The Joys of Lap Swimming

I hate to be that guy.....that lap swimmer snob.....that guy who thinks that he's been there - done that - and that everyone else is just an annoyance during his regular foray into the pool for a workout.   But I hate to admit, I'm treading into deeper water in regards to being "that guy".

Before I go on......I grew up swimming.  I swam through high school and college.  This isn't to say that I'm an expert in lap swim / pool etiquette, but I think I have a pretty good handle on what people should do when confronted with a crowded pool and they're forced to 'circle-swim' and deal with more than two individuals a lane.

So, cut to Sunday morning.  Generally it's crowded, and it's always a roll of the dice as to what you're going to encounter.  With all that said, I had the best experience at the pool yesterday that I've had in a long time (save for that one morning where there were so few of us that we all had our own lane).

I had a workout planned.  Not a huge amount of yardage, but 2,500+ yards to be done before life got in the way and errands had to be run.  I was sharing the lane with another individual (a solid swimmer I've seen before - gender will remain anonymous as it's irrelevant to the topic) and we were each taking a side of the lane.  The pool was quiet, and I thought we were in good shape.  However, as things inevitably turn out, the pool got busy.

At some point during the end of my second warm up set, another individual was at the edge of the deck asking if we could circle swim.  "No problem" I answered.  The person said they already got the attention of the other person in the lane, so I headed down the right hand side of the lane and prepared myself for the worst.   You know what I'm talking about: people have varying abilities, which is totally fine of course, but inevitably people are cutting laps short, or sprinting to pass others before the turn.  I figured it was going to be one of those days and was mentally thinking about my workout and how I could change things up to accommodate the situation.

Much to my surprise, it wasn't necessary.

Everyone in our lane understood circle swimming.  When one was doing a kicking set, they waited for people to do their turn before continuing on and holding people up.  If someone was on a rest interval, individuals would ask if "....you want to go?...." before they headed off into the next leg of their set.  People waited at least 10 seconds before pushing off behind you for their next repeat or interval. 

Bottom line:  It was a good pool day.  I've had days where the lifeguards have taken pity on a couple of us and let us swim in a lane normally designated for kids swim lessons when it's a madhouse in the lap swim lanes.  More to the point, almost every weekend swim at the gym is a trial in patience and perseverance.

I know, the pool snob is coming out in full force.  Sorry about that.  But I think anyone who spends some time at the local pool trying to get a workout in knows what I'm talking about.  Heck, there's even an article in the February Triathlete Magazine on the etiquette for lap swimming (p.46  Checking In section).

Today, was refreshing.  I was so pleasantly surprised at the awareness and courtesy of everyone in the pool today (at least in our lane) that it made the workout today go that much easier.

Halfway Through the Cleanse

I'm at the half way point of my twice yearly dietary cleanse which helps me get my eating (post holidays) back into a healthy groove.  As usual the first week wasn't bad at all.  Jill - the nutrition counselor that my wife and I follow the advice of -  plans our meals during our cleanse: What foods we'll eat, what our snacks during the day look like, and ensures, or tries to, that I drink all the water that I'm supposed to.  (Which doesn't always happen.  Long story, but it's a rarity for me to drink enough water during the day).  So, week one is in the books and I feel good.

The first week was full of whole foods, lots of vegetables, and everything was as minimally to non-processed as possible.  No caffeine, no alcohol.....just water.  Everything is done with a focus on detoxifying the body.  This weekend, however, began the 3 day period of raw foods and juicing.

I'm not opposed to raw foods - heck, I like apples!  And juices?  Sounds yummy. 

Here's an excerpt of my Saturday menu:

Day 7 Juices

8am: Energizer: apple, ginger, beet, lime juice
10am: cucumber, spinach, parsley, spirulina, kiwi, lemon
12pm: carrot, apple, beet, grapefruit, ginger
2pm: cucumber, carrot, celery, kale, parsley, lemon
6pm: carrot, apple, celery, zucchini, lemon

Wait, I'm juicing kale?  I don't even know what kale is!  Well, that's not true, I do.  But I'm pretty sure I don't want to juice it.  And can I just say that my 1000a juice yesterday was, well....how can I put this delicately?.....a little tough to take.

I should have taken a picture of it - it was green, sludgy.  The image is forever burned in my brain.

I'm really poking fun here (mostly) as a lot of the above mentioned juices are actually quite tasty, filling, and I still have energy and mojo.  When I say I'm "mostly" poking fun, it's because there are a couple things on there that I just had to substitute. (I'll leave it to you to decide what got tossed off the recipe list).

In the end, however, I'm feeling good - had a good session on the bike trainer the past couple of days, and I'm headed to the pool shortly.  And with less than a week to go I know that I'll be feeling refreshed and will once again have a firm grip on my diet and the ridiculousness of the holiday season consumption will be behind me.

