Sink or Swim Meet 2010- Meet Report

A few weeks ago I swam at our local masters swim meet called, Sink or Swim put on by the Spokane Waves. The event was held at Whitworth University and was sponsored by my triathlon club, Tri-Fusion. These are always a blast and a great change of pace from triathlon since all the races I do only last a minute.

With the severe lack of training on my part made this meet all that much more interesting. I hadn't see the line in the bottom of a pool for over 3 weeks and really had no idea what events I was actually going to do until the morning of. When all was said and done I participated in 8 events: 50Y Freestyle, 100Y Freestyle, 200Y Freestyle and to mix it up a bit the 50Y Breaststroke and 100Y Backstroke.

A special thanks to James Richman for taking all the photos. There are some pretty cool sequences.

Honestly my main goal was to just survive. I wasn't sure how the races were going to go and even though I wanted to beat the times I had done in this same race 2 years ago, I really didn't know what to expect.

First up was the 50 Freestyle.  These races are SHORT and PAINFUL! I goal was to go as fast as possible. Last time I swam a 26.08...so I set an outside goal of sub 26. So after a brief warm up and a few starts of the block for practice. It was go time. I was up on the blocks and ready for my first race in 2 years. The tried my best to channel my inner Michael Phelps but I don't smoke so I focused on the swimming. The gun went off and before I knew it the lactic acid was taking over my legs and then I was done. Ending up swimming a 25.91 and had a new PR.

50Y Freestyle...Just a bunch of splashing!

Next us the 100 Freestyle. Now I knew I could struggle through the 50 race but after how bad my legs were burning and the fact that it was twice the distance. Last time out I swam a 1:01.25. Turns out I raced a little smarter than the 50 and even without being in the pool so long still was able to bust out a 58.88. Definitely excited about that.

The last three races I had never actually done before in a meet but why not try something new...especially with the backstroke and breaststroke. Since we needed the extra points and since we dubbed this "The Year of the Breast...stroke", I had to enter at least one breaststroke race. Since I basically live with the best breaststroke in the area, I was hoping I could channel my inner Rory and just do what he does. In all reality, I was getting advice on how to legally make the turn about 1 minute before the race started. Fortunately it went well and I was able to finish without getting disqualified.

200 Freestyle: 2:24.99
50 Breaststroke: 38.17
100 Backstroke: 1:23.64

Sink or Swim Meet 2010- Champions

All in all, it was another great experience. I was able to participate in a few relays and even though at one point I had to do back to back to back to back races, the Spokane Waves Masters Team took home the title. Congrats to all the swimmers and already looking forward to the next one.

Good Morning 50 Meter Pool

This morning we had our first of 4 weeks of swimming at Witter Pool. Now it has been almost 2 years since I last swim at Witter or any other 50 meter pool and knew I was going to be for a bit of a surprise on how different it is...

Chillin' in between sets!!!

Swimming in 25 yard pools requires flipturns...like a lot of flipturns...hence why a we deemed last season the 'Year of the Flipturn' and pretty much forced ourselves to flipturn during every practice. It started of bad...REAL BAD...but we stuck with it and now I actually like the little 1/10th of a second break you get off each wall. This is not the case at this pool.

The other end is down there somewhere!

So back to Witter and the journey that is required to reach the other side. I left the pool edge on my first trip down and to my surprise I was able to grab breakfast with my aunt and uncle in Seattle when I reached the other end...and yeah it felt that far. On my way back I stopped in Moses Lake at Chico's Pizza Parlor for some lunch. (BTW- The word on the street is Chico's is worth the trip from Spokane just to grab pizza).

On a more serious note...the diving boards and slide were NOT open today...and if you know anything about this group of swimmers, this is completely UNACCEPTABLE!!! They best get that sh#t together because we have some serious diving competitions coming up. But if all else fails...there are always KILL SETS!!!

Watch Yo Self!!!

So for the next few weeks we will be swimming outside and watching the sun come up...pretty freaking cool if you ask me.

Breaststroke Challenge

So how do you challenge a world-class athlete to a race? Require him to do the impossible. Earlier this week, Jessi and I challenged Rory to a breaststroke race. Now under any other circumstance we wouldn’t have a chance but today was different. As we gathered at the far end of the pool, the stage was set. Jessi and I would do normal breaststroke and Rory was going to have to swim with one arm and one leg…sounds impossible right…well that is exactly what I thought.

Posing for picture while holding one leg is almost as difficult as the swimming.

In true fashion, we had Kevin grab the camera and document the race. As the countdown began, I was sure there would be NO possible way this race was going to be close. Like, I seriously thought I would have time to touch the wall, turn around and swim back talking smack about how I just kicked his butt, even if he was swimming with one arm and leg...

I will let Jessi, explain the end of this video but it is absolutely hilarious. Sure wish we had about 2 more seconds worth.

As you will see from the video, Jessi and I get a great start and use a pull down to get a good gap on Rory...and then reality sets in. As we are swimming along, I constantly look to my left to see if he is there…do remember even though I thought I was going to dominate this race, you just never know.

About halfway down the pool, I start to see a hand slowly moving up next to me. The only thing going through my mind was… YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!! There is no way this is possible. Before you know it I am swimming with absolutely ALL the strength I got. Now a good breaststroke might rely on form, I rely on strength and just try to fight the water as much as I can.

