April 2010

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Apr
30

Best training day in a long time

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 9:13pm (April 30th, 2010)

For the first 10 minutes of practice today, I could swear my shoulders were 100%. They eventually started hurting a bit but I didn't let them stop me from giving everything I could. I had two great benchmarking sets of 5x100's Kick and 5x100's Swim. I'm beginning to think about the 2012 Olympic Trial cut and what it will take to make it again. I need to change my training and really start getting motivated. Needless to say I have a long way to go before I swim a 57 second 100 Backstroke LCM.

Apr
29

Lets try this again...

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 11:34am (April 29th, 2010)

I gave my shoulders a try yesterday after 3 days off almost all physical activity. The results weren't good at all. Both shoulders still hurt. They're fine out of the water (most times), but as soon as I start swimming, they're both painful. Both joints feel loose. Swimmers typically have loose joints but this seems worse than usual. I'm going to begin shoulder rehab again, a process I learned from Coach Linn at EMU. I was doing it last week and it was a bit painful so I took a break from it to let myself heal. I'm running out of time to train for Nationals.

Apr
28

Shoulders, get your act together or find another job.

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 4:30pm (April 28th, 2010)

Kevin's Shoulders,

It's been brought to my attention that you have created issues within our organization that hinders the continued improvement of our performance in the pool. Your display of ability today was sub par to say the least. This is the type of poor performance and complaining that adversely affects the success of this organization. I'm recommending to the committee that you be put on probation until further notice. I will assign a group to watch over and review your performance until further notice. This committee will include:

Associated Ligaments
Biceps
Triceps

Apr
27

Last Day Off!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Tuesday at: 6:24pm (April 27th, 2010)

With a big meet looming, it's just torn me apart taking time off swimming. I took Sunday/Monday/Tuesday off from almost ALL upper body physical activity. I did some stretching and ab workouts in the mean time. I feel about 90% healed and I think one more relaxing night might get me to 100% healed.

Apr
26

Linking it all together

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 3:28pm (April 26th, 2010)

As you can tell, the site has a long way to go, but the portions that I've improved upon are really working out well. Since I use this site as a reference for my own training, I've developed databases for each of my swims, soon each swim will have splits and other competition notes along with the vital data like time, course and pool. I've been considering this new framework for a long time and I'm really happy to have the resources to put into the site. Thanks for reading :)

Apr
26

Well it's not done, but it's launched

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 2:59am (April 26th, 2010)

I have lots of plans for the new site, but I figured I would launch it unfinished for right now. I'm still porting in all my pictures and videos, so it's lacking some cool features for now. I've been adding swims to my database over the last few days. Exciting database features :)

Apr
25

Taking a few days off

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 11:05pm (April 25th, 2010)

Not happy at all.

It's been a week since the State Meet and my shoulders still ache. I thought I could do some easy workouts and let them heal but it's just not doing the trick. I need full days off any arm movement entirely. I'm going to do as much as possible to work my abs and legs. My plan is to take a full 3 days off.

With Short Course Nationals looming a few weeks away, this issue is really wearing on me. I just want to swim.

Apr
23

45 Minute Easy Swimming

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 2:14am (April 23rd, 2010)

I decided to try the pool tonight after a full 2 days completely off swimming. I took it easy with the arm strokes and really tried to work my legs. I was quite impressed with my kicking tonight. I was holding 1:13's kick on the 1:30. I think I'll give my arms a break like this till further notice and work my legs as much as possible. I'm a little stressed about an injury a few weeks before Short Course Nationals.

Apr
22

Breaking down and taking some medicine

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 5:45pm (April 22nd, 2010)

I almost never take any sort of medicine. I avoid it at all costs in fact. I just have no interest in putting anything in my body that doesn't have to be there.

This shoulder pain is kinda ticking me off. With the advice of a friend, I will be taking a reglar dose of ibuprofin to minimize the inflamation. I'm hoping it will have a chance to heal a little faster this way. We shall see

Apr
22

Shoulders Still Hurting

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 4:01pm (April 22nd, 2010)

This is quite frustrating, I must have done some serious damage in there. It's difficult to lift my left arm at all and my right is still sore. I've never felt like this after a meet. I really want to train but I feel like I would be doing damage. I did do some dryland today though... it's better than nothing.