'Tis the Season (For Indoor Training)

Upon waking this morning, the weather forecast on the morning news show informed me that it was 12F (with a 'real feel' of -2F).  Combined with truckloads of snow and ice, it looks like it's another day on the indoor trainer or treadmill.  Yep, it's winter in the northeast, and 'tis the season for indoor workouts on the treadmill and bike trainer - AKA the dreadmill and brain drainer.

This isn't to say that I'm opposed to running or riding outdoors during the winter.  I've been outdoors to get in a workout numerous times this winter with my usual running crew and rode quite a bit outdoors last winter.  But, heading out the front door when it's below freezing to run is not my favorite thing to do at 515 AM.  I know there are a number of people out there who live in areas where it's much colder than this and get out to run and ride......my hat goes off to them.  I guess as I get older my threshold for suffering in cold temps has diminished.

It's tough for me to to get over the mental hump of accepting that getting mileage in on a treadmill is just as good as being outside.  Most of that opinion is due to the fact that there's no wind, the treadmill mat is moving and not providing the resistance you'd get on the road and, well, it's really boring.  I can't get more than 6 miles on a treadmill under my belt before losing my marbles.  Tragically I know a few folks that can get in two-plus hours on the treadmill.  Amazing.  I'd rather be outside.

A friend of mine, Joe G, wrote about running on the treadmill just recently.  It was a bit of a relief to read as I had just been on the treadmill that morning and, in addition to being bored out of my mind, was sure I was working harder, and at a faster pace, than what was represented on the on the treadmill display.  Low and behold it quite possibly was - due to the combination of a particular gyms ability to keep the equipment calibrated and a number of other factors it seems that the speed displayed on a treadmill display is very likely slower than your actual pace.  Great, another thing to factor into my indoor workouts.

As I said, my capacity to suffer through cold weather has diminished over time.  So now I deal with having to suffer through boredom (whether on the treadmill or bike trainer - both offer zero change of scenery).  I'm not sure which is worse, but the bike trainer is starting to edge ahead in the boredom factor

It doesn't matter what I do...... throwing in some "hills" and tempo / threshold repeats, watching TV, listening to tunes on my iPhone / iPod, I just can't wait to get off the damn trainer.   I put in a two hour ride on the trainer last winter - had to stop half way through for a short mental break.  The bike trainer is something that I am happy to have during the winter months, but when I'm on it, more often than not, I can't wait to get off.  Again, I'd rather be outside.

Looking at my upcoming racing calendar for 2011 I know that all I need to do is just ensure that my base mileage is well maintained over the winter - I don't need to do any crazy mileage - and I'll be able to ramp up training, distance, and time, come March and April.  Hopefully spring will come early this year.  And let's face it, the treadmill and bike trainer are part of the deal during the winter - they're both a necessity.

And as I wrap this post up, I'm about to head into the "office" for an hour or so of time on the good old brain drainer.....I mean bike trainer.  At least tomorrow will be a pool day and that will be a bit more exciting.

Preseason is upon me - getting the old bod ready for racing

It's the preseason, so to speak, and I'm trying to get over the holiday consumption blues.  I'm looking ahead to my upcoming races, planning my base-building mileage, and getting in as much running, cycling (on a trainer, mostly) and swimming as I can.  Every year I tell myself that I'm going to be cautious during the Thanksgiving to New Years time period and not overdo the eating and drinking so, when the preseason does come along, I'm not fighting a battle of trying shed the holiday consumption pounds.

And every year it never really works out like I planned.

I always, always, have some extra weight on me come January.  I've talked before about how OCD some athletes can be about their training and racing weight.  But this is just more of a common sense thing.....I was stupid over the holidays and ate a lot of crap (well, not crap, really.  Just a lot of delicious stuff).  Anyway, It's not that I'm suddenly overweight and am now grossly out of shape.  But I just feel sluggish.

Enter the cleanse.  My wife introduced this to me last year.  My wife is a vegan (I'm not - yes it's interesting in our kitchen) and was dealing with some niggling health maladies.  Her yoga instructor, Jill, is also a holistic nutrition counselor.  Long story short, the cleanse was introduced to my house.  To summarize (from a guest post from Jill on my wife's blog) "We cleanse to put our bodies back in balance".  You can read more here and you can check out Jill's web site, but in general it's two weeks of eating whole foods, eliminating caffeine and alcohol, and purging your body of toxins.

For me, the cleanse does two things: First, it reminds me what eating healthy and proper portion sizes are all about.  Second, and this is important, it makes me feel better - inside and out - and is really invigorating.   This isn't a weight loss method.  Yes, some pounds do come off, but without proper eating and diet guidelines those pounds will come right back on.

