| | Saturday, June 20, 2009 17 lanes of slow swimming.
Saturday, May 16, 2009 I went once in May, don't remember which day, so I'll just choose May 16.
Monday, April 20, 2009
8:30pm swim. Did 2 lanes in the moderate lane - it was too slow. Then did 5 in the fast lane.
1:22, 1:06, 1:06, 0:54, 0:57, 1:12, 1:14
Sunday, April 19, 2009
5 days since my last swim, so I took it easy again today, at around 70% speed, since I'm not really getting into a groove yet. Last time I tried to get back into it right away (Apr 5), my left arm hurted for 3 days and 3 nights. I'm actually not too concerned, as my biking is beginning to take off. April has been pretty disappointing, with 19 days passing and only 3 swimming sessions. Man, when I renewed my 3-month swimming pass in late March I wasn't expecting to throw my money out the window...actually, throwing money out the window is not my biggest problem, it's my health and well being I'm more concerned with when I don't exercise enough.
1:07, 1:07, 1:17, 1:10, 1:13, 1:16, 1:13, 1:16, 1:17, 1:15,
1:12, 1:15, 1:18, 1:13, 1:06, 1:14, 1:18, 1:16, 1:19, 1:18
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Went at 75% speed today since I haven't went in over a week.
1:01, 1:07, 1:07, 1:11, 1:12, 1:11, 1:16, 1:17, 1:14, 1:20,
1:10, 1:16, 1:15, 1:16, 1:23, 1:07, 1:05, 1:14, 1:22, 1:21
Ran into MPL.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Kiddie pool was closed, so the lanes were closed today to let the kids roam. Went straight to showers. Boo.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
After 2 weeks of tax season, and some illness, I'm glad to be back. So many turtles today - so I can hardly get anywhere. Therefore, results were dismal.
20 laps. Total time: 23:28
0:55, 1:08, 1:07, 1:05, 1:06, 1:11, 1:14, 1:06, 1:11, 1:14,
1:13, 1:18, 1:17, 1:11, 1:09, 1:24, 1:12, 1:14, 1:19, 1:04
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Continued to experiment with the swinging arms motion.
20 laps. Total time: 21:47
0:58, 0:59, 1:02, 1:06, 1:09, 1:07, 1:03, 1:05, 1:09, 1:08,
1:00, 1:06, 1:06, 1:15, 1:04, 1:09, 1:11, 1:10, 1:12, 0:58
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Tweaked my front crawl stroke since around lap 13 or 14. Instead of relying on arm to pull the body forward, now I use the torso area to force the arms back. This makes use of a stronger muscle group (back and sides) instead of relying on the arms alone. Appears to be quite effective - it will need to be perfected, of course.
Also had to renew my pass today.
20 laps
0:47, 1:02, 1:02, 1:03, 1:01, 1:03, 1:03, 1:11, 1:05, 1:04,
1:04, 1:02, 1:05, 1:07, 1:03, 1:09, 1:08, 1:06, 1:08, 1:03
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Moderate amount of people in the lane today.
20 laps. Total time: 22:04
0:50, 1:08, 1:04, 1:08, 1:03, 1:09, 1:06, 1:15, 1:08, 1:05,
1:07, 1:09, 1:04, 1:12, 1:13, 1:10, 1:07, 1:10, 1:03, 1:05
I feel my butterfly kick is quite comfortable now.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Swimming pass will expire on March 23. Gotta re-new unless I don't decide to pick up cycling early (I doubt it)
On lap 16, I used Trans-Am to pass a slow swimmer, but then performance dropped after that.
20 laps.
0:49, 0:57, 1:03, 1:04, 1:04, 1:08, 1:08, 1:07, 1:07, 1:11,
1:07, 1:09, 1:12, 1:07, 1:10, 1:01, 1:17, 1:16, 1:15, 1:08
Thursday, March 12, 2009
A man threatened to attack me today...in the showers.
After my swim I waited for a shower cubicle. There are three of them. I stood in the center and after waiting for 10 minutes a woman stood next to me. After another 3 minutes her husband and daughter joined her, and they put their shoes outside the cubicle. I knew this cubicle would be available first because I watched the people go into the 3 cubicles.
The cubicle's door flung open, and the woman took a step towards the shower. I took two quick steps to cut her off. Her husband then came up behind me and started saying things like:
"This is our cubicle. You were waiting for the other one." He put their towels and goggles on the bench inside the cubicle.
I responded, "I was here first. I have been waiting for 10 minutes. The next cubicle will be available in another 2 minutes (he and I both know this is true as one member of the other cubicle came out and said so)."
He said, "No, you can only wait for one."
I repeated what I just said. I put down my goggle and swimming cap, then stepped back outside to grab my bag from the locker. I stepped back in and the confrontation was intense. The man had stepped into the shower. I repeated, "Excuse me, but I was here first. I had waited in line before you."