Apr
21

Shoulders not feeling so great

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 7:52pm (April 21st, 2010)

I regretfully report that after trying to swim Monday, I took both Tuesday and Wednesday off swimming. I must have injured both shoulders during the meet. My right shoulder is still sore and my left feels as though it might just fall off entirely. I really need to be preparing for Short Course Nationals which starts May 20th but I just don't have the range of motion I need to train.

I'm going to try to do some dryland training tonight and hope for the best.

Apr
21

First Post!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 1:21pm (April 21st, 2010)

This is the first blog on the new site!
I'm excited to have made the switch.  This site framework is much easier to manage and will enable me to finally get all my times in my times database in a more streamlined manner.  This is really dorky, but I love this stuff!  The union of swimming and web technology!

Apr
20

Last Post on this Blog Framework

Posted by Kevin Doak on Tuesday at: 10:28pm (April 20th, 2010)
Well, "Blogger" (the blogging framework I use for this site) has finally pushed me over the edge. It's just too frustrating to use. I've been waiting to port the site over to a better custom framework for a while now, so this is my excuse to make the change. I probably won't post on this site for the next few days while I set the new framework up on my new site.

I'm working hard to get all my new videos and pictures on the new site. Take care!
Apr
19

2010 State Meet Conclusions

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 4:04pm (April 19th, 2010)

Training:
Well it's obvious I didn't train or prepare for this meet well. I need to set a schedule and stick to it. I also need to just plain work harder. My work ethic in the pool is lacking in a big way.

Preparation:

Apr
18

2010 State Meet Day 2 Evening Session Results

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 11:58pm (April 18th, 2010)

I was actually feeling pretty good before the evening session. It's like I needed to race a few times to get in the swing of things.

100 Back - Although certainly not a great time, it was 0.80 seconds faster than the day before with a 51.14. I'm a little disheartened that the best I can muster at a state meet shaved down is a low 51 second 100 backstroke, but it's motivation to improve. This is basically my best high school time... wow.

Apr
18

2010 State Meet Day 2 Morning Session Results

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 5:30pm (April 18th, 2010)

I ended up getting a room in East Lansing but must have slept on my arm weird, my shoulder is pretty sore.

100 Fly - I wasn't really feeling up to it, but dove in and split a 23.45 going out but really fell apart the last 15 yards and took second to Saucedo with a 51.08. That time really wasn't that far off of last year's 50.88. I'm ok with that time.

Apr
18

2010 State Meet Day 1 Evening Session Results

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 1:21am (April 18th, 2010)

I got a quick 30 minute nap in the bleachers and they started the second session. I have no idea why they only give you an hour break between sessions, what's the big rush?!

50 Back - I just felt slow, I don't think I'm doing enough sprints. I swam a 23.45. That's significantly slower than my 23.01 from last year, or my relay leadoff last year of 22.78. Not good.

Apr
17

2010 State Meet Day 1 Morning Session Results

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 6:10pm (April 17th, 2010)

100 Free - This was a tough one to start with, I was NOT ready to swim 100 Free. I swam a 48.0x. The race hurt and kinda ticked me off. I hit the lane line about 7 times, I just couldn't seem to get away from it when I was swimming toward the starting end. It was like there was a current against my left side. Nobody else seems to do it, so it's all in my head. The whole race was just sloppy. Pretty much everybody beat me. In my age group alone, I was second to Patrick Saucedo.

