Tri-ing to be...a Swimmer?

Last week I decided that I would try something different with my swimming.  I've been working on the basics for years now, and after trying out that Masters class last year, I knew that a true swim workout would give me more to focus on than just how many laps I was swimming.  I searched on the ol' Google, and ended up with a simple plan from USA Triathlon.

I wrote out the workout, taped it to my water bottle, and headed off to the pool feeling like a real swimmer.

Watch out, y'all.

HERE IS THE BREAKDOWN.

Warm Up 5x100 with 10-20 second rest

What it means:  Swim 100 yards (2 laps), rest 10-20 seconds, repeat 4 more times.
The goal:  Get the blood moving through the muscles and loosen up the joints to get ready for the workout.
How I did:  I warmed up.

Typically, that's about half my regular swim workout.

Form drill 6x50 with 20-30 second rest

What it means:  Swim 50 yards (1 lap), rest 20-30 seconds, repeat 5 more times.
The goal:  Improve technique which will lead to faster swimming
How I did:  Since I have no idea how my form is, I just went with the usual swimming deal: move my shoulders, kick from my hips, work on bilateral breathing...and then essentially forget everything as I try to concentrate on it all.

While working on said form, I got whacked mid-thigh by another swimmer...who was not even in my lane!

I wasn't even mad, I was impressed.

Main set 10x100 higher effort than steady swimming with 10-30 second rest

What it means:  Swim 100 yards at near lactate threshold, rest 10-30 seconds, repeat 9 more times.
The goal: Increase effort to 90 percent maximum range.  In other words, swim as hard and as fast as possible without drowning.
How I did:  I did not drown.

I was like an iceberg: lots going on under the surface but barely anything to see from above.

The further I got into my set, the more I struggled to keep track of my laps.  I had to calculate how many total laps I would be at once I was done with the set, including the warm up and drill.  Then I had to look at my watch to see how many laps I had actually done, and figure out how many were left.

I don't do math well at the best of times.  This was not the best of times.

Kick drill 1x100 kicking

What it means:  Kick only, I assumed with a kick board.
The goal:  Don't ignore kicking.
How I did:  I may or may not have totally cheated on this and scissor-kicked a bunch of times to get to the end.

Kicking is hard.

Cool down 1x100 easy swim

What it means:  Swim as effortlessly as possible.
The goal:  Cool down.
How I did: This was very interesting as my body felt pretty floaty, but otherwise it was just a normal couple of laps.

At the end of it all I had swum 1950 yards, or 1.107955 miles (I looked it up). Which is a lot for me.

And it took me an hour.

So, who knows some good swim workouts for someone who only wants to do front crawl/freestyle??

UPCOMING POSTS: YOGA, RUNNING, MORE RUNNING

My Runger Monster

Have you heard the term RUNGER?  It's the incessant hunger that happens when you start increasing your running mileage and are hungry all the time.  Of course, it also occurs when you're training a lot for other sports, but swimger, triathlonger, ski-inger, water pologer, etc, just don't have the same ring to them.

This whole phenomenon was a big change for me.  Anyone who knew me prior to my workout days knows that I was never famous for my appetite, rather my lack thereof. When I was a child, I thankfully never had to finish everything on my plate.

And I never did.  Somehow I always had room for dessert, though.

As a broke frugal student I would eat before heading out with friends and would not be hungry when we got to the restaurant.

Boy, did I love plaid shirts and denim overalls. Viva las 90s.

Once I started to actually work out, I found myself eating more.  When I was training for sprint tris and half marathons I would get a bit hungrier than normal.

And then I started training for a full marathon and I became HUNGRY. So hungry, I awakened the Runger Monster.

At first, its constant need to feed was a fascinating novelty.

When I went back home early in the summer, I was in full-on eat-all-the-things-all-the-time mode.  I went to hang out at my sister's and could not have been happier when it was finally dinnertime.

I had seconds but the Runger Monster was still not satisfied.

My Runger Monster even hitched a plane ride overseas with me in August to stay close by.  With all the sightseeing we did, TriGuy, our friend John, and I would need frequent breaks to rehydrate.  I would always order a little extra.

Actually, a lot extra.

That guy sure is hard to please.

Once I had finished my marathon and my training ended, my appetite naturally went back to normal. My Runger Monster went into hibernation. I was pretty relieved because the whole need to constantly eat was annoying and frustrating.

I took a hiatus from exercise in October and most of November...and December.  And a fair amount of January.

But, spring is coming and I am starting to train for the Heroes Half Marathon in April.

Maybe I should run a little faster.

So, how do you deal with your Runger Monster?  Not a runner? Tell me what your monster is.

UPCOMING POSTS: YOGA, RUNNING, BIKING

I'm linking up with Yeah Write this weekend. Click on the button for some great reads.