He lunged a step at me shoulders first. His eyes was aggressive. It's the motion you make when throwing a punch. We were within centimeters of colliding. I knew he would not attack me. My arms remained at my side and I gave him an assertive stare. By now, we had drawn a small crowd.
He started complaining again with his logic. However, he started to leave when he saw my arms were larger than his and I had really broad shoulders and chest from my weight training and advanced swimming. I also have six-packs abdominal muscles. I held my arm towards the door and said, "Sorry, I was here first. I'm sorry, but you'll have to take the next cubicle. It will be ready in two minutes."
By this time he was boiling mad. I don't blame him, because he does have his reason. However, I have my reason to stay firm. At the end, he and his family left the cubicle. After all, I did get here first.
If he had attacked me, I wouldn't fight back. There's no need to make a small misunderstanding a big argument. Had he refused to leave, I would have just left. However, I want to make my point clear - and stand for right to go first.
Hence my motto: "I don't pick a fight, but neither do I lose one."
20 laps. Total time: 24:32. The lanes were clogged with people.
1:04, 0:59, 1:17, 1:31, 2:25, 1:09, 1:16, 1:13, 1:07, 1:05,
1:07, 1:02, 1:08, 1:21, 1:12, 1:10, 1:18, 1:09, 1:04, 1:03
Met MPL
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
20 laps. Total time: 21:39
0:56, 0:56, 1:02, 1:01, 1:05, 1:06, 1:09, 1:09, 1:09, 1:06,
1:07, 1:10, 1:06, 1:08, 1:11, 1:09, 1:07, 1:06, 1:06, 1:04
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The last time I went swimming was last Monday. It has been a week and I'm glad to be back. I'm going to do some express swimming, cutting repetition from 30 to 20 laps, and probably will increase the speed as I will be less concerned with conserving energy for the last 10 laps.
Today, I just took it easy. Mostly front crawl (90%+), with some backstroke and breaststroke thrown in for good measure.
20 laps. Total time: 24:08
0:54, 0:59, 1:08, 1:15, 1:06, 1:10, 1:14, 1:08, 1:16, 1:13,
1:14, 1:10, 1:24, 1:11, 1:23, 1:37, 1:13, 1:04, 1:16, 1:23
Friday, March 6, 2009
Moral Story!!!
Today I went to the pool after taking 3 days off with a sore throat. The pool was closed, so I headed immediately to the showers.
There are 3 shower stalls. A person was waiting at the left one. I stood near the center one and soon joined by another person who stood on my right. Then a man walks up and started talking to me, stuff like how long people were in the stalls.
After that he said something like, "are you waiting for this one or the one on the right?"
I wasn't too happy about this. I said, "Whichever one is available first."
He said, "No, you have to wait for just one."
I said, "No, whichever one is available first. It's like waiting in line at the supermarket." This guy came later than me. Now he's trying to get ahead of me.
He said, "No, you can only wait for just one. It's not like at the supermarket." He walked away before I could respond.
I thought to myself a principle of life I've known for very long: When there's enough resources for everyone, everyone gets along fine. But when resources are scarce, and there is competition, then you see people's true nature.
I further thought to myself another principle I've lived with: Don't start a fight, but don't lose a fight either. The reasoning is simple: you must stand up for yourself. People that know me know I'm quite easy going, often avoiding conflict. However, there are times like this where people take advantage of me being a nice person. They will be shocked to know that I have an assertive side which I know when to use. There are a lot of people who only think for themselves. It's important to speak up and stand tall in those situations.
If the man had not left, what would have happened? I'm sure I would have stood my ground. I got here first, so I will get a shower first. You got here later than me, so you can go after me - and the person who was standing to my right all this time.
Be assertive. Stand your ground.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Can't concentrate again. Very disappointing results...it was meant to be an easy day, but it didn't feel easy. Learned to kick off downwards off the ends. It was kind of fun, but surfacing is quite abrupt.
32 laps. Two of them may be inaccurate: the 0:40 and 0:43 maybe is really 1:23. Total time: 36:50
0:52, 1:02, 0:59, 1:34, 1:01, 1:05, 1:19, 1:09, 1:17, 1:02,
1:09, 1:12, 1:13, 1:09, 1:18, 1:12, 1:16, 0:40, 0:43, 1:15,
1:26, 1:17, 1:18, 1:25, 1:23, 1:05, 1:10, 1:07, 1:07, 1:12,
1:01, 1:07
Friday, Feb 27, 2009
30 laps. Total time: 35:26. 70% speed. Did about 12 somersault kick off the walls. Did a few lanes of backstroke as well.