Apr
17

2010 State Meet Day 1 Morning Session

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 2:07pm (April 17th, 2010)
I got a good warmup in and did some light stretching. I'm feeling a little tired but I should be ok. Didn't have time for breakfast, but I find that food just weighs me down in the morning, I'll be sure to get a good lunch. This morning I have a 100 Free, 50 Fly and 200 Free Relay with Schmitt, Mull and Saucedo!
Apr
17

Headed to the 2010 Michigan Masters State meet!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 12:43pm (April 17th, 2010)
After my first restful night of sleep in a week, I woke up an hour before my alarm. I had considered not shaving down for this meet considering my recent lack of training. I was confident that any time additions this year could more likely be chalked up to training or the combined 8 hours of sleep over the past 4 days. Since I woke up early I decided to shave with all my extra time. With my new razor preference, I set a personal best time of 43 minutes!
Session Weight Information
Pre-Competition Weight: 177.2 lbs
Apr
16

Great Kid Quote

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 3:55pm (April 16th, 2010)
Swimming at community pools ensures I hear some great kid quotes:

Kid #1: "dude, your shirts on backwards"

Kid #2: "I don't care"

Kids are hilarious...
Apr
16

I Could Write a Book

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 1:40pm (April 16th, 2010)
I could write a book on how to NOT prepare for a swim meet based on the last week of my life. I've gotten so little sleep I can't even seem to count the hours... if that makes sense? Before this week I typically work an average of 16 hours a day but this week has just put that schedule to shame. I've been juggling a workload that leaves me working 30 hours at a time. I love what I do so I don't even notice it but jeez, I really feel horrible (not surprisingly). The only good news to report is that I've been in the pool each day.
Apr
15

Short Course Nationals

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 9:22am (April 15th, 2010)
I registered for the 2010 Short Course Nationals yesterday. Although I won't be as prepared as I'd like, I'm really looking forward to swimming in the 1996 Olympic Pool down in Atlanta! This was the most expensive meet I've ever attended. With a $30.00 parking pass my registration fee was $104.00... OUCH!

Event Entries:

Event #12 - M25-29 200 Backstroke Seed Time: 1:55.05
Event #14 - M25-29 100 Butterfly Seed Time: 50.66 - Sixth Event
Event #24 - M25-29 50 Butterfly Seed Time: 22.49
Event #30 - M25-29 50 Backstroke Seed Time: 23.05
Apr
14

Events at the State Meet

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 8:51am (April 14th, 2010)
50 Back
100 Back
50 Fly
100 Fly
50 Free
100 Free

Pretty simple huh! Looking forward to racing!
Apr
12

Preparing for the Michigan Masters State Meet

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 8:49am (April 12th, 2010)
It's that time of year again! It's the Michigan State Masters Meet. This year it's hosted in Haslett, near Lansing. I have to say, I'm excited for the meet, but not excited about swimming in it... if that makes any sense.
Apr
7

Rollerblading in Central Park!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 8:40pm (April 7th, 2010)
I had a bit of extra time today and decided to go rollerblading in New York City's Central Park! As you can imagine, here are a ton of people and challenging terrains to navigate but overall its a beautiful park.

I got to see some great street performers while I made my way through the seemingly endless sidewalks and paths. I took lots of pictures while both stationary and while blading! I got some interesting looks as I sped by while taking pictures with my large digital SLR camera.

Its a warm sunny day in NYC!

Apr
7

NYC swimming

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 3:04pm (April 7th, 2010)
I'm out in NYC for a few days and actually found a pool to train at out here! I've visited before and never thought to look for one since NYC strikes me as so densely populated with buildings, there just wouldn't be room. I was very mistaken! There are tons of pools out here. Most are pretty expensive, the highest being $55.00 for a day pass! I found out about the "Riverbank State Park" from the "Places to Swim" link on www.usms.org. I called and learned that it was $2.00 per session and it was an Olympic size pool!
Apr
4

An Open Letter to Pool Operators

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 7:13am (April 4th, 2010)
Whether you celebrate or not, I've decided that Holiday's in general are bad for all training. The sport of swimming is perhaps hit the hardest since it requires one of the highest-tech facilities. Site operators must decide there is either low demand for their buildings or perhaps they have a hard time staffing on weekends such as "Easter".
Apr
3

Interesting Training Days

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 12:43am (April 3rd, 2010)
Its been an interesting few days. Balancing plenty of work has made getting to the pool challenging.
Apr
1

EMUswim.com Highlight Video Reel

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 2:14pm (April 1st, 2010)
Myself and a friend put together some highlight video from the Mid-American Conference Championship meet held at EMU this year:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_8w81mIXG0&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0]

Great job EMU!