Tuesday, Dec 11, 2012

Swim

I got a late start this morning, hitting snooze a few times.  Like I said, I'm NOT a morning person.  I got up around 5:30am, changed into my swim clothes and shot off to the gym (Mayerson JCC) to swim some laps.  The gym opens at 5:30am and the pool opens at 5:45am and has 4 lap lanes.  It's usually empty or there's only one person in the pool, which is nice.  It's also very quiet and relaxing. 

I wasn't in the water until 5:55am or 6am, as I live just a few miles from the JCC.  On the Sunday two days prior, I met a friend at the JCC to show my wife and I some tips on swimming freestyle.  He swam in high school and gave us some great feedback and drills to practice.  I grabbed a foam peanut (helps elevate my waist in the water, held between my legs) and jumped in.  I have TYR goggles and swim in my running shorts for now.  I'll get some "speedo" type shorts eventually, which will reduce drag and actually give me less to worry about in the pool.  My running shorts want to slide off some or fill with air or bunch up.  They work for now, but eventually I'll switch.  I also have soft silicone/mold able ear plugs.

The pool is 25 yards in one direction, and I call each 25yd pass a "lap".  Not to mix up people who have asked me if a lap is just down or down and back.  Today marked the 6th time I've "swam" in about 4 weeks.  Before this I couldn't really do much beyond not drown.  To prep for my first swim a month ago (I literally never swam distance before), I just watched several YouTube videos on freestyle and triathlon (Ironman) swimming.  I just said, "Well, it looks like they're just reaching forward a lot, rolling partially, pulling the water back, and using their legs sparingly - kind of like a rudder." 

From someone that had no clue how to swim a month ago, that's all it is.  Relax, reach far out and partially roll, pull the water back, kick minimally and breath as needed on the side pulling back.  I am new, though have a decent cardio base from the marathon, so I stop each lap or two to catch my breath and review the previous lap and think about how to do the next one.  It's slow and probably hideous, but it's really relaxing and I have really started enjoying it.  Today, I swam 14 to 16 laps, because I was late.  I swam about 30 the week before.  I usually go twice a week.

As for diet:
Breakfast
Oatmeal- 320cal
10:30 snack
Honey Crisp apple - 130cal
Lunch
Big Salad - 555cal
16oz skim milk - 160cal
2:30 snack
Honey Crisp apple - 130cal
Dinner
Chicken breast in Italian - 200cal
Mac n cheese - 330cal
Corn - 70cal
30 Pretzels - 220cal
Roasted Pepper Hummus - 180cal
Water
About 10 bottles but only one 5cal sweetener added today (split between 2 bottles)
Daily total - 2300

MyFitnessPal.com estimates the easy paced freestyle swim of 20 minutes burned 244 calories, so my total allowable calories for the day was 2344, for a caloric deficit of 44 today.  I could have skipped the pretzel/hummus appetizer, but I was really craving a snack.  The old me would have opened some wine or cracked a few beers and picked up some Busken cookies to eat.  I'm hoping to give my diet a serious try this month and next.  I can cheat on the weekends, but Mon-Fri I'm sticking to 2100 calories/day plus whatever I burn.  Tomorrow is a longer run, 5-7 miles, so I can play with more calories for the day.  My plan is to run Wed, swim Thu, lift upper body free weights Thu at lunch (Blue Ash Rec Center), and run Fri morning.  The weekend is pretty busy, so I won't be doing anything.  I was sneaking out to ride my mountain bike on some trails, but it's getting colder and almost ski season.  I can't wait!  I'll get the kids ready for bed and probably read more of "Eat & Run" from 8-9 and get to sleep early knowing I'll be up around 5am to run.