0:54, 1:06, 1:11, 1:06, 1:15, 1:12, 1:09, 1:14, 1:14, 1:19,
1:13, 1:11, 1:15, 1:18, 1:13, 1:15, 1:15, 1:15, 1:09, 1:11,
1:17, 1:13, 1:11, 1:13, 1:15, 1:09, 1:09, 1:11, 1:05, 1:04,
Tuesday, Feb 24, 2009
Ran into Anthony today outside the pool, who just went to the gym. Ran into Mike, who goes Tue, Thur. Very few people, but I went with a moderate speed. These results show even if I'm not trying, I can be under 1:15 easily. I was going at around 70% speed for the first 19 laps. Then cranked it up a little, but I'm surprised the times were not quicker.
33 laps.Total time 40:49 including 3:03 break before last lap.
0:51, 1:09, 1:09, 1:08, 1:10, 1:07, 1:14, 1:09, 1:12, 1:10,
1:10, 1:09, 1:11, 1:13, 1:06, 1:12, 1:12, 1:14, 1:16, 0:59,
1:05, 1:08, 1:12, 1:12, 1:09, 1:12, 1:13, 1:10, 1:10, 1:17,
1:11, 1:14, 0:45
Monday, Feb 23, 2009
So many empty car spaces today = very few people!!! I changed my strategy though - I went at 70% speed. I'm thinking if I go at 90% speed 3-4 days a week, it may actually be a detriment to my health rather than boost it. It's kind of like riding a bicycle should be easy on the body's joints. But if it is rode too harshly it may actually hurt the knees. I aimed for consistency. And it showed I was more or less successful, with average of 1:11. Perhaps I'll do 90% 2-3 times, and 70% 2-3 times a week.
In the gym: doing stomach crunches 15 times, then legs, then arms. Arms consists of bench press, chest pull ("wings" machine), arm curl (biceps). Main focus is the abs.
32 laps. Total time: 36:57
0:55, 1:05, 1:06, 1:10, 1:11, 1:11, 1:12, 1:10, 1:11, 1:13,
1:11, 1:11, 1:13, 1:11, 1:00, 1:12, 1:12, 1:12, 1:11, 1:11,
1:11, 1:13, 1:10, 1:09, 1:13, 1:13, 1:09,1:12, 1:12, 1:09,
1:08, 1:04
Friday, Feb 20, 2009
Too many people in the lane. And annoying slow people swimming in my lane...keep getting blocked. The most annoying ones are the ones that wait till you get to the end before they take off. I have to not get to the end, stand in front of them to prevent them from getting in the way. As a result, homeostasis could not be achieved. I started losing focus...
31 laps. Total time 40:02. (include 4:58 break before last lap). 8/31 laps under 1:05.
0:50, 0:58, 1:12, 1:13, 0:58, 0:58, 1:05, 1:16, 1:06, 1:14,
1:15, 1:03, 1:03, 1:06, 1:20, 1:11, 1:14, 1:23, 1:06, 1:06,
1:18, 1:06, 1:14, 1:11, 1:10, 1:08, 1:20, 1:04, 1:14, 1:15,
0:42 (estimate - 2 dudes blocked the ending)
In the gym: now practicing sit-up's on the exercise ball. Also doing some arm curls with bench press. Doing some shoulder and back exercises too. Didn't swim the last couple days - sore foot.
Mike complemented my swimming on Tuesday. Said I was pretty fast with a strong upper body. He drafted after me!
Monday, Feb 16, 2009
New bar standard: 1:05 a lap for RED status. (i.e. 1:04/lap or better is considered a pass)
I went at 8:30pm today, and wow!
I am usually one of the faster swimmers in the lane, but today I was one of the slowest - and I was going all out at 92%! There were 3 lanes - "Front Crawl Only" (Fast), "Intermediate", and "Slow". I broke my own previous records, and today's swim with the "sharks" sure helped me move along my training. I feel I can keep up with them soon. My breathing was easy - my arms maintained strength. At lap 26, my body screamed "stop!", but my willpower overrode the plea and completed what I set out to accomplish. :) I experimented with placing the goggles under my cap, and it slid back on 3-4 occasions which was annoying. But no water got into my goggles. I was still kind of full from dinner so it affected my performance a little (but no excuses!!) I can still whistle freely after the 30 lanes. Which means my lung capacity is now quite good. It can still be better. I worked on abs a little yesterday at home. Time to get fit there!!! I'm quite strong and fit for a Chinese, time to aim higher and enter the class of the other "Westerners"
30 lanes. Total 33:12 including 0:53 break before last lap. I lost calculation so when I thought I was at lap 30 I was actually at 29. So I got a 0:53 rest before the last lap. I didn't go fastest in the last lap, but it wasn't too bad!!
12 out of 30 laps were under 1:05. On three or four occasions I got blocked by the faster swimmers trying to get ahead of me. Basically I pushed off each end with just one breath (occasionally twice).
