Guest Blogger Dr. Liz: Cheater suits?

Our guest blogger today is Liz O'Dair, my big sis. Her street cred is that she was a standout age group/high school swimmer and now is wading back into triathlon. Oh, and she's also an incredible sister.

I was contemplating the unfairness of it all when I read about Michael Phelps’ loss to Paul Biedermann in the 200 free at the world championships. According to the New York Times (and the swimmers themselves), the brand spanking new polyurethane suit that Biedermann wore gave him a clear advantage and helped him win the race. Phelps was wearing the hopelessly outdated “Speedo LZR Racer” – last year’s hot ticket – but just couldn’t keep up with the fancy new technology. Bob Bowman, Mike’s coach, said, “The sport is in shambles right now, and they better do something or they’re going to lose their guy who fills these seats.”

Anyway, this got me thinking about my own recent experience at the Massachusetts State Triathlon last weekend. There I was, “newbie” that I am, standing on the beach in my pathetic Spandex shorts and tank top, surrounded by people in menacing-looking wetsuits. This included my sister Katie. Being the extremely optimistic person that she is, she told me, emphatically, “on the swim, stay on my feet and draft for as long as you can!” Alright, I thought. Our wave swam out to the starting buoy. When the horn sounded, Katie was off like a shot! I tried in vain to stay on her feet, but it was a lost cause. I managed to finish the swim in a respectable time frame, even beating some of the scary wetsuit people. Mind you, I’m not comparing myself to Michael Phelps, but I think I have an inkling of what he might have been feeling after his race. On the one hand, you feel like a purist. After all, I didn’t need a crutch to swim my best. At the same time, I wouldn’t have minded being encased in rubber if it meant that I could keep up with my little sister for awhile.

Workout:

3 x (4x50) kick, free, drill, choice
400 pull
3 x 150 on 2:35 descend
3 x 150 on 2:25 descend
3 x 100 on 1:45
3 x 100 on 1:35
9 x 50 on :60

August Sabbatical

This will be my last blog post for a couple of weeks. Following in the footsteps of great columnists, writers, and other celebrity-types, I will be taking time off in August to find myself, hang out at my house in the Hamptons (see pic to the left), and work on my book deal. The working title right now is "Lane 3: The Untold Story." Luckily my advance is enough to buy me a few new swimsuits. In any case, please do not fear, the workouts will still be posted and we will have a series of guest bloggers. These include family, lane-mates, friends near and far, or anyone else who wants to be a guest. While it's preferable that you have some kind of connection to swimming, it's also okay if you have 1) been in a pool in your lifetime, 2) know someone who has been in a pool, or 3) have seen a pool. As you can see, the bar has been set very high. I do reserve the right to post race reports (including things like BBQs) or other non-MIT Masters posts as I see fit.

Today's workout courtesy SB and KBB:

4 x 50 25 Drill 25 swim
2 x 100 DPS
100 Stroke
4 x 50 25 Drill 25 swim
3 x 300 @ 5:00
2 x 50 @ 1:20
3 x 200 @ 3:15
2 x 50 @ 1:20
3 x 100 @ 1:30
2 x 50 @ 1:20
Warmdown

Where's Pat?

The build up started on Monday, when BB said that Pat was going to be in town and would swim with us Wednesday. Then yesterday, again BB said "I can't be there, but Pat will." Even last night when E asked if I was swimming I said "yes, and Pat will be there!" We talked for awhile about how he's a little fast for us but what the heck, we're good company. So there we were this morning, ready to greet Pat with open arms and you can guess the rest of this sad story. Pat never showed. Bill walked on deck and said "where's Pat?" All I know is that someone has some 'splainin to do. But the upside is that E, IW, and I had a great workout!

5 x 100 various kick, drill, swim, stroke on :20r
1 x 800 do an open turn at 600 and get time on 2:00r
1 x 600 do an open turn at 400 get time. Go faster than time in 800 on 1:30r
1 x 400 do an open turn at 200 get time. Go faster than split in 600
1 x 200 do an open turn at 100 get time. You know the deal. on :30r
1 x 100 wicked fast
10 x 50 going:
1-4 on :50
5-7 on :60
8-9 on :1:10
10 on 1:20

You had to think during this workout, and ultimately it was a distance descend set. The key was to go easy on the first 800 and then slowly descend each of the splits in the remaining set. Great workout. Nice job to all.

