Distance and Speed Don't Mix

Some things don't go together, like oil and water, pancakes and ketchup, or a polar bear on a hot beach. And on distance day, things that don't go together are the words "speed" and "distance". There is a mindset on distance day, one that says "I am here to swim long, and I intend on going hard but not that hard." Bill had other things in mind.

200 on own
4 x 50 descend 1-4 on :60
4 x 100 kick 50, drill 50 on :30r
4 x 50 descend 1-4 on :50
800 free pace, get time. Then:
400 free faster than your 800 time halved. Then:
200 free even faster than your 400 time halved. Then:
100 free even faster than your 200 time.
4 x 100 IM on :20r

I didn't stay for the IM's - too much speed on distance day!

Magic Number

We usually spend a few minutes after each set adding up the workout. Not only does it give us a little brain activity early in the morning it gives us an extra minute of rest. Yet the suspense at the end of the workout is the most fun. How many meters? 3500? More? Well today, we hit the biggie - 4000. Some went over that, but there is something about 4000 that just feels good. Not good as in how you feel swimming, but in an accomplishment. Well done E, G, and T. Special shout out to G who keeps reminding us that we are more than twice T's age and can still make it happen.

300 on own
2 x 50 5 breaths max on :20
200 drill/swim by 25 on :30r
2 x 50 stroke on :20r
200 pace
3 x 50 on :45
50 on 1:10
4 x 50 on :45
50 on 1:10
5 x 50 on :50
50 on 1:10
6 x 50 on :50
50 easy
5 x 400 going:
Odds broken:
200 fast on 3:20
100 technique on 2:10
100 fast on 1:30
Evens: Pull

4000!

Baby You're a Firework!

Happy 4th of July everyone! Fireworks were going off in the lanes today, per BB's request of coach Bill to give us a celebratory and patriotic workout. You the reader can figure out which is which. All I know is that our lane was not the only one surprised at the last set.


200 on own
Twice thru:
50 6 breaths max :15r
50 drill/swim :15r
2 x 100 stroke/free on :25r
Next set theme: Red, White, and Blue
Red: 400 free pull hypoxic 9,3,7,3 :40r
White: 2 x 200 IM :30r
Blue: 400 free each 100 fastah
4 x 150 on
2:30
2:25
2:15
2:15
100 easy
Surprise! Nobody noticed that we were doing this TWICE THRU. We changed the interval slightly:
4 x 150 on
2:40
2:35
2:25
2:25

When I say nobody noticed, I mean lanes 2, 3, and 4 all worked the first set and were leisurely hanging out at the wall chatting and laughing when someone noticed those two words "twice thru". Not sure what is better - to know or not to know. I'm glad I didn't know.

Snap!

A little trivia question for today: what is the catchy 80s song by the group in the title above? Well, if you can guess it you will be singing it all day whether you want to or not. Just like I did at practice today. I blame Rachel for inserting this into our heads. And what really peeved me was that I couldn't remember the words, so I kept singing the refrain over and over. I am not sure there are any words. Anyway, today was a toughie.

300 warmup on own
10 x 50 free various on 1:05
6 x 50 easy/sprint by 25 on 1:10
800 free pace on :60r
2 x 50 easy on 1:10
400 pull on 7:00
400 swim descend by 100s on 7:00
2 x 50 easy on 1:10
4 x 200 on 3:30
2 x 50 easy

The answer to the trivia question (why make you google it?) is "Ive got the Power". Have a great day. :)

Word of the Day: Golgotha

noun:
1. A place or occasion of great suffering.
2. A burial place.
It's funny how apropos the word of the day is today. BB gets an email and it's usually a fun, informative way to learn something new and keep those brain cells from dying of old age. But today, it was all of us who found ourselves in a place of great suffering, ready to be buried. It's almost not fair giving us this workout on a Monday. All I can say is ouch. Here you go. Special note: bill was there at 6:10am!

500 on own
3 x 100 going 50br/50free :25 r
3 x 100 going 50bk/50 free :25r
3 x 100 going 50fly/50free :25r
3 x 200 going 50 high elbow, 50 build on 3:30
Then:
12 minute swim - as far as you can
100 easy
12 minute swim - as far as you can

I knew when he gave us the first one that there was way too much time to just do this once, so the second 12-er was not a total surprise. First one was ~740 (11:45 as I left :15 behind)and the second one was ~765 (11:55 leaving :05 behind), but I pulled the first 400 so it's not comparable.

Everybody Loves a Parade!

We live in the city of champions. The latest evidence of this is the Boston Bruins winning the Stanley Cup. Within the last decade the Pats, Sox, Celts, and now Bruins are the best of the best. We are definitely getting spoiled. And with a win the team gets - you guessed it - a duck boat parade through Boston and into the Charles River. That is the same river Dr. Bob and I swam in just 2 weeks ago (how's that for tying a totally unrelated issue to swimming?). So it's a pretty exciting time around here, and we celebrated with a wonderful Friday workout:

400 on own
4(2 x 100)on :25r
1-2 50 fly/50 back
3-4 free
5-6 50 back/50 breast
7-8 free
12 x 50 going:
1-4 fast pull under water on :60
5-8 drill choice on 1:05
9-12 25 ez/25 sprint on :55
400 negative split on 6:30
2 x 200 descend (pull) on 3:20
4 x 100 descend 1-4 on 1:50
8 x 50 going:
Descend 1-4 and 5-8 on 1:05
100 easy

Ladies Day in the Lane

It was ladies day in the lane today with me, E, and Sarah, which frankly is nice to have once in awhile because there is little drama (sorry boys). We jump in early, negotiate our order in the lane peacefully, make our intervals, and finish the set tired by happy. That's us dancing in the photo after practice - that is how happy we were. It's not that we don't have these things when the men are there, it just feels different that's all. I'm not starting a gender war here because I love my male lanemates, just musing on how different it is!

200 on own
16 x 50 on :15r
2 back
1 free
2 breast
1 free
2 fly
1 free
2 drill
1 free
2 choice
1 free
1 choice
300 swim steady on 5:15
300 pull on 5:05
300 descend by 100 on 4:55
300 pull on 5:05
300 negative split on 4:55
300 kick
300 fastest of the day