P in the Pool

Dory Dory

AKW wrote: »

Feck I walked into that...

I'd have a look while aquajogging but my mac won't work underwater :P

Garmin might have something that would work.

sconhome

Dory Dory wrote: »

Garmin might have something that would work.

Kick me when I'm already reeling!!

Kurt Godel

Wed 90 min swim

I went back to the chiropractor today. He had a good look at the heel and suggested the issue is with the sheath which covers the tendon, rather than the achilles itself. He reckons this could be related to back/neck out of allignment, and the extra stress that the calf undergoes to support that. I had some needles stuck in the area, and I have to say it feels much better now. Thats a good sign, but I will pay good attention to it for a while. Handle with care.

The club started a new swim block today, and I got in with them for the session, i wanted to see what sort of progress has been made. The answer is loads- people who couldn't swim a straight length a year ago were now doing 100's under 2 mins. Great to see, and a credit to the coach. No kicking for me, I used the pb throughout. Except for a 100TT, no pb for that, but I didn't kick either. Didn't seem to cause much issue as I came in 1:16. That fast time says more about my state of mind after talking to the chiropractor about the injury, than anything else. I'm going to stay positive about it- build on the swim and bike work this month, and no runs. I won't pull out of Geneva just yet.

MojoMaker

I'm interested to hear if you get any conclusive diagnosis on the back/neck alignment. Keep us posted.

I know a lot of folks consider chiropractors as quacks but my experience has been positive. I think it has a role to play alongside physio for managing chassis issues.

Kurt Godel

MojoMaker wrote: »

I'm interested to hear if you get any conclusive diagnosis on the back/neck alignment. Keep us posted.

I know a lot of folks consider chiropractors as quacks but my experience has been positive. I think it has a role to play alongside physio for managing chassis issues.

My background has years of visiting chiro's, while overweight living in NY. Nice guys, happy to keep treating twice a week taking $40 a pop...

This guy (Peter Reade in Arklow) is different- I last was with him in 2005 for two sessions. He advised on two stretching exercises every morning, which I have done each day without fail. No back issues since. However, my physio noticed I had one shoulder higher than the other when I first went to see him about the calf, and recommended a trip to the chiropractor to get realigned. Peter did some cracking last night, as well as acupuncture. I'm a skeptic at the best of times, so asked him why the needles had very fancy copper coils wrapped around their heads. Half of me was expecting an answer involving Chi waves and energy transfer, but instead he said its just because they look better, that plastic heads would perform just as well. Sound, thats the honest answer. He knows his stuff about physiology and was discussed how neck issues from the tribars could have caused the lower back to compensate, which in turn causes the calf to take stress from the glutes, leading to peritendonitis.

FWIW the heel is much better today, a lot less pain, although there is still issues if I overflex. High ramp shoes, no running, and I'll go back to see him on Monday (with maybe a deep massage from the physio in the meantime).

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Kurt Godel wrote: »

He knows his stuff about physiology and was discussed how neck issues from the tribars could have caused the lower back to compensate, which in turn causes the calf to take stress from the glutes, leading to peritendonitis.

Its amazing how the source of pain is not always the source of the problem, the body is always compensating somewhere if something is not right.

tunney

Timothy Rapping Vest wrote: »

Its amazing how the source of pain is not always the source of the problem, the body is always compensating somewhere if something is not right.

<insert short arse joke>

Kurt Godel

Thurs 50 min turbo; 1 hour pool/deck

Turbo:
20 mins easy
3*(5 minsBG, 5 easy)

The 5 mins were circa290W, 311, 309. I felt strong for them. Tunney had mentioned on Dory's blog a rotation should be "kick the door down, wipe dogsh1t off your shoe, knee someone in the goolies" which was very effective. I don't do much BG work, but liked it.

