Friday Night SCAQ Swim

August 18, 2017

OK. First, I have to share the obvious: I have not been updating this blog for the last month and a half. I feel like I’ve let myself down, because I have been swimming (Insta can prove it!) but my lack of blogging and work on the site has weighed on me.

As we do, though, I will move on, and dive back in with a story of where I’m at now.

The last swim I shared was a Sunday morning long lane swim with what I remember to be long lazy strokes and sets. Friday night’s swim was fast paced with lots of short sets, AND I achieved a PR on my 100 free. More on that soon.

In the time since my last post a few things have occurred that impact my approach to fitness and schedule:

1. My office moved from Larchmont Village to a building on Exposition Place near Crenshaw Boulevard
2. I’ve started biking to work because my home is just a mile away from the office
3. I placed my ClassPass account on hold because the number of options south of the 10 freeway are very limited so why spend money on a membership I can’t use
4. I took my SCAQ membership to the next level so that I could swim anytime during the week, at any pool (sans Santa Monica Swim Center)

Over the last few weeks I’ve transitioned from a mix of spinning, Pilates, running, and swimming to just running and swimming. With the different kind of SCAQ membership, I’ve been swimming twice a week with them, and hope to add in a third workout this week.

So, I have been swimming more often, and I’m starting to see results, which brings me to my 100 free PR of 1:30 on the dot (!!!!). As I noted above, this particular swim was fast paced with short sets, and I was feeling really great. I typically swim in a lane that uses a 1:50 interval for a 100 free, but this lane was going 1:45 intervals for each 100. I was getting pretty warm and feeling fluid in the water, while also being a little out of breath.

We got to a point where the coach asked for 2 100s, all out, for time. Off we went, and when I came back he looked at me and said “1:30!!!”. I could hardly believe my ears, but the clock doesn’t lie! I did the easy 50, and then set off for the second 100, and clocked 1:34. I felt the exertion from the 1:30 and 1:45 intervals, but I also felt pretty happy about that 1:30.

If I am able to add in a third swim workout, I am excited to see what happens with that interval over time. Will 1:40 be my new standard, with potential for a 1:20 on the 100? I was trying to remember my fastest 100 time from high school, and I think it was around 1:09. Which means I still have some improvements to make…we shall see!

The Workout:

• 400 warm up
• 6 x 50 kick
• 6 x 25 swim
• 6 x 100 swim
• Easy 50 and 100 kick
• 2 x 100 free with 50 easy after each one
• Easy 50
• 8 x 25 sprints
• Easy 50
• 2 x 25 all out sprints no breathing
• Easy 50