May 2009

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May
31

Club Wolverine Meet, Friends Swimming and Mike Bottom

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 4:56am (May 31st, 2009)
I had the privilege of watching my friends David Hoydic and Derek Weaver, two fellow Masters swimmers compete in the Club Wolverine Spring Meet. Dave swam the 50 and 100 Freestyle and Derek Weaver swam the 100 Backstroke.

Both guys swam well, especially for not having been able to train Long Course. I got all three swims on video and got some pretty good pictures at the same time as well. It was quite the setup, digital camera in one hand, camcorder in the other... must have been an interesting sight
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May
30

Taking the night off

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 4:55am (May 30th, 2009)
I was so relieved to see "day of rest" on the P90X worksheet tonight, I really didn't have much left to give. I'm going to enjoy the next 24 hours of doing NOTHING athletic at all! I enjoyed lots of good food and rest this evening, it's been nice to take it easy and recover.
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May
29

Calling it a day...

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 10:14pm (May 29th, 2009)
I know when I've had enough. I swam for 1.5 hours today, there was 30 minutes remaining in swim practice and I called it a day. I had nothing left to give. I did my best while I was training, but my legs were absolutely useless and I needed more than the 10 seconds of rest between swims that I was getting. I have a chance to practice on Saturday but I've decided to take the entire weekend off swimming and give my elbow (and the rest of me) a rest.
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May
29

Favorite Homemade T-Shirt

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 4:17am (May 29th, 2009)
I enjoy designing T-shirts for some reason. Perhaps it's because I don't like promoting companies that aren't paying me to do so! For example, did "Old Navy" pay you to wear a T-Shirt with their logo on it? I'm pretty sure you paid them for the privilege to wear it...

I designed this one last year, it's simple and really drives the point across that I'm only a fan of ONE stroke! I just took this today:
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May
29

Busy!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 12:55am (May 29th, 2009)
I've never been so busy in my entire life. Since this website is dedicated to the sport I love and its balance in my life, I can tell you that lately its been a real challenge.

I've filled my days with almost constant work and up to 4 hours of exercise per day 7 days a week. A typical day has me running around to appointments, taking calls then jumping in the pool to practice and then working through the evening. I end my day with a 1.5 hour P90X. I feel slammed busy and tired all day but at the same time energized from all that I'm accomplishing!
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May
28

Hardest day for P90X

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 1:39pm (May 28th, 2009)
I'm not really sure why this workout was so difficult. I did the "Legs and Back" workout last evening. I don't think I've sweat so much in my life, I was dripping. My legs were literally failing, I was stumbling and falling occasionally. It was beyond rough. The workout has plenty of squats and lunges using handweights. The wall sits were unbelieveably hard last night, the first round was just two leg wall sits for 1 minute 30 seconds. The second round is one-leg wall sits. If you've never tried doing this, give it a shot for a good laugh.
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May
28

Catching up with some MAC Champions

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 4:31am (May 28th, 2009)
During practice this evening I noticed Derick Roe speaking to Coach Peter Linn. Towards the end of practice I saw Matt Ense walk on deck. It's been years since I've seen Matt. Derick Roe was a MAC Champion over the last few years and placed 17th at the 2008 USA Olympic Trials in the 50 Freestyle with a 22.65. Matt Ense won the 1650 during his time at EMU and graduated in 2002. I had a chance to catch up with both guys after my practice.
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May
27

Good 50m Set

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 7:14pm (May 27th, 2009)
We did a series of 8x50's yesterday that I thought was beneficial to the 2nd half of my 100 Back. It seemed silly at first because you begin each 50 with a hard 5 second wall kick. I remember doing wall kicks as an age group swimmer. You're literally holding on to the wall and kicking toward it. It looks humorous, trust me.
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May
27

