I went for the Yellow Fish trial recommended by PS. It started at 7 pm in Buona Vista Swimming Pool and ended 8.50pm. While waiting for PS at the pool, the coach had already started the training by instructing the trainees to do some drills.
I think this was the kind of training that I needed if I want to do well OD tri and long course tri. Generally I can swim; my breast stroke is stronger and more confident, but as for front crawl, unfortunately I am weak. Understandably, if I want to have good timing in the swim then learning to swim front crawl correctly is a must. I gathered that of the 3 disciplines, swimming is the one that need technique and skill compared to cycle and run.
YF has 2 offers; one was 10 pool swim and 2 sea swims. Meanwhile sea swim is what I need now to tackle the Singapore Biathlon and Aviva 70.3 in the coming weeks.
Coach started by asking me to swim a 100m front crawl, he assessed my swim and commented that I was swimming too fast, rushing and full of drag (strangely I felt I was swimming too slow). Yes, drag was the "culprit"; you swim hard but move a little. He said I needed a lot of drills and long swims. Friday class concentrate 70% drill and 30% swim. Seem I have to put a lot of hard work....!
My next drill was; right hand pull and push, recover; and left hand would start to pull and push only after right palm touched the left hand and vice versa. Gosh! this was tough for as I tend to sink before I started to execute the next stroke, and so I straggled to stay afloat than to swim. Coach advised not to worry because I was not use to this drill yet, but he reiterated that was the most fundamental thing that I must know how to do and it determined if I was swimming correctly. After some other drills and explanation on kicking rhythm and strokes, we did some long swims before coach called it a day. Wow, these long swim tired out my whole body especially my arm. Ouch! now arm aching bad....!!
The swim was fun and good. I decided to join YF. Coach reminded us about the sea swim with a mini biathlon on 1st Mar. Ironically, I have to start this course with the sea swim. Unfortunately, I still would not be able to start pool training 27th Feb next Friday.
I look forward to the coming sea swim and definitely more pool swims.
.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
4th Feb 09, Wednesday, Lazy 40 laps(2km) swim w/o buoy
It has been more than a week since I last swam so I thought I better go back to swimming training.
The pool was quite crowed as they were many swimmers who were taking swim trial for the Singapore Biathlon. I felt so fortunate and relief that I was exempted from this trial because of my completion of the Port Dickson OD triathlon.
I did a 40 laps swim this evening. Alternate stroke ( front crawl then breast stroke) laps. After the 29th front crawl lap, felt tweaking cramp at the bottom of my feet arch, so the 4th set of 10 laps was all the way breast stroke; a style that I was most comfortable with. It was supposed to be a continuous swim without stopping at every 10 laps but tonight I was not too strong mentally and physically lazy to push myself hard enough and stopped for 1 min every 10 laps. Total timing was 62min (include 3 min rest). Nevertheless I felt a sense of satisfaction since the cut off time for Aviva first leg swim is 70 min for 1.9km swim, 38 laps instead of 40 laps.
During my swim, I noticed a guy who was taking the trial, swam breast stroke with legs flipping. How strange! I thought, swam with mixed style, I think he was not bothered what style as long as he passed the trial.
I got up from the pool, took my rest while watching those poor swimmers going thru the time trial. It seemed that most of them made it below 40min for 30 laps except one lady finished last with the timing of 42 min I think she breast stroked all the way. The tester spoke to her, I wonder he has passed her, personally I felt that she should have been passed if she used breast stroke thru out the 30laps which was quite an achievement. After all, the exceeded 2 min time limit would not make her less confident in the sea water, how judgmental I was.... hahaha. Anyway rules are rules.
Tonight was the first time I did 40 laps swim completely without buoy, well it gave me some confidence though!!! But this was the 2nd time I had cramp at the bottom my feet arch...., hmmm, what happened I wonder!!!
.
The pool was quite crowed as they were many swimmers who were taking swim trial for the Singapore Biathlon. I felt so fortunate and relief that I was exempted from this trial because of my completion of the Port Dickson OD triathlon.
I did a 40 laps swim this evening. Alternate stroke ( front crawl then breast stroke) laps. After the 29th front crawl lap, felt tweaking cramp at the bottom of my feet arch, so the 4th set of 10 laps was all the way breast stroke; a style that I was most comfortable with. It was supposed to be a continuous swim without stopping at every 10 laps but tonight I was not too strong mentally and physically lazy to push myself hard enough and stopped for 1 min every 10 laps. Total timing was 62min (include 3 min rest). Nevertheless I felt a sense of satisfaction since the cut off time for Aviva first leg swim is 70 min for 1.9km swim, 38 laps instead of 40 laps.
During my swim, I noticed a guy who was taking the trial, swam breast stroke with legs flipping. How strange! I thought, swam with mixed style, I think he was not bothered what style as long as he passed the trial.
I got up from the pool, took my rest while watching those poor swimmers going thru the time trial. It seemed that most of them made it below 40min for 30 laps except one lady finished last with the timing of 42 min I think she breast stroked all the way. The tester spoke to her, I wonder he has passed her, personally I felt that she should have been passed if she used breast stroke thru out the 30laps which was quite an achievement. After all, the exceeded 2 min time limit would not make her less confident in the sea water, how judgmental I was.... hahaha. Anyway rules are rules.
