06/13/07: Weights, swimming and a bit of cycling form

Hey Tea: Kramer says thanks for thinking of him :) He's at the vet today, hopefully getting his stiches out. I'm so looking forward to not having to keep him sedated!!

I'm definitely feeling the effects of weight lifting. I didn't think using high rep light weights would do to much...WRONG..... :)

Just because I think I've been doing something, doesn't necessarily mean I'm doing it. This is particularly true in the pool. After working with my swim coach last night, I'm starting to understand why I've been swimming so slowly. I have a LOT to fix!! The good news is I have plenty of time to fix it.

We spent almost all of last night working on form and changing a whole bunch on my stroke: head position, kick, arm position....I must have been doing something right last night, becuase my triceps and hips are REALLY sore today...that's a good thing....it means I'm using different muscle groups and am making progress. Towards the end of last night I definitely felt like I was swimming much higher in the water.

Warmup was a 300 swim, 100 pull, 100 kick.

From drills were next. 2 x 25 swim/25 drill for fingertip drag, catch-up, thumb to thigh and kick.

Then 6 x 100 kick, 100 pull

Last was a few misc 100's, focusing on form.

Total workout was 1700 meters, which isn't much, but right now form is much more important to me than distance, at least for the next month or two. My goal is to have my more efficient and "fishlike" swimming form in place by the end of July.

This morning I put my bike on the trainer for an hour of form work, which I don't really enjoy, but know I need to do.

I started with a pyramid warmup (working down through the gears), slowly getting my heart rate up and legs warmed up, especially since the sun wasn't up yet and I definitely wasn't awake: 5 minutes 19, 4 minutes 17, 3 minutes 16, 2 minutes 15, 1 minute 14.

I then did a 3 x 3 minute ilt drill. 20 seconds on 1 leg, 10 seconds transition, 20 seconds on the other leg, 1 min rest in between intervals. The 2nd and 3rd intervals took a lot of effort to keep pedalling smoothly. I'd anticipate these getting easier over the next couple of months as the right muscles get stronger and my form improves.

Next was a cadence interval: 3 minutes @ 100, 2 min @ 110, 1 min @120.

After the drills I just spun for a few minutes, keeping my heart rate in zone 2.

I did a reverse pyramid cool down: 1 min @ 14, 2 @ 15, 3 @ 16, 4 @ 17, 5 @19

Total workout was 55 minutes.