Iron News Man - August 28th, 2009
Iron News Man
Four fewer strokes per 25-yard pool length! That substantial improvement came from just one session with Triathlon Coach Ian Murray (it’s easy to understand why people seek out his knowledge). Ian originally counted me at 22 strokes per length, and by the end of his time with me; we had whittled that down to 18 (we actually got it down to 17 but that’s not really sustainable).
Here are the four key drills and areas he wants me to work on:
“Reach and Roll” – Stretch out lead arm and roll my hip.
“Enter wide, extend wide” – Keep hand and arm wide entering water to avoid crossover.
“Four cylinder engine” – Hips power entry and pull together with arm/hand… lengthening stroke.
“Catch” – Increase power and speed with slight bend in arm and hand… from elbow subtly.
Post bike crash, these swim tips and techniques will get me back on track for Ironman Arizona! Ultimately, I believe I’ll be even better and more prepared than I would have been otherwise. Without question, I’m indebted to Ian Murray for his guidance. Be sure to check out the slideshow with new pics of Ian and me from the swim lesson. If you want similar benefits from Ian's knowledge, I suggest looking into his Triathlon Training Series.
108 degrees! According to our weather woman Elita Loresca, that’s how hot it was in the Santa Clarita Valley yesterday. Makes sense. My run pace was more than a minute slower than usual and my legs felt like weights. Still, I did it and I have no feeling of failure (though I suppose I could have used a treadmill :).
Here’s my TrainingPeaks.com schedule for today from Triathlon Coach Jason Healey:
Workout 1 Description:
Ride 85-Miles on a rolling course like the HW 126 or similar (no hills). Ride in zone 2 (medium to medium hard). Maintain a steady and continuous effort.
Workout 2 Description:
Run 1-mile easy off the bike.
I plan to use Highway 126 again for this ride. Simply put, no other route provides me the mostly uninterrupted length. Also, the hills are rolling; much like my ride will be for Ironman Arizona. There are fires burning in Southern California so air quality is a concern. I’ll be cautious.
Want to super size your chest? If so, be sure to click on the Wakeup Workout video!
Click here to read my previous posts.
Also, follow me and our Today in LA team onTwitter!