Health tip of the day: When the sign on the door says "teaching pool closed due to circumstances beyond our control" steer clear of the teaching pool. That is ususally code for someone having an accident in the pool. Think Caddyshack.

Guest Blogger BB: Back in Black

Bob B. is our guest blogger today. Thanks, BB!

It was a bit of a quiet day at the Z Center. Nobody in L3 (KT, C2,M, BB) was IBB. In fact, we stood on the deck with Bill and chatted about the Jazz Volcano and yesterdays shameful "on air" dedication to KT. I feel no shame in saying that I may like jazz music but I certainly can't swim to it. I just kept thinking that "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution". Yes, tonight is the AC/DC concert at Gillette Stadium so I had a full medley of AC/DC songs getting me through the practice. Enough already...on to the workout.

Warm Up
4(3x50) drill,stroke,fr 20sec rest
3x100 no free 20 sec rest
200 pull hypoxic
150 pull hypoxic
100 pull hypoxic
Main Set--KT was "Thunderstruck" when she realized it was short distances
2x thru
100 1:35 fast
50 1:10 ez
100 1:35 fast
50 1:10 ez
50 45sec fast
50 1:10 ez
50 45sec fast
50 1:10 ez
9x50 free (ascending sets of 3 on the 50, 55, 60)

Bill "Shook Us All Morning Long" but that's ok as tomorrow is Distance Day
and we all know that our favorite rocker KT will be "Back in Black". By the way E was a treadmill stalker today and she certainly wasn't "Giving
The Dog a Bone". Run, E, run!

Shame on us?

We were having a grand old morning in the lane with BB, SB, E, K, IW, and KBB. We were all IBB and the water felt cool and refreshing compared to the hot, sticky air. Bill rightfully acknowledged our promptness and even said he would have to up his game. So on we go to the workout, which was middle distance and fly. On the second main set, we were surprised but not upset that Bill seemed to reward us for our good behavior with itervals that allowed us to catch up on our weekends, have some breakfast, and in general ease our way into the week. Then he noticed that he gave us the wrong sheet, with the intervals from lane 2. They were over there working their butts off (and doing great, mind you) and we were having a tea party. Bill said "shame on you - you should have said something" but in all honesty, nobody was in the mood to complain this morning so we just did what we were told, no questions asked. I feel no shame. I don't think anyone else did either!

200 warmup
8 x 50 variety drill/swim, stroke/swim, count strokes
4 x 250 on 4:30 going:
100 easy
50 stroke (fly on the sheet)
100 fast
4 x 200 on 3:50 negative split (no shame)
50 cruise on 1:20
150 fast on 2:30
100 cruise on 2:00
200 fast
100 easy WD

I did not do the last set as I had to scoot this morning so KBB let me know if I messed it up, I left the sheet in my car. Well done, all.

Some things never change

We have deployed our I-reporter BB to an age group swim meet this weekend where his son Ryan is competing. He says that some things don't change - the kids still sit under the tent and avoid their parents. It got us to talking about our own memories of swim meets. BB recalls playing truth or dare. SB remembers chasing the 11 year old girls (he was twelve, an older man!) and E remembers all the pretty ribbons and the fact that nobody wore goggles. My memories are vivid - all the little O'Dair kids piling into the wagon and traveling to exotic and faraway places like Cleveland or Cincinnati and staying in posh hotels like the Ramada. But one that sticks in my mind is that we always ate jello right from the box, usually cherry jello. The red sticky mess transmogrified our fingers and tongues into unrecognizable blobs. I am certain that red dye #2 was still on the market, too, which likely explains something but I don't know what. I guess that dry jello works the same way as a cliff shot, it's just grosser.

IW coined a new term today: IBB which means "in before Bill." You have to be IN the pool swimming when he opens the door to walk on deck. It does not count if you see him and jump in. Today all of us, SB, E, IW, and I were IBB.

300 WU
100 gallop/swim
100 stroke/swim
100 drill/swim
100 kick/swim
200 on 3:20
200 on 3:15
200 on 3:10
50 easy
30 sprint
150 on 2:20
150 ON 2:10 (ouch!)
150 on 2:20
150 on 2:10 (double ouch)
50 easy
50 hard
5 x 100 on 1:45
50 easy
50 fast
200 pull
100 kick

Bill was in a spiky mood today, taking little jabs here and there. The biggest jab was the interval on the 150s - tough. But we all did great, nice job. And congratulations to Hillary, who graduated to the fast lane today with a little gentle prompting. :)

Ladder

I didn't swim today but Steve sent me the workout, with this message:

KOD,

I thought Wednesday was big volume distance day? I just checked your blog for Wednesday and it doesn’t look like it. Kim and I suffered through a long set today:

200 WU
4x50 kick
100 @ 1:35
200 @ 3:30
300 @ 4:45 – this was very tight
400 @ 7:00
500 @ 8:30, but need to be under 7:11.99
Then repeat from 500 to 100
We only had enough time to get through the 500 and 400
Bill tried to sneak in a 200 kick between the two 500’s, but we passed on it in order to get in more swims.