0:51, 1:00, 1:04, 1:04, 1:05, 1:03, 1:08, 1:04, 1:05, 1:08,
1:04, 1:02, 1:05, 1:03, 1:14, 1:05, 1:06, 1:05, 1:16, 1:03,
1:06, 1:10, 1:05, 1:08, 1:05, 1:12, 1:14, 1:07, 1:03, 0:49
No butterfly. Yesterday I watched a whole bunch of videos.
Did not swim yesterday.
Saturday, Feb 14, 2009
Almost perfect day. There was usually 1 other person who's pretty fast he passed me once (I passed him 4-5 times when he needed to rest), sometimes up to 3, but no roadblocks until the very end when a woman came in and blocked me twice.
30 laps. 31 minutes (for 30 laps). 5:18 break before lap 31
0:55, 1:01, 1:05, 1:05, 1:07, 1:07, 1:07, 1:06, 1:07, 1:07,
1:08, 1:07, 1:08, 1:07, 1:08, 1:07, 1:08, 1:07, 1:07, 1:07,
1:08, 1:06, 1:08, 1:10, 1:08, 1:05, 1:06, 1:08, 1:09, 1:05,
0:39 (new record!!!)
1 lane of butterfly. I think I'm swinging my arms too slowly. Can't really feel the wave.
Friday, Feb 13, 2009
Today was an OK day. I just wish people won't stand at each end. There's always 3-4 people at each end, making me twist to find a place to push off, or avoid the ends altogether. This created a huge problem: I couldn't achieve homeostasis this way. But it helps my adaptability to different situations. There were always slow people slowing me down...so although I hoped to swim 90% today, it was nearly impossible.
32 laps. About 40 minutes. Two super fast laps. 2:48 break between 30th and 31st lap; and 1:59 break between 31st and 32nd lap. There was also one butterfly between 31 and 32. Two 1/2 lanes. Gulped a large mouthful of water. Need to check my head angle - my goggles keep getting water in.
0:51, 2:02, 1:00, 1:06, 1:14, 1:01, 1:08, 1:06, 1:12, 1:03,
1:14, 1:04, 1:16, 1:05, 1:21, 1:06, 1:13, 1:16, 1:08, 1:16,
1:04, 1:08, 1:10, 1:08, 1:12, 1:17, 1:09, 1:10, 1:12, 1:04,
0:41 (new record!!! - I was able to activate legs in return lane), 0:46
Thursday, Feb 12, 2009
I couldn't achieve anything today, or so I thought. The fast and slow lanes were merged cause the kiddie pool was closed. All the slow swimmers clogged up the lane. Good thing my objective today was to practice 2 lanes of arms, then 2 lanes of free kick, and keep alternating.
I think I've invented a new drill - letting out breath more slowly (expand lung capacity). I've also did long hard strides of front crawl arms. This could be useful down the road. The "Trans-AM" (super) effect wears off after about 1.5 lanes and I get tired. I also practiced 1.5 lanes of dolphin kick cause the lane was so slow and I needed a stroke that uses more of my energy (so that I can maintain it longer next time)
31 laps. Total 42:53.
1:02, 1:06, 1:05, 1:17, 1:17, 1:17, 1:13, 1:22, 1:25, 1:08,
1:14, 1:31, 1:23, 1:27, 1:56, 1:34, 1:35, 1:35, 2:30, 1:25,
1:51, 1:18, 1:42, 1:15, 1:25, 1:17, 1:28, 1:22, 1:39, 1:03
Wednesday, Feb 11, 2009
4 days off, it's good to get back to it. However, today I couldn't concentrate. My objective was unclear. It was something like 80% speed...I was bored.
30 laps. Total 37:16
0:57, 0:58, 1:05, 1:08, 1:05, 1:10, 1:11, 1:11, 1:15, 1:29,
1:06, 1:14, 1:16, 1:15, 1:09, 1:16, 1:20, 1:30, 1:15, 1:45,
1:15, 1:18, 1:16, 1:15, 1:21, 1:22, 1:21, 1:16, 1:22, 1:12
Friday, Feb 6, 2009
I had a time limit of 30 minutes today, so I did 20 laps 90% kicking, 35% arms. Probably because I already maxed out legs yesterday, in lap 1 my legs told me they're tired. It was a tough training day. Several other average swimmers in the lane today. For the most part they were ok. In the later laps, I couldn't even use my arms much as I guess it's close to weekend and I'm tired.
20 laps, total 23:14. 15 out of 20 laps under 1:15.
0:54, 1:01, 1:06, 1:06, 1:15, 1:08, 1:09, 1:15, 1:10, 1:10,
1:13, 1:15, 1:14, 1:12, 1:22, 1:10, 1:05, 1:12, 1:22, 1:06
No butterfly.
