noattentionspan

So, it seems like having a plan in the morning is a good thing. With the plan in place I worked on achieving all goals.

Of course, I have a plan for today and I’m even looking forward to most of it, how about that?

1. Pick up bike from Speed Theory after work! Totally looking forward to having the bike back and it NOT creaking with a problem in the bottom bracket.
2. Home and feed/water pets.
3. Short tempo run at Running Room. Not even remotely looking forward to this one actually. I have a blister on my toe and my legs are heavy. Still, I need to do SOMETHING at a speed above the crawl I was at last night, ya know? I would hate for my legs to get into the habit of doing that speed.
4. Meet with Caite the swim instructor at the pool for a stroke clinic lesson. I booked this after running into her at the pool last week and I’m really looking forward to having someone help me fix what I’m doing wrong. I don’t need to get a lot faster (although it would be nice), but I would love to get a bit faster and a lot more efficient. Would be nice too if I could add my legs into the mix without slowing down, eh?
5. Eat. Nachos Grande baby Looking forward to that too, even if it will be at 10pm when I finally get home from training.

— end of the day

Well, 1 and 2 worked like a charm. Assuming that you count the drive down to get the bike and the drive back as charming. I personally describe them as fucking frustrating and annoying. But hey, I don’t commute much anymore and I’m happy about that.

3 was a right-off though as I didn’t get back from the bike pick-up until 6:35. You know what though, I was surprisingly okay with that. I didn’t feel the need to run at all and only would have gone because I was supposed to.

5 jumped the queue since I was going to be home for a bit, what the heck right?

So #4, meet with Caite at the pool and get some instruction. That went well, if somewhat unexpected.

Here’s the thing, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. It leads to making assumptions based on faulty logic. An example? Sure thing.

Fact 1: With a pull buoy between my legs (effectively removing them from the equation) I swim 5 to 10 seconds faster per 100m than without (when I have full use of my legs).
Fact 2: When using a kickboard (hands at the top, arms in position on the board to the elbow) I swim almost 50 seconds slower per 100m.
Conclusion: Something is wrong with my kick.

That’s the conclusion I drew from the two facts and it’s bugged me for ages. I’ve been convinced that my legs simply don’t work in the water. Of course they work wonderfully on the bike and while running.

I hit the pool tonight convinced that Caite was going to watch my swimming, have an “aha!” moment and say something like “change your kick this way” and that would be that. Of course I was going to have to work at implementing what she said, but I’m okay with that right?

She came up after I’d done my warm-up and was doing a series of 100m sets, alternating pull and freestyle. Of course I was on a pull set when she came up. She left to get changed and came back when I was, again, on a pull set. No biggy, she hadn’t seen the horror that was my legs yet, but she had a suggestion for my arms.

Turns out I have been placing my hands a bit instead of driving them into the water. The result is that while I am pushing into the water I’m doing it too far past my head and so I’m losing some momentum and shortening my stroke (and consequently reducing my power).

No biggy, I dropped the pull buoy and went for 100m free focusing on getting my hand entry better. I knew now that she’d see the leg action and this would be it, I would be faster from here in.

I finished breathing a bit heavy, she sat there thinking for a minute and asked “what did you think was wrong with your kick?”. This floored me, what did I THINK was wrong? Everything right?

I talked about the pull buoy and how I’m faster with it than without. I talked about how I go slower and am more out of breath when I am kicking.

She responded by telling me I kick too much. Hence I’m out of breath, hence my breathing is off, hence I’m slower. So, off I went for a 200m free stretch focusing on getting my hands in the water at the right time/place and only kicking once per stroke instead of just hammering as I had been.

I forgot half the time either the hands or the feet, but it was a bit better. Then she was done with my feet, more to be done with my stroke.

So, I tried to stick to alternating pull and free, but I might as well have done the next 500m pull because every lap there was something to fix.

Here’s my list:
1. Hand entry into the water, get it closer to the head and drive the hand in with the thumb down and pinky up by the end of the stroke.
2. Slow down the kick, just keep the ass up and kick enough to stay in the right position. Watch that I don’t start churning the legs when I get tired.
3. Finish the stroke. Turns out I’ve not been finishing the stroke at the end. Concentrate on flicking the fingers at the end of the stroke to get that last bit of power.
4. Sculling works, S strokes work too, same principal. When I get tired I tend to drive my arm straight down and not put any curve at all. This reduces power.
5. Cup the hand slightly instead of working with a flat surface which, on twist, loses the water more than a cupped hand.
6. Finish the stroke near the thighs, drag the thumb by the thigh on the way to the flick.

Yeah, one item in there about my kick. Five about my stroke.

So, I have a bunch of work to do, obviously. But I CAN do it.

Caite, btw, was awesome. In addition to helping me out and talking me through not only what to fix, but why, she explained the mechanics of the stroke. This worked for me. It gives me something to think about and it makes more sense to me when I hear things.

While she was explaining about the S stroke, I quickly understood the purpose of the sculling drills I’d learned ages ago and never applied. I understood WHY people say to keep high elbows once I understood why sculling and S stroke are the same damned principal.

Those finger drag drills… I never knew why people did them, but knowing where to drive the hand in and how to finish the stroke, I now get it.

Oh, and she wouldn’t take money for the session. She just wanted to help.

How awesome is that?

Bedtime for bonzo.

Nutrition and Exercise

— start of work

1000
- 4 pack of Peak Freen’s cookies
- Can of OJ (160 cal)

1200
- Burger with cheese and fries

— end of work

1830
- Plate of Nachos Grande

2000
- @2000m swimming (at least 2km, might have been a bit more, I lost count so rounded down)

2200
- 591ml Dr Pepper (240 cal)
- 710ml PowerAde (160 cal)