For me, this gets me back on track for the triathlon / running season and gives me the kick in the pants needed to refocus.   Now, one could argue that if you just ate right year round, with smart choices and healthy foods, you wouldn't need to do this crazy things.  Well, maybe.  To Jill's point we're always ingesting things into our body that we perhaps shouldn't be - whether by proxy or by choice.  And my wife, JL, brought up a good point last year when we did this for the first time: "After a year of racing, looking back on all the gels, powders, energy bars, and Sunday night pizza and beer binges after races, your body could use a little clean-up."

Anyway, I'm not evangelizing anything here, and I'm not trying to do any advertising for anyone.  It works for me, I like it (although it is a tough two weeks) and it's how JL and I start out our year.  It's not for everyone, and I suggest that anyone who's interested should reach out to a certified nutrition counselor.

Now, as this cleanse starts tomorrow, (Sunday) today is my last day of indulgence.  So, pizza and beer for dinner?

2011 Goals and Racing Resolutions

After my disappointing 2010 racing season - cut short by the fact that I'm getting old and medical maladies are becoming more and more common - I'm looking ahead to the upcoming year and I'm targeting races and setting goals.  Actually, I've been thinking about my 2011 races and goals for months now.  Is it OCD to start planning your races more than 12 months in advance? 

First things first, however.  My first goal of 2011 is to do more weight and strength training.  I'm confident that my knee issues would not have been as much of an issue had I done more leg work at the gym.  It's difficult to get to the gym during heavy training weeks, but if I want to avoid another injury plagued season I'm going to have to suck it up and hit the weights more often.

So, with that out of the way, here's what's on my racing schedule for 2011:

Weekend of May 08:  North Face Endurance Challenge 1/2 Marathon

As I stated in my 2010 year in review, I had a lackluster performance at this race last year.  I'm certainly going to  need to kick things up a notch at this event this spring.  According to the North Face web site, they've confirmed all their races for 2011 and registration will be opening shortly. 

In case you're interested in getting in on this (and I highly recommend it) there are races at Bear Mountain, NY; Washington, DC; Madison, WI; Atlanta, GA; and San Francisco, CA.  There are race distances ranging from 10K to 50 miles, so there's something for everyone.  Check out their site for dates. 

June 12:  Sleepy Hollow Triathlon

Also mentioned in my year in review I need to, as my wife so awesomely says, "defend your AG title".  I had a great race there last year and will be hoping for a repeat performance.

June 26:  Stamford KIC IT Triathlon

All I'll say is that I need finish this race without a time penalty.  Absolutely targeting the AG podium at this race.  (Yes, I'll say it again, I should have been there last year).

It's an interesting race as it's a 2 transition area event.  Having done it last year it's not that big a deal, but it does add an additional logistical wrinkle to your race morning plan.  Post-race food and entertainment is good, and it's a quick drive from my house!  No need to get up at 330a for this race.

July 10:  Mossman Sprint Triathlon

After coming off some of my adventures in modern medicine last summer, I did the bike leg of a relay at this race in 2010.  I'm thinking this will be a good race to use as another tune-up event - the bike course has a nice climb to deal with, but the run is pretty flat along the ocean.  Should be a fast race.

August 21:  Park City Mossman Triathlon

This was a race that I missed last year and really regretted it.  It's an interesting change from most races around the tri-state area:  Both the bike and run courses are pancake flat, with the bike leg taking place on a 5 loop, 8K course. No rest for the weary here.....you're pedaling constantly save for the turn-arounds at either end of the course.  Really a great test of ones fitness.  Once off the bike it's on to two flat 5K run loops along the Long Island Sound. 

The Mossman group puts on a great race.  I highly recommend any of their events.

September 2011:  Toughman Half Iron Triathlon

A great race.  My good friend Rich is the race organizer, and puts on one hell of an event.  The volunteers are amazing, and it's one of the most well supported events I've raced.  And they don't call it the Toughman for nothing.  The bike and run courses are challenging to say the least.  Sneaky hills, and a couple big climbs (on both the ride and the run)  make this race one you'll need to do your hill repeats for.

Early October 2011: Paine to Pain Trail 1/2 Marathon

Are you noticing that all my running races are pretty much trail races?  Love em'.  My friend Eric has worked really hard at getting this race off the ground.  13 miles through lower Westchester County trails.  Nothing crazy technical, but enough rocks, twists, and turns to ensure you keep your focus.  The last time I raced this was in 2009 after the Toughman 1/2 Iron.  My legs weren't quite back to 100%, but it was still a load of fun.  And as the race organizer so often says: "...mud is a feature"

December 2011: Gail's Trail Race

Yep, another trail race.  This is a race that I run every winter.  I did a race report not too long ago, so you can read all about the race there.  But really, what's not to like? Winter, trails, water crossings, cold mud.  Need I say more?

I mean, really - what's not to love here?

I hope everyone is gearing up for a great 2011 racing season.