Swim:
200 warmup
20*50 as (25 IMO/25sw, 15s)
Main set (2 sets of):
100 off 1:30
100 off 1:45
4*25 underwater kick first 15, 10swim, 15s rest
90 sec plank
20 squats, 20 situps, 20 pressups
90 sec plank

Masters fun. I used the pb throughout, and didn't do the kicks. The fast 100's came in 1:20, 1:25. The first set of planks I dropped the knee, but was determined to hold the next. The squats were always going to be a test, but I made sure I pushed from my butt, and the achilles/calf wasn't troubled at all.

zico10

Kurt Godel wrote: »

FWIW the heel is much better today, a lot less pain, although there is still issues if I overflex. High ramp shoes, no running, and I'll go back to see him on Monday (with maybe a deep massage from the physio in the meantime).

Have you given up doing this then?

Kurt Godel

This is something I've considered, (calf problems stemming from pool foot position) but don't think its the issue.

There's no stress on the achilles/calf if I point in the pool (although I'm not consciously pointing as much now, its just natural). Overflex and pain comes from the other direction, ie. running uphill type of flex.

Kurt Godel

Sat 60 min turbo

I debated whether or not to go to the Sligo Sprint tomorrow. Coach had given tentative clearance to go as long as I left my running shoes behind. Racing is something I've been looking forward to, but in the end I decided the 4am start to drive 700km round trip wasn't worth it, for a pool swim and 20k bike. Racing will have to wait a little longer. (am available as swim part of any relay team anyone fancies doing soon...)

Today I messed around with my bike fit, raised the bars a tad and lowered the saddle slightly. It seemed a better fit on the turbo. I was just trying the fit out so didn't really have a plan in mind, ended up doing 5 mins on, 5 mins off. The 5on were 200W, 286, 277, 312, 321. Felt good on the bars, I'll take it outdoors tomorrow and see what occurs.

Kurt Godel

Sun Long bike, 2:30 @ 31.2kph, extra 42 mins easy straight after

Da plan:
TT bike:
1hr easy (222W)
4x(15 90-95%, 5 easy) (290,285,280,273)
10 easy

I had the Garmin, and pressed lap after an hour, and for the correct splits above, but it has auto-splited every 5km as well, so I've had to do a bit of maths on the numbers, which should be close enough to true.

1 hr easy 222W. I felt good starting off, this was handy enough but still came in at 32.8km for the hour. The new fit on the TT bike seems to pay off. I decided to bike to Carlow and have a look at the Racing795 bike route. My fast 15 started in Carlow town, I turned a few sleepy heads as I flew through the town. The 795 bike route is a long steady climb up to a turnaround point, and then fly back down the same way. Its a decent enough route, roads are ok, no major bends, should be fun. The fast 15's were feeling tougher as they went on, and it was very hard to gauge an average, my Wattage was all over the place. I'm used to the steady numbers from the turbo, but outside you can be flying downhill on zero Watts.

Pressed stop after the planned 2:30, and carried on home for another 40 mins at easy pace, for a total 95km. Pretty tired at the end, no food or water except for a coffee before I left. Weighed myself at 88.8kg after- a liter or two of water will bring that right back up!

Kurt Godel

Mon 50 min turbo; 2hrs pool

Turbo was easy spinning, 175W av. I'm getting curious about cadence, my average was 51. Maybe the Orings bring that down?

Swim:
40 mins drills
Then into the meaty session:
6x75m 25 IM.O/50 free 15s
Main set
4x100m free
1. on 1:20
2. on 1:40
3. on 1:20
4. on 1:40
20 each --> press ups, sit ups and squats.
90s plank
90s rest
😈😈repeat 5 times😈😈
300 hypoxic 3,2,1,0,0,0,0,1,2,3 swim down

I got to the pool early and stroked up and down for a while, before the Masters session. The 4*100 add up to 6:00 for each 400, which is asking a lot, in between planks etc. I got the first done in 6:05, but the others started to drift from there, to 6:20. I didn't feel great in the water, but company helps- and helps guilt you into doing the 5th set when you wanted to bail after 4...

Kurt Godel

Tue 60 min turbo

Todays schedule:
10 easy
5x(30sec build, 30sec easy)
5x(5 110%, 3 easy) (averages 313W, 322, 325, 318, 312)
5 easy

This was tough enough, just keeping the figures steady as I could over 110% (=308W). The last two were a chore, just a long dull sustain.