That looks like an awesome worksout, sorry I missed it. However, I beg to differ in the observation that 3 x 300 and a 1500 is not distance, SB.

Just like old times...

It was an awesome day in the lane today, with BB, C, E, R, IW, and me. And just like the old days, we spent the first 15 minutes gabbing on deck. Topics included how fast the college swimmers were, vacations, taking it easy on warmups, and treadmill accidents. And proving that what's old is new, we learned that C was going to the Steely Dan concert tonight and BB was taking his kids to see AC/DC next week. Just like 40 is the new 30, maybe AC/DC is the new Jonas Brothers? Anyway, Carmen seemed to be on fire even before we hit the water so IW suggested I toy with him by messing up the intervals. But as you will see, there were very few intervals to mess up. One wonders if the pattern in the main set today was intended to focus us or obfuscate us. I'll let you, the reader, decide.

200 swim
2 x 100 kick
300 on 4:50, first 100 fast
300 on 4:40, second 100 fast
300 on 4:30, third 100 fast
1500 swim going:
1 50 easy
2 50s hard
1 50 easy
3 50s hard
1 50 easy
4 50s hard
1 50 easy
5 50s hard
1 50 easy
4 50s hard
1 50 easy
3 50s hard
1 50 easy
2 50s hard
Then:
3 x 150 on 3:00 (hard on 3rd 50 for 1st, 2nd for 2, 1st for 3)

The tough part of this was the 3 x 300 at the beginning fast. I think that was Bill's way of punishing us for not warming up, and it worked. But the 1500 was good, enabling us to get into a groove and look forward to the easy 50s. At the end of the set BB looked over at the aqua aerobics and wondered out loud if that would be us in a few years. IW responded that who knows, but they'll still be playing our music, which I think was Footloose today.

Health tip of the day: If you plan to run on a treadmill, make sure it is in the "off" position when you get on.

Fashion

I would really like to challenge someone to find me a photo from the 1970s of the swim team outfit of the time, the american flag speedo, the one with vertical stars and stripes, just like the shirt the guy is wearing in the pic. I even tried to find one online but they all have 'USA' or something on it, and since last time I checked I didn't swim on an olympic team, I didn't want to mislead anyone. That's why I also don't understand why they sell red "lifeguard" suits in normal stores. Who wears those? What if they can't swim? Something to think about next time you are at the beach. Alright, on to the workout. Started out with just me and BB, then later joined by C2.

4 x 50 free focus on catch on :60
2 x 100 going 50 stroke, 50 free
3 x 50 IM order on 1:10
2 x 100 drill/free on :20r
1 x 50 don't take a lot of breaths
Main 1:
50 on 1:10
100 on 1:15-
150 fast on 2:30
200 fast on 3:15
150 IM no free on 3:30
100 on 1:50
50 on 1:00
100 easy
5 x 100 fast on 1:35
100 easy
6 x 100 faster on 1:40

A good mix of things so we didn't get bored. On the last set, we held between 1:25 and 1:28. If you don't try to sprint the workout is easier to do.

What a Feeling...

It was quite a vision to see Bill impersonating Jennifer Beals in Flashdance this morning on deck, complete with Kenny the lifeguard dumping a pail of water on his head. Ok, maybe that didn't happen, but the aqua aerobics class was getting it going with that 80s classic soundtrack. We were enjoying it, even the guys though they would never admit it. We quickly realized that Hillary wasn't even born when it came out, but according to her, "she's heard of it." Ouch. It was quite a feeling to jump in the water today and do a kick set first thing, quite another feeling to push 4 x 500. But it was mostly a great feeling to be done. I've never bonked on a swim set but today was perilously close.

300 WU on own
3 x 100 DPS on :20r
8 x 50 kick reverse IM order
500 focus on extension on 8:20
100 choice/fly on :20r
500 pull broken at 250 for :30
100 choice/back on :20r
500 focus on power on 7:50
100 choice/breast on :20r
500 fastest of the day

3300 meters. Fine. Hillary crushed the last 500, coming in on 6:55. It was great to have BB and KBB back in the water. A solid set for a Monday.

