Why do I keep trying to talk to people at LA fitness?

Workout: Week 7 swim drills

As I was jumping into the pool, I notice this lady wearing a black swim cap with an American flag on it - just like the ones team USA wears. As I was swimming, I couldn't help but ask, "Are you an Olympian?" and she misheard me and said, "No, I'm Mongolian."

Picking up my bike and substitute swim coach!

Workout: Coached swim practice
I got off of work early today, because Steve over at Open Road Bicycle Shop called me up and said my bike was done. I was quite happy with it, there's a lot of quality components on it and it looks really sexy. There's a giant red racing strip on it. Steve said, "It looks a lot better than it actually is." Haha, good one, Steve!

Steve posing with my Biachi Via Nirone 7

Today was also swim practice and we had a substitute swim coach. Joy is fantastic. I think she's worked with so many people on their swimming that she knew a lot of great tips that really helped directly with common problem areas. Her best advice for me was to keep my arm straight ahead and gliding as I pulled my other arm out of the water. If you start your stroke too early, it causes your body to sink. This helps maintain my center of gravity and keep my body streamline. She really pushed us too. She kept the drills lined up one after another and it felt like a great workout.

Resplendent swim coach, Joy

The first time I met her at Señor Fish, I had no idea who she was but she let me share her chicken salad as I waited for my fish platter to come out.

Golf in the pool?!

Workout: Golf drill (trying to get the lowest time + fewest strokes)

A lot of stuff happened at the pool tonight. The other TNT team that's training for the San Diego triathlon was there training in the pool with us. Their even is next weekend. They looked in shape and mentally focused. Sam was there too and took a picture of me in the pool. Hopefully I can post that soon.

I got caught cheating today with my balance drills. I hardly move with my kick and by the time I get done with my drills my legs are soo tired. So I was paddling with my arms to move faster and Gabe, a mentor caught me. He told me to keep my arms at my side and just to kick. Busted! Later on he told me, the only person I was cheating was myself. Makes a lot of sense. Who am I competing with in training but myself. Stay honest and work through it, things will get easier.

The golf drills really had my heart pumping and somewhere between the two drills, I started feeling the rush of the water as I was understanding how to properly glide. I cut the number of strokes I needed to do 50 yds. in the pool from 46 to 38. Victor, the asst. coach, noticed that my stroke was a little lopsided and suggested I practiced bilateral breathing (breathing on both sides every third stroke, instead of the same side every other.) I'll need to work on it. I can't get my face up high enough when I breath on the left side and end up drinking a lot of water. It's also another thing to remember along with body rotation and arm motion. Oh multi-tasking...

Roll Swim Drills

Workout: Roll drills (to work on arm extension for body rotation)

I heard after the last workout that chocolate milk was the best recovery drink. I didn't realize there was a difference between recovery drink and workout drink. So I bought my chocolate milk to the pool and one after another the mentors and coaches kept asking me if I had some other fluids to drink because the milk would upset my stomach and milk in pool would be very disgusting. That's me listening to somethings and ignoring others.

I shared a lane with Marisol. She faster than me so when I go off the wall first she keeps running into me. After a few laps I let her go first. Her swim cap kept sliding off her head because of her ponytail. She looked like a Santa elf with her cap halfway off her head.

Getting out-randomed at LA Fitness

Workout: Swim 1000 yds. Reduction of drag drills

I went to LA fitness today to work on my swimming since my legs were still really tired from my Tuesday and Wednesday. I shared a lane with a stranger and as I was swimming pass him I noticed that he was rotation his body as he swam. My first thought was that here was someone else training for a triathlon. I could get tips from him. My next impulse was not to freak him out by asking him a specific question like "Are you training for a triathlon?" So I waited for him to reach the wall and I said, "Hey! Are you training for a distance swim event?" I braced myself for his reaction and instead of thinking our conversation was strange. He very casually said, "Oh no, I'm just working out, would you be interesting to going to a bible study?" I was really confused. That was random.

Second Swim Practice

After learning all those drills to be more streamline and working on rotating my body, I spent a few hours at work reading and watching triathlon swimming techniques. They went over additional drills and even explained the rational behind them. By the time I got to swim practice today at Glassell Park, I was so excited to get into the pool that I was running on the deck. Someone yelled, "No running!" and I immediately felt like I was 7 years old again. It was slightly embarrassing but more-so I thought it was funny to experience that "I can't sleep because I'm going to Disneyland tomorrow" feeling.

We did all the same drills as yesterday. I still drank a lot of water but I'm starting to feel how important head position is to keep my legs from sinking.

First Swim Practice

The first swim practice was all the way in Van Nuys and for me coming from Pasadena, it must have taken 30 minutes. I wasn't planning to attend practice here but I felt if I didn't at least come all the way out here to check it out, I wouldn't know what I was missing.

Back of Ruby's jacket, she still owes me a picture

I shared a lane with Ynez, who is a fellow mentee (manatee?) of Irene. This is kinda like that vampire game my roommate, David used to play. Where his strength and prestige was based on the vampire that sired him. Anyways! I digress.

I knew my kick was really weak, but when we were doing out balance drills (to work on being more torpedo-like in the water) I'd kick until my quads burned and my calves wanted to cramp up and I still wasn't moving anywhere. The coach said I was kicking from my knees instead of my hips. I'm going to have to work on that. Maybe watch some instructional videos.