September 2008

I'm happy to say I completed my first 5k without being passed by any strollers! The course was much different this year with far more hills. I was disappointed with my time at a 27:28 but from talking to other runners it seemed like everybody was slower than last year. I averaged a 8:51 mile. I'll be interested to compare the times from last year to this year and see if my theory is true about it being a more difficult course.

Last year I took 5th in my age group, out of... you guessed it... 5 people. I ran the 5k race in a 26:58 which is an 8:41 pace. After checking the start time of the race online, I just learned that the course has changed. It's still a 5k race, but since it's a different terrain, I won't be able to directly compare my times to the last few years. Oh well, should be a good time anyway.

I did about 2,000 meters today with quite a few fast kicking mini sets in preparation for my upcoming masters meet. I also did some dryland workouts emphasizing vertical jumps. I did a quick 100 back with fins on and clocked a low 56. I know I'll get much faster at this benchmarking set because I enjoy it and I have a goal to reach.

Because I have my 5k Run on Saturday I chose not to run for very long, I did a single lap at 6:36. It was a decent time but moderately painful, probably due to all the other activities I've been doing lately.

I'm excited for my 5k Race!

So after my 3,000 meter workout I decided to see what I could go in a 100 Back with some fins on. The first try didn't go to well, my fins fell off at the turn (more on that later). I tried again from a push and hit the wall at a 56 seconds. I just wanted to see how it felt like to go the fastest 100 backstroke in my life. It was a silly drill, but I feel like it might be beneficial to experience the speed a swimmer might achieve in a meet. I'll do it again for sure. My goal is to break the (no fins) 100 Back LCM World Record of 52.54 with fins on.

I've been crazy busy the last few days but I've managed to get in a 1 hour pool workout each day. Considering the sheer number of hours I've been working I'm really proud of myself that I always make exercise a priority. I've been swimming about 3,000 Long Course Meters per workout. I'll be stepping it up to around 3,500 to 4,000 in the coming weeks. I did my typical 3,200 meter workout yesterday and chose to do an "all-out" 100 Back at the end from a push (no dive). I was sore from weights and dryland workouts but managed to hit the wall, look up and see a 1:04.

This morning I ran my typical (as of lately) 1.5 mile run. I finished in 13.09! I literally dropped about a minute from two days ago at 14.04. I love these huge performance gains when starting something new, what a confidence booster! I took it out in a 6:42 and my second lap was a 6:27. This means my first lap was 29 seconds faster than 2 days ago! My second lap was 26 seconds faster. I'm really proud of my progress for not being a runner. My body is adapting well to the impact involved in this sport. Today, just like two days ago, was totally painless on a health level.

Tonight I negative split an athletic performance for the first time in my life!

Brace yourself, I'm gonna throw some big phrases at you:

I just finished another 1.5 mile run, I'm really proud of myself! I lengthened my stride through the entire run, I think it also helped my sore knee. It seems like when I take a longer stride I "bounce" up and down less. This puts less strain on my knees and I run faster. Although I didn't time myself I'm confident this run was much quicker than the last time. I'm on pace for a great 5k later this month.

I had a good swim practice today, I did about 3200 yards. EMU's Jones Natatorium is back to Short Course Yards (SCY) till the spring. I did 1700 warm up and an "Animal Kick" set we used to do in college. I like it because it's a simple set that benchmarks my performance level quickly. It's 10x100's on the 1:30 best average. In college I used to average about 1:21 meaning I would get about 9 seconds rest before swimming again. Before I got my trials cut I was about a 1:18 average. Today was fairly sad at a 1:27 average. I'm making this my first goal now that I'm back in the pool.

I was contacted by the Editor of USMS Swimmer Magazine a few days ago. I've mentioned him before, his name is Bill Volckening. I ran into him at the Detroit Airport right before the Omaha Swimvitational a few months back. He said the magazine might be interested in writing a small story about my swimming. I'll be gathering some information for him in the next few days. It was flattering that he thought of me for a story, thanks Bill!