September 2008

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Sep
30

Back in the pool

Posted by Kevin Doak on Tuesday at: 8:03pm (September 30th, 2008)
Surprisingly I haven't been in the pool since Thursday. I took friday off to rest for the race. The pool was closed all weekend and Monday was crazy busy. I've made time each day to do either weights or dryland workouts. I've resurrected an old college drill that involves laying flat on your back and raising your legs in different directions and speed variations. Doing waay too many sets have left my lower abs in shambles. I know that building more core strength will help me maintain good body position in my races.
Sep
27

5k Pictures

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 5:21pm (September 27th, 2008)
Sep
27

Kevin = 1 Strollers = 0

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 4:05pm (September 27th, 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.
Sep
27

Beautiful day for a run

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 1:49pm (September 27th, 2008)
I'm almost to the starting point at Maple Beach. Its an awesome morning, perfect weather. I see a ton of people warming up. I wish I had gotten here earllier but I'm on time. Wish me luck!
Sep
27

Last year's 5k Kensington Challenge Results

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 4:10am (September 27th, 2008)
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.
Sep
26

Lazy Bum

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 11:44pm (September 26th, 2008)
I've done the bare minimum athletically today, work has kept me busy. 5k Race is in the morning!
Sep
26

Great Day of Training

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 9:06am (September 26th, 2008)
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!
Sep
25

Two great days of training

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 7:44am (September 25th, 2008)
I did about 2.4 miles on Tuesday. Three laps instead of two. It was at a slower pace than normal, a 7:36, 8:24, and 8:15. I'm happy that I got closer to the 3.1 miles I'll do on Saturday. I'll run one more time before Saturday. I also swam 3,200 Long Course Meters and did some dryland training.

On Wednesday I swam 3,100 Long Course Meters, and did dryland training along with weights. Afterward, I ran back to my car about a half mile. I like working in small athletic feats throughout my work days.
Sep
23

56 second 100 Back LCM

Posted by Kevin Doak on Tuesday at: 4:00am (September 23rd, 2008)
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.
Sep
22

Best Run to Date!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 9:32am (September 22nd, 2008)
After a very busy work weekend I didn't get a chance to swim or run on Friday or Saturday. I worked all day Sunday but did plyometric workouts through the day and fit a run in late at night. The night air was brutal on my throat and ear canals. It was really miserable, I will try to avoid the cold air from now on.
Sep
19

Busy Busy

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 6:01pm (September 19th, 2008)
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.
Sep
13

Man Down, Man Down!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 4:05pm (September 13th, 2008)
Yesterday I took my time and did a full body workout in the weightroom and then went for a quick swim. I attempted to go for a run this morning in the heavy rain. I didn't get too far before my shoes lost traction because of all the water. My left foot slipped out from under me and I almost went down. I think I just sprained it a little, nothing serious, but needless to say I stopped running for the day. I'm going to try to swim today instead.
Sep
11

More running progress!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 7:46pm (September 11th, 2008)
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.
Sep
11

Swim workout without equipment

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 3:51am (September 11th, 2008)
I typically use a kick board, pull buoy and paddles in a normal practice. Tonight I was a little short on time because the pool closes at 9pm so I didn't pick up my bag of toys. I had a good practice which involved a 1,200 LCM warm up and some dolphin kicking on my back.
Sep
9

First Ever!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Tuesday at: 3:25am (September 9th, 2008)
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:
Sep
8

Great Swim!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 9:29pm (September 8th, 2008)
I had a great swim practice today after a short weight set due to work conflicts. I find it a fun challenge to balance training with a career, it keeps me on my toes!

I did about 3,000 long course meters focusing on dolphin kick sets on my back to build back some core strength I feel I've lost lately. I also caught up with some Eastern swimmers for their first practice of the season after my workout. I hope to finish up some weights later and go for a quick run if I can stay conscious long enough!

Sep
7

More Running and the Fountain of Youth

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 7:32am (September 7th, 2008)
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.
Sep
6

New Meet Schedule

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 5:25am (September 6th, 2008)
I've added two meets to my schedule. I'll add quite a few more when I have time to figure out my work obligations. I'll go to the Milan meet in mid October and the TYR Grand Prix at IUPUI in late October. I think going to lots of meets will keep me motivated to further my training. I really want to break the Masters World Record in the 50 Back Short Course Meters (SCM). I'm a tenth of a second away at a 25.15, the record is a 25.05. I'll work on my pull more this fall as well as doing underwater kicking at least a few times a week.
Sep
5

New Short Term Goal

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 7:17pm (September 5th, 2008)
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.
Sep
5

Wondering About Heat Dissipation

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 8:45am (September 5th, 2008)
I just went for a quick run. Let me just get this out of the way right now... I'm not a strong runner by any means. I've never understood why, but on average, swimmers are not good runners. Now that we have that cleared up, I'm proud of my run tonight. Lately I've been running with an MP3 player. I run for the length of a full song, then walk for 30 seconds. Since my body isn't used to the impact of running I'm trying to ease into it. Tonight I ran twice around my neighborhood which I've clocked at about 3/4 of a mile.
Sep
5

USMS Swimmer Magazine

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 3:31am (September 5th, 2008)
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!
Sep
2

Athletic Holiday Weekend

Posted by Kevin Doak on Tuesday at: 4:26pm (September 2nd, 2008)