Here Comes Old Man Winter!

I was back in the pool the other night and the good things is that the coach there said I was making progress. I have been trying to change my swim technique so that I can stay at that same speed with using less energy. Therefore I can ride and run faster! That's the plan right? I got good feedback about the way my technique is improving. I know that old man winter will keep me in the pool and it will keep me honest with my workouts. My goal is to gain a little bit of speed. First of all I know that for me to gain a lot of speed I would have to loose a lot of "mass" as the coaches put it. That said, I my mass is my mass, I think I am as trim as I can get. The speed will come from good technique. I was told I swim like I bike. My arms are going at records speed but my body is going nowhere. I have long arms and I should use them to my advantage. With this the plan is to cover as much water(distance) as possible with the least amount of strokes. I knew that but I didn't know how to! Well, Coach Craig put it in plain English for me, reach as far as I can without rolling of the bed. After he demonstrated it, I knew where I needed to focus my strength in the swim. I still have a lot of work to do but I think it will pay off.

The other thing old man winter brings out is a good long run at a nice comfortable pace. With the cold weather here I won't be doing the hard sprint workouts that summer let me do. First, I don't have the time in the AM to warm up for it and Second, I am looking forward to a nice run and watching the sun rise. I went out the other morning and it was pitch black. I hit my turn around and for the last 3 miles I was staring at the pink haze the sun slapped on me as ocean just laid there! That is what the enjoyment of the off season will bring. The best thing about New England weather is that you can change your habits with the season. (Come March I'll be begging for the hot sun as I want to brake my 5K PR) Old man winter is on the way!