Test Pace Set

Today's workout was short, and to-the-point.  The main set was 4 broken 500s,  holding the best average possible.   The pace you establish can be used to calculate your mile time.   So, if you average 1:30 every 100 yards, your mile time will be about 26 1/2 minutes.

90 seconds 
x 17.6  (a mile is 1760 yards, not 1650 yards)
--------------------
1584 seconds or 26.4 minutes to swim a mile in a pool

We trained at a municipal outdoor pool, thinking that there would be few people willing to brave the mid-40s temperatures.  We were right, and had the entire place to ourselves on a day that broke a 100+ year old record for the lowest high temperature for this date.  Gulf Temp:  52F

300 warmup

4 x 125 on 1:40      }
100 easy on 2:00   }     x 4

20 x 50    1 Fly, 1 Free - 5 on :60, 5 on :55

300 swim down

4000 SCY Total

 

Angela and Gabriel - Happy Florida Swimmers

Foggy Thursday

After yesterday's open water training at Madeira Beach in 64F, today's pool temp felt extremely warm.  It was probably 82F, but it felt even warmer.  We had a mix-up w/ the clock programming, so we ended up doing a couple hundred extra on this foggy Thursday morning.

5 x 200 warm up on 3:00

5 x 200 kick on 3:30

3 x 200 drill on 3:20

18 x 150 swim on 2:20 

     (2x150 fast, 2x100 fast, 2x50 fast)x3

4 x 25 fast on :45

150 swim down

5550 scy Total

We're back to base training as the water is cooling down in the Gulf of Mexico and in Tampa Bay.  Here are pictures and the set list from today's training at North Shore Pool in St. Petersburg, Florida:

Typical Wednesday Morning Workout

North Shore Pool, St. Petersburg, FL

Catalina Channel Do-Over To Achieve The Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming

Finished in 10 hours, 5 minutes on September 10, 2013 

Swimmers who complete three famous marathon swims are added to a list for completing the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. Believe it or not, it's become wildly popular to swim the 21 miles (33.7 km) across the English Channel between England and France, the 20.2 miles (33 km) across the Catalina Channel in Southern California, USA, and the 28.5 miles (45.8 km) around Manhattan Island in New York, USA.

The list has almost doubled since I came within 2 miles of becoming the 40th person to complete the three swims of the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. Hypothermia ended that September 2010 swim after enduring about 9 hours of unseasonably cold water in the Catalina Channel. I've lived in Florida for more than 1/2 of my 51 years, so things went wrong when the 60F temperatures were too much to handle. On September 10th, 2013, I encountered warmer waters and had added 15% to my body weight to provide insulation. I didn't even visit the barber shop for over a year, just in case the extra hair may provide more warmth underneath my swim cap. The most difficult challenge for a swimmer based in Florida, is the acclimatization to the chilly waters of the three Triple Crown marathon swims. I feel very humbled, and fortunate that, on September 10th, 2013, the Catalina Channel allowed me to add myself to the list of swimmers who have achieved the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming.

 

I can only begin to thank everyone involved in making this dream a reality. My crew was amazing, and the whole operation worked like a Swiss watch. But many others that were not on the water that day were very much involved, including my previous crew from 2010, my training friends at home, my wife, and especially all of the other marathon swimmers from all over the world. Many of you, I've never met in person, but I still consider you to be some of my closest friends.

12345 Workout and the 123s of Nutrition

Catalina is about 3 weeks away, so I am still doing over-distance workouts.  This one included a cool down that made the total distance 12345 yards.

10 x 100 on 1:30 warmup

200, 150, 100, 50  }    3x desc. 1:30 to 1:20
5 x 100                 }     

12 x 75 kick on 1:20

5 x 300 Pull on 4:00

4 x 500  on 8:00 neg split, rest :10 at 250

30 x 100 on (6 on 1:35, 1:30, 1:25, 1:30, 1:35)

6 x 100 easy on 1:40

345 cool down

12,345 scy  Total


When asked about his feedings during the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim, Mark Smitherman said, "I believe that Carbo-Pro and Maxim are the same. The liquid we used was about 8 oz Gatorade plus 12 oz water. In that 20 oz, add 2 scoops of Carbo-Pro and drink 10 oz every 30 min. I also did 1 power gel every hour. I alternated no caffeine/ with caffeine. All of these calories are from carbs. (to get a little more complicated, I did use an amino acid mix about every 2 hours, but I don’t know if that is voodoo or not). 

Anyway, using the above liquid mix + I power gel per hr. would give you 360 cal. Per hour…all from carbs. I think that it is unlikely your body can absorb any more calories than this. My only “beef” with this regimen is that it is fairly high in sodium. 3100 mg sodium for a 10 hr swim. (but, remember, a very low sodium diet for a cardiac patient is 2000mg or less, so the ave American is probably getting 4000mg or more of sodium daily). Note that the carbo-pro has no sodium, so all the sodium comes from Gatorade and power gels. Other gels may have less sodium."

A Longer Workout

I enjoyed swimming in Lake Tahoe recently on a relay team.  What an awesome backdrop for an open water swim!

A Longer Workout

We did this longer workout last Saturday, gearing up for Catalina.  I trained with Dr. Mark Smitherman, who is ramping up for a 12 miler he's doing this September in South Carolina.


1 x 300 on 4:30            )
2 x 150 on 2:15, -5      )   x 6,  shorten by -5 each time
3 x 100 on 1:35, -5      )


3 x 400 k on 4:30
3 x 400 p on 4:00

50 on 1:00      )
100 on 1:30    )
150 on 2:15    )    x 5

300 on 4:30    )

10 x 75 on 1:20

450 cool down

12,000 scy

Typical Tuesday

Typical Tuesday

5 x 200 warm up on 3:00
5 x 200 kick on 3:40
28 x 25 on :25
8 x 75 on 1:15    }
200 easy on 3:30}    x 3

Total 5100 scy