Gear Guide - Fingertip Lap Counter

Training Plan	I Did
Swim: Warm-Up: 200 Swim 200 Kick 200 Pull Main Set: 16 X 50 Speedwork Cool Down: 200 Easy	Swim: Warm-Up: 200 Swim 200 Kick 200 Pull Main Set: 16 X 50 Speedwork Cool Down: 200 Easy
Workout Time:  40 minutes	Total Time:  120 minutes

One of the things I like about swimming is the oasis of calm in the pool.  No one bugs you.  No one wants to talk.  You can't hear or see your Crackberry.  It's like mediation time for me.  Unfortunately, I get lost in my thoughts and I forget to count my laps.


Speedo Aqualap to the rescue.  People seem to dislike this product on Amazon, but it's been awesome for me.  It's super easy to operate in the water and you don't need to stop swimming to count a lap.  It's very easy and intuitive to use.  You just tap it with your thumb while you're swimming.  Another nice thing is it has a little chime that you can hear underwater.  That chime lets you know that you did, in fact, count that lap.   Plus, I can easily read the screen underwater and see how lightenin' fast that last lap was.  (No more stopping and pulling off my goggles to see the timer clock.)  The downside is that the band isn't adjustable.  Either this is going to fit you or not - no adjusting.  I can't imagine that it would work for someone with large or petite hands.

Final verdict: You don't need this, but it's nice to have.  It lets you go on autopilot in the pool and then go home and analyze your lap data.

Training notes. Yesterday my shoulders finally protested the mile-a-day swimming.  When I hit the pool, my shoulders were tired.  I powered through my laps, but I'm looking forward to my rest day today.

Swim Weeks - As Good As Anticipated

Monday
Training Plan	I Did
Swim: Warm-Up:  4 x 150 Main:  1650 ladder    Cool Down:	Swim: Warm-Up:  4 x 150 Main:  1650 ladder    Cool Down:
Workout Time:  40 minutes	Total Time:  60 minutes
Tuesday
Training Plan	I Did
Swim: Warm-Up:  400 Main:  9x100 (EBEH)  Cool Down: 6x25 Bike: 60 Minutes  Hills	Swim: Warm-Up:  400 Main:  9x100 (EBEH)  Cool Down: 6x25 Bike: 60 Minutes  Hills
Workout Time:  100 minutes	Total Time:  140 minutes

As I expected, I'm just loving swim training week.

Swimming is the one workout I'm always sad to see end. When I finish a long swim I'm always so bummed to have to get out of the pool. Unlike running, where I'm always, always happy to wrap up a run.

As an added bonus, today while I was swimming the Senior Citizens Synchronized Swimming team was practicing.  You haven't lived until you've seen a bunch of ladies in flowered swim caps do the oyster flip.  All kidding aside, that's the type of senior citizen I want to be - healthy and still learning new stuff.  And I want to be doing jazzhands!

Once I finish the ultramarathon, I'm going to find some endurance swims to do - that Alcatraz swim or something like that.  It seems like a waste to love swimming so much and not do it all the time.

Week 1 - Complete

Week 1 of Half Ironman training is complete!  Woo Hoo and Go Me.

It was a lot of hours set aside for training and it wasn't perfect.  I had a business trip, so I did 2 long hours on a stationary bike in a hotel gym.  Boring, but I did it.

Also, I rode my bike today for a windy hour on Fiesta Island.  A few years ago I had a meltdown because I thought the gusts would blow my bike over, but it didn't really bother me today.  I still need to work a bit on descending hills, because I'm a big ol' fraidy cat, but I rode with confidence today.

Starting tomorrow, I'm in "Swim Training Week".  I love to swim and of course, I'm overjoyed.  A week of little running, little cycling and swimming everyday.  It'll be like every summer of my childhood.

For the record, here are the rest of the this weeks training plans and actuals.

Training Plan   I Did                Bike: 2 Hour - Moderate Pace  Run: 30 Minutes Recovery Pace Bike: 2 Hour - Moderate Pace  Run: 30 Minutes Recovery Pace Planned Time:  150 minutes Actual Time:  160 minutes

Training Plan   I Did                Swim: Warm Up 400 Main Set 10X100 Alternate speed Cool Down 150  Run: 90 Minutes Easy Pace Swim: Warm Up 400 Main Set 10X100 Alternate speed Cool Down 150  Run: 90 Minutes Easy Pace Workout Time:  130 minutes Total Time:  160 minutes

Training Plan   I Did                Bike: 1 Hour - Moderate Pace  Run: 30 Minutes Recovery Pace Bike: 1 Hour - Moderate Pace  Run: 30 Minutes Recovery Pace Planned Time:  90 minutes Actual Time:  170 minutes

An Example of Time Suction

Here is a perfect example of how all the preparation stuff can be a black hole of time.

