Lots of new experiences

Lately there is just too many new experiences to even write about.  Here is the short version:

The morning workout was referred to as an "in and out" workout.  We did a short warmup swim, got out and headed upstairs to the dryland area.  The first 20 minutes of this "out" session was dedicated to stretching and using foam rollers (cylinder shaped) and ropes (to stretch legs in different directions).  It was refreshing to see a workout carve out time to let the body recover in different ways.  I also had a chance to try the (hold your laughter) "vibration machine".  Now... this thing looks as silly as it sounds.  It's a bench with an domed area you can rest your leg or arm on.  A coach plugs the thing in, adjusts the frequency it vibrates with, and you do 1 minute sessions letting it massage your sore areas.  I have to admit, it was on of the weirdest experiences of my swimming career.  Due to the heavy lifting on Tuesday, the process downright hurt.  I did 4 sessions.  The first focusing on the backs of my thighs which might have been helpful, the second on the tops of my thighs.  The second session I had to stop early and have them slow the machine down, it was incredibly painful.  The third and fourth was on my arms and probably offered me no real benefit but I can see how it would if I had worked my arms more this week in the weight room.  We were back in the pool and back upstairs a few more times before the 2 hour workout finished up.  It was interesting to say the least.

The evening practice was comprised of a few other new experiences.  The first being the "Avida" program.  This system lets you strap 5 modules to your body, one on each ankle, one on each wrist and one under your cap with an ear piece.  It triangulates your position in the pool using a GPS type system and utilizes accelerometers to measure your distance per stroke and strokerate.  It took a good 20 minutes to get mine setup and it never did quite work out.  It was delivering the information to the tablet computers for the coaches to review but I couldn't hear the feedback through the earpiece.  Honestly I think mine was a little messed up.  Some of the team likes them and sees a benefit to their usage but thus far, it's been more trouble than it's worth to most swimmers.  It's an awesome idea but might not be fully "baked" yet.  I look forward to trying another set sometime.  We did some burst swimming and I'm experimenting with a new backstroke pull with the help of volunteer coach Mark.

I also got to go out to dinner with some of the other post grads this evening.  I've been impressed with how welcoming and accommodating everybody has been thus far.  It's been great so far.