Substitute teacher

When I was a kid and walked into class and saw a sub, I knew the day would be easy. The sub always used to ask us what we were doing and we usually did a "review" of stuff we already knew. The sub also seemed nervous most of the time. Not so with our sub today, Seb. He was there at 6am on deck waiting for the throngs of morning swimmers. And waiting. By 6:25 the only lane with anyone swimming was lane 4 (now lane 2) with Woods, Mo, and Smokin' J. Can you say teachers pets? SB and I contemplated our situation for awhile, with Steve using big french words like maillot jaune trying to impress. But eventually the pool filled in and we were in for a tough one. Seb didn't get the memo from Bill to give us easy intervals. But it was great.

200 WU
6 x 50 free on :60
2 x 100 kick
2 x 100 stroke/free by 50
6 x 150 on 2:20 (ouch)
2 x 50 free easy
8 x 100 free on 1:40
4 x 50 free
1 x 50 on :55
1 x 50 on :50
4 x 50 on :45
1 x 50 on :55
2 x 50 on :50
3 x 50 on :45
1 x 50 easy

Surprisingly, a great workout. I liked the tight 150s, it made us work. Hillary did a great job leading. We'll get her ready to go back to college!! The only weird moment was when Seb made Steve get out and write on the white board "I will not use my bouy on every set" twenty times. We even got a homework assignment: write a 500 word essay on why we are late every day.

A gorgeous, hot, sunny summer day today. Enjoy!

Why we love Bill, Vol. 2

Masters fee and Z Center Pass: $1200
New swimsuit and goggles: $60
Having Bill as our coach: Priceless

How many people do you know who always have a smile on their face? That's Bill, and he bounded into practice today with that huge smile on his face and saw IW and me on deck with big smiles of our own. "What's going on?" he asked. Little did he know that we were in the midst of a deep moral discussion about whether or not we would jump in right before Bill arrived and tell him we got there at 6:15. Of course, as he walked in we had already concluded that not being totally honest (also known as "lying") was wrong but that lying to Bill just seemed beyond wrong for some reason. Even when he trys to play the tough guy his true colors show. He gave lane four a "stern" lecture about not doing open turns when they should and started on our lane but then could not hold a straight face. After the workout Caitlin and Joel were on deck telling Bill how much they like him. I guess what I am saying is that I am not alone. It was distance day today. Present and accounted for were IW, me, Marla, and Tom D who was just visiting.

4 x 100 warmup
drill/stroke, drill/swim, kick/swim, swim/stroke
600 pace on 2:00 rest, descend by 200 open turns for time check
500 going 200 fast, 200 cruise, 100 fast on 1:30r
500 pull on 1:30 r
400 going 50 stroke, 50 free on 7:20
400 going 50 fast, 50 cruise on 7:20
400 fastest of the day
3200 total

This was fun because we got to mix it up, and it was interesting and gave us distance at the same time. The stroke on the first 400 helped us use different muscle groups.

To end my tribute to our coach, I will provide the quote of the day, from Bill of course. "Do you know when Carmen is coming back? I have his paddles on my bag and people might think I am swimming." Now that, my friends, is priceless.

The number 2

Two is the magic number today. There were two people in Lane 3 and we did a set of 200s. I got 2 towels this morning and I work on floor 2 of my building. It was just me and E today which was fun. The other lanes were really crowded so I am unsure of why everyone from our lane stayed away. You missed a fun one!

200 WU on own
4 x 50 count strokes
4 x 50 stroke
4 x 50 drill/free
11 x 200
1-3 on 3:20 descend
4-6 on 3:30 pull
7-9 on 3:15 descend
10 super easy on 4:30
11 fastest of the day
6 x 50 on :50 :55 :60

I really like 200s. It is my favorite distance of all the short distances. So this workout seems like a lot but if you truly descend the two sets of three, you are really only pushing the hard one, the rest should be pace. I had wider descent gaps in the first set because of the rest, and in the second it was only about 2 seconds. The final one was fastest, 2:54, but it wasn't killer. A solid workout, I rate an A-.

Motivation

A few of us were talking on deck today about how we had to drag ourselves out of bed and were experiencing a general lack of motivation. I call it the mid-summer slump, but it's not really the MSS because we practically just started summer. I think things come in cycles, and I for one have been less than motivated to swim. So when I got to the office today I started planning for a motivational speaker to come to masters and get us going again. I'm thinking a little combo of the Chris Farley living-in-a-van-down-by-the-river type guy combined with a perfect cheer by Will Farrell. Feel free to send me your requests, I aim to please.

