Category Archives: Swimming

Ironman Texas

By tjfry | June 10, 2011

Below is the long, way too detailed version of Ironman Texas 2011. I write these more for myself than for others, as I try to note events/stats that will help me remember and correct for the next race. But some people enjoy reading. Let the record show that you were warned.

Got up about 4am after poor night’s sleep. Since I live less than 2 miles from transition, prerace was a snap. 3 hard boiled eggs and a small cup of coffee. Previously I have tried to stuff more food down my throat, but it seems to just make me uncomfortable. Mixed up all my race drinks (perpetum and pure sport) and headed over to transition. Being a local was a big help because we knew the good places to park that no one knew about. did my thing with the bags bottles and tires and started walking to the start with Amy.

Event warmup:

Because of the narrow boat ramp and the fact that they had to separate the wetsuits users from the non wetsuit users, they started letting people in the water around 6:40ish. I was sure to be right up front so I could get in and warm up some. Was able to swim easy for about 10-15 minutes before I had to go fight for positioning.

Swim

Since the water wasn’t wetsuit legal for any form of consideration other than being a finisher, there was a mix of wetsuit and non wetsuit swimmers. At first I didn’t really care because I didn’t think I would really be affected, but as the start got closer I noticed a number of wetsuits pushing their way to the front of the start. A quick glance at the equipment they were using told me they were about to get maimed when the gun when off. (Sounds a bit presumptuous I know, but just like seeing a cyclist in tennis shoes, it’s often easy to pick strong/weak swimmers out of a crowd based on their equipment choices). If they weren’t wearing the rubber courage, I guarantee they wouldn’t be in front elbowing me for space. Translate this through the entire field and I would say that this was probably a more congested/violent swim than it needed to be. I’m a big fan of the mass start, but if they’re going to allow 2 sets of rules, perhaps a two wave start would be safer.
Anyway, the gun went off and I hit the gas for a good 20 seconds. I Looked both ways and saw I was leading so I immediately throttled back and worked to settle into my pace. Because of a little mishap working on my bike, breathing to the left was a bit of a challenge because of some lingering soreness/swelling. For this reason, I did very little breathing to the left, and I paid for it. What I didn’t notice was that the two people I was looking for were about 20 yards to my left and slowly passing me. When I finally noticed I tried to move over and catch some feet, but it was too late. Stupid tactical error. I ended up swimming about 25-35 yards behind them alone for about the first 1.8 miles, give or take. At that point I started feeling a little tired, which is something I never feel in the swim. I knew then that my fitness wasn’t nearly where it should have been. Work leading up the race was extremely busy, and swimming is the first workout I cut when I’m pinched for time. So now I had to pay for it. The 2 in front of me started really gapping and I just focused on staying smooth through the canal. The swim course by the way was really great. The last half mile swimming through the canal, there are people on both sides cheering you on. Very cool. Time: 52:24

What would I do differently?Train more, plain and simple. And don’t getted jacked in the jaw with your bike the week before the race.

T1

My MO in transition is to keep it simple. More stuff to do/think about means more things to screw up. So I got out, ran to my bag and then to the tent. Off came the Torque and on went the helmet and shoes. Passed one of the swimmers that finished in front of me and a pro male in transition. Time: 2:10

Bike:

Hopped on the bike and passed a male pro in the first mile. Once he got adjusted though he took off and out of sight like I was just learning to ride a bike. Because of my limited time to train the bike and therefore relative weakness in this event, I expect to see stronger cyclists begin to pass me by about mile 5. I was riding a bit quicker than usual this time I guess. Not sure if it was more fitness, better set up or what, but mile 5 came and went and there was no one behind me. Couldn’t see anyone. Then came mile 