My cadence is very low- 51rpm for 10 mins easy at 187W. Between 68-71rpm for the 5*110% blocks. It doesn't feel like I'm mashing the gears, it might be the O-rings give a lower cadence.

pgibbo

Interesting, as I recall being told before that those rings increase cadence. I haven't read up on it though.

Are you finding you are hitting the sessions easier on the bike as you're not running? How is the Achilles?

Kurt Godel

pgibbo wrote: »

Interesting, as I recall being told before that those rings increase cadence. I haven't read up on it though.

Are you finding you are hitting the sessions easier on the bike as you're not running? How is the Achilles?

I've read they decrease cadence a bit;) Who knows, I doubt its an exact science. I dug around on Garmin connect, last Jan when I had the PM but not the Orings, I was doing similar low cadence.

My bikes are getting better, I guess not being run-tired can only aid/flatter that. Achilles is much, much better thanks, although my run program each day for this week is very specific- "Nothing on pain of death"

Kurt Godel

Tue pm 2,800m pool

200sw,200p,
4x50 as 25 side balance, 25 easy + 10s
4x50 as 25 front balance, 25 easy + 10sec
5x300p mod + 20sec
4x50 fast on 60
300 hypoxic 3,2,1,0,0,0,0,1,2,3

Felt much better in the water tonight. The 300p mods were done around 1:35 pace or faster, I felt very strong for them. Swimming with a slightly wider entry, and a higher elbow underwater- this seemed like something worth exploring further. The fast 50's were in 39-43. Hypoxic felt great to finish with.

Kurt Godel

Wed 60mins turbo

I wanted to try a higher cadence- but my Garmin was dead from the start, so I've no idea of numbers. Geared to the smaller front ring and started spinning at 80-90 (I'd imagine) for an hour. No idea how hard or otherwise I was going.

Achilles feels much better these days. I would have loved a run tonight- but will stick 100% to the schedule.

shotgunmcos

5x6 minute 400s with press ups in between :eek: your swimming has taken off!

What is 300p Mod +20sec?

Kurt Godel

shotgunmcos wrote: »

5x6 minute 400s with press ups in between :eek: your swimming has taken off!

What is 300p Mod +20sec?

The 400's were in 6:05-6:20, which is a fair old variance in effort level, but I take your point. Swimming with faster fish is the name of the game, but I don't need to tell you that Mike! You'll be there soon enough.

300m pull bouy moderate pace, 20 sec rest between each.

peter kern

how do you do hypoxic ?

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Tue pm 2,800m pool

200sw,200p,
4x50 as 25 side balance, 25 easy + 10s
4x50 as 25 front balance, 25 easy + 10sec
5x300p mod + 20sec
4x50 fast on 60
300 hypoxic 3,2,1,0,0,0,0,1,2,3

Felt much better in the water tonight. The 300p mods were done around 1:35 pace or faster, I felt very strong for them. Swimming with a slightly wider entry, and a higher elbow underwater- this seemed like something worth exploring further. The fast 50's were in 39-43. Hypoxic felt great to finish with.

Kurt Godel

peter kern wrote: »

how do you do hypoxic ?

These hypoxic are done as 10* 25m with full recovery at each wall. "3" means take a breath and push off, then take 3 breaths before the next wall. "0" means you take zero breaths between the walls. Each length is swum as relaxed as possible, slow everything right down, and get the most from each pull.

One of the girls from last year first showed us. I find it very useful, it shows what can be done with perfect form (never lifting head).

Kurt Godel

Thurs 50 min turbo

12 easy
4x(5 BG steady, 2 easy)
10 easy

My cadence is too low in general, so i'm playing around with increasing it. Thought I was spinning fast for the easy 12 and 10 around the main set, but my Garmin says otherwise (12mins 64rpm 158W, and 10min 68rpm 153W). The BG 5min blocks went (58rpm 230W, 64rpm 264W, 65rpm 265W, 66rpm 273W).