Thursday, Feb 5, 2009
One of the best ways to train for any sport is to isolate the part of training. I worked on legs today, mainly on frontcrawl kicking. Arms functioned at about 40%, whereas legs functioned at 90%. This way, legs cannot rely on arms. They must stand up for themselves and contribute. Even standing waiting for the elevator can be training...simply tiptoe and put weight on the calf.
20 laps of mainly legs, 1:12 break between, then 5 laps 90% training.
0:50, 1:04, 1:10, 1:12, 1:12, 1:13, 1:15, 1:10, 1:17, 1:13,
1:05, 1:22, 1:09, 1:11, 1:17, 1:08, 1:13, 1:15, 1:13, 1:09,
0:57, 1:13, 2:10, 1:13, 1:21
Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009
Goal of having 30 laps out of 30 laps under 1:15 achieved. 32 out of 32 laps all under 1:15. A secondary goal was partially achieved 23 out of 32 laps were under 1:10. 7 out of 32 laps were under 1:05. Making use of newly expanded lung and heart capacity. At lap 19 it became difficult, but I persevered. It felt just like my Sun Run training in 2007...every bit of determination was needed. It is necessary to break through current homeostasis to reach a new level of homeostasis. Now the challenge is to maintain the level and improve upon it.
32 laps, total time: 38:08 (including 3:00 rest before last lap)
0:52, 1:02, 1:05, 1:06, 1:07, 1:07, 1:13, 1:05, 1:10, 1:09
1:09, 1:08, 1:08, 1:09, 1:12, 1:09, 1:07, 1:10, 1:10, 1:10,
1:08, 1:10, 1:07, 1:03, 1:12, 1:04, 1:08, 1:04, 1:09, 1:02,
1:05, 0:43
Did a half-lane butterfly practice. Feeling good...getting the rhythm!
Tuesday, Feb 3, 2009
Continue 90% training. 13 out of 33 laps made 1:09 or better. 27 out of 33 laps was 1:14 or better.
33 laps, total 37:30 not including 2:25 break before final lap
0:51, 1:02, 1:09, 1:02, 1:06, 1:09, 1:07, 1:09, 1:13, 1:07,
1:12, 1:10, 1:14, 1:15, 1:12, 1:15, 1:12, 1:13, 1:14, 1:19,
1:11, 1:03, 1:16, 1:12, 1:13, 1:12, 1:09, 1:12, 1:10, 1:21,
1:10, 1:08, 0:46
No butterfly. Used too much energy to maintain the 90% speed. Body is still aching all over.....(worse than yesterday)
Monday, Feb 2, 2009
It's February. Let's look at some stats.
I swam 17 days from December 23 (when I started) to January 31, 2009. Total days: 31 + 9 = 40 days.
So I worked on 90% speed today. I managed to maintain some homeostasis at a high level - I'm very glad. Once again, legs (operating at 70%) were relying heavily on arms to get the job done. I'm not satisfied!! I want legs to be fully independent and pull its own weight. I also made good use of my newly expanded lung capacity and heart beat (still to be improved). The results were promising. I moved quite quickly today. As a result, at each end I had to take 4 gasps before continuing. The average speed was faster, as I see a lot of 1:11's - 1:13's. 6 laps were better than 1:10. 22 out of 33 laps were better than 1:15. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the Chinese female lifeguard with long hair keeps looking at me. I was the second fastest swimmer in the fast lane. There was one girl who was dressed like a professional swimmer and warped around the lane. I wasn't too far behind. Haha...
33 laps. Total time: 42:54 (with 3:35 break before the final full speed lap)
1:33, 0:59, 1:07, 1:11, 1:12, 1:13, 1:08, 1:08, 1:08, 1:13,
1:10, 1:10, 1:10, 1:11, 1:14, 1:12, 1:13, 1:17, 1:21, 1:14,
1:15, 1:17, 1:10, 1:17, 1:17, 1:18, 1:10, 1:13, 1:11, 1:15,
1:14, 1:10, 0:45
No butterfly today. The lane had too much people. I was too tired anyways from badminton yesterday, playing with Dr. Choy...man he's crazy good. It's funny how my body was aching all over during work today and as soon as I hit water the pain disappeared. The hot pool is my remedy...lol.
Friday, Jan 30, 2009
Saving energy for tomorrow, I did 30 laps with focus on kicking. This week I've been working on legs and chest in the gym, so I decided to work on speed kicking (no arms). There was one other fast person in the lane today, so all was good - the lanes were clear. I managed to get my kicking up to a reasonable pace, as it was pretty weak. The results were promising, although I had to rest between each lane as my feet weren't used to such high intensity. I did 1:04 once, with focus on legs, and arms was non-chalant. Getting to the other side of the pool yielded 0:25 to 0:27 results. I'm hoping to use strong arms and strong legs together and that should yield 1:10 results in the near future.
