Mock hiking

I wasn't able to make it to the gym today in time for lap swim, so I decided to try something a little different. My knee has been hurting when I run lately, so instead I put the treadmill on a fast walking pace and amped up the incline. I started it out on a 5.0 gradient and gradually worked my way up to 11.0. After 48 minutes, the machine said I covered only 2.75 miles, but I burned 411 calories. I normally burn around 100 calories per mile, so that's a pretty significant increase. And I sure felt it. After the mock hike on the treadmill, I did some shoulder work with free weights to work on my tendinitis issues... you know... strengthening the tendons and all.

After getting all hot and bothered from today's workout, I am pretty excited to "cool off" and hit the pool for an intense swim tomorrow morning.

Total distance: 2.75 miles running (well, kind of)

A hair over two miles

I'm not feeling terribly wordy today, so I'm going to keep it short. My shoulders were still feeling sore from last Friday's weightlifting, but I went for a swim anyway.

Warm up
250 free
Core
3,300 free
Cool down
100 breast

I didn't plan on going for a new 2012 mark today, but after the first 1,200 yards or so -- during which my shoulders were very tight and felt like bags of sand -- I felt like I could go the distance and up my distance a bit. I finished strong with 3,300 yards, which was 300 yards longer than my last mark, and I probably could have kept going. I didn't want to press my luck, though, and I am currently icing the crap out of my shoulder now.

Total distance: 3,650 yards

Brief break for shoulders

I was planning on swimming today, but my shoulder has been a bit achy since Wednesday, so I decided to give it an extra day to rest. Instead, I hit the bike for the first time in a while. I went for about 45 minutes while reading my book and followed it up with some light weight lifting. The focus was on my triceps, biceps and chest today, while being careful not to aggravate my shoulder. Not too shabby. I'll hit the pool tomorrow morning for one last swim this week.

Total distance: 12.15 miles cycling

Baby boomers bouncing on my last nerve

I was in a good mood when I showed up at the pool today. I was planning on a nice short swim before meeting Jen for lunch. However, I let something that's been irritating me for a while boil to the surface when I walked out on to the pool deck. The water aerobics class is supposed to end at 9:30 every day. The time window is very narrow after that for those of us who want to get in some laps. But almost every day, five or six old people continue to do additional water aerobic exercises after their time is up, clogging up half the lanes in the pool, when their is a perfectly good shallow section off to the side for them to do any of that stuff.

Water aerobics is over, now get out of the bloody lap swim lanes...

It's usually just a mild irritation, because the remaining lanes aren't always full, so I can at least squeeze in and share a lane with a few others until the oldies clear out. But today, there were a few of us waiting to get in and lap swim and we asked the ladies if they'd move over to the shallow section to 'finish' up their workout so we can lap swim. They all kind of scoffed at us and one had the nerve to tell us to "be patient, we don't have too much more left." At that point, I sort of snapped and pointed out that lap swim goes from 9:30 to 11 and it is now 9:40 and I'm getting in whether you like it or not. I jumped in the water and plowed ahead and two of them slowly scooted out of my way as I approached. They gradually flocked to their designated area after that.

I don't mean to generalize, but I often find that senior citizens have a false sense of entitlement and a very jaded view on their role in society. Every person is different, but some act like I should coward at their feet and kiss their asses at all times just because of their age/status. The whole respecting your elders thing is a terrible quote, because I'm a firm believer in showing respect to everyone, even though I will always have room to improve in that department. Their attitude sometimes mirrors a disrespectful teenager, who also thinks the world owes him/her everything. I wonder if people in their 30's, 40's and 50's look at younger folk and older folk in the same annoying light. Meh...

Anyway, here's what I swam after bullying the old ladies out of the lap swim lanes

Warm up
200 free
Core
1,750 free (29:31)
5 x 100 free sprints
Cool down
200 breast

I knocked another 31 seconds off my one-mile pool time this year. My best time last year was 28:36, and I hope to smash that before June. The GSL open water race is inching closer every day.

Total distance: 2,650 yards

"You're getting it back, Matt!"

What a wonderful day it has been thus far. The weather is beautiful, I don't have to work at my crappy new job and I got in another fantastic swim. Jen took my car to work today, so I walked to the Roy Rec Center, which is only about two blocks from my house. It was such a nice day out, I was glad to go for the walk.

Here's what I swam. I tried something different again. Haha.

Warm up
200 free
Core
4 x 500 free (1 minute rests)
4 x 250 free (30 second rests)
4 x 100 free (on 2:00)
4 x 50 free (on 1:00)
Cool down
200 breast

During my rest on one of my 100's Anita looked down at me from her tower with a big smile on her face and said, "You're getting it back, Matt," referring to the long road back from my shoulder injury. She really boosted my confidence and made my day. The descending ladder was kind of fun and I'll probably try to work a few more of those into my workouts every now and again. I also hit another new 2012 high for total yardage in one day. I enjoyed the short walk home and reveled in today's accomplishment and Anita's kind words.

Total distance: 4,000 yards

Too tired to blog

I'm exhausted after tonight's swim and a long day at work, so I'm gonna keep it short.

Warm up
200 free
Core
3,000 free (53:16)
Cool down
200 breast

New highs in total yardage and single swim for 2012 again. Huzzah!

Total distance: 3,400 yards

Underwater Cosmic Bowling

I hit the Clearfield Aquatic Center tonight and really needed a nice swim. My mind is in a million places right now and nothing helps take care of that problem more than swimming. Tonight was especially cool, because they turned off the lights and the ones in the bottom of the pool were in various colors, so it was just like cosmic bowling in the dark. They also had the music bumping really loud, so I could hear the beat to songs underwater to help pace me. I heard this song several times and I really liked swimming to it's beat.

Here's what I swam.

Warm up
200 free
Core
1,000 free (3 minutes rest)
2 x 500 free (1 minute rest)
2 x 250 free (30 seconds rest)
Cool down
100 breast

Total distance: 2,800 yards