169.7lbs

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 12:17am (May 27th, 2009)
Over the course of a few weeks, I've lost about 6lbs. I always weigh myself after my workout (I typically lose 2lbs of water during a swim workout). Although not the most scientific of comparisons. I notice that I was 168lbs at the time of my fastest 100m backstroke (57.00) in April 2008. By June 2008 I had ballooned to 175lbs and I swam .7 seconds slower yet I was tapered with more rest. Here I am again under 170lbs and feeling pretty good. I think slight weight fluctuations are normal but I often consider power to weight ratio.
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May
25

Success!!! (mostly)

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 6:24pm (May 25th, 2009)
I woke up early today for a Memorial Day practice. I knew I would be able to tell immediately if I could make it through a practice. There was a decent amount of pain my first few strokes. It wasn't enough to give up, but it didnt stop me from thinking about it! I survived through 4,000 meters, which took a little over an hour. When the paddle pull set of 5x300's came along, I decided to kick. I know I could have made it through it, but I had no intention of pushing it my first day back. I ended up doing about 5,500 meters in the time everybody else did 6,300.
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May
25

Ready to Swim Tomorrow

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 12:03am (May 25th, 2009)
After a full 3 days off swimming, my arm is a little improved. I'm going to try a light swim workout tomorrow morning. I've kept up with P90X each day so I haven't been too far gone during my absence from the pool. Tonight is the Yoga workout. The workouts are really difficult but I love the feeling when I finish the hour and a half of exercise.

Wish me luck.
May
23

Healing, but not there yet

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 9:02pm (May 23rd, 2009)
I figured I would give the "arms and shoulders" workout a try last night since I couldn't swim. Surprisingly I felt zero pain doing normal extensions on my injured arm. It's really only lateral movement which affects the ligament. I will take the whole weekend off and try to swim Monday morning. I still feel some pain, it's only slightly better than it was yesterday but it seems to be healing.
May
23

Yay! More Pictures!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 5:33am (May 23rd, 2009)
This is a picture of the "Olympic Trials Athlete Wall". All of the swimmers in the country who achieved an Olympic Trials qualifying time were listed on a wall within the "AquaZone" at the Omaha Qwest Center. It was an overwhelming feeling to find my name on that wall. I got to share the moment with my mother Barb, sister Kristen, friend Alex and coach Sarah.

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May
22

Planning a Trip!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 10:38pm (May 22nd, 2009)
My plans sort of changed, but I planned on going on a trip soon. I'm starting to plan my training locations. It's really exciting to think about seeing some new facilities and swimming venue's. I'm planning on visiting some people along the way, both swimming and non-swimming friends.

I'm not exactly sure how I'll formulate my practices, I'm hoping to get some workouts from the EMU swim group and use them while I'm away. Otherwise I'll try to join up with some teams at each pool.
May
22

Shortest Practice EVER

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 8:45pm (May 22nd, 2009)
I'm going to give myself credit for trying. I went all the way to the pool, got ready, stretched and dove in, took a single armstroke and had to stop at the 15 meter mark. I limped back to the wall and just shook my head. The joint hurts so much that I can't swim at all. I did 200 meters of kicking and just felt like taking the day off to rest.

Chalk this one up as the shortest practice EVER at 230 meters. Its supposed to be a beautiful weekend so I plan on perhaps swimming tomorrow and rollerblading or enjoying some metroparks while I get some exercise.

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May
22

Silly Injury

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 4:04pm (May 22nd, 2009)
Once again, I caused myself harm by doing something dumb. I was stretching my forearms last night before my dryland workout and was pushing too hard against my joint. I heard something POP in my elbow and I collapsed in pain. It seems like a minor injury as usual, but hurt the rest of the night. I skipped my dryland workout hoping it would feel better this morning. Unfortunately it was worse when I woke up. My entire forearm hurts when I extend it and it's tender even while sitting still. I really don't want to have to lose any training with something this ridiculous.
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May
22

Florida Training Trip 1999 Photo

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 12:35am (May 22nd, 2009)
Look at how happy (and adorable) I am! Taken in December 1999 (AKA the good ol days). My first College Florida Training Trip with the Eastern Michigan University team...

