"11 Endurance Events to Do in 2011"

Look what made Active.com's "11 Endurance Events to Do in 2011"!  Woohoo!

128 Days and Flip-Turns

Hi Friends! Last night was mid-distance freestyle night at Cambridge Masters Swim Club (CMSC from here on out). Here was our work out:

Warm Up - 400, 4x100, 4x50
200 kick - build
200 pull - build
3x300 - 125, 5 sec. rest, 75, 5 sec. rest, 100 - focus on flip turns (6 dolphin  kicks) - all on the 4:45
100 kick easy
200 All Out
50 easy
200 All out
200 warm down
Total Yardage = 3,250

The workout was great but things have changed in the last 5 years that I've been out of competitive swimming. Like, now all freestylers dolphin kick off of their flip turns. As I was never good at dolphin kick, I thought it would just slow me down. But after working on it during the middle set, I found it actually got me a good 10 yards past the flags. Excellent. To see what I'm talking about, watch a pro (All-Star Olympian, Natalie Coughlin) do it here.

Thanks for reading!

Uff Dah

Hi Friends! Last night I headed to master's practice for "Distance Night". I figured it was better than watching the Packers win their way into the Superbowl and maybe it would loosen me up after a day of skiing on Saturday. The first thing the coach said to me was, "Be warned, I'm  known for my tough workouts".  Here was our all-freestyle practice:

500 warm up
8x75 Odds kick/swim/pull, Evens Swim
5x500 Straight, 2x250 slow fast, 4x125 build, 5x100 on the 1:40, 10x50 on the 40
2x300 Slow/Fast
500 Warm down
Total = 4x200 yards in an hour and a half

I have to give thanks to my lane-mate Ken for cheering me along on my first Distance practice. It was tough, but I made it through. Even though I can't lift my arms today, it was worth it. And...I'm spent.

Thanks for reading!

Pyramid Set and Saturday Fun.

Hi Friends! Last night I went to open swim at the Brookline pool and did my first 3,500 yard workout in yeeeeeeears. The main set was one of my favorites (and I'm putting in my interval times so I can look back later and laugh at how slow they are :) )

8x50 on the :50
4x100 on the 1:40
2x200 on the 3:20
4x100 on the 1:40
8x50 on the :50

Phew. I felt like I had just raced a mile after that set but it felt so great to be able to stick to the intervals. I really feel like I'm getting my "swimming legs" back and it's exciting.

This morning, Erik, our friend Travis and I headed up to Mt. Sunapee in NH to do a little "cross-training" a.k.a. skiing. It was a little chilly in the morning but after lunch the sun came out it turned into an absolutely beautiful and fun day. And I only fell twice! I hope to get a lot more days like today in this winter.

Thanks for reading!

Morning Practice. And More Memories.

Hi Friends! So, I decided to go to my first Cambridge Masters morning practice this morning. Uff da, my 4:30AM wake up call came early. I made it to the Harvard pool (gorgeous facility), met a bunch of the team (awesome people) and waited for the coach who never showed. I give myself an A+ for effort and will try the morning practice thing again on Friday.

On another note, I pulled together a couple of old photos. The first photo is of young swimmer Jenny. I was six or seven years old competing on the Brandermill, VA Swim Team. Go Makos! The second photo is on Wagner Swimming's 2005 training trip in Key West. This photo is of some of the senior girls and we were celebrating our last training trip ever at Ricks. Please note, I fully intend upon celebrating finishing the SAKW race at Ricks as well. Great times.

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Oh, the memories...

Hi Friends! I swam at the Brookline pool again tonight and got up to 3,000 yards. I even timed a 500 and came out at 7:02. Considering my best race time is 5:02, I was feeling pretty good! After practice I busted out my new bottle of Ultra Swim Shampoo and the young swimming memories came flooding back to me. Two-a-day swim practices before and after school at the Rec Center (Thanks, Mom!), weekend swim meets, ultimate frisbee (cross-training, duh) and Bruegger's Bagels after practice to carbo-load. Yum. Good times. Great childhood.

Good Friends and a Great Cause

Hi Friends! Happy Monday! As I write this I'm drinking Starbucks Hot Chocolate (it's coooold here in Boston) and trying to wake up from a super fun weekend filled with bachelorette festivities and catching up with good friends. Take a look at the gorgeous bachelorette, Kerstin and my friend Mahmood and Erin's adorable dog, Belle.

I also thought that it was time I write about the great cause I'm swimming for. Although I'm sad I won't be able to participate in the actual walk in NYC this year, I'm glad I'm still able to support the cause. Here are some facts:

WHAT: A 5K Run and 5K Walk, Health Expo and Finish Line Festivities
WHEN: Saturday, April 30, 2011 - One Week before Mother's Day Weekend
WHERE: Begins in Times Square and finishes in Central Park
WHO: 20,000 dedicated men, women and children
WHY: To raise awareness and critical funds for women's cancers research, treatment, counseling and outreach programs.
BACKGROUND: Created in 1993 through the committed and collective efforts of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Lilly Tartikoff and Ronald O. Perelman, the EIF REVLON Run/Walk For Women has grown to become one of the nation's largest 5K fundraising events. To date, the Run/Walks (in Los Angeles and New York) have distributed over $60 million dollars for cancer research, treatment, counseling and outreach programs. Thanks in part to these funds, new treatments are being developed and lives are being saved.


