swimming
Took a little dip-ski in the pool today. I was really nervous about it because my sockets have been tender the last few days. I've abandoned my meds [it's just Ibuprophen anyway] so the pain has increased accordingly. Today was better than yesterday. I'm sure tomorrow will be better than today. They don't even hurt right now. So, on to my pool experience...
People under the age of 18 should NOT be allowed on the "lane" side of the pool. Okay? I swam into not just one, but two, no; THREE people today [all girls between the ages of probably 12 and 15] who were IN MY LANE! Allow me to explain. When I got there all the lanes were in use. Well, all but the first lane which has the ladders to get in/out. It wasn't IN USE per se, but someone was in it. A girl was hanging onto the side of the pool halfway down the lane talking to a boy [I think he might have been a lifeguard but I'm not sure]. I entered the pool then swam over to her and asked if she minded if I shared the lane. She seemed like she was okay with it [didn't make eye contact and mumbled instead of spoke] so I started my warm-up. I swam one lap, adjusted my goggles [for some reason water comes into my left eye sometimes], then started another lap. On the way back I swam RIGHT into the girl. Didn't she feel me go by her 3 TIMES already?! So that was annoying. Scared the crap outta me too because I don't want anybody to get the wrong idea AT ALL. Thankfully she left after that. Then after another lap I swam into another girl who I think was either getting in or getting out of the pool. It's not like she was on the ladder- she was right in the dead center of my lane. Maybe look both ways before crossing? Works in the pool just like in the real world. Finally, I was doing a drill that forced me to be looking up/back so I couldn't really follow where I was going except with peripheral vision, and that only allowed me to see how close to the ropes/wall I was. I swam into girl #3 as she was entering the pool. This is by far the worst pool etiquette I have experienced yet. I've never had a problem any other time I've gone. And you know how I never have time for my swims so they're always short? This time I had plenty of time and boneheads kept screwing me up! UGH so frustrating.
As far as my workout, I don't know how far I swam. I did do that drill I mentioned but I realize that I need to get fins if I'm going to do it effectively. Plus I'll need someone to watch me and make sure I'm not rolled over too far. I was reading in the Triathlete's Training Bible that the less body frontage you have pushing against the water, the faster you go. BOY is that ever true! I started rolling more from side to side during my crawl stroke and with an equal amount of effort compared to my usual stroke I shaved [this is the great part] 8 seconds off my lap times! That means I'm right on target to hitting my goal for the Papillion tri! I just need to get stronger and build up more muscular endurance to be able to sustain it. It felt amazing, like I had a lot more momentum moving through the water. I wish I would have counted my strokes because I know I probably took off at least 3-4 easily. I was just cruising. Consistent 44-45 second laps.
After the swim I took the bike out and stayed on the small ring to accompany Brynn on her run. The wind was so ridiculous- I can't even imagine those guys donig 20+mph in Hawaii facing those crosswinds! And some throw a disc wheel on the back- ugh!
Which reminds me... I'm going to do an Ironman. I'd like to do IMAZ - Ironman Arizona on April 13th, 2008. I hope to do a HIM [Half-Ironman or 70.3] at least 2 months before my first Ironman to get a feel for the longer distance, but that might be tough considering it will still be winter. CRAP I just read on the IMAZ website that Ironman events usually sell out within a day and they opened it up on May 5! Plus I haven't even asked Brynn if it's okay!
People under the age of 18 should NOT be allowed on the "lane" side of the pool. Okay? I swam into not just one, but two, no; THREE people today [all girls between the ages of probably 12 and 15] who were IN MY LANE! Allow me to explain. When I got there all the lanes were in use. Well, all but the first lane which has the ladders to get in/out. It wasn't IN USE per se, but someone was in it. A girl was hanging onto the side of the pool halfway down the lane talking to a boy [I think he might have been a lifeguard but I'm not sure]. I entered the pool then swam over to her and asked if she minded if I shared the lane. She seemed like she was okay with it [didn't make eye contact and mumbled instead of spoke] so I started my warm-up. I swam one lap, adjusted my goggles [for some reason water comes into my left eye sometimes], then started another lap. On the way back I swam RIGHT into the girl. Didn't she feel me go by her 3 TIMES already?! So that was annoying. Scared the crap outta me too because I don't want anybody to get the wrong idea AT ALL. Thankfully she left after that. Then after another lap I swam into another girl who I think was either getting in or getting out of the pool. It's not like she was on the ladder- she was right in the dead center of my lane. Maybe look both ways before crossing? Works in the pool just like in the real world. Finally, I was doing a drill that forced me to be looking up/back so I couldn't really follow where I was going except with peripheral vision, and that only allowed me to see how close to the ropes/wall I was. I swam into girl #3 as she was entering the pool. This is by far the worst pool etiquette I have experienced yet. I've never had a problem any other time I've gone. And you know how I never have time for my swims so they're always short? This time I had plenty of time and boneheads kept screwing me up! UGH so frustrating.
As far as my workout, I don't know how far I swam. I did do that drill I mentioned but I realize that I need to get fins if I'm going to do it effectively. Plus I'll need someone to watch me and make sure I'm not rolled over too far. I was reading in the Triathlete's Training Bible that the less body frontage you have pushing against the water, the faster you go. BOY is that ever true! I started rolling more from side to side during my crawl stroke and with an equal amount of effort compared to my usual stroke I shaved [this is the great part] 8 seconds off my lap times! That means I'm right on target to hitting my goal for the Papillion tri! I just need to get stronger and build up more muscular endurance to be able to sustain it. It felt amazing, like I had a lot more momentum moving through the water. I wish I would have counted my strokes because I know I probably took off at least 3-4 easily. I was just cruising. Consistent 44-45 second laps.
After the swim I took the bike out and stayed on the small ring to accompany Brynn on her run. The wind was so ridiculous- I can't even imagine those guys donig 20+mph in Hawaii facing those crosswinds! And some throw a disc wheel on the back- ugh!
Which reminds me... I'm going to do an Ironman. I'd like to do IMAZ - Ironman Arizona on April 13th, 2008. I hope to do a HIM [Half-Ironman or 70.3] at least 2 months before my first Ironman to get a feel for the longer distance, but that might be tough considering it will still be winter. CRAP I just read on the IMAZ website that Ironman events usually sell out within a day and they opened it up on May 5! Plus I haven't even asked Brynn if it's okay!