Tonight was the first time I did 40 laps swim completely without buoy, well it gave me some confidence though!!! But this was the 2nd time I had cramp at the bottom my feet arch...., hmmm, what happened I wonder!!!
.
Monday, February 2, 2009
1st Feb 09 Sunday, only (8+55)km Bike and 10km run w/o speed box
After a good lunch and impressive lion dance performance at PS house, I got home at 3pm and did a brick; bike and run in the evening started at approx 4.40 pm, ended 8.25pm.
I have originally intended to do a full brick; OD swim, bike and run at Yishun Safra in the morning, but due to late night out and late sleep, could not wake up on time for it. Felt guilty and desperate as I have left with only next 7 Sundays to do a full brick training but not all Sundays are available because HK marathon on 8th Feb, OCBC S'pore 40km cycling on 22nd Feb, and 8th Mar will be a rest day as 7th Mar is a S'pore biathlon and 15th Mar will be a taper down Sunday. It looks like either on 15th Feb or 1st Mar is THE DAY for a solid brick training. Ya, I must see to it that I will do a full brick. I must.........., I told myself determinely!
Did a warm up ride of 8 km to the Mandai ave/Yishun ave 1 - loop ( 26km per loop). Surprisingly today the wind was strong and mostly head wind in most part of the loop. Strangely also, the side wind on the bridge between the Lower Seletar Reservoir and the South China Sea was also ghastly strong unlike other days of my training, I needed to control my bike from swaying, today's conditions were unlike other days. This reminded me of the Pengerang/Desaru ride I had a week ago with the "Fish", which was much more challenging and tough, and so proudly I thought to myself, "these were nothing, I had worst in Desaru, hahaha!!
I did 10km run from home to Civic Centre-Woodland stadium-home. I ran w/o my speed box which I damaged it 2 days ago, so could not check my speed. I used the heart rate monitor maintaining at 150- 155bpm to gauge speed, and walla I managed 63min from 10km which I have ensured the 10 km familiarised-measured-route was absolutely accurate. The speed box would not be ready for this HK run, so training myself with HRM to gauge speed was timely and important. I felt very strong in my run and that prompted me to think I should have rode longer distance, more than 70km instead of 55km if I did not started the training so late.
S0(8km) Warm up ride, approx. 23min
S1 24min
S2 20min
S3 24min
S4 22min
S5 23 min
S6(5km) 12min. Effective cycling time = 2hr 5 min (55km)
Transition from home 10 min
Run 10km 1hr 3 min (6.3min/km)
The training was good, felt I have at the same time, burned off some fat from those CNY junk food. But on the other hand felt real bad to have Lucille waited so late to have dinner with me. By the time we had our hearty dinner at the nearby coffee shop, it was already passed 9 pm, hmm that reminded me of her continuous support given to me in my pursuit to accomplish Half Iron Man race.
.
I have originally intended to do a full brick; OD swim, bike and run at Yishun Safra in the morning, but due to late night out and late sleep, could not wake up on time for it. Felt guilty and desperate as I have left with only next 7 Sundays to do a full brick training but not all Sundays are available because HK marathon on 8th Feb, OCBC S'pore 40km cycling on 22nd Feb, and 8th Mar will be a rest day as 7th Mar is a S'pore biathlon and 15th Mar will be a taper down Sunday. It looks like either on 15th Feb or 1st Mar is THE DAY for a solid brick training. Ya, I must see to it that I will do a full brick. I must.........., I told myself determinely!
Did a warm up ride of 8 km to the Mandai ave/Yishun ave 1 - loop ( 26km per loop). Surprisingly today the wind was strong and mostly head wind in most part of the loop. Strangely also, the side wind on the bridge between the Lower Seletar Reservoir and the South China Sea was also ghastly strong unlike other days of my training, I needed to control my bike from swaying, today's conditions were unlike other days. This reminded me of the Pengerang/Desaru ride I had a week ago with the "Fish", which was much more challenging and tough, and so proudly I thought to myself, "these were nothing, I had worst in Desaru, hahaha!!
I did 10km run from home to Civic Centre-Woodland stadium-home. I ran w/o my speed box which I damaged it 2 days ago, so could not check my speed. I used the heart rate monitor maintaining at 150- 155bpm to gauge speed, and walla I managed 63min from 10km which I have ensured the 10 km familiarised-measured-route was absolutely accurate. The speed box would not be ready for this HK run, so training myself with HRM to gauge speed was timely and important. I felt very strong in my run and that prompted me to think I should have rode longer distance, more than 70km instead of 55km if I did not started the training so late.
S0(8km) Warm up ride, approx. 23min
S1 24min
S2 20min
S3 24min
S4 22min
S5 23 min
S6(5km) 12min. Effective cycling time = 2hr 5 min (55km)
Transition from home 10 min
Run 10km 1hr 3 min (6.3min/km)
The training was good, felt I have at the same time, burned off some fat from those CNY junk food. But on the other hand felt real bad to have Lucille waited so late to have dinner with me. By the time we had our hearty dinner at the nearby coffee shop, it was already passed 9 pm, hmm that reminded me of her continuous support given to me in my pursuit to accomplish Half Iron Man race.
.
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