Posts Tagged Training
Training for Cold Water Swims
Posted by sheila in Tips and Advice, Training on November 12, 2011
Not that I am training for any cold, open water swims at the moment. But saw this article on the FINIS Blog, with a number of tips on how to train for such an event, plus comments from other readers, and want to save this link. I suspect that I will do the La Jolla Rough Water Swim again next year. I did it this year. Water temps were in the low 60s and no wet suits permitted. Definitely bears some thinking on how to get prepared for it next year. Thankfully I was only in the water for 38 minutes this year, and hopefully next year even less, but the cold did take a toll on my body.
Training for Cold Water Swims – 9 Tips You Need to Know | The FINIS Blog
Follow the link above to see the article on the FINIS Blog.
Good Core Videos from Rocky’s Gym
So Rocky’s Gym in Santa Cruz has some nice Yelp reviews. Looks like a good place to check out if you’re from that area.
My friend posted one of his YouTube videos on Facebook. Looks like an excellent core exercise that I am going to have to try.
Guerilla Cardio – When You’re Short On Workout Time
So here’s a nice article on Active.com about fitting in some intense cardio in a short window of time when you don’t have time for a longer cardio workout. Looks like a good alternative to just skipping the cardio. I want to keep this in mind for days when I need to fit something in but don’t have much time.
Warmup Exercises for Running
It’s a good idea to warmup and cool down before and after your runs. Can’t say I always do this…probably should. Also good to incorporate some stretching into your routine. I like yoga, actually. But even stretching immediately after the run is good. Sometimes I have periods where I’m really consistent and do this after all my runs for a while. Then I get away from it. I’m away from it right now, partly because my schedule is just so packed. I’m starting to notice IT band issues on the left again. I’m going to have to get the foam roller out and use it more. Ugg.
Anyhow, here’s a very nice warmup video from the StrengthRunning.com blog. You might want to view the whole blog post that goes with the video, as it has extra information and details.
Goal Failure on Pullups
Posted by sheila in Goals, Motivation, Strength, Training on March 22, 2011
Well, so I had decided I wanted to be able to do pullups. Well, at least one to start. I made this decision in November. I knew it would take me a while to work up to it. But with all the swimming I had been doing, especially the Masters swimming that I started in June, my upper body was stronger than I ever remember it being. And I was also doing some upper body strength training. It really seemed like a good time to go for the pullup.
I got some ideas from the Fifty Pullups site and also from the article on Mistressing the Pullup. I couldn’t do even the Week 1 program on the Fifty Pullups site, but I decided to pick some exercises and just keep doing them and at least make some progress. And I picked a date. First day of spring 2011. March 20th 2011. By that day I wanted to be able to do at least 1 pullup unassisted.
So the exercises I picked to work on were: Assisted pullup machine. Pullup position max hang with slow negative pullup. Lat pull downs. Modified (Australian) pullups. Also I have the stretch resistance chords for practicing swim stroke, which uses lats (latissimus dorsi … the muscles used for good, hard swimming and in pullups), so I do that sometimes, too. When I’m at home I do dumbbell pullovers on my weight bench and dumbbell rows. Read the rest of this entry »
The Five Phases of Swim Training
So here is a good article from Competitor magazine, regarding swim training. It’s specifically for triathlon, but in general the 5 phases are:
Endurance, strength, speed, taper, recovery.
The link below takes you to the full article:
The Five Phases Of Swim Training – Triathlete.com
They have example workouts and detailed descriptions.
Inspiration. To move. To be active.
Posted by sheila in Motivation on September 16, 2010
Here’s a video about an amazing journey that a young man made, to become active and healthy. While I have certainly not made a comparable journey, the reason that I choose to be active is the same as his: To be happy. An active life-style makes me feel good, makes me healthy, makes me happy.
Anyhow, this is a great video. Inspiring.
You can visit this young man’s blog at http://bendoeslife.tumblr.com/.
Swimming Facilities and Programs at Mount SAC
I’ve been swimming this summer at a nearby pool that is open to the public for lap swimming and also provides a Masters Swim program and other training programs. I love this pool. The water is fresh and clean, not like the over-chlorinated, chemical soup at the 24 hour fitness pool (my alternative swim location). So where am I swimming? In the outdoor Olympic size swimming pool at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, California, or Mt. SAC as the locals refer to it.
Kicking Drills for Triathlon
Posted by sheila in Tips and Advice, Training on August 12, 2010
Somehow in all the reading I had done about the swim portion of triathlon, and how triathletes should train for and approach the swim, I got the message that the kicking was very de-emphasized. That kicking was almost not necessary. Let your legs drag, if you wanted to. Use your upper body on the swim and save the legs for the bike and run. Makes sense, no?
And then I started my Masters Swim workouts. And the coach was having me do a fair amount of kicking. Although I thought I didn’t really need to be doing kicking drills, I tried to just suck it up and say nothing. After all, I was seeking the expertise of the coach. He knows more about this than I do, right? That’s why I was doing the Masters Swim. Eventually I did ask him about it and he said I needed to keep that end of my body up, or something like that. So…ok. Still doubtful but…just doing the drills like he said.
Why do swim drills? Don’t you hate them?
So I started a Masters Swim program at Mt. SAC back on June 17, 2010. Six weeks ago today. Although I seem to do fairly well at self-coaching myself on running, I have no swimming background and I’m not very good at it and I knew I needed someone with knowledge to watch me, coach me, give me tips. I did do some reading…Total Immersion swimming books, articles on Active.com, TriSwimCoach.com, BeginnerTriathlete.com. And reading was good, and did help, and I did try to use the advice. However, implementing what I read was just not going all that great without a coach.
Now one thing I did notice was that a lot of the reading material encouraged drills. The TriSwimCoach specifically encouraged doing as much drills as you could stand. And other sites also recommended drills for improving stroke technique and efficiency. It makes sense. In running I do speedwork on the track and I would say that is analagous to drills in the pool. I know that speedwork really does help me. I have to assume with all these articles recommending swim drills that that would help me, too.
But I really hate drills. Or at least, when I was trying to figure out swimming on my own, I really, really disliked them and almost never did them. I would maybe do a few laps of drills. Less than 1/4 of my workout for sure. Maybe much less than that. And then freestyle all the way, baby, because that seems to be the most fun to me.
Daily Mile Training
Upcoming Races
Sheila Runs- Getting Ripped Abs November 27, 2011
- Training for Cold Water Swims November 12, 2011
- Inspirational Moments for Autistic Boy November 4, 2011
- Good Core Videos from Rocky’s Gym November 1, 2011
- Guerilla Cardio – When You’re Short On Workout Time October 25, 2011
- Sufferfest Bike Trainer Videos October 1, 2011