Swimming with Pat...

...is not exactly like "swimming with the fishes" but at one point today I did feel like a 50lb weight was attached to my torso dragging me to the bottom of the pool. Pat is a friend of BB's and was a guest leader in the lane today. He is ridiculously fast and probably should have been in lane 1 but swam with us instead, and we were happy to have him. But strange things happen when you swim with people much faster than you. First, it makes you feel really slow, even though you are holding faster times than normal. Second, it brings out the testosterone in the men in the lane. Case in point, mild mannered BB turned into a maniacal swimming machine following Pat. This is evidenced by a sub 5:00 400 free at the beginning of the workout. The rest of us were just holding on for dear life trying not to get lapped on a 200. So the moral of the story is this: if a guy named Pat shows up in your lane, you are going to work your butt off.

8 x 50 various on :60
8 x 25 fly on :35 because Dr. Bob was late (that's my story and I am sticking to it)
400 free on 6:00
2 x 75 on 1:25
200 IM on 3:15
200 free on 3:15
200 IM on 3:15
2 x 75
300 IM on :30 rest
300 Free on :30
2 x 75
4 x 100 odds IM, evens free on 1:45
2 x 75
6 x 75 free

So this was supposed to be a IM-only set but coach Bill mixed it up for us. Have I mentioned lately how much love and respect we have for Bill? Still, it was hard, and also fun to push it more than we might have without our guest leader there. Thanks Pat! Oh, and if you want to return I have some ankle and hand weights for you to wear to even the playing field, so to speak.

Multi-tasking

Today was the perfect workout for me as I had a lot of things on my mind. It had lots of distance and not much social time at the wall (which I usually love). So, I re-worked an agenda for a meeting today, sketched out an outline for a paper, and thought about what I wanted to eat for breakfast. Oh, and I watched the clock too! I was just starting to grapple with world peace when 7:30 rolled around, so I promise to get to that tomorrow.

200 WU on own
6 x 75 odds kick, swim, stroke, evens swim descend, drill
15 x 25 various things to think about
Main set:
800 (400 cruise, 200 start to pick it up, 200 fast) on 2:00 rest
400 IM on :60 rest (no fly for me)
400 on 6:00 going 200 cruise, 100 pick it up, 100 fast on 6:00
400 same on 5:40
400 fast on 5:20
6 x 75 odds 1:10, evens easy 1:35

Everyone did great - E, IW, KBB. This was my first true distance set in a while and I was not sure how I would feel. For that reason I tried to hold back until the last 400 and tried to really work it, coming in on 5:13. Everyone seemed to work the last one so Bill you should be happy that we did what you said! Bill is trying to prepare us for long course, and some of us are chomping at the bit not to have those pesky flip turns get in the way! And I know you are all wondering - with all of that thinking today, just what did I have for breakfast? Coffee, fruit, and a bagel with peanut butter.

Enjoy your day!

Weekend Warriors

I forgot what Monday mornings feel like after a warm sunny weekend. Here is how it generally goes: alarm goes off, body says "don't even think about getting out of bed". You fall back to sleep. Alarm goes off again, and your mind says "it will be good to get in the water". Pretty soon, your body and mind are in such a fierce debate and you are so fully awake that you have no choice but to get out of bed and to the pool, giving victory to neither as you shuffle your way to the edge of the pool. Yes, it was a gorgeous weekend and most swimmers are not just swimmers so we were biking, running, playing tennis, watching baseball, or doing other healthy or not-so-healthy things that made us pretty tired. So of course, the coach gives us a distance set!

WU: 300 on own
4 x (3x35)drill, drill, swim on :30
3 x 3x50 (swim, fly/back/descend) on :55, :60, :55
6 x 400
400 swim steady on 6:00
400 swim 100 fast, cruise, fast, cruise on 5:40
400 negative split on 5:20
2 x 50 easy
Repeat

It was a shocker to go right into this set as we were still waking up, but it felt good once you got into a rhythm. I only did four of them but E, KBB, and IW completed the set. You have to really concentrate on the third one to negative split so you don't miss the interval. Congrats to everyone who made it in today! Great job.

Was there a full moon last night?