For a split second, I seriously thought I was going to get passed. Though I was able to hold him off, it was definitely a bit humbling to realize just how good Rory is at swimming. The guy is freaking phenomenal and yet another reason why you better come up with ANY advantage you can when you are in the pool.

Of course once we are done with the race, Jessi and I have to try and see if we can even do the one arm one leg breaststroke…

This is my second try and thank god the first one didn’t make it on video as Rory and Jessi almost drown laughing so hard.

So next time you are in da pool, give it a shot. Not nearly as easy as Rory makes it look.

Still time to Play!!!

Even though I am in the thick of my Ironman training, I have still been able to find a little bit of time to play. Last year at this time ALL I could think about was Ironman...basically eat, sleep and drink it. This year is different. I know the race is still one of the toughest physical challenges there is so I am trying to force myself to not get complacent, but that doesn't mean having some fun is out of the question.

Underwater Close-Up!

For the past few months my triathlon club, Tri-Fusion, has set aside some money for us to hire professional coaches to instruct us on anything triathlon. From swimming, biking, running or even nutrition. We offer the instructor $50 for their time and in turn get priceless information to help us improve. Basically free coaching...and when it comes to triathlon, free anything is AWESOME!!!

As of now, we have really only used it for our Sunday Master Swims at OZ North. We bring in a swim coach and get technical advice for the 1.5 hour session. Since I get the majority of my distance workouts done during the week, it is really nice focus on technique and all the small things that ALWAYS need a little bit of adjusting.

The other great thing about these swims are the laid back atmosphere and the fun people. We are always cracking jokes at each other, at the coaches and for the most part at ourselves. We try impossible drills like swimming freestyle backwards or doing the V-Skull. Honestly, without these workouts, there is no way I would enjoy this sport and swimming as much as I do.

Cool Picture with the Refraction
Note how big the legs are compared to the tiny heads.

Rotation Drill: Helps you focus on your core while swimming...Way more fun for the person holding the legs.

It almost looks like I know what I am doing right here...ALMOST!

Kick Sets!!! I am pretty sure I will NEVER enjoy these.

Apparently Coach Glory makes fun of me because of how 'unstreamlined' I am when I push off the wall.
How about dem apples?

In true triathlete fashion, it turned into a competition on who could push off the wall and glide the farthest.

So if you are a perfect swimmer and have absolutely NO room for improvement then maybe these swims are not for you but if by some chance you spend countless hours swimming by yourself, watching instructional videos on the internet or reading books, save yourself some time and stop by OZ and get some one on one coaching.

I would like to send out a special thanks to Jessi for getting these organized each week.

Lap After Lap...

On Thursday, Coach Kevin began practice by saying "This is going to be a FUN practice..." and we usually know we are in for some that in all honestly is going to be anything but fun. This is when he asks a few of us to grab the mats and bring them to the end of the pool which in swimmer language means 'ALL KIND OF PAIN' !!!

For many of you it might be difficult to see how FUN and PAIN can be used to describe the same thing but in Kevin's mind...they do.

So on to the all kinds of pain workout. Basically it is dry land exercises mixed in with a bit of swimming.

Main Set:

Swim 100 yards
10 Pull-Ups on the blocks
Swim 100 yards
10 Body Weight Squats
Swim 100 yards
20 Crunches
Swim 100 yards
10 Push-Ups
Swim 100 yards
20 Crunches

and then repeat 4-5 times...

Now this starts out pretty easy. Your arms are fresh and getting in and out of the pool is not an issue but as you move into sets 3, 4 and 5 each effort is that much more difficult. Then there is the issue of trying to transition back into a perfect stroke for your 100's. Your arms begin to burn in the first 25 and you wish the was a hoist to lift you out of the pool for each exercises.

See it can be fun ;)

So if you are looking to mix things up and try something new, give this a shot. It is a great way to build some additional strength and yet still get a great swim workout in.

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Each and every Friday, is called 'Fun Friday' which basically means...we get to use toys during out workout. Fins, cords and weights racks. This is another great way to change up your workouts.

The reason we use the fins is to let us know what it feels like to swim fast...something that will probably never really happen. No really, the reason why is to help you feel drag in the water and eventually help you reduce it and make you a more efficient swimmer. Basically I call it, 'Waiting for a Cramp' set because usually I am trying to kick too hard and almost every time some part of my leg decides to cramp up.

When you are swimming 3-4 times a week, things can get tedious. Back and forth, up and down the lane over and over. Flip turn after flip turn. At our Spokane Waves Masters swim practices we have a few things to mix it up a bit...

Jessi and Tiffany finishing Breastroke with the cords.

The cords are another 'Fun' and yet painful (see I used it again) device to help build power and feel speed in the water. The goal is to swim from one end of the pool to the other trying your hardest to reach the bulkhead before the cord stops you. It starts off easy and as the rubber tubing stretches it gets more and more difficult. Eventually you either stop and have to grab the lane line or you reach the end and grab the bulkhead.

The best part of cords is the way back. You really get an idea of how your body moves through the water.

The weight racks are all about power. You are attached to the rack by a belt and the goal is to swim as hard as you can to pull the weights to the top...and according to Kevin it should be done in about 8 seconds. I am still working on trying to remember pictures and videos during the workout so hopefully next time I can show them off.

So if you are getting bored in the pool and tired of counting lap after lap might I suggest you throw one of these workouts in and see what happens.