May
21

Arms are about to fall off

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 5:26pm (May 21st, 2009)
It's hard to believe it's only been 3 days in the pool this week. The combination of some good swim practices and some P90X chest and back workouts, my arms and shoulder muscles are fairly ruined. As I sat up in bed this morning and it felt like gravity was winning more than usual. I feel great, but I can't imagine the rest of the week in the pool will be very pretty. Last night was Plyometrics which was a challenge after all that rollerblading. Tonight is "Shoulders, Arms and Abs". That should pretty much finish me off!
May
21

Banned Swim Suits!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 12:15pm (May 21st, 2009)
Finally, they're banning some suits! A recent ruling at FINA (The Governing body of Swimming) has determined 10 popular suits are banned because of either thickness, buoyancy and water resistance. The LZR, which has been worn for 108 (and counting) world records is NOT banned. I haven't seen the entire banned list, but here is what I can find:
  • BlueSeventy suit, which was worn for a number of short course world records was banned.
  • The Jaked 01 model which Frederick Bousquet wore as he broke the Men's 50 Free WR at 20.94 was banned.
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May
21

Just Rollerbladed 8 Miles!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 3:26am (May 21st, 2009)
One of my favorite outdoor pastimes is rollerblading. After a short break from practice I headed over to a nice bike path in the area and rollerbladed a quick 8 miles. It was a mix of easy and fast skating. I was really feeling it at the end. Tonight I have Plyometrics (Jump Training) as part of the P90X workout system. My legs are gonna be GONE tomorrow!

It just struck me as to how much exercise that is in one day... 2 hours of swimming, 1 hour of rollerblading, and 1.5 hours of Jump Training. Maybe it will help me sleep.
May
20

Getting a Little Pushy!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 11:31pm (May 20th, 2009)
I'm really enjoying practicing with a team. I'm pushed on every single set. A feeling I haven't experienced since college swimming ended in 2003 for me. I have a few thank you's today!
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May
20

Pulled a Back Muscle

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 6:36pm (May 20th, 2009)
I've got a sharp pain in the right side of my lower back. It hurts while stretching and breathing deeply. I'm certain it happened while lifting weights last night. I'm going to try to swim today and see how it goes. This is a very minor injury, however, very annoying to train with.

I'm going to get to practice early, stretch it out and hope for the best. I'm lucky that I rarely injure myself, and even when I do, it's something silly like this. This is yet another testament to how important stretching is. I doubt this would have happened if I made ample time to stretch daily.
May
20

Underwater Video Camera Mount

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 7:11am (May 20th, 2009)
I'll take pictures when it's complete. I've created a simple mount for my underwater digital camera to attach it to the cart at EMU easily. This will streamline the process of taking poolside underwater video! I'm usually very limited on when I can get underwater video because I need to borrow the proprietary EMU hardware.
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May
19

Great Practice Competition!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Tuesday at: 11:01pm (May 19th, 2009)
The addition of the Womens U of M team, a few of the U of M guys, as well as some EMU and Wayne State swimmers, has made practice much more interesting! Lanes are a little crowded, but not too full. Four swimmers per lane (up from 1 swimmer per lane!) in a 10 lane long course pool has increased the pace of some of the race sets. It's been challenging and exciting to pseudo-compete in practice.
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May
19

Taper Plans

Posted by Kevin Doak on Tuesday at: 4:58pm (May 19th, 2009)
After talking to the coaching staff about my summer training, it looks like I need to decide what meet to taper for. I have two main choices:

1. World Champ Trials in early July
2. Masters Long Course Nationals in early August

I want to do really well at both, but I will still be doing the P90X through July and I would like to finish the program as intended. That would put me at August 3rd when I finish the program, just in time for Masters Nationals.

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May
19

As the Confusion Sets in...