Honestly, some mornings are so boring and others are active and strange. That was today. First, I spilled an entire cup of coffee on my newly cleaned oriental rug. Ugh. So I was already late when I pulled up to MIT to find BB just waking up from a 90 minute nap in his car, only to see police and fire trucks everywhere. Apparently there was a suspicious package that had to be blown up. Go figure. Then I forgot my card and towel cards, but thankfully our friend at the desk showed mercy. Already late, I got on deck and the lane had four people in it with three of us waiting on deck. We hopped into another lane and did a special workout R came up with, but when I found out what L3 was doing, I had a severe case of lane envy.

Here is what they did, which I will do on my own now. :(
(sent in by A)
300 warmup;
550 warmup set (3x100 dr/sw/st/fr 10R; 10x25 various phases of
free 10R);
2700 main set
600 descend by 200 @9:00; 2x50 ez @60;
400 descend by 100 @6:00; 2x50 ez @60;
200 descend by 50 @2:40; 2x50 ez @60;
400 descend by 100 @5:45; 2x50 ez @60;
600 descend by 200 @8:45; 2x50 ez @60;
100 warmdown
(3650 yds total)

Looks awesome. We did the following:
Main set:
3 x 100 pull on 1:20
200 on 3:15
3 x 100 pull on 1:25
200 on 3:15
3 x 100 on 1:20
200 on 3:15
3 x 100 on 1:25
200 on 3:15
2 x 300 swim on 4:15

So all of you at home have a choice! Mid-distance or distance.

CSI: Z Center

I was already in a good mood this morning when I got to the pool, but you can imagine my delight as I returned to the locker room after practice to find my once lost/stolen/missing red flower suit hanging up in my locker! This surprise turned to confusion. How did it get there? Who took it? Was she a fast swimmer, or just into fashion? Part of the puzzle was solved when E told me she hung it up in my locker after seeing it sitting on the bench as she walked in. She saw it yesterday too and was going to see who claimed it and do a little stealth investigation herself. The evidence suggests it has been worn and there is a small hole in it, but guilt must have overtaken the borrower/thief. I guess I could take it in for prints, but I choose rather to forgive the person who took it because they returned it. Plus it is always better to forgive (that is the only after-school-special moment you'll get today). Okay, on to the workout!

4 x 100 swim
12 x 50 free, breast, back, fly on :60
Main:
3 x (3 x 225)going: 200 strong, get time, 25 easy
1-3 on 3:30
4-6 on 3:20
7-9 on 3:30
4 x 50

It was me, Dr. Bob, and Marla. We decided to descend the first three holding 2:40, 2:39, :38, hold steady at 2:40 on the next 3, then descend the last ones, which we did 2:46, 2:40, and 2:31. The last one hurt! I wanted to get out after 3 of the final 50s but Dr. Bob said "Katie, do you want to walk around all day knowing that you didn't finish the workout?" Guilt is a great motivator, so I did it.

Guest Blogger: Miss E!

By way of introduction, E is an accomplished triathlete and long time blogger herself. She submitted this today as I was unable to make practice!

HELL hath no fury like a master's swim coach scorned.

Yes, it's true. We were punished today in Lane 3. Every last one of us. IW, M, KBB, SB, and I. Whether you were involved in the sneaky tactics or not. SB and I made the dire mistake of trying to sneak in a 300 warm up AFTER coach Bill had already given us a warm up set to start. Now we have done this in the past thinking coach Bill is too busy to notice but not today. Oooops.... He was keenly aware of what we were doing and stood on deck in front of our lane watching and contemplating our due punishment for this.
Here's todays set:
10 50's drill/choice
* a kicking set in which lane three was excluded from but given
8-25's of fly on 40 for our punishment with "This should warm you up!"
written on our little sheet of paper.
Main set:
500 on 7:30
4x25 ez
500 on 7:30 pulling
4x25 ez
500 broken (1:30)we worked these
4x25
500 on 7:05(we REALLY worked these)6:50
4x 50 ez cooldown

Birds chirping

I am not talking about the birds that awaken us so early these days. It's that I could almost hear birds chirping when I walked on deck this morning because it was so quiet. Where was everyone? It was just me and E in L3. If it had not been for a couple of night swimmers we would have numbered about 6 total in the pool. I admit it was hard to get up today after our long weekend, and of course spectating at the marathon is exhausting. :) Exciting race, especially the women's race. And several of us saw Bob looking strong on the course!

