds per 200 slower at 83F compared to 77F.

Date: December 10, 2008
Total distance: 2,800 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 12 x 200 yds A1 (at aerobic threshold) on 3:00
Alternate: 200 free, 200 backstroke
Average time: Free 2:13; Back 2:18
Notes: The set felt long and easy. I'm finally making moves to get over the holidays. In particular, the freestyle times felt really strong for how hard I was working.

Date: December 9, 2008
Total distance: 1,500 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 20 x 50 yd freestyle on 2:00 - A4 (as fast as possible)
Average time: 26.3 seconds
Notes: 20 sprints is about all that this weekend warrior can handle all by myself. It is tough doing these things without a buddy to suffer with. I got through it and I'm okay with the times. I've only been training a half hour 3-4x per week, so I can't expect much more.

Date: December 8, 2008
Total distance: 3,500 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 15 x 200 A3 freestyle (at anaerobic threshold) on 2:40
Average time: 2:13
Notes: I haven't gone 3,000 in a main set in quite some time. The set was tiring, but I got through it. Maybe I'm finally starting to shed those holiday pounds!

Date: December 5, 2008
Total distance: 1,200 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 12 x 50yds - A4 effort (all out) on 2:00
Alternate: 2 free, 1zoomer, 1 flutter kick with board, three times through
Average times: 25.3 free
23.9 zoomer
35.2 kick
Notes: I had to head out at lunchtime to get a swim in today. It makes the afternoons more pleasant in the office. These times aren't too bad for how little I'm swimming, either. I had a few 24's in the free repeats today, and a low 22 for the 1st zoomer.

Date: December 3, 2008
Total distance: 2,200 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 8 x 200yard free on 4:00 - A3+ (above anaerobic threshold)
Average time: 2:02
Times: 2:00/2:02/2:01/2:02/2:03/2:03/2:04/2:05
Notes: The set was a tough one, as A3+ always runs me into the ground. I was a little slower today compared to 2 weeks ago, which is disappointing. I can't complain as I haven't been swimming that much with the holidays. It's not bad for this time of year, and still leaves me physically able to get back to full triathlon swimming form with a few months of hard training.

Date: December 2, 2008
Total distance: 1,300 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 20 x 25yards with ez 25 in between on 1:30 sendoff, alternating 2 free, 2 backstroke - A4 effort (as fast as possible)
Average time: approx high 11s on free, high 12s on back
Notes: The set felt ok. I was a little hurried this morning. I don't get to do a lot of 25s and so this set was a lot of fun.

Date: December 1, 2008
Total distance: 2,800 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 12 x 200 free A1 (aerobic threshold) on 2:30
Average time: 2:17
Notes: Ow! This set was made very tough due to extra poundage gained over the thanksgiving holiday. I also found out after the set that the water temp was 84 degrees! I didn't want to complain that it was warm, but it felt like I was swimming in the whirlpool!

Date: November 26, 2008
Total distance: 1,800 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 8 x 200 yd butterfly A3+ (Above anaerobic threshold) on 4:30
Average time: 2:18
Times: 2:16/2:17/2:17/2:19/2:17/2:19/2:21/2:23
Notes: This set definitely got my attention. I wanted to try something different for an A3+ as doing freestyle all the time gets a little boring. After the 8th-200 butterfly though, I found myself wishing for boredom! Now I can go through thanksgiving guilt free!

Date: November 25, 2008
Total distance: 800 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 12 x 50 yd free A4 (as fast as possible) from push start
Average time: 25.8
Notes: I started out out slow but held consistent throughout the set. This was a little faster than the last A4 set I've done. I cannot be disappointed with these times given my lack of training right now. If I were to plug in the last A3+ I have done and this set into the Dobkanize calculator I'm sitting at the high 10-minute range for a half mile/no wetsuit.

Date: November 24, 2008
Total distance: 1,800 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 8 x 200 yd free on 2:30 - A3 effort (anaerobic threshold)
Average time: 2:11
Notes: I've taken a few days off swimming and really felt it today. The times were decent for the amount of time I've put into the pool. Hopefully, it will be enough to keep off those turkey pounds!

Date: November 19, 2008
Total distance: 2,600 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 6 x 200yd kick with board on 4:00 A3 (at anaerobic thresdhold) alternate 1 flutter / 1 dolphin kick
Flutter average: 2:42, Dolphin average: 2:34
Times: 2:43 / 2:34 / 2:40 / 2:34 / 2:43 / 2:35 then did 10 x 100 backstroke on 1:10 A0 (below aerobic threshold)
Average time: 1:10
Notes: Set was pretty easy to recover from yesterday's A3+ workout. The flutter kick in particular was very tiring!

Date: November 18, 2008 Evening Workout
Total distance: 3,000 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 6 x 400yd free A3+ (above anaerobic threshold)
Average time: 4:09
Times: 4:07/4:05/4:08/4:11/4:13/4:13
Notes: I was really happy with this set tonight. I gave it everything this old body had. I had a really tough day in the office and it was great to get all that frustration out of my system and into something productive like these times. I'm declaring tomorrow a stress free day!!! I may not be in the best swimming shape of my life, but I'm a pretty happy weekend warrior right now!

Date: November 18, 2008 Morning Workout
Total distance: 800 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 16 x 25yd free parachute (26inch parachute) on 1:30 sendoff - A4 effort (as fast as possible)
Average time: 18.8 seconds
Notes: Felt pretty strong in the parachute today. hit a few 17s at the start, which is a ton of fun when you're pulling 50+ pounds of water behind you! As usual, I followed the shallow stroke, restricted breathing style that seems to work really well with a parachute. The great thing about parachutes is that 50lbs pulling on you really exposes any gaps in your stroke. In normal freestyle you don't notice it. But with a parachute it just stops you dead in the water!

