1/12/2011 - Swimming

This morning I swam 1 mile (33 laps - 66 lengths).  My time was 32'41.  This is a 5 minute improvement on my last time, which was 5 minutes better than my time before that. 

I swim at the Julius Boehm pool in issaquah.
It costs $4 a swim, so it is not something that I want to do too often. 
-People say that you should do drills, but unfortunately, it is not financially beneficial for me to do drills.  I just swim, work on my breathing, and work on my looking.

  I anticipate only 6 more pool swims before the race and maybe a couple of open water swims.  I know it is not much training for an Olympic triathlon, but I am not at a place in my life in which I can be greedy with my time.  My wife needs me (as she is with 3 kids all day) and the Kids need me...and those responsibilities are more important to me than these races.  I don't have any desire to do an Ironman right now because abandoning my family would work in the opposite direction that my ultimate goal is...To be a great father and husband.


I am pleased that each time I have gone swimming, I have lost a pretty large amount of time.  It means that I am not near my peak and I still have growing that I can do...And that is why I am doing these races.  As soon as I hit my peak, it is probably time to start training in something else.

When I swim, I don't do flip-turns.  Since there are no walls in open-water swims, 'wall work' is irrelevant.   I have learned that any way that I turn off the wall is a hindrance to training. 
   -When I do flip-turns, I am pushing off the wall and coasting.  This doesn't happen in open water.
   -When I do flip-turns, I have to blow out my nose and it ruins my breathing.  This doesn't happen in open water.
   -When I do push-turns, I stop all of my momentum and need to get it going again.  This doesn't happen in open water.
   -When I do push-turns, I generally take an extra breath and it ruins my breathing.  This doesn't happen in open water.
...In my head, any way I cut it, there isn't any way to do turns that simulates open-water. 
I have decided to just use push turns as harder training generally means a better race.

I feel that as long as I am consistent in what I do, then the timing should speak for itself.

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