Reza Ali ReActivated
I’m pushing on with my swimming drills today and I’m determined to get over some of the issues I’ve been having with swimming (see here for a post on my current swimming issues). I’ve been swimming every night for the last 4 days now focussing on drills and techniques that I found on the internet and I think it seems to be paying off. Not surprising for a saturday evening, the pool was packed this evening with parents and kids so I struggled to find a quiet spot for me to do my drills.
SWIM When I did find an opening I started with my usual stuff: Superman glide 2x50m Thumb to Thigh 2x50m Touch and Go (aka Catch-up Stroke) 2x50m Closed Fist 2x50m Lazy arm 2x50m (this is a new one which is basically not letting my fingers leave the water during the recovery) One arm front 4x50m (this is a new one which involves just using one arm whilst the other arm is fully extended in front) 4x50m freestyle The one armed stroke was particularly tough for me as I currently breath on 1 side only, on my right. So when I am swimming with my left arm, I had to take the occasional right hand stroke to breath. I decided to start learning to breath on both sides. I was a bit clumsy on the left side and I must have swallowed more water than in inhaling air. I got better at it as I practiced the breathing on my left side. I’m sure with more practice I’ll get the hang of it. I finished with a slow 4x50m normal swim just to check on the improvements. Though I still need feedback from my swim coach I think my stroke is getting better. I am definitely not getting as tired as I used to with the swimming. The Polar data are as follows: Time 69 minutes Average heart rate 56% MHR Calories 538 kcal BIKE I wrote earlier today about my bike setup. After my swim I decided to continue with a session on the bike trainer. I wanted to spend some time to get a feel for the new setup. Well, maybe not so new as the only think I changed was the saddle height. I started slowly using the programme I created on the Polar RS 800: Phase 1 Warm up 15 minutes Phase 2 Moderate 10 minutes Phase 3 Warm down 15 minutes I focussed a lot on shifting my body weight from pedal to pedal making sure I pay attention to the 1 to 3 o’clock position.
I feel a bit more relaxed on the bike now that I’ve shortened the saddle height. I also pushed the saddle as fas to the front as I can. I can feel the pedals being smoother than before and I also noticed that it doesn’t take as much effort now then when I started. Like my running I am not concerned about my pace at the moment. This year is not about pace. it’s about endurance and technique. These are the Polar RS 800 data: Time 40 minutes Average Heart Rate 65% MHR Calories 418 kcal Average cadence 68 (note average cadence was 73 for Phase 2) Total distance 12.52 km
Brilliant book
I found it extremely tough to push my heart rate to reach 80% MHR. I would have needed to pedal at a much higher cadence if I wanted to push my heart rate that high. I read in the book ‘Precision Heart Rate Training’ that different intensity applies to cycling when compared to running. To find out what my intensity levels are I need to do a lactate threshold test. I’ll write about it more when I get to actually do the test. Tomorrow, I am hoping to venture out into the world with my bike. I’ve been training indoors since I got my bike and the only time I bike outdoors is on my Dahon folding bike. It’s up at 6 and riding for an hour on the roads. Wish me luck. To all drivers, please drive safely….