Good Riddance, Week 9!

Week 9, you sucked. Don't let my foot hit you in the ass on the way out.

Yesterday's bike ride went well. I didn't have any true pain, just achiness around the knee/ITB, and it didn't start until mile 40 (progress!). We rode 60 miles and I felt pretty good. The highlight of my ride was when I was able to take a bottle out of my rocket launcher (a double bottle cage behind my seat), drink from it, and replace it while riding. I've always stopped to access that bottle holder before, so this was a big step. Celebrate all victories!

After the ride, my awesome, all-knowing friend showed me some great stretches using a bike tube (ingenious!) to provide resistance/pull. These two new stretches give INSTANT relief to my tight ITB/knee area. Another victory! I've been doing the stretches three times a day, and I'm feeling great improvement. Now I just need to find something similar to stretch out the bottoms of my feet, and I'll be golden.

Today's scheduled workout was a one-hour recovery run. In an unprecedented move, I went against my training plan and did a hike/walk/trail run with JC and Sophie instead. The soft trails at Peachtree Rock felt wonderful and I just ran when I felt like it, walked when I felt like it, stopped when I felt like it... I didn't even bring C-3PO with me. The time with my family was just what I needed. My soul is much happier now.

Afterwards, a long, hot soak in the bath with some Dr Teal's epsom salts relaxed and loosened me. One more good stretch after that, and my legs feel fantastic. Not quite normal, but damn close.

So, with that, this hellacious week is O.V.E.R. I'm now officially in a recovery week. YEE-HAW!!! My body and mind are grateful for this reprieve. My long run and long ride will be reduced by about a third this week. In addition to the physical break, I'll have symphony rehearsals most nights to prep for Saturday's concert - so my brain will get a little stimulation while my body rests.

Shameless plug: You MUST come to the South Carolina Philharmonic concert Saturday, Feb. 9th at the Koger Center for the Arts. We're playing Mahler 5 (among other things). You will be glad you did!

And the REALLY exciting news - after this week, BASE PHASE WILL END. I'm giddy with anticipation! I'll get to go fast! FINALLY!!!!

Drills, Baby, Drills

This morning's swim included a pyramid in the main set (100 - 200 - 300 - 300 - 200 - 100, in yards). My training plan has included this same workout every two weeks; today was the third time doing it.

To say I'm excited about my progress is an understatement. As I completed each interval, I knew my times had improved, but I didn't know by how much until I got to the computer this afternoon.

Dec. 11th paces: Pitifully, dreadfully slow. So slow, in, fact, that I'm not going to type them.

Dec. 24th paces: Only slightly embarrassingly slow (an average of 8 seconds faster per 100 than Dec. 11th).

Jan. 8th paces: Much less slow than four weeks ago! Practically mediocre! An average of 8 seconds faster than Dec. 24th.

Which means - I've taken off over 16 seconds per 100. YES. I'm now swimming at the same pace I was swimming at my peak for Augusta Half Ironman - and I'm only 6 weeks into training. (And my Swolf score is slowly falling, which means I'm getting more efficient.)

Several people have asked me what I've done to improve my swim. Here are the top three things that have helped me:

DRILLS:
 
My training plan includes drills. Lots and lots of drills. Every workout, I do drills. Each workout has one drill included (with a helpful video clip), so my mental focus for the entire workout is on whatever aspect of swimming technique was addressed in the drill that day. Zipper drill, catch-up drill, long-arm doggie paddle, fingertip drag, double entry drill, one arm drill, Tarzan drill, and side kicking drill. If there is one thing that has improved my form the most, it's drills.
 
This brings us to Controversial Topic #1: There are some who say that doing drills only makes you better at doing drills, not at actual swimming. I call bullshit. That's like telling a violinist that practicing scales will only make you better at playing scales, not at playing music. Now, if drills are all you do in the water, yes, you're screwed. But I firmly believe they're an integral part of learning and maintaining proper form.
 
HEAD POSITION:
 
I have always kept my head very low in the water. One advantage of this is more power, but it creates terrible drag and makes it more difficult to breathe; I had to lift my head for each breath in addition to turning it (or rotating myself) to the side.
 
I experimented with different head positions and have found that keeping the neck neutral, which raises the head slightly, greatly reduces drag, and puts my head/mouth in the perfect position for breathing.
 
I think a lot of newer swimmers keep their head too high, which is why I focused on pressing my head low into the water, but I must have been overcompensating. I'd recommend playing with your head position and finding what works best for you.
 
BODY POSITION:
 
Well, this one is obvious: proper body position is imperative for gliding through the water. But specifically what I concentrate on is keeping the head, hips and feet in line at the top of the water. I learned to arch my back slightly, which helps the hips stay up, and I always - ALWAYS - kick. (Enter Controversial Topic #2.)
 
Some say you shouldn't kick in tris, that you should save the legs for the bike/run.  However, if you don't kick, your back end will fall and create immense drag, forcing you to work harder and using up precious energy. The kick will keep your lower body elevated, and help your rotation (also important for gliding). In my opinion, you should only use your kick for propulsion in short races; in longer events, the kick is used to assist with body position.

So, there you have it. Follow my advice, and you could soon be a mediocre swimmer, too!