Here is what you all missed:

200 WU on own
100 free drill/swim
100 IM
2 x 50 descend
4 x 25 stroke
6 x 150 on 2:15 (we pulled odds)
300 pull on:30
200 swim (supposed to be pull)on :20
100 swim (again, supposed to be pull)
6 x 125 2 each 2:15, 2:05, 1:55
4 x 75 on 1:10 descend

This was a set for those who like a ton of rest. I got a wee bit restless but overall it was good to concentrate on our form and not worry about a tight interval. I hope to see more of you later this week!

Run, BB, Run!

Update!! Marathon Morning. Skies are blue, temps are cool, and BB gives a shout out to the lanemates...

Blog from Friday, April 17, 2009:

It's Marathon Weekend, the true official start to Spring in New England, and one of our own Lane three-ers is taking on the tough course Monday. Some of us will be between mile 18 and 19 so if you'd like to stop and have a beer, we'll be there, Bob!

The first set of the day was, as you will see, a set of five 150s. It got me thinking about what could be going through the mind of our wonderful coach as we did main sets of 150s both Monday and Wednesday. Did he say "you know, Lane 3 seems to do really well with 100s, and they just crush the 200s, but I am concerned about their capacity for 150s, so this week it will be "all 150s, all the time". Let me just say if USMS offered 150s in competition, we would be ready.

Thanks to R, we had a new set and it was, as Martha says, a good thing.

300 WU (SB only - the rest of us chatted on deck)
3 x 100 drill/swim
200 swim
6 x 50 count stroke and "snap yo' hip" (no comment)
5 x 150 going:
50 fast :10r then 100 easy on 1:45
75 fast :10r then 75 fast on 1:25
100 fast :10r then 50 easy on 1:05
100 easy on 1:45 (so it really wasn't all 150s)
150 hard faster than 1:54, which we all did easily
Main set, courtesy R
Three times through
3 x 100 fast pull on 1:25
200 swim on 3:30

Loved it. Lots of rest on the 200s so we didn't really loaf it, it was more of a tempo swim.

It is supposed to be 70 today - the first time since last year. Enjoy the holiday weekend, Go Sox, Celts (poor KG) and Bruins.

And, of course, Good luck BB and everyone who is racing this weekend!

When everything works

In swimming, as in life, we all have good days and bad days. The goal is to have more of the good days than the bad ones, and to appreciate the good ones when they happen. Today was one of those good days. Everything seemed to work - a good set, good lane karma, and most importantly total exhaustion at the end. It was me, R, Dr. Bob, and SB (for a little while). We decided to share the lead which helped each of us push certain parts of the set. When you look at the set you might say "piece of cake". But if you do it like we did, it's deceptively hard, especially toward the end.

WU 300 on own
8 x 100 some drill, stroke, swim, kick combos on :20 r
Main set:
5 x 150 on 2:15
4 x 50 stroke on 1:05
4 x 150 on 2:20
3 x 50 stroke on :60
3 x 150 on 2:25
2 x 50 stoke on :55
2 x 150 on 2:30
1 x 50 stroke

So it appears that the first part is the hardest because the interval is faster, but that was not the case. We decided to descend each set of 150s such that we were holding 1:55s (ish) in the beginning and 1:50s in the end. The rest helped a lot. I for one was really tired at the end, which means I worked hard. Everyone did awesome, and it was fun.

Great job, have a great day!

Pulling for the forty-somethings

I don't know about you, but if you watched the Masters at all this weekend you could not help rooting for the 48 year old to win. And he almost did, but shot a bogey on the 17th - bummer! The whole idea that a 48 year old can compete against the best in the sport is awesome. But even Perry doesn't appear to be as fit as the forty-somethings in Lane 3. I'd put these guys up against any group of men any age. Maybe we could even have a calendar: The Men of Lane Three. I am sure we would have a few takers (like their wives!!). :)

Today's workout is:

300 warm up
6 x 75 on 1:20
8 x 50 odds breastroke evens count stroke free
15 x 150
1-5 on 2:30 (50 stroke, 100 free)
6-10 on 2:20 (50 free, 50 stroke, 50 free)
11-15 on 2:10 (100 free, 50 fly)
4x100 free on 1:35 cool down

IW is the only one who did the entire set correctly, so he gets the gold star and thus gets to either lead or choose who leads on Wednesday. And you didn't think there was a prize, did you? BB gets the silver star for doing most of the set, and C and me get bronze stars for doing whatever we wanted. SB gets just half a star because he got out really early.