Interesting workout. Not my favorite, but not my least favorite. I am neutral to slightly positive on the workout. How is that for a ringing endorsement?

4 x 50 drill/free
200 stroke/free by 50
100 swim
6 x 100 on 1:45
2 x 50 stroke on 1:20
4 x 50 stroke on :60
100 free
6 x 100 free on 1:40
2 x 50 stroke on 1:20
4 x 50 stroke on :55 (ouch)
100 free
400 IM (double ouch)

The young college kids got to go at this one. I even tested my shoulder today with some fly. It seems okay. Good job IW, E, H, and M for sticking it out. SB, I hope your meeting was worth missing the 400 IM.

Swimming in mud

I imagine that swimming in mud is a little like mud wrestling but with lane lines. I myself have never mud wrestled, but I have seen Stripes and as a kid used to do this pillow fight type thing where the losing kid ended up in a big mud pit. My brother also told me about this party he went to in LA last weekend where women were wrestling in chocolate pudding. Who does that? As an adult? I bring this up not to condemn the barbarity of it all (my male lanemates may not think it barbaric at all) but rather to say that today I felt like I was swimming in mud. And I don't think I was alone. I realize that this topic may invite inappropriate responses from some of you, so keep those on email as this is a family-friendly blog. :)

200 drill/swim
200 drill/stroke
200 descend by 50
Main set:
5 x 400
400 steady on 6:30
400 descend by 100 on 6:40
400 fast on 6:50
400 negative split on 6:40
400 fastest one of the day
300 kick or whatever (in my case)

The funny part about this is that our times were good and consistent, it's just the bodies didn't feel all that great. Our last one was our fastest as Bill wanted, but it hurt. A lot. H led us out and great job BB, E, Dr. Bob, and M. BB and KBB will be gone all of next week. What will we do?

Fashion tip of the day: The hot pink, tiny speedo is apparently back in fashion for men, so get yours now, guys!

Swimming Off the Wall

It was a Thriller of a workout today if you like mega distance, but if not, it was Bad. And when you look at the workout you'll understand why we didn't spend a lot of time on the wall. And who knew our coach was a conspiracy theorist? Either that or he is in denial, as he thinks MJ is still alive. Here is the workout:

300 swim
3 x (4x50) on :15r
1-4 drill/swim by 25
5-8 reverse IM
9-12 build
Main
3 x 800 going:
800 focus on front quad on 2:00r
2 x 400 on :25 swim the first, negative split the second
800 fast, negative split

This was more tough mentally than physically. With the 400s, you had to go out strong on the first one and not just match your time on the second, you had to Beat It. It's Human Nature to want to get out but with Bill telling us not to stop until we've had enough, it was hard to lose motivation. Oh this is painful. Okay, and BB let me know that he took one look at the Man in the Mirror after the workout and though he looked Dangerous. Lastly, the day would have been complete if Billy had worn Jeans.

And thus, our Lane 3 tribute to Michael Jackson is complete.

Flashback

It was only a matter of time before the ghosts of my swimming past would visit. I was saying to BB after practice that I was not inspired today, but what he didn't know what that I was still processing what had happened during warmup. During the first set I glanced over and underneath the high dive board I saw him - my age group coach, Skip. It wasn't him, of course, but someone who bore a striking resemblance to him. Imagine Mark Spitz, but with a whistle and clipboard, and you get the idea. My heart raced. Was he going to make me kick? Was the stopwatch already on, ready to get my time? Was he going to tell my mom I was socializing on deck earlier? Of course the negativity spiral continued and I remembered the time when the outdoor pool just opened, the water was about 55 degrees, and I could not breathe because of the cold. I recall getting out and sitting on the edge of the pool. Skip said to me "either swim or get out and go home." I'll give you one guess as to what 12-year old Katie did. I think my hair froze on the long walk home. Please tell me I am not the only one with these memories.

But thankfully, the pool was warm today, Bill was on deck sans stopwatch, and K, BB, E, M, and I swam together.