If you are in NYC and would like to participate in the walk, register here. If you are not able to participate but would still like to donate to this amazing cause, please click on the "donate now" button on the top right of my page. 


Thanks for reading!

141 Days and Inspiration

Took another night off from swimming and went to Yoga. Kristi kicked my butt! I could really feel my swimming muscles lengthening and burning at the same time. Great combination :) Taking this weekend off to head down to NYC for some bachelorette festivities and brunch with great friends. Can't wait. Back to the pool in a big way next week.

On another note, I was blown away and completely inspired by ultra-athlete Jamie's blog. This guy has competed in 12 Ironman Races, 1 Triple Ironman and 1 Ultraman (if you don't know what it is, check it out here, I guarantee you will be blown away as well). In August of 2010, Jamie was the first person to complete a double-crossing of Lake Tahoe (44 miles) and in July of 2011 he is preparing to swim from Africa to Italy. That's 88 miles people! Amazing stuff.

Thanks for reading!

A Little Open Water Swimming History

Brrr! Boston got dumped on yesterday and the city basically shut down due to all the snow. Swim practices were cancelled so that meant no more yardage for me. Instead, I did a little research on open water swimming. Did you know that an open water race over 5k wasn't added to the Olympics until Beijing in 2008? Crazy. Check out an interesting timeline here.

Stay warm and thanks for reading!

Namaste

I'm taking the day off from writing about swimming to talk about Yoga, a.k.a. my new obsession. My college swim coach made my teammates and I take a few classes for cross-training purposes in college but it never really stuck. I didn't feel like I was getting a work out and I didn't see the advantages of it. Then, a couple of years ago when I started to come up to Boston to visit Erik I started going to the Baptiste Power Yoga studio in Cambridge. It is AMAZING. Baron Baptiste has created a fantastic program that practices hot (90+ degrees) power vinyasa yoga that leaves you feeling cleansed and totally new after each class. Now I can not only touch my toes (without bending my knees) but I can put my palms under my feet! This is huge coming from a girl who always failed the flexibility test in gym class. Since moving to Boston, I've switched to the Brookline Baptiste Yoga Studio and try to go at least once a week. It's not only given me improved flexibility but has forced me to focus on my inner self and has taught me how to create a calm peace of mind. I'm thinking this will come in very handle on mile 10 of the Swim Around Key West (SAKW from here on out). It's a perfect compliment to any training program and I highly recommend it. Even Dara Torres practices power vinyasa yoga (See picture above, the average inside pool air temp is at least 80 degrees. Perfect power yoga conditions.). If you'd like to learn more about Baron Baptiste, click here.

Thanks for reading!

The "Donate Now!" Button is Working!

Hi Everyone! Just a quick note that the "Donate Now!" button to your right is now working. Click on the link and it will take you to the Revlon Run/Walk page where you can make a tax deductible donation. Any little bit helps! Thanks guys!

143 - 4,500 yards down. Thousands to go!

143 Days to go! Isn't the pool above amazing? Since I don't belong to a gym, much less a gym with a pool, I needed to find a place to train that didn't require membership. Luckily, my friend and old MN teammate, Lauren Asay (thanks Lauren!), told me about the Evelyn Kirrane pool in her neighborhood in Brookline. You can pay-per-swim and the facility is fantastic (complete with little kids swim lessons in the wading pool, which I LOVE. Seeing little kids dunk under water for the first time is great)! Erik and I checked it out on Saturday and we both swam a mile and left feeling tired but good. Being back in the water was so exhilarating that I decided to head back on Sunday for another 2,500 yards. 

Also, check out the amazing feat that the Swim Around Key West race director, Bill Welzien, completed. Now that's hardcore. Congrats, Bill!

Thanks for reading!

144

Hi Friends! Welcome to the blog about my journey to competing in the 35th Annual Swim Around Key West race on June 4th, 2011. Only 144 days to go! Why am I doing this? Here are some answers:

A) I competed in this race as one leg of a three person relay when I was 14. If I can swim 4 miles at age 14, I can swim 12.5 miles at age 28. Right?
B) I no longer want to say, "I WAS a competitive athlete... back in the day". I want to BE a competitive athlete. Today, and every day until my body won't let me compete anymore.
C) Open water swimming isn't something I'm especially good at. I would like to be GREAT at it.
D) I genuinely miss swimming. The early morning practices, the constant smell of chlorine, singing songs in my head during 2 hour long sets, and the camaraderie between athletes who like participating in an individual sport but will also yell their hearts out on the sidelines getting you through that last 25 yards of your 500 yard race. Basically, swimmers are the best.

Another major part of the motivation behind training for this race will be knowing that I am raising money for an amazing cause. Since I moved from NYC to Boston in October, I will not be able to participate in the Revlon Run/Walk for Women's Cancers like I have the past four years. Please help me in raising money to fund cancer research by staying tuned to this site for a "Donate Now!" button that will be added soon. After my $150 event registration fee is paid for (which benefits a charity of the Swim Around Key West's Board choosing), 100% of the proceeds raised will benefit women's cancer research.  For exact beneficiaries, please see the following link: http://tinyurl.com/6xh74p5.

On that note, this post is getting long so I'm going to say see you later for now. In future posts, expect to see training tips, links as to what is going on in the world of competitive swimming (because you can't find that on ESPN except during the Olympics) and other random tidbits and photos from my journey that you will hopefully find interesting.

Thanks for reading!