Date: November 17, 2008
Total distance: 3,400 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 15 x 200-yard freestyle on 2:40 A1 (at aerobic threshold)
Average time: 2:13
Notes: Your basic long A1 aerobic workout. This type of workout is not my favorite but it's a necessary piece of any training plan. It felt ok and the times were about what I expected.

Date: November 13, 2008
Total distance: 2,000 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 8 x 200 yard freestyle A3+ on 4:00 (above anaerobic threshold)
Average time: 2:01
Times: 1:59/2:00/2:01/2:02/2:01/2:02/2:03/2:03
Notes: Set was tough but I finished it with a smile. Didn't start out as fast as I would have liked but didn't tire as badly either. A decent performance for this time of year. I'm doing everything I can to keep fit with the limited time I have. It's tough to get much faster when I've only got 1/2 hour 4x per week.

Date: November 12, 2008
Total distance: 1,500 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 10 x 50 yd zoomers (red) on 2:00 - freestyle - A4 (all out effort)
Average time: 23.7
Notes: I haven't done a zoomers set in a very long while. First repeat was a low 22! Zoomers are funny for me as I tend to swim freestyle slower with them. However, when I'm underwater kicking I go much faster with them. I was kicking 15meters off each wall in this set, taking only 6 strokes per length. So it was more of a kicking workout than a freestyle workout. It was fun taking a break from the average grind and put in a little speed in the water!

Date: November 11, 2008
Total distance: 1,600 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 15 x 100 yard backstroke A1 - aerobic threshold
Average time: 1:08
Notes: A nice recovery-day workout.

Date: November 10, 2008
Total distance: 2,500 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 10 x 200 yard freestyle on 2:40 A3 effort (at Anaerobic threshold)
Average time: 2:10
Notes: This felt like a Monday morning workout!

Date: November 7, 2008
Total distance: 2,500 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 4 x 500 A3+ effort on 9:00
Average time: 5:23
Times: 5:22 / 5:21 / 5:25 / 5:25
Notes: I haven't done fast 500s in awhile, and I could really feel it today. Still, I was happy with the times. I didn't start out as fast as I would have liked but I didn't get a slow as I would have expected either.

Date: November 5, 2008
Total distance: 1,200 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 12 x 50 butterfly on 2:00
Average time: 27.5
Notes: This set hurt at the end as usual for a butterfly sprint set. Still held 27's on the last 2, which indicates the stroke is holding together ok. They hurt a lot, my ears were ringing at the end.

Date: November 4, 2008
Total distance: 1,200 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 110 x 50 flutter kick with board on 2:00
Average time: 34.2
Notes: Legs were pretty tired at the end but held up ok. I almost hit a couple of 32s on the first and second repeat but had to settle for 33s. My slowest repeat was a 35 (no 36's).

Date: November 3, 2008, 7:00am-7:30am
Total distance: 2,500 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 112 x 200 yard freestyle on 2:30 A3 effort
Average time: 2:10
Notes: A tough workout. Been busy a lot with coaching this weekend and getting newsletter material and it is tiring. Just wrapped up an experiment on Sunday comparing a Blue Seventy to a Fast Skin. I was excited about the times though even though I was feeling it during Monday's workout. I was swimming 25meters (from a push start) in under 12 seconds, which I haven't done in a long while.

Date: October 31, 2008, 6:00pm-7:00pm
Total distance: 2,800 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 12 x 200 backstroke at A1 effort (aerobic threshold)
Average time: 2:20, range 2:18-2:22
Notes: Set felt ok. A1 efforts can make you very sleepy as you are way below an all-out effort. This is especially true for backstroke, as you are staring up at a high ceiling and so it feels like you are barely moving.

Date: October 30, 2008, 6:00pm-7:00pm
Total distance: 1,000 yards (Short Course Yards)
Main set: 8 x 50 freestyle on 2:00
Average time: 26.0
Notes: This set was tough, right from the get-go. I was hoping for a better workout since I swam so well on Tuesday. When in-shape, I can hold sub-25. Still, it is not bad for this time of year, and I gave it everything I had. I've been pretty tired lately working full-time, coaching (2 sessions yesterday) and working on the newsletters. When I input this set of 50s and Tuesday's set of 200s into the Dobkanize calculator, I'm still swimming a non-wetsuit half mile in 11:09, so I'm pretty happy with that. It also gives me a respect for my clients who are experiencing these sets for the first time!

Date: October 29, 2008
Workout: I did 1 x 50 yard flutter kick with board as demo for client
Time: 31 seconds
Notes: Kicking has felt pretty good lately. I'm only a second off where I was last May. I couldn't have held this speed up for another lap though!

Date: October 28, 2008, 6:00pm-7:00pm
Total distance: 2400 meters (short course meters)
Main set: 8 x 200 free on 4:30 A3+ (above anaerobic threshold) average time 2:14
Times: 2:09/2:11/2:13/2:13/2:14/2:17/2:17/2:18
Notes: This set hurt a lot. I was so low in the water by the end of it I had to have my head vertical to breathe. I was doing everything I tell my clients NOT to do: dropped elbows, wide pull, crossover, breathing every stroke, you name it. Still, it was within a second of my best post-college A3+ performance which is surprising at this time of year. I have put on a few winter pounds, but I guess flab floats.

Date: October 27, 2008, 6:45am-7:30am
Total distance: 2,700 yards (short course yards)
Main set: 12 x 200 free, A3 effort, 2:40 sendoff, average time: 2:13