30 laps. Total time 43:03
1:12, 1:18, 1:09, 1:15, 1:12, 1:27, 1:19, 1:14, 1:30, 1:15,
1:40, 1:25, 1:43, 1:27, 2:00, 1:22, 1:57, 1:39, 2:24, 1:11,
1:14, 1:21, 1:30, 1:17, 1:31, 1:43, 1:25, 1:09, 1:21, 1:10
No butterfly training. Did CASB most of the last few days. I will probably buy a bicycle trainer and have obtained the combo to the showers to complement my swimming technique.
Monday, Jan 26, 2009
Continued working on speed at 90%. Once again I swam with the turtles for the first 10 laps. Somehow I managed to do OK. The most annoying is a woman in orange swimming backstroke in the fast lane. Once again, she was greeted by my butterfly greeting.
30 laps. 38 minutes. (Non-stop. Not sure why I had lap 19 as 0:39 and lap 20 as 0:37. Luckily I did more laps. Skip both.)
1:02, 0:58, 1:08, 1:18, 1:19, 1:13, 1:22, 1:13, 1:12, 1:13,
1:14, 1:15, 1:14, 1:15, 1:13, 1:15, 1:11, 1:15, 1:13, 1:22,
1:12, 1:09, 1:12, 1:13, 1:11, 1:13, 1:15, 1:17, 1:13, 0:42 (2 minute break before the last lap)
Took a break, then did another super fast, 0:48 (got blocked at the end)
Also practiced butterfly once as there were 5 other pretty good swimmers in the lane. Still can't kick properly.
Sunday, Jan 25, 2009
Before moving beyond 60 laps, I decided to work on the speed of individual laps. Therefore, I increased speed by 10% and did 30 laps. Homeostasis was achieved, but was limited by the current heart and lung capacity, which was accustomed to 80% speed and so 90% speed was new. The goal was to maintain below 1:15 per lap, which was achieved 24 out of 30 laps. I was satisfied with the results, although it could be better. It's a good start. At lap 26, my body told me it was at its limit. However, the will persevered and I finished all 30 laps. There were two other pretty good swimmers in the lane today. But they took breaks a lot.
I also practiced butterfly 3 times (1/2 lanes). Each time it only took 40% of my strength. A big improvement! Also, the kicking and arms coordinated a lot better. Now I need to work on consistency and achieve homeostasis. I think it's similar to riding a bicycle hand-free in which constant speed is required.
I think the lifeguard kept looking at me - I think butterfly is just something more interesting to look at. I think my dolphin kick is pretty good now - although it's only good for short distances (1/2 lap). I can't feel it can propel me without arms very far. That's just something I'll have to work on. I've just reconfirmed there's a kick when head is above water and another kick when below water. I'll need to try this out next time.
30 laps. Total 36:16 (including 1:21 break after lap 20)
0:56, 1:03, 1:07, 1:07, 1:04, 1:09, 1:08, 1:09, 1:09, 1:09,
1:07, 1:13, 1:14, 1:16, 1:15, 1:13, 1:14, 1:12, 1:13, 1:08,
1:02, 1:11, 1:14, 1:10, 1:15, 1:14, 1:19, 1:15, 1:24, 1:01 (fast, not max speed)
I took a 1:21 break after the 20th lap - my arms and legs were prepared, but my heart and lungs were at capacity. The quick break allowed me to continue.
Took a break yesterday.
Friday, Jan 23, 2009
Set out to break my 2007 record (51 laps x 2 lanes/lap = 102 lanes) and I did it. The leisure pool was closed today so the regular pool was a total chaos with kids swarming the lanes and people who didn't swim properly clogged up the fast lane. I spent most of the first 20 lanes weeding through slow swimmers and couldn't achieve any homeostasis which is necessary to achieve 50+ laps. However, in the later 40 laps, I did just that. Actually I should thank the turtles in my lane...they helped me conserve energy to use so that in the last 10 laps, I swam faster than the previous 50 laps. However, my Timex Ironman watch only records 50 laps. Therefore, I'll use conservatively 1:20 for the last 10 laps. Although realistically, I think it should be around 1:15 each. Funny thing is, I wasn't even tired after 60 laps since I was swimming in homeostasis state. However, my arms told me I had to stop. Swimming training is simple. Today's 100% is tomorrow's 80%. i.e. If I swim 50 laps in 1 hour today, my goal tomorrow is 60 laps in 1 hour. That way, when I reach 50laps, that's only 80% of where I want to go, using the same amount of time.
60 laps. 1 hour 18 minutes.
