Pocket Pigs

swim progress

Even though I haven't been working out as much as I probably should, I think I'm making progress in the pool. I only swam 1 day last week (forgot my stuff on Thursday and was recovering from a bachelor party on Saturday). This week I made it to the pool both Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday I did 7 lengths of the pool, 1 more than I had been doing. Granted, 2 of those lengths were with the kickboard and I still had to rest at each end of the pool, but I still consider it progress. Today the pool was busier than normal and I had to share a lane with someone. I didn't mind sharing space, it just made the water a little rougher than normal. I suppose that's good practice for race day when there will be lots of people in the water and lots of wave. I started with 2 lengths without a break and then did 4 more lengths with breaks at each end. I struggled toward the end of a couple of those, but overall it felt good. Sadly I don't think I'll be able to swim on Saturday because I have an awards thing to go to and then we're heading up to Frankenmuth. I also need to get in some more running. My last run was up to 10 minutes of running with a 5 minute warm-up walk and a 5 minute cool-down walk. I felt pretty good after that. I think if I can start running more consistently I'll be able to improve pretty quickly. I'm also hoping that the weather has left the cold crappiness behind so I can get on the bike more. I want to ride with the group rides for the tri club. Sadly I misplaced my bike rack so I won't be able to join them until I find it.

training hiccup

I kind of fell off the training wagon this weekend. Friday was my rest day, so that was planned. I was planning to swim on Saturday and maybe run. Neither happened. One of the student groups I advise sponsored a service project on Saturday, so I spent the morning/early afternoon spreading mulch in Lansing parks. By the time we were finished I was beat, so no swim or run. Then Mandi and I went out to watch the game Saturday night. I ate a bit too much and drank a little too much beer, but it was worth it. Sunday I spent the day cleaning the house and working on projects. I really should have hopped on the bike for a bit, but it didn't happen. And I'm not sure I'll get in a workout today either. I didn't get up early enough to get on the bike before work and it snowed a bunch so I don't see myself running tonight. Not to mention we're going to dinner before heading over to the Breslin to watch the game tonight.

I didn't waste my rest day though. The grad student in our office is a swimmer, so I talked to her about some training ideas. She explained to me the kick boards and the other flotation thing that holds up your legs so you can focus on your arms. I'll be spending a good chunk of my pool time focusing on drills using the kick board and the floaty things so I can improve my stroke and get used to keeping my head under water during the stroke.

finding a plan

I've been thinking a lot about my training plan. Like I said earlier, I don't want to go at this without some sort of plan. But I'm also a beginner and the training plans floating around the internet don't really work for me. They all assume a higher run or swim ability that I don't have. So last night I started a draft training schedule so I can make sure to get in enough swim and run workouts. I'm really not as worried about the bike portion of the event. A 10-mile ride isn't that hard for me and I know I'll be able to get in enough rides before May 31 that it won't be an issue. Plus if it warms up I'll be able to bike to work a couple times a week. The swim on the other hand will be a real challenge. After Saturday's swim I realized that I have a lot of work to do before I'll be able to swim 1/4 mile with confidence. I swam again yesterday during my lunch. I was able to swim about the same amount (6 lengths with breaks after each length). The good thing was that I could lift my arms afterward - something I couldn't do on Saturday. My plan is to focus on the same distance until I can do it without stopping for breaks. Hopefully this won't take too long. After that I can start adding distance until I get up to at least 16 lengths without stopping. I plan to swim 3 days a week - during lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Saturday afternoons. I also need to run at least 3 days a week, if not 4. And I want to ride 3 days a week. And Friday is a rest day with no workouts. For those of you keeping score, that gives me 9-10 workouts in 6 days. That's several days with 2 workouts. If I don't get skinny doing all of this there is something wrong with me. Tonight I'm hoping to go for a walk with Mandi and Chester followed by a run. Oh yeah, I bought an iPod shuffle today to keep me entertained while I'm running.