Enjoy this Monday. Remember, it's a new day with lots of new possibilities - carpe diem!

Hippity Hoppity...where do I even begin??

Some days I have no material from the morning, but then there are days like today where I must ask "where oh where do I start"? Let's start with our coach, who is alive and well and simply had a mechanical malfunction this morning. We all think you needed a day off anyway! It did not take long for each lane to rally, though, so each lane did something different. I will put as many down as possible so you loyal readers who like the workouts get bonus workouts today!

Lane 3 - Carmen came up with this workout
WU 200 on own
10x 50 odds stroke, evens free on :60
Main:
1x50 on :40, 1 x 50 on :60
2 x 50 on :40, 1 x 50 on :60
3 x 50 on :40, 1 x 50 on :60
4 x 50 on :40, 1 x 50 on :60
1 x 50 on :60, 4 x 50 on :40
1 x 50 on :60, 3 x 50 on :40
1 x 50 on :60, 2 x 50 on :40
1 x 50 on :60, 1 x 50 on :40
then:
3 times thru:
2 x 100 IM on 1:45
200 free on 3:00
Awesome lead by BB, great strength and speed set by all.

Lane 4 (they think they are lane 7 but we call them lane 4)
Ali, Mike, and Woods gave us this workout:

700 self-warmup - various drills and strokes until 6:23 or until it's patently clear that no piece of paper is going to show up on your lane wall
750 warmup set - 10x75 drill 15R as 2x(free/IM/free/IM/kick)
2000 main set:
800 free cruise
600 pull hypoxic (3/7/3/5 by 50)
400 free faster
200 IM
150 sprint set:
50 sprint 10R
2x25 sprint 10R
2x25 easy @40
100 warmdown
(3700 yds total)

And finally, Lane 2! (sent in by Rachel, who swam a little in 3 and a lot in 2 today!)

WU on own (400ish)
6x75 (kick/drill/swim)
3x200 IM
600 free
5x100
500 free
2x200 IM
1x200 free

After swim some of us went to get breakfast. IW disappeared into the little grocery store and came out holding two 12 packs of caffeinated beverages (see photo above, courtesy BB). I think he uttered something about needing caffeine after that workout. But please!

For those who celebrate the season, Happy Easter and Passover to you. Enjoy this beautiful day and all of the wonderful things that Spring brings us!

The big questions...

Our guest blogger forgot to blog today! I will keep his/her identity hidden so that no negative consequences fall upon them. Let's just say...bzzzz.

So today during my brief swim I started pondering the big questions, like why are peanut butter and jelly the perfect combination? Who invented lycra, and are they happy? Why do some people prefer red wine over white? Why? Of course as I was thinking about these big questions my shoulder was saying "why in the heck are you swimming today?" and I promptly listened to it and got out to watch from above. The workout was a combination of stroke and IM.

Here is what I remember:

9 x 75 warmup stroke, free, drill combo
5 x 200 broken with stroke and free
then it looked like
more 200s, some of them fast. The lane started with 4, SB, BB, M, and me and slowly ended with just BB who simply crushed some of the 200s. Sub 2:30! Nice job.

I think I will take a day off to visit my PT. That distance set killed us on Monday!

What is Spring if it ain't got that Zing!

GUEST BLOGGER: COACH BILL
By way of introduction, our guest blogger today is Coach Bill, our wonderful masters coach. He has been waiting for his turn at blogging so today is his big debut!

Opening day at Fenway, (and Marathon Monday) are two of my favorite days on the calendar. They both serve as an as usher to our long awaited, and well welcomed season of Spring. Sun's up earlier, temps seem warmer, trees starting to bud, and that stinging bee is in the air! Another round begins. A new beginning rolls in.

On deck the usual eyes were peering at the still waters, and then there's that occasional glance to the left, looking for the Coach to make his entry. Carrying that usual cup of miracle juice (light with two sugars), and a bunch of papers. Those deadly papers! And then it happens. The marvel of the morning as those who have hesitated make that gigantic leap, mojo intact, and spring into action.

Now that meet season in just about over, it's time to take that big turn, and get ready for Tri season, and some open water stuff. Two distance days a week to get everyone ready, whether you are in or out!

