Category: swim (Page 2 of 3)
Today I swam 2100 yards in 54:17 without stopping! Just 12 yards shy of the 1.2 miles I have to swim three weeks from tomorrow.
Granted it was in a pool, not a lake, but still when I started swim training for the Half Redman Aquabike I couldn’t swim 50 yards without stopping to catch my breath. Today except for 1/2 a length of floating on my back (Lap 35, each lap is 50 yards), I did all freestyle with no rests.
I am simply amazed that I did it and I couldn’t have done it without practicing the techniques taught in Total Immersion. I love TI and their whole philosophy of swimming.
I know swimming in a lake in a pack is entirely different and so much harder than swimming in a pool but at least I can do the distance. It’s time for another open water swim. Wish me luck.
I attended a meeting for local Redman athletes – seems less than truthful calling myself an athlete, I’m just someone who loves to ride a bike and now swims – but okay I like thinking of myself as an athlete so I’ll use the term.
Anyway back to the meeting; the RD (race director- I’m learning a new language – triathlon-ese to augment my bicycling vocab – oh boy) mainly just answered questions and provided basic info about the event.
Most of the questions had to do with the swim – and the lack of water in Lake Hefner. The RD told us water is to be released into the lake in the next couple of weeks which besides allowing for people to swim rather than walk the course should also reduce the blue-green algae problem. A little rain and cooler temperatures would go a long way in helping with that. Which would also help with my own problem of needing to wear a wetsuit. I need all the help I can get to swim my 1.2 miles and although I wasn’t a fan initially I’ve grown to really appreciate the buoyancy of my wetsuit and the improved ability to slip through the water dolphin style. Well, more like hump-back whale style but you get the idea.
If the water temperature is 78 or below we’re wetsuit legal; if the temp is between 79 and 83 you can swim in a wetsuit but you will become ineligible for awards should you place or win your AG (age group). If the temp is 84 or higher no wetsuit allowed… period.
I’ll be wearing mine unless they aren’t allowed. I’m praying for rain and cooler temps. Hell, everyone here is praying for rain and cooler temps – it got up to 104 today.
Fall is just around the corner?
Yikes – 4 weeks isn’t very long to get ready for my 1.2 mile open water swim, plus the 56 mile bike ride. Hopefully, it’s long enough.
Missing almost 4 weeks of training/normal exercise routine put a hurt on my fitness but I’ve got 4 weeks to crank it up and get ready.
I am feeling close to 100% now – Finally.
For swimming I’ve done one open water swim which went okay. Swam about 2/3rds of a mile, but mainly just practiced sighting and swimming with the fishes in one of our murky Oklahoma lakes. Both sighting and lake swimming are new to me and outside my comfort zone, but the swim went okay.
Two weeks ago I started swimming at the UCO pool. Last Friday I swam 1500 yards in 43:53 – 1X400, 1X300, 1X200, 4X100, 4X50.
My time is slow – and I couldn’t do the distance if I swam faster – but my swim strategy is to swim with economy: Swim slow and steady with an easy but consistent pace. That is the only way I will be able to do a 1.2 mile open water swim in 4 Weeks! Geez, I hope I will be ready.
Today I rode the bike 41.79 miles in 2:41, a nice and flat route and very light winds. I felt good during and after. I feel fine about the 56 mile ride for the Half Aquabike Ironman. I have never used aero bars but I’m considering getting some this week to see if I would like them. I know I would benefit speed wise, but I’m not that concerned with my speed so I don’t know if I’ll bother.
I’ll swim 3 times this week, including an open water swim. Plus ride at least twice. Knocking wood that I continue to feel good.
A forced training hiatus – i.e., against my will.
Three weeks ago we flew back from Cleveland, OH – 3 days later my husband was sick with a respiratory bug of some kind. Several days later I had it. Fever, cough, sore throat, headache and the worst part: absolutely no energy whatsoever. The fever and sore throat went away after several days, both the cough and “absolutely no energy†remained.
Antibiotics and over the counter meds didn’t kick it. Time did – or seemed to. Last Sunday, since we both felt relatively good, we took a 32 mile bike road. Flat roads – easy pace (14.8) – nothing to put ourselves back – or so we thought.
Three days later – today – I’m sick again! Sore throat, cough, and “absolutely no energy†at all. I have chills too, resisting taking my temperature.
I can’t afford this!! I have my first ever triathlon event coming up next month and I need to train! I’m doing the half ironman distance Aquabike (Redman Triathlon) on my birthday, September 24th.
Prior to this setback my training had been going perfectly. I biked 440.8 miles in July despite being out of town almost a week and not riding. I swam a total of 9.5 miles too. I felt strong and great!
I don’t know what to do. The doctor says to rest and recover. I hate that! I suck at lying around. Really. But on the other hand, I find myself not feeling like doing much else.
I have to get back in the pool, and swim in the lake since I haven’t done an open water swim yet. I’ll be okay on the bike, 56 miles I can do pretty easily. A 1.2 mile open water swim is another story. I have to start swimming again but I need to be well or I fear I’ll just get sicker and weaker.
The ride Sunday (plus 3 hard days of clearing downed limbs from our lot after the big storm) may be why I’m relapsing now. In the past three weeks – I’ve been sick for 2+!
What to do… press on and train and run the risk of getting worse or rest up until I’m well and then hit the training again with perhaps less than 4 weeks to do it (and taper)?
Any doctors out there? Nurses? Any one with advice or special healing potions??
