I'll be posting all my workouts here...well, maybe not all. But if you're interested in following what I'm doing feel free to read and/or join me!

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

losing momentum

I'm hitting a wall...

I don't know how to get over it/go around it/get through it.

The swimming feels good and I'm more than capable of a good hard bike after, but I haven't done the running I told myself I'd do and I haven't chosen my next event to enter. I haven't done weights in about a month.

Time to set more goals.

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Loosening up after a day on the hill

Warm up - 4x150 RIMO swim 5x150 IMO kick

4x 100E/200kk/300pull

16x 25 E started at a breath every 4 strokes and added a stroke each 25 -held the last 3 at no breaths since I only take 16 strokes/25

200 T
200 T kk
100 easy


4500m

Thursday, January 26, 2006

a short dip

The international cooking dinner was held tonight at Colare, so I only had time for a short swim before pigging out on Gyoza!!

Warm up: 150x4 RIMO 100x4IMO kk

a bit of kick
a bit of sculling
a good chat with Lee.....


nothing to add up today.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

sleepy

I like that I can control my pace, that I'm aware of how fast I'm going.
My turns still suck.

Warm up 150x4 RIM swim 150x4IMOK

15x100 pull on 2:00 descend by 5s -last 100 under 1:30

300 T

200 scull

3200m

GYM: stretch, bike for 30 @60, stretch

Monday, January 23, 2006

sore shoulders

I had a couple of good wipe outs on Sunday on the hill. Landed hard on my shoulder. I felt it today in the pool

Warm up - 150x4 RIM swim 150x4 IMO kick

1500 E pull

100 warm down

nice and easy

2800m

Sunday, January 22, 2006

No Swimming this Weekend.....

BUT LOTS OF SNOWBOARDING!!!!!!!

TWO DAYS IN A ROW.

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Cute boys

Ok, ok, although Tuesdays are hell at the pool, Thursdays always seem to make up for it some how. Last Thursday it was the YYK soccer team, this time it was just some cute Japanese boy in a blue speedo. We didn't chat, but he was a nice distraction -and well, what can I say, cute boys are good motivation! I'll be the first to admit it -I always swim better when I have someone to 'show off' to.

Warm-up 4x150 RIM swim 4x150 IM kick

4x 200E pull @ 4:00 (hold 3:00)
100 IM @ 3:00 (hold 1:45)

8x50 IMO -first 4 50s last 25Y, second 4 50s first 25Y

400 kick alt E and T by 25

300 warm down

Total 3500m

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

I hate Tuesdays at the pool...

Tuesdays, for some strange reason are the busiest days at the pool. And the concept of 'fast lanes' and 'slow lanes' doesn't seem to exist. People just get in where ever they please - and since when has swimming been a social sport! Get your face in the water and swim people!! Quit standing IN THE MIDDLE of the lane talking to your neighbors!!!

It's not bad when K and I are together, we usually are intimidating enough to scare people off - but yesterday K got out earlier than I did and when I came off the wall from a flip turn I literally swam right over top of a woman who had pushed off the wall when I was coming in to do a turn. She's lucky, I didn't actually hit her, I just streamlined right up over her legs then stopped short, spitting and sputtering. She was oblivious!!

Another woman stood at the end of the lane, directly on the blue line - like a deer caught in the headlights, not moving whenever I'd come in to do a turn. I actually yelled underwater as a did my turn, I wonder if she heard me...

anyway, I still managed 4000m

Warm up 4x150 RIM swim 4x150 IM kk

2x3x200 SKP E on 30 sec rest

3x200 SscullP T on 30 sec rest

8x25 E sprint @ 1:00

16x25 E pull - each 25 increase the # of strokes before taking a breath by one starting from 4

400 cool down alt E andT drill

GYM: 30min stretching 30min on the bike (10@60/5@80/5@90/5@70/5@40)

Monday, January 16, 2006

Natsukashi

I started going to the gym in Kurobe about 5 months ago - I really enjoy being back in that atmosphere and this particular gym reminds me a lot of the GPRC facilities for some reason.
The gym is my 'alone' time. I really get focused riding the bike and even in the weight room amongst all the chatter and flexing...haha. As with most gyms there are regulars - I wouldn't call myself that quite yet, but I'd really like to be. I've gotten more familiar with some of the other patrons and as my Japanese progresses, I find that I'm enjoying each visit more and more.