Training Plan	I Did
Swim: Warm-Up: 2 x 150 Main Set:  3 x 500,  1 is RPE 3,  2 is RPE4,  3 is RPE 5 Cool Down:  150 easy	Weight Lifting: 30 Minutes Swim: Warm-Up:  2 x 150 Main Set:  3 x 500,  1 is RPE 3,  2 is RPE4,  3 is RPE 5 Cool Down:  150 easy
Planned Time:  40 Minutes	Training Time:  70 minutes Prep Time: 30 minutes

Steve broke a spoke on the wheel of his hill climbing bike. Since he needs that bike for this weekend, I took the wheel to the bike shop for him. It should have taken 5 minutes to drop off the wheel and ask them to rebuild it. Except it's a special wheel that they need to send out for rebuild and that would take a few weeks.

Okay, I asked if they could just replace the spoke. Unfortunately, this special wheel has very special spokes.  The guys at the bike shop sorted through boxes and boxes of spokes and couldn't find one to match.  Oh, and to order the special, special spoke for the special wheel?  There's only one vendor and he's super slow.  That order will take a few weeks too.  After an hour, I left the bike shop with a broken wheel and no clear path to get it fixed.

If you include driving to bike shops and phone calls,  it probably took us 4 hours to get that spoke replaced. 

Training Notes: Yesterday was my second long swim of the week.  I'm completely stoked about swimming a mile without fatigue, especially considering the 8 months I took off from swimming.  The the weight training I did in the off season really pays off when I swim.  I could have easily swam a second mile without fatigue in my back and shoulders.

Despite Watching Dr. Who, I'm Not A Time Lord

Training Plan	I Did
Bike: 1 Hour - Easy Pace  Run: 30 Minutes Haulin' butt	Bike: 45 Minutes - Easy Pace  Run: 20 Minutes Haulin' butt
Planned Time:  90 minutes	Actual Time:  120 minutes

I'm using a training plan that says I'll be ready for a half Ironman with just 12 hours per week.

That, my friends, is a big lie.

It might only take 12 hours of actual training, but it takes time to pack your gym bag, drive to the gym, shower, get redressed.  That doesn't even start to count all the time spent on bike maintenance and shopping for cute triathlon suits.  It's not the training; it's all the stuff you need to do to prepare and recover from training that's a giant time suck.

Plus, sometimes you hit a time chomping snag.  Today, my gym bag was all packed, but when I got the gym I realized I forgot my running shoes.  I need those.  That meant a 30 minute round trip to fetch something that I'd put right next to my gym bag.

Time for me is very limited.  Whenever I screw up my preparation, that means time I need to chop that time out of my training.  I'm going to keep a tight watch on how much time this is taking.  It's time I take from my family, my work, volunteering (remember when I did that!).  That's not a reason to give up on this goal, but I want to be conscious about the decision. 

Vineman 70.3 - Training Day 1

Training Plan	I Did
Warm-Up:   4 x 75  Main Set: 500 swim,  500 kick, 500 pull,  500 swim,  Cool Down: 100 swim,  100 back	Warm-Up:   4 x 75  Main Set: 500 swim,  250 kick, 500 pull,  500 swim,  Cool Down:  100 swim,  100 back

I live where it's sunny every day. Except of course today, the first day I needed to train in the pool. GRRR. Work with me Mr. Weatherman.

Well, at least the pool wasn't crowded. There's no problem getting a lane when the skies are dreary. In fact, for awhile it was just me and the lifeguard - I had all twelve lanes to myself.

Overall, I have no complaints with today's effort at the pool. I could have worked a little harder, but I happy completing such a long set on my first day in the pool in months. By the end of the workout, I had my head position in the water correct, but my kicking form was sloppy. I actually cut out half of my kicking set, because it was taking forever and I was worried I'd run out of time in the pool.  If you're form is a mess, it takes forever to get from one end of the pool to the other  Plus I really needed to go and review some form videos. There's no win in reinforcing bad form.

Where Was I?

I did not fall off the face of the Earth.

I did manage to plan a wedding, get married, complete two graduate courses, continue to do my job and submit my application to get my doctorate and take a honeymoon trip.  You get it.  I was busy.

Now it's back to training with Vineman 70.3 as our goal.  I spent a lot of time yesterday trying to incorporate enough training time into my schedule along with all the business travel I need to do.   Then I spent some time creating a really nice training calendar to hang on the fridge.  I had the calendar professionally printed and everything.  Long, long ago I worked as a graphic artist and visuals are important to me.  More than loving a good visual, I believe it's really important to write down the goal and the steps to get there.  There's something about putting your goals on paper that takes them from dreams to plans.

Just so you don't think I was lying about the wedding - here's a photo of Steve and I.  Right between the wedding and reception, we went down to the beach for the sunset.  I'm so happy we have these photos.