More SWIM TALK....?

• On: 07/24/2009 14:37:35

 Oops!  I guess I need to blog – slacker!  I am here, I just tend not to SIT long enough to blog.  But, here I am…We had a nice time in Tucson.  And, I will NOT even complain one second it was 110+F degrees out there.  I really didn’t mind it, but it sure gave me a new appreciation for heat.  Here at home, we go in and out and can train at ANY time of the day.  It is cool this summer…58F when I left for OW swimming this morning…so, we have no issues and I do NOT have to worry about getting in 2 workouts in the AM.  While I was still up at 4.30am today to go and swim, I “don’t” have to.  And, I am appreciative of that.  However, I will take Tucson’s SUMMER over Chicago’s winter anytime.  At least you can go outside in Tucson and train.  NOT in Chicago winters. 

And, I am always wondering why everyone talks about Fruit smoothies and Jamba Juice and all of that stuff..WELL it is because that is ALL you want when the temps are that hot…I mean, here we crave much different things (breads, heavier things) in the colder temps.  Very interesting. I mean, I was craving POP…PEPSI the entire time in Tucson…and, that is not something I normally drink at home.  And, I must say, Jerome was a saint out there.  HE loves the heat – and we would be riding in the meat of the day and he was literally probably riding backwards with me – and you know how it goes “JUST GO JEROME!” and he would for a bit, but always came back to check on me.   He waited for me at the top of Mt. Lemmon for a long time – he’s a keeper!  My legs felt great all weekend, but it was a long, hot weekend and PHEW….but when we were not riding/running we were recovering and watching the TOUR.  July is really the best month ever!

I have been thinking a lot about swimming lately.  Yes, more than normal. HA HA.  I DO spend a lot of time thinking about cycling and running and now with Dave 99% of the conversations are about RUNNING and hard running (Not yet, but soon:  august 1^st)….and how much trouble I am going to be in.  Jenny Garrison called yesterday and may jump on the bandwagon too – back to the good old days when we could do some training together…!  The more the merrier in hell, in my opinion!  We are running together on Thursday….oh lordy.

Ok, this is what I have been thinking about with swimming…so bare with me IF you are at all interested.  And, what sparked it was an older post that Alicia Parr (blogroll) on swimming and how much swimming she does NOT do.  And, as I have talked about before, we came out neck to neck at USAT Nationals a couple of years ago from the swim. 

Some people need to swim A LOT! I mean, 20,000+ yards per week to keep their feel of the water and improve and or keep things status quo.  And, to be honest, the shorter the race, the more you need to swim…so OLY athletes need to be in that water ALL THE TIME – Ironman athletes, not as vital, of course.  And, on the flipside, there are swimmers that grew up swimming and or just pick it up naturally and do NOT need to swim that much at all. IN fact, just 1x/week or 2x/week max and they are fine.  Seriously!  I am one that needs to be in the water ALL THE TIME.  Alicia and Jerome…notsomuch.

I make fun of Jerome all the time because he HATES to swim.  He will never go to the pool and he goes to Open water with me b/c we have fun together.  And, he tortures me under the water, but if I did not swim, he would not swim!  And, Jerome is a super swimmer.  Of course he can be faster, but he is an IM athlete and swims 56-57s with out swimming, so why bother?  And, I get his point, but my counter-point is that he would be MUCH better on the bike/run if he swam more and was more efficient in the swim.  Um, yeah.  That is what I keep telling him…but he doesn’t budge.  Even after I beat him out of the water at EM by 1 minute (HA) I made fun of him and all he said, “Was swimming 4x/week for 1 min worth that?”  Ok, smart ass…while I was 1 minute up from Jerome I was many minutes from the next 35-39 girl, so for me, yes!

And, my point is this. I actually need to swim to swim well.  I NEED to feel that water on a VERY regular basis. I am not a natural swimmer.  I know some of you may think otherwise, but just like everything else, I worked my ass off for years and years and being SUPER consistent and it has paid off.  Yes,  I did swim as a kid and in HS for a bit, but I was NOT a star nor even close to that….it was not my passion….I was a basketball player /track runner (jumper- haha) by heart.  Swimming was a LOT OF WORK back then (still is!).