But probably the best part of the Kurobe gym is the staff. They are a great group- very friendly and helpful. The made me feel welcome right away and always make an effort to at least say hi whenever I go. There is one staff member in particular who I am happy to say has become a friend of mine. Her name is Yuki and from the first time I met her, I knew that we'd be friends. She is outgoing, outspoken, and FUN! We have similar backgrounds in that we have both been lifeguards and swim teachers. She was a discus thower in university and has worked in the recreation/sports industry for the ten years.

But on to the real reason I'm posting...

On Sunday I went for lunch with Yuki and afterwards, she had planned to introduce me to one of the prefecture's top swim coaches, a guy she used to work with at a pool years ago. He coaches in Toyama city and so we drove in to Toyama to meet him. Toyama city has some really nice swimming facitities, including a 50m pool which is part of a huge recreation centre. The moment I stepped on the deck and saw the swimmers in the water and the coaches on deck, stop watches in hand....

SO, now I have another reason to learn Japanese - I'd love to be back on deck!!!!!! I miss it so much. It was my life for 12 years and I'd really love the opportunity to do something here. There is a small club in Kurobe, but it's only developmental swimmers. Maybe I could start there and convince these guys in Toyama to let me come on deck once or twice a month.

There were actaully two coaches on deck and both of them had gone to Syndey for the Olympics. The swimmers in the water that day were high school and university/college students all of whom were pretty high level athletes. The coaches were totally willing to show me their workout and let me talk to the swimmers during practice.

AGH!! I really want to be back on deck!

Just one more thing to add to my plate!
Warm up: 150xRIM swim 150xIMkick

1500 timed swim 25:00

300 T (long uwp/long and strong)

16x25 E kick 2 1:15 hold :30

4x50 Y/E at 1:30 -hold :50

warm down 400 E drill


EEEEEEP, my shoulders hurt!!

Friday, January 13, 2006

I swam this day, but I can't for the life of me remember what I did...

I think it was:

warm up - 4x150RIM swim 4.100RIM kick

10x 100 free

some fly....

ah whatever, I swam for about 45 minutes and did about 2500m

went to the gym, bike for about 30 minutes....went hom

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Warm up - I mananged to get 300 meters in before being sidetracked by 3 boys from the YKK soccer team.

After 30 minutes of stretching at the wall and giving pointers, I managed to put in:

4x200 E holding 3:10 on 3:30 (pull)

16x25 fly on 1:00 -streamline 12.5m long and strong

300 cool down


GYM: 20 minutes stretchin
50 minutes on the bike

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Thursday, January 5, 2006

Warm up: 4x150 RIM Swim 4x100 IM kick

15x100 pull - 5@2:00 5@1:55 5@1:50 (the last 5 were not fun!!!)

300 T (long and strong - turns and underwater pullouts)

2x 200 kick - alt T&E / 200 alt scull & E

400 cool down

Total: 4000m

Gym: stretch, bike-30 min, weights...a poor attempt at squats and curls, then more stretching. -blech.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

New Year - Same Resolutions

My resolutions never seem to change. It makes me wonder what I actually accomplish every year...if anything.

Here's a look at the past year:







January - I learned a new sport! SNOWBOARDING!!!! I went 6 times my first season.




















May -Kurobe Road Race (10km)



















September - I climbed Tsurugi Dake 2998 m












October - Toyama Relay Marathon
(2kmx4laps)












November - Two events this month! The Kurobe community swim meet.









The Nyuzen Marathon.
(10km)