Posted by Kevin Doak on Tuesday at: 1:04am (May 19th, 2009)
I had a great practice at EMU today, we did 6,700 long course meters. Quite a few U of M swimmers came today which noticeably upgraded my competition! They were a welcomed addition and pushed me more than usual. I give some major credit to the U of M womens team! There were more than a few women kicking butterfly during the kick set that were RIGHT there with me. I had to go ALL out to beat them.
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May
18

2009 World Champ Trials

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 6:39pm (May 18th, 2009)
Since my summer plans drastically changed I need to fill some time, and what better way than competing? I looked up some USA meets that were available and noticed that the ConocoPhillips World Champ Trials are in Indianapolis this year! I'm available for the meet so I figure what the heck.
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May
18

Favorite Race Picture!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 2:38pm (May 18th, 2009)
Taken in Florida by a skilled photographer, this race was for eternal bragging rights. I was in lane 4, he was in lane 5. As you can see, he's not too happy that he's losing. The rest speaks for itself.

May
18

7,000 Hits! Thank You!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 7:36am (May 18th, 2009)
Thank you for 7,000 website visits in a year and a half! I love sharing my swimming experiences with my friends and family. I find writing daily keeps me on track with my training and serves as a great reference point when I choose to look back on my progress. I look forward to more exciting years training and competing. I love improving my health and achieving personal best times.

I have an amazing support system that consists of my family, loved ones and friends. I appreciate YOU for taking an interest in ME!
May
18

Canham Natatorium Review

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 3:53am (May 18th, 2009)
Since there was no swim practice today, I tried to enjoy the beautiful weather. Last night I did a "Legs and Back" workout which consisted of lots of squats, lunges and pullups. Tonight I'll do a "Kempo" workout which is a combination of kickboxing and karate!
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May
16

I'm a Grandpa!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 7:42pm (May 16th, 2009)
Out of necessity, I swam with the CW workout group from 11am-1pm at Canham Natatorium at the University of Michigan. I was surprised to see the pool setup as short course yards. There were 40 or so swimmers who eventually showed up. I was the oldest by over 10 years. There were 3 high school swimmers there, the rest were elementary or middle school age. Come to think of it... I was older than all but one coach on deck! We did a small amount of yardage. A 2,100 yard warmup and went immediatley into the main set of:

3x100 @ 8:00
2x75 @ 6:00
3x50 @ 4:00
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May
16

Pictures I dug up

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 1:21pm (May 16th, 2009)
Just found a few swimming pictures my friend Alex Schulz took last year:


May
16

Recover and Focus on Training

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 12:21am (May 16th, 2009)
We did 6,400 Long Course Meters on Thursday with a main set of 20x100's with an decreasing interval every four 100's. Its tough to explain but a great set, and very challenging. I was the only person to do a stroke other than freestyle. The intervals began at 1:45, decreasing each time through. It looks like this:

Round 1 (1:45, 1:40, 1:35, 1:30)
Round 2 (1:40, 1:35, 1:30, 1:25)
Round 3 (1:35, 1:30, 1:25, 1:20)
Round 4 (1:30, 1:25, 1:20, 1:15)
Round 5 (1:25, 1:20, 1:15, 1:10)
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May
14

Back in the Pool Today

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 7:49pm (May 14th, 2009)
Yesterday I took a full day off to recover. I feel like swimming today after that much needed break. I noticed that I drank almost no water on my day off although I had it with me at all times. Days on which I swim and workout make me feel dehydrated all day. The massive difference surprised me.

A few recent conversations with fellow swimmers yesterday have gotten me thinking about my summer meet schedule. As of right now I'm not registered for a single meet. Once work slows down I'd love to get a few confirmed.

May
14

200 Backstroke LCM World Record Broken

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 5:00am (May 14th, 2009)
Thanks to Sarah for linking me to this video. Ryosuke Irie broke Ryan Lochte's World Record by over a second! I can't believe how smooth and slow this guy's stroke is!


