June 11, 2001
The last three weeks have been hectic around the TI offices, where we're gearing up for five summer kids' camps and a four-day coach-training session, in addition to our regular schedule of weekend workshops. I've been swimming, running, and biking, sometimes double workouts a day, and last week competed with my friend Kermit in the 10th Annual Covered-Bridges Half Marathon in Woodstock/Quechee, Vermont. My longest run prior to the half marathon had been 11 miles -- about three weeks before the race -- so I was happy just to be able to complete the 13.1-mile race without injury. I just kept a slow pace throughout the race, and finished in 1:50:39.
My next racing goal is to compete in the Freedlander age-group swim meet on July 7th in my home town of Wooster, Ohio. I'll be swimming in the open category, mostly against women age 15 to 17, but what the heck. This will be my only chance all summer to compete in a long-course meet (and an outdoor meet, at that). Only problem is that I'll have to swim a 200 breaststroke, rather than the 50 or 100. So in the next few weeks, I will be doing breaststroke practices rather than IM or freestyle practices. Here's one that I did last week. It may seem complicated when you read it here, but if you swim through just one of the rounds, you'll see the pattern, and it will be easy to remember the sequence of laps without refering to your notes! There are "active-recovery" laps (on your back) in each of the 250s that you swim. The idea is that you keep swimming for 250 yards, but give yourself a little more air every few laps so that you can return to the critical drill laps with fresher muscles and mind. The recovery laps mid-interval ensure that you don't practice struggle on the drill laps.
Warmup
500 yards with fistgloves(R) and flippers, alternating 25 short-axis drill with 25 Body-Dolphin Butterfly
Main Sets
I did three rounds of the following:
250 breaststroke kick in all different ways (25 Underwater Kick; 25 Hand-Lead on Your Back; 25 Hand-Lead on Your Stomach; 25 Head-Lead on Your Back; 25 Head-Lead on Your Stomach, then repeat the sequence)
250 with flippers swum as 25 Body-Dolphin Breast; 25 Double-Dolphin Breast (same as Body-Dolphin Breast but with two quick armstrokes rather than one); 25 Body-Dolphin Breast; 25 Double-Dolphin Breast; 25 Head-Lead Body Dolphin on Your Back; 25 Double-Dolphin Breast; 25 Body-Dolphin Breast; 25 Double-Dolphin Breast; 25 Hand-Lead Body Dolphin on Your Back; 25 Double-Dolphin Breast
250 freestyle with flippers
1st Round: Wear fistgloves
2nd Round: Take off the fistgloves
3rd Round: Wear small hand paddles
Total Yardage: 2750
posted by Barbara Tomchin at 4:22 PM
May 18, 2001
Here's the breaststroke practice that I did at Asphalt Green (25-yard pool) in New York City yesterday morning, followed by the freestyle practice that I did with Kermit in Vermont (20-yard pool) this morning.
I used the same concept/format in designing both practices. You could use it to design a butterfly or a backstroke practice.
Asphalt Green Practice
Warmup
500 yards with Slim Fins and fistgloves, alternating 25 yards short-axis or fly drill with 25 yards dolphin kick on my back.
Main Sets
I did three rounds of the following set. On the first round, I wore fistgloves. Second round I took off the fistgloves. Third round I wore small hand paddles. I took 6 to 7 bobs between each 50 as a rest interval, and swam an EZ 100 freestyle between each of the rounds. On each 50, I tried to focus on one thing on the drill lap, and carry that focus over into the swim lap.
