jock librarian

"You can't learn how to shoot a basketball at practice. The kids that really have game are the ones that are willing to spend 3-4 hours playing on their own, practicing their shots on the playground." Philip's comments struck a chord with me. I've come to realize that I won't make much progress in my sport if I spend all of my time in the water at practice (i.e. basically trying to keep pace with others in the lane). If I truly want to improve, I'm going to have to carve out time during the week to swim on my own, stop the frenetic cadence, focus on the basic movements, slow everything down to a Tai Chi waltz, imagine and breathe.

This morning's main set emphasized a mix of aerobic and anaerobic swimming:

12 x 75 FR s/k/s

4 x 100 sprint stroke
Dive off of the blocks and descend by 100
Rest 2:00 minutes after each 100

4 x 100 sprint FR
Dive off of the blocks and descend by 100
Rest 2:00 minutes and (our coach added) "focus on gathering up your chi."

Is practice a step on the path to enlightenment?

Today's short course yard Spring Fling Masters Meet in Nassau County was grand! Harald, David, Janet H. and Martha were among the registered TNYAers in attendance along with the extraordinary Coach Christopher on deck. After checking in, finding a spot on the bleachers and studying the heat sheets, I penned my assignments on the inside of my wrist:

E5 E8 E10
H1 H1 H2
L6 L9 L6

Coach C's pep talk significantly boosted my performance in the 200 IM and 50 FL. And I really tried to maintain a steady pace in the 1000 FR, (luckily!) squeaking into 3rd place in the heat. A light exists in spring!

Like Langston Hughes, Akiko Busch knows rivers: the peaceable Delaware; Connecticut's shifting channels; the Susquehanna's gracious waters and the Hudson's storied past. Busch knows the subdued currents of the Monongahela; the dark waters of the Cheat; the Mississippi's multiplicity; the wide green Ohio and the Current's blue springs. Her Nine Ways to Cross a River is texturally rich and beautifully written.

And equally lovely and inspiring was this morning's aquatic choreography:
4 x 75 BK
4 x 75 BR
4 x 75 IM

200 IM
100 IM, one minute rest

300 FR fast
250 FR recovery
200 FR fast
150 FR recovery
100 FR fast
75 FR recovery
50 FR fast
25 FR recovery

Martha and I have been prepping for a short course yards meet in Nassau County. The competition (and three ill-fitting pants) has given me extra motivation to train.

Our head coach posted this welcome workout this morning:

6 x 50 FR

Do the following set four times through--all BK, all BR, all FL, and all FR:
1 x 75 k/s/k
2 x 75 s/k/s
3 x 75 all swim

300 FR
200 FR
100 FR
6 x50 FR