And, I have REALLY noticed a big change in my swimming.  Our Masters team goes from LATE September through mid-May.  Basically the entire year that is NOT Triathlon Season.  So, I swim A LOT and hard those months (after my year end Triathlon break in the fall)….so, I come into the SPRING in phenomenal POOL SHAPE.  I peak my pool swim shape in Mid- April, which is the Illinois State Swim Championships…and which I swim the 1650y TT and do my best to win that sucker….So, I peak in Mid-April in the pool.  THEN, the swim team is FRIED and they all fall apart and start to drink beers.  And, there we are … the Triathletes – HAVING to get back fired up to race Triathlons in OW!  Not easy after swimming as much as we do on that team weekly.

So, that brings us to Triathlon season.  I can easily swim by myself and do so a lot.  This year, I have been so-so on that.  I was SUPER good in prep for my 1^st part of the season’s A race: EM.  Then, I took a break….from everything…and then, July 1^st I got back on the bandwagon, but more base stuff.  I said “um, I am not going to stare at the black line today.”  And, I found myself in Open water 3x/week or so. 

There is a HUGE difference between OW swimmers and POOL swimmers.  There is a technique in each of these venues.  And, then you add the (ick) wetsuit and boom….swimming is different.  All of a sudden I was swimming 2 x week for 2+ miles in OW.  One of them a SWIM RACE and the other one where I would swim sans wetsuit while the group swam with their wetsuits and I would kill myself to stay up.  The wetsuit is sooo easy.  Well, after 1 month of this, I have decided…I AM VERY strong in the OW but not sure I am fast.  And, there is a huge difference…and considering I am not doing an IM this year..well, not sure that is a good thing.

I got into the pool on Tuesday this week..now of course, keeping in mind that I came off a 3 day big weekend in HOT Tucson, but when I saw the 100 times and 200 times I knew…right then, that I was a huge slacker.  HA.  Not that it matters all that much in July for me (next A race is November)…but ….it is a true sign that I can not just pop into the pool and expect to be fast..or efficient OR have good flip turns…and my IM stuff..pathetic.   But, I can swim 2 + miles with my eyes closed…so, what do you want?  Ideally, both, but I got SO tired of that damned black line in the winter and unlike most of the world, we do NOT have outdoor 50m pools here that are close so it is nearly impossible for me to swim outside…

So, what does this mean?  Well, I need to do some pool work for my upcoming OLY Triathlons in August.  Second, I need to make sure I am not getting any worms/E-coli (ha!) from all the OW.  Third, I am having fun & the BEST workout of my week is our weekly Friday morning pick up 4.30am swims in OW as the sun rises…NOT much compares to that.  Makes me happy.  And, at the end of the week, that is all that I need.

And, another thing I noticed…which of course we all KNOW, but it hit me in the face on Wednesday.  I swam the 2 mile swim race with  OUT the wetsuit. I was one of the few.  I had to start the race and jump in a few minutes later this past week…and I usually can catch the swimmers and get back into the lead pack, but NOT this week…I did not have a wetsuit and man, I forgot what a difference that is…and how absolutely trashed I was when I got out. I worked hard and basically had a mini-bonk (I am not used to working out at 7pm at night) and I needed a gel and then tried to run a 10k (hilly) and was like, “UM, that is not going to work!”  And, part of that fatigue is Tucson, but the other part of that is a VERY hard sans wetsuit swim race…what a DIFFERENCE!  And, I swim w/o the wetsuit so I can keep the feel of the water and quite frankly, it is MUCH harder and makes you work on form and when you DO put the wetsuit on (like I wore this AM) you are FLYING….like it is stupid easy.

So, what this means is two things:  1.) I need to get my ass back into the pool starting 8/1.  2.) I am in good OW shape and strong in the OW….which I will take in July!  Because I can NOT say the same thing about the pool swimming!  But, since I am not training for any swim meets, I think that is fine!

This past Wednesday night we had a light crew….50 swimmers, maybe?  Most did a local ½ Ironman so were recovering, but ALL I HEAR all day long is how people can not breathe in the water, can not get comfortable in the water, can not improve their swim times, etc….well, if you do not swim in the OW you will not get better.  There is no way around it.  The pool is great for swim FITNESS and of course that is key, but at the end of the day, there is no substitute for the Open water – so make it a priority!  J  And, get rid of the excuses.  I sure wish people had the passion for the water as they did for their running!!  Have a good SWIMMING weekend!

Oh, and some of you have asked IF Jerome was successful on our trip to Tucson in talking me into an IM in 2010...well, the verdict is still out.  He is IN though for one next year....and it is a little tempting.  But, can someone do the bike training for me?  thanks so much.