5k (yards) swimming

The legs needed a little rest after Tuesday’s bike TT – so I slept in. I went to the gym at lunch for a swim. Again, I had no set plans, and that is ALMOST always a mistake. I decided to swim long again but this time with a purpose – that makes all of the difference. However, I did not have a set distance and kind of winged it. I started off at my normal pretty good pace and just kept it up. I took split times at each 1000 yards. I was holding my approximate 16:00 / 1000 yard pace and only dropping 5 to 10 seconds. This swim was more of a mental confidence builder than anything else. It was the longest straight set that I have ever swam. I ended up with 4000 yards in 1:04:45 @ 1:37 / 100 yard average. My pace was dropping but I was pretty happy with that swim. My splits are below:

4000 x 1
SPLITS
15:55
16:05
16:17
16:26

After work, the lake was much cooler than it has been. Jodie and I were going out to a play so there was not much lollygagging. I swam out the post line (about 500 yards) recovered and chewed the fat with JD then just swam straight back – my times were 8:34 OUT and 9:06 BACK. Jen gave me one of her thrown bowls for my birthday – perfect for oatmeal! The lake swimming is really paying off for everyone. Jen and Terry are improving on a weekly basis – they are looking strong.

A third of a mile is the distance of the swim for this Saturday’s Sunfish Triathlon. This swim last year was the best swim I had ever had – comfort wise. I did not struggled and just allowed myself to swim. My swim time was 10:52. This was one of my fastest bike splits last year at 47:41 @ 21.2 MPH. The 5k run suffered at 22:26 @ 7:26/mile. I finished this race 6th on my age group out of 35 with a total time of 1:23:16.

2008 Sunfish Race Report
Pre-race routine:

I arrived the day before the race and was able to swim the course. A good confidence booster. Hotel was noisy and did not sleep well. Arrived early and got a very good transition place.

Event warm-up:

I swam a couple of hundred yards.

Swim

This was my first good swim. I kept my breathing under control and at decent pace.

What would you do differently?

Keep practicing open water swimming. I am seeing improvement. I AM GETTING BETTER!

T1

Good spot and was able to run through T1 because of the good swim.

What would you do differently?

I must work on running mount on bike. STILL HAVE NOT DONE THIS!
Bike

Comments:

I had to drop into the lowest gears and spin up them. I died up each and every hill and then roared down the backside. Got passed by a couple of friends that were able to power up the hills

What would you do differently?

I need to strength train on hills for hills. I HAVE DONE THIS! – MIGHT STILL NEED TO SPIN UP THE HILLS THOUGH.
T2

Felt good off of the bike. I had a fast transition - no socks. A hill right out of T2 did not present a challenge.

What would you do differently?:

Learn to kick cycling shoes off and flying dismount. STILL HAVE NOT DONE THIS!
Run

Comments:

The run got hard and I was lulled into a slower pace. The first mile is always tough. I was able to pick the pace up a little in the second half but not by much.

What would you do differently?

Practice mental skills and running speed work. WE WILL HAVE TO SEE HOW THIS WORKS OUT!
Post race

Warm down:

I stopped on the spot. It got hot! I ate lots of cookies and water.

What limited your ability to perform faster?

Need to hit the run harder with a solid kick.

Event comments:

This is a great race!