1:19, 1:25, 1:19, 1:28, 1:45, 1:26, 1:22, 1:16, 1:18, 1:17,
1:15, 1:15, 1:17, 1:21, 1:15, 1:27, 1:15, 1:16, 1:09, 1:13,
1:27, 0:55, 1:21, 1:16, 1:14, 1:15, 1:18, 1:13, 1:18, 1:18,
1:19, 1:21, 1:11, 1:17, 1:16, 1:20, 1:17, 1:17, 1:18, 1:13,
1:14, 1:28, 1:22, 1:13, 1:31, 1:17, 1:21, 1:18, 1:23, 1:17,
1:20, 1:20, 1:20, 1:20, 1:20, 1:20, 1:20, 1:20, 1:20, 0:52 (full speed)
Note that on about half of those laps I couldn't reach the ends of the shallow lane cause it was clogged with bystanders. But that is partially offset by the fact I can't kick off the wall.
Yesterday did CASB MCQ w/SO.
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2009
Have CASB and MCQ to do so only did a 1/2 routine. 25 laps (total 32:47). Since I knew I was doing less laps, I cranked up the intensity from 80% to 90%. All of the swimmers were slow and it's annoying they're in the fast lane. One woman kept swimming backstroke that hardly gets her anywhere - and she was in the FAST lane; and a kid was swimming backstroke - except he can't see where he's going and kept crossing into oncoming traffic so I stood up and blocked his oncoming 'karate chop'. I told him, "wrong lane, buddy." Both of them got a taste of my butterfly splash.
1:00, 1:26, 1:10, 1:12, 1:11, 1:28, 1:16, 1:11, 1:18, 1:19,
1:20, 1:18, 1:10, 1:08, 1:28, 1:29, 1:21, 1:33, 1:20, 1:27,
1:23, 1:23, 1:26, 1:20, 1:21
Tuesday, Jan 20, 2009
It has been 8 days without swimming. 4 days last week stayed at the office until 7 or 8pm. However, I managed to work out in the gym - mostly focusing on the butterfly motion with 8 pounds and up to 10 pounds this week. Generally 10 times x 3 reps.
45 laps (90 lanes) non-stop (total about 56 minutes). There were about 6 men in the fast lane (including me) and they swam at the same pace I did. One person, in a silver swim cap and orange goggles, followed me for about 41 or 42 laps (he took breaks but I didn't). Then did butterfly. Can't kick properly. Wasn't tired, but can't seem to coordinate the hands and arms.
0:56, 1:06, 1:10, 1:10, 1:12, 1:15, 1:10, 1:14, 1:18, 1:18,
1:12, 1:16, 1:14, 1:14, 1:12, 1:17, 1:17, 1:17, 1:17, 1:17,
1:18, 1:17, 1:17, 1:13, 1:21, 1:17, 1:15, 1:14, 1:18, 1:22,
1:19, 1:17, 1:11, 1:12, 1:18, 1:12, 1:10, 1:16, 1:17, 1:16,
1:18, 1:16, 1:24, 1:16, 0:45 (super fast)
On several laps the lane got clogged up by slow swimmers :(
Sunday, Jan 11, 2009
40 laps (80 lanes) non-stop (total 51 minutes). Two guys were swimming butterfly the fast lane where I was. I was able to do freestyle about 90% of the time. There was this guy who couldn't swim breast stroke correctly and just kept clogging up the lane. Geez! Then did 1/4 lap butterfly. That only took about 50% of my energy. That's improvement from yesterday (which took 75% of my energy)!! Then my abs told me it was time to stop.
1:00, 1:08, 1:15, 1:14, 1:15, 1:12, 1:12, 1:18, 1:12, 1:15,
1:21, 1:17, 1:15, 1:02, 1:18, 1:19, 1:17, 1:15, 1:09, 1:16,
1:17, 1:18, 1:18, 1:18, 1:18, 1:13, 1:15, 1:16, 1:18, 1:20,
1:25, 1:24, 1:20, 1:17, 1:49, 1:09, 1:11, 1:16, 1:53, 1:00.
Sat, Jan 10, 2009
34 laps non-stop (total 47 minutes). I thought I did 35, but I accidently pressed the lap button twice during 2 of the laps. At first it was pretty crowded with slow people, but for the most part it was about 3 people in the lane. About 1/3 was without kick (using floating aid) as there were some slow people in the fast lane (errr!!!) - however, I find it's very effective to handicap my ability and isolate the workout to the upper part of the body (this is useful for butterfly upper body strength training).
Then swam butterfly 1/4 lanes twice in 1 lap. Swallowed some water as I couldn't bring my upper body high enough as I went for air. I also feel the dolphin kick wasn't done properly. I'm feeling better at butterfly - yesterday when I did 1/4 laps I was purely exhausted at the ends. This time, I'm about 80% exhausted. Time to work until I can do 1/2 laps, then 3/4 lap, then 1 lap butterfly!!! No somersaults done. Still need to work on heart and lung capacity. Arms feeling just fine.