Kurt Godel

PM Masters swim 2,450m

200 easy
12*50 as 25 IMO, 25 swim, 10s
4*100 on 1:40
4*100 on 1:35
4*100 on 1:30
4*100 on 1:25
50 easy

I led out the first set, in 1:22 first one, too fast, so slowed to a more comfortable 1:30 pace. Next set went fine, in 1:25-1:30, felt good. The third set was tough, in 1:20-1:29. The last was a killer, I caught a draft for the first 100, sat out the next, and managed to hit the last two with some effort. The two kids were waiting patiently having finished their 2 hours, so I had to bail after that. Good session. Love the company, and the challenge it brings.

Kurt Godel

Fri 2,800m swim

300sw,200p,100k
10x50p as 25 fist, 25 easy + 10sec
4x50 fast on 60
20x50 alt fast/easy on 60
8x25 sprint on 40
300 hypoxic 3,2,1,0,0,0,0,1,2,3

Felt good today, swimming high on the water. A light flutter kick can work wonders. The fast 50's were in 38-41, the 25 sprints in 17-20.

Everything is working well in my stroke at the moment. I had a crisis of confidence back in Dec/Jan, and deconstructed everything piece by piece over the next month. It's all been put back together now, and I'm faster because of that exercise.

Kurt Godel

Sat 3 hour turbo

TT bike:
1hr easy
3x(20 85%, 10 90%, 5 95%, 5 easy)

Broken down as:
1:00:00 181W 69rpm
20mins 240W 67rpm
10mins 264W 73rpm
5mins 274W 78rpm
5mins easy
20mins 230W 72rpm
10mins 259W 68rpm
5mins 277W 70rpm
5mins easy
20mins 232W 62rpm
10mins 243W 60rpm
5mins 267W 64rpm
5mins easy

Yet again I played round with cadence, and I thought I was spinning fast for the first hour. The figures above show thats not the case. I'm a grinder. I did the first two sets on the smaller front ring, the last on the larger. Don't really think any drop in power is attributed to that, rather an increase in fatigue.

Kurt Godel

Sun 3:03 bike spin 74.64km 846m elevation

Yesterday was miserable, wet, cold, windy... so I swapped sessions and did the indoor turbo. What a result, as this morning was the freshest Spring day you could ask for, a joy to be out and about the backroads nice and early. I biked to Tinahely but the IM bunch had left earlier, off on a 5 hour spin, so I said goodbye to the slower group and headed off myself. Tinahely-Shillelagh-Clonegal-Kildavin-Bunclody-Carnew-Hillbrook-home, a lot of it on newly discovered backroads in glorious sunshine. It was a rolling course, and I tried to keep the cadence higher than usual. I'd been told to keep these 3 hour spins to 75k in distance, so the work rate was fairly casual (no PM on the roadie).

Kurt Godel

Mon 55min turbo

20 easy
15x(1 spin, 1 easy)
10 easy
spin is > 95rpm

High cadence- how on earth do people ride at 95+rpm? It doesn't feel natural. However, its necessary for progress. The 15*1min came in between 95-113rpm, and 265-326W.

Dory Dory

Kurt Godel wrote: »

Mon 55min turbo

20 easy
15x(1 spin, 1 easy)
10 easy
spin is > 95rpm

High cadence- how on earth do people ride at 95+rpm? It doesn't feel natural. However, its necessary for progress. The 15*1min came in between 95-113rpm, and 265-326W.

You'll get used to it if you do it enough. I used to naturally have a cadence of 65ish and I lived in the big ring, but after forcing myself to ride exclusively in the small ring for many, many training rides (step away from the big ring!!), it's improved/increased my cadence and I think it saves my energy on those long rides (that I haven't done in a long time). When you go out for a proper spin next, act like the big ring isn't even on the bike!

Kurt Godel

Mon pm 2,200m Masters swim

400m warm up
1,500m TT (24:02)
300m hypoxic 3,2,1,0,0,0,0,1,2,3

The swim felt tough rather than killer. Not much of a draft today as we were chopping and changing at different paces (4 in the lane). I didn't feel great turning, very slow touch turns, so there's a load of time to be saved there. 1:36 pace overall which I have to be content with. First 400m was in 6:08, pace slowed and steadied from there. This was a common-or-garden swim, tired after recent bikes etc, not quite the sleek lean killing machine in the water that we all strive to be. That will come in time.