Bringing on the Zing!
Warming up: 6:15 to 6:23: 400 yards choice
Still Warming up:
4 x 25 (think DPS) on (10r)
100: going Drill/Swim by 25 on(15r)
4 x 25 fast turnover (10r)
100: going Drill/Swim by 25 on (15r)
4 x 25 (think DPS) on (10r)
100: going Drill/Swim by 25 on (15r)
6 x 50's Counting strokes
Odds: Breastroke
Even: Free

Big Set with some extra hot sauce. Beware there's a whammy in the home
stretch.
a. 2 x 100's on 1:40
b. 1 x 200 (fast) on 2:40 (zing)
c. 1 x 50 ez
d. 2 x 200 on 3:20
e. 1 x 400 (faster) on 5:40 (zing)
f. 1 x 50 ez
g. 2 x 400 on 6:40
h. 1 x 800 (fastest) (zing)
i. 1 x 50 ez

This set brought us in close to 7:30. And some warmed down on their own! Dr.
KB gets points for riding his bike to practice, and extra points for being so
fashionable!

(Photo downloaded from www.gerryganttphotography.com)

The wrong song

I am not sure if this ever happens to you, but sometimes you get a song in your head and just can't get it out. That was this morning, when Suzanne Vega's Tom's Diner came on the radio just as I got out of the car. It was disturbing because two years ago, my friend Nate started singing that song (da da dada da da dada da da dada dada dada...) before I jumped in for my 500, and I never forgave him. I thought about it the whole time. Thankfully, I am now stuck on Air Supply's "All out of love".

Okay, Bill really wants me to entitle my blog Attitude Adjustment. So I am going to give the reigns over to him and he can be a guest blogger. I have no idea why he thinks we need an attitude adjustment! Perhaps it was 75% of the lane defying the kick set he threw in right during the workout. I just don't know!

WU 300
8 x 50 reverse IM
4 x 75
2 x 100
Main:
9 x 125:
1-3 descend on 2:00
4-6 steady on 2:10
7-9 descend on 1:55
8 x 50 kick (are you serious?)
5 x 150 swim on 2:20

Great job by everyone descending, and a fun and varied workout, especially if you skip the kick in the middle. :)

Happy weekend, everyone!

Good morning, Sunshine!

Hi all - you missed a great workout today. E, C, and me present and accounted for. C did not even cause a problem, which tends to make the day better for everyone involved. I think he was less surly because he is actually swimming really well. Swimming well + no talking = a happy lane for all. :)

200 WU
200 drill/choice by 50
4 x 50 back/breast
200 "front quad" (C did middle quad)
4 x 50 fly/back
Main Set: Pyramid
50 on :45
100 on 1:30
150 on 2:15
200 on 3:00
250 on 4:00
200 on 2:50
150 on 2:10
100 on 1:25
50 on :45
100 on 1:20
150 on 2:30
200 on 2:50
250 on 4:00
Then:
2 x 50 25 sprint, 25 easy on :50
2 x 50 35 sprint, 15 easy on :55
1 x 50 easy on 1:15
2 x 50 sprint on :50
2 x 50 easy
Finally:
3 x thru
25 underwater, 25 swim
2 x 25 on :15

It was fun, but you had to work the easy intervals to get a tough workout. We could have challenged ourselves by dropping 5 seconds on each, so if you try this at home that might be wise. It is amazing to me that at the end of the workout it is much easier to swim underwater 25 yards than it is in the beginning.

Notes from the 'mill

From my perch on the treadmill it wasn't looking good for lane 3 at 6:30am. It was empty. I started to think about what I would comment on with my favorite subjects missing when IW and Dr. Bob strolled onto deck. Then, at 6:37:44, KBB appeared! Welcome back! Then I saw E's yellow capped head bobbing up and down aquajogging. So we were well represented in the chlorine.

Apparently Bill played a little April Fool's day joke on everyone by saying they were doing 2 x 1650. Ah, some of us distance folks would like that set. Here is what I observed, but as you can tell I was a little distracted so my accuracy is a bit off. :)

200 WU
A bunch of 50s with drill
1000 holding steady pace
a bunch of 100s with fly, back, breast and free involved somehow
more swimming for another 15 minutes

That is where this story ends. My treadmill time was up and I was bored because I forgot my Ipod.

See you tomorrow for a firsthand report.