After changing I saw an old guy swim butterfly. He maintained the glide position for a second then kick then bring the arms up.
0:55, 1:06, 1:06, 1:12, 1:13, 1:17, 1:54, 1:12, 1:26, 1:42,
1:26, 1:24, 1:16, 1:22, 1:29, 1:23, 1:31, 1:25, 1:23, 1:22,
1:21, 1:29, 1:22, 1:26, 1:18, 1:33, 1:20, 1:23, 1:24, 1:32,
1:23, 1:22, 1:24, 1:26
Fri, Jan 9, 2009
Did a few butterfly arm motion with 5LB free weights at work. Usually 10 times x 3 reps mixed with machine work out.
33 laps. Non-stop, going at 80%. Performed 3 somersaults.
1:09, 1:12, 1:12, 1:17, 1:21, 1:18, 1:16, 1:20, 1:15, 1:20,
1:18, 1:19, 1:19, 1:08, 1:11, 1:19, 1:16, 1:19, 1:19, 1:19,
1:21, 1:15, 1:23, 1:12, 1:17, 1:14, 1:15, 1:15, 1:14, 1:15,
1:16, 1:08, 1:18
Then practiced 1/4 laps of butterfly. I think my muscles are now ready for this type of stroke, but still need to work on heart and lung capacity.
The previous 3 days were CASB.
Mon, Jan 5, 2009
Felt tired the whole day (and aching all over), so practiced breast stroke and some front crawl. Also did summersault once. Did a bit of dolphin kick as well.
20 laps. 1:15, 1:15, 2:02, 2:02, 2:09, 1:26, 1:49, 2:22, 2:00, 2:00, 2:07, 2:28, 1:57, 2:02, 1:29, 1:31, 1:38, 1:24, 1:44, 1:12
Ran into Mike again.
Yesterday was badminton.
Sat, Jan 3, 2009
Still nursing my sore left calf, I decided to work on arms today. Legless front crawl (with floating aid to keep legs straight every other lap), with breast stroke every 4th lap. Twice did front crawl with legs kick. 1:05, 1:19, 1:29, 1:38, 2:50, 1:43, 1:39, 2:11, 1:49, 2:20, 2:20, 0:31, 3:00, 3:00, 1:58, 1:54, 3:18, 1:56, 2:14, 1:15,
Then I practiced 20 minutes of butterfly stroke arms.
Yesterday rested my left calf.
Thu, Jan 1, 2009
20 laps (dolphin kick off the ends, then freestyle) 1:17, 1:08, 1:26, 1:35, 1:29, 1:18, 1:54, 1:29, 1:25, 1:29, 1:55, 1:45, 1:41, 1:46, 1:43, 1:52, 1:43, 1:50, 1:56, 1:29. No laps above 2 minutes!
Then practiced 30 minutes of butterfly. I feel I'm recovering more quickly than the previous 2 sessions.
Tweaked my left calf.
Wed, Dec 31, 2008
20 laps (dolphin kick off the ends, then freestyle), then practiced butterfly. 1:04, 1:39, 1:28, 1:35, 1:27, 1:31, 1:58, 1:37, 2:05, 1:34, 2:06, 1:30, 2:01, 1:38, 2:11, 1:50, 1:36, 1:56, 1:20, 1:23.
Then practiced butterfly on the lane since there was no other swimmers. Was able to get some motion, but still need lots of time to gasp air at the end of each lane. (Use a combo of butterfly kick, then 3 breast stroke, then butterfly again). Also tried to use arms as well. Practiced a bit of arms only freestyle to strengthen arms (not using legs).
Ran into Mike.
Tue, Dec 30, 2008
20 laps freestyle (dolphin kick off the ends), 1:13, 1:19, 1:22, 1:40, 1:45, 1:32, 1:50, 1:54, 1:41, 1:36, 1:50, 1:21, 2:01, 1:37, 1:38, 2:06, 1:31, 1:55, 1:24, 1:17. A man and a kid were also swimming breaststroke in my lane. They were quite fast. Still need a break at the end of each lane.
Then practiced 30 minutes of butterfly (about 6-7 times). Got a feeling of propelling forward, and can feel I control my hips for the dolphin kick. Then swam another lane and swam from middle to deep end using butterfly and also from middle back to shallow waters. It was quite tiring. Still need to work on the arms.
Rested yesterday.
Dec 28, 2008
4:55pm - 5:25pm. Total time 26:06. 15 laps. Front crawl with dolphin kick off each end. 0:53, 1:03, 1:11, 1:16, 1:50, 1:54, 3:11, 1:49, 1:26, 1:32, 2:36, 1:32, 1:45, 1:25, 2:48.
Dec 27, 2008
8:30-9:00pm. Practiced butterfly.
Dec 23, 2008
Started swimming again. Practiced butterfly.
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