A Beautiful Disaster

February 11, 2009 -

Worked it out today with a swim and weights combo that was....mmmmm......ok at best. My swim could only be described as a beautiful disaster. For whatever reason, it was hard and I felt slow. There were moments however when I felt efficient and fast. These moments quickly fell into the visual disgrace of half swimming half drowning.

The swim just seemed to drag and drag and I felt a majority of it I was just dragging through the water rather than gliding. That is why, to someone watching, it could only be described as a beautiful disaster. A brilliant combination of great swimming and some sort of sinking/gasping motion.

With these swims getting longer and longer I definitely am feeling the need to get some type of swimming coaching. Just so I at least know I'm swimming efficiently. I feel as though I am working way too hard in the pool as I watch others effortlessly glide by me........bah!

Oh well. I also lifted today even though the plan only called for the swim, but I am trying not to lose strength training all together. I pretty much did the same weights as last week however, I sucked at them way worse this week. In my own defense though, the weights would say "hey Josh, way to go, you lift us up he-man."

Day 42 Training Log - So in an effort to keep my buffness (or lack thereof) in check I added on a weight workout to my "swim only" day. This turns my six-a-week workouts into four two-a-days and two long days. The effort of Ironman I guess....I have nothing to complain about, I am enjoying the challenge for now. My swim today was 2450 yards all free with a warm-up of 4 x 50, a main of 2 x 1000 with a medium on the first 1000 and a med-hard on the second, and then a 250 progressive cool down. I hit the swim this am before work and then went back for weights during lunch. Weights started with the bench press hitting an all new high this week of 220 (I tried for 225 and couldn't quite lock it out). Then, moved to the kettle bell shoulder press of 4 x 8 for each arm with a 35lb bell. Then finished with dead-hang, closed-grip pullups for four sets of 8,7,6,5. I mixed the pullups on the off sets with this leg raise that always kills me. You lay on the row bench and reach your arms back to hang on the handles then put our legs straight out over the edge of the bench. You raise your legs up and extend further at the top for an extra crunch bringing your butt up too.....hot, I know.