[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a0hplQjahI&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0]
May
13

Feeling Beat Down

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 5:16pm (May 13th, 2009)
Might take the day off today to recover. I didn't have the strength to do the P90X last night. I'm feeling a little run down from work and life. I'll see how I feel later today, I may take the day off swimming.
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May
11

10x200's Best Average!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 11:15pm (May 11th, 2009)
I didn't know I had it in me... The workout today was to establish a baseline for training intervals. We did 10x200's best average. I was the only person in the entire group who did it backstroke (or any stroke besides freestyle). I started off at 2:42 and leveled off at 2:46 or so. The interval was 3:00. It really took it out of me! I had to dig deep to get through that set. I pushed myself and did my best. I got to what I thought was #9 but everybody in the pool was done. Others were doing the set freestyle on the 2:50.
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May
11

How about P92X? and USMS Short Course Nationals

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 4:35am (May 11th, 2009)
Due to a busy work schedule, and a challenging week in the pool, I've taken 2 full days off the P90X program. I'm thoroughly exhausted and I needed to take today off to recover and prepare for another week in the pool. I'm fairly sure the P90X system probably isn't meant for a person already getting 2+ hours of other exercise per day. I will pick up the program on Monday and get back on track. My body needs some rest for now. Therefore my P90X will become P92X and the number might even increase from there, I don't want to hurt myself by overdoing it.
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May
9

Proud!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 1:07pm (May 9th, 2009)
I just finished a great workout in the pool! I've completed my first week of EMU workouts. I'm very sore, but its a good sore. I've stretched and warmed up/down enough to keep myself injury free. As I've mentioned before this week represents a massive increase in workload and I'm proud to have survived. In the coming weeks I will begin to not just get through but exceed.

I got my first feedback from Peter Linn. The one notable item is that I need to work on "setting" my right arm in backstroke. Something I used to be good at. I'll get there again.

May
9

A Heck of a Week!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 5:57am (May 9th, 2009)
This was probably the most demanding week of training since my college days. I've officially joined the EMU Summer Workout Group which trains twice a day in the pool for 2 hours each session. For (at least) the last 5 days, I've done 6,000+ long course meters with the Workout Group and over an hour of random P90X exercises each day for a grand total of over 3 hours of training per day. I've been challenged in the pool by many other swimmers... some younger, some MUCH younger :) I'm pushed each and every practice and I love it!
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May
7

I will catch up on posting soon!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 4:20am (May 7th, 2009)
I've really stepped up my training lately, combined with a packed work schedule hasn't left much time to update this! I've been swimming 6,000+ Long Course Meters each day with the workout group at EMU and doing 1-1.5 hours of the P90X workout system daily. This regiment is about 3,000 meters and significantly more body weight exercises than I'm used to. It's approaching the workload I was used to in college. I'm very run down but feeling good. I've been eating a ton and drinking water constantly. I feel healthy and strong!
May
4

P90X Day 2

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 4:36am (May 4th, 2009)
It's gonna be a long 90 days! The first day was relatively easy, the second day was Plyometrics, which is defined as "Jump Training". It involves lots of balancing, moving from side to side, bouncing, jumping, leg lifts, squats and lunges. The program is 1 hour long, the first 10 minutes is easy warming up, the middle 40 minutes is grueling no matter how you do it. The last 5-10 minutes is pretty easy, familiar body motions like tossing a basketball and throwing a pitch. There was a much needed 5 minute sesson of stretching afterward, I took an extra 5 minutes.
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May
2

P90X Day 1 and a swim workout

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 4:26am (May 2nd, 2009)
I had a chance to practice with the summer group at EMU again today, it was a short workout because they got beat up this week doing 12k+ a day. We ended up doing 3,100 Long Course Meters. I did better today, I'm sure because it was within my normal workout yardage. During the evening I began the workout program I've mentioned before. It's called P90X. It's received a fair amount of press, I know a few people who have tried it. It is a 90 day program which uses mostly free weights and stretch cords along with your own body weight.
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May
1

6,100 Long Course Meters!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 4:45am (May 1st, 2009)
I had a chance to swim with the summer workout group at EMU this evening. I knew they would be swimming at least 5,000 so I was mentally prepared when I read 6,100. The group was small because the college is between sessions, there were 7 people there. I'm confident there will be many more in the coming weeks.

The practice itself was challenging, a dynamic mix of freetyle, IM and kicking. I held my own for about 3,500 meters, which is my typical practice distance.

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