100
4 x 150 alternating free/drill, stroke, free
6 x 200 going:
1-3 on 3:15
4-6 on 3:30 pull
6 x 50 on :50
4 x 50 on :55
5 x 50 on :45
3 x 50 on :60
6 x 100 going:
1-3 descend on 1:50
4-6 descend on 1:50, #6 is faster than #3

This set was fun because it had lots of variety. Don't take the first set of 50s out too hard or the fast ones will be tough. And I loved swimming with all my old peeps.

This workout brought to you by...

(insert sponsor here.) I often get random emails from businesses that want to advertise on the blog - from things like a Sweedish electronics company to vaporizers. But I will not sell out our lane for my own bank account. Except today I was tempted to ask the Container Store to sponsor us because we needed a little organization. It was a little chaotic for a Monday, but we eventually figured it out. We gained BG and J from lane 4 but lost KBB to lane 2.

Here is the workout:

10 x 50 (free, drill, stroke combo)
3 x 100 kick
2 x 200 on 3:15
4 x 50 on :55
2 x 200 on 3:10
2 x 50 on 1:00
2 x 200 on 3:05
4 x 50 on 1:05
2 x 200 on 3:10
2 x 50 on 1:05
3 x 100 cool down

I could not believe a kick set - on a Monday! But it actually felt good.

Here is the real sponsor of the workout today - Bill's radio show, the Jazz Volcano. He's on Monday's from 4pm - 5:30pm and takes requests. He is also known to do dedications (ala Casey Kasem but less cheesy.)It streams live at www.wmbr.org.

Happy Monday!

Bailout

I wasn't sure what I wanted more: a bailout from this weather or a bailout from the set today. But after coach Bill posted the workout I glanced up at the inspirational saying on the board (something about a man soaring with wings...) and thought about declaring workout bankruptcy. I had a vision of President Obama swooping down from above and taking us to a place where there is sunshine and distance freestyle every day. Oh, toto, does this place exist? But then the dream quickly turned bad as I realized that if this happened the government would own 72% of us and that would not be cool. So SB, KBB, BB, C2 and H fulfilled our obligations and did the workout. Not sure if I got this totally right as I left the sheets in my car.

200 WU on own
2 x 50 dps
100 stroke
2 x 50 dps
100 stroke
2 x 50 choice
10 x 100 free on 1:50 we pulled odds
(The next set all on 2:10)
100 fly/free by 25
100 fly/free by 50
100 IM
100 back/free by 50
100 back
100 IM
100 breast/free by 50
100 breast
100 IM
100 choice/free by 50
100 choice
100 IM

Good job everyone, I know that most of us did not want to do this but we did. As I look outside it is now darker than it was at 5am. It's scary. There is a big group heading to Walden tomorrow, 6am - breakfast afterward. If it is not lightening I will be there, no wetsuit.

Happy 4th of July everyone! Safe travels for those of you heading out.

Daily Oddservations

The first thing I noticed this morning was that I needed to put a coat on. In July. It does not take a genius to figure out that is weird. The second thing I noticed is that during my pre-workout commute (5:45ish - 6:10am) there were very few people using their phones or bberrys while driving. Most are either still asleep or maybe drinking coffee. But they have nobody to call at that hour, and thus it's a pretty peaceful ride. Fast forward to 8am and it's crazy distracted driver time on the roads. I'd like to know if KBB feels the same way as he bikes in. The possible exception to the above is BB, who is usually asleep at the wheel, his car running, clutching his IPhone in the parking lot. I just hate waking him up. The third terribly strange thing that happened this morning was that I arrived on deck to see Bill there. Yes, Bill, our coach. Coffee in hand, smile on his face, ready for ultra-distance day. Apparently he was so excited about UDD that he pulled an all-nighter. The pool was packed today! Everyone trying to get those last few workouts in before the holiday. MIT is closed all weekend starting Friday, FYI.

2 x 50 count strokes
50 breast
2 x 50 count strokes
50 back
3 x 50 count strokes
50 fly
600 descend by 150 on 9:00 (too fast)
100 easy
600 descend by 200 on 9:45
100 easy
600 negative split on 10:00
100 easy
400 faster than your last 300 (plus 100)
200 fast (R and K special)
warmdown

Did I miss something? It feels like we did more. Swam with BG, BB, R, IW, C2, and MIT swimmer guy. Kind of a mindless set but the descending helped keep us motivated. A special note to recognize IW who looked great on the warmdown set, we were all impressed.

I also noticed that the barge is in the river for the fireworks. And I heard a PSA this morning that the Blue Angels are doing a fly-by today between 1:30-2:30 so don't be scared (unlike the whole White House low flying over Manhattan debacle awhile ago.)