10 X 50, swum as 25 drill/ 25 swim
1st 50: Drill is head-lead breaststroke kick
2nd 50: Drill is hand-lead breaststroke kick
3rd 50: Drill is Slide to the Corners
4th 50: Drill is Heads-Up Pulling
5th 50: Drill is Two Up, One Down
6th 50: Drill is One Up, One Down
7th 50: Drill is Body-Dolphin Breaststroke
8th 50: Drill is Underwater Breaststroke Kick
9th 50: Drill is Two Down, One Up
10th 50: Drill is EZ Breaststroke
Warmdown:
EZ 300 freestyle
Vermont Practice
Warmup
400 yards with flippers and fistgloves, alternating 20 yards short-axis drill with 20 yards dolphin kick on your back
Main Sets
I did three rounds of the following set. On the first round, I word fistgloves. On the second, I took off the fistgloves. One the third round, I work small hand paddles. I took 3 bobs between each 40 as a rest interval.
10 X 40, swum as 20 yards drill/ 20 yards freestyle
1st and 2nd 40: Drill is Head-Lead Nose Up, Nose Down
3rd and 4th 40: Drill is Hand-Lead Nose Up, Nose Down
5th and 6th 50: Drill is EZ Anchors
7th and 8th 40: Drill is Single-Arm Freestyle
9th 40: Drill is Stop-Stop Switch
10th 40: Drill is Triple Switch
Warmdown
4 X 100 freestyle with 5 bobs between each 100. First and second laps of each 100, breathe every third stroke. Third and fourth laps of each 100, breathe every other stroke (every cycle). Last lap of each 100, breathe every stroke (to each side).
Total yardage: 2000
posted by Barbara Tomchin at 5:27 PM
May 16, 2001
Here's the practice that Kermit did last night in a 20-yard pool. He's training for a sprint triathlon at the end of of June (400 swim/ 12mile bike/ 2.9mile run).
Warmup
500 yards with large-bladed flippers (TYR brand), alternating 20 yards of mixed short-axis drills with 20 yards of dolphin kick on your back
Main Set
11 X 100 freestyle, with small-bladed flippers (Barracuda brand; they have a neoprene foot)
Take 5 bobs between each 100 as a rest interval.
I didn't kick hard with the flippers; in fact, I used them just to float my feet. I focused on using a 2-beat kick, using the kick just to initiate rotation. I focused on a few different things throughout the set: hiding my head, hooking in and "anchoring" with my hands, and minimizing my kick. Using the bobs as a rest interval put me right into The Zone. I felt relaxed and ready and in control each time I pushed off for the next 100. I became totally unaware of any other swimmers, and was able to focus entirely on what I was doing. I felt totally self contained, and this was a "flow" set.
1 X 400 with fistgloves and small flippers, alternating 20 yards long-axis drill with 20 yards freestyle.
Warmdown
1 X 100 free with fistgloves and pull buoy
1 X 100 "nekked" (no gloves, fins, or pull buoy)
40 EZ freestyle
Total yardage: 2240
That was Kermit's practice. Here's the practice I did this morning in a 25-yard pool. I've been doing a bit too much running lately, and have a sore hamstring, so the only thing that didn't seem to stress the hamstring this morning was body dolphins. Here's a practice that incorporates body dolphins in a variety of ways.
Warmup
500 with fistgloves and flippers, alternating 25 yards short-axis drill with 25 yards Body-Dolphin Butterfly
Main Set
I did 6 Rounds of the following:
25 Body-Dolphin Fly
25 Hand-Lead Dolphin Kick on my back
25 Body-Dolphin Fly
25 Hand-Lead Dolphin Kick on my back
25 Body-Dolphin Breast
25 Body-Dolphin Kick on my back
25 Body-Dolphin Breast
25 Body-Dolphin Kick on my back
25 Stoneskipper
25 Body-Dolphin Kick on my back
25 Body-Dolphin Combo
25 Body-Dolphin Kick on my back
Round 1: With fistgloves and flippers
Round 2: With flippers
Round 3: With small hand paddles and flippers
Round 4: With fistgloves (no flippers)
Round 5: "Nekked"
Round 6: With small hand paddles (no flippers)
Warmdown:
200 EZ freestyle (no kick) with small hand paddles
Total Yardage: 2500
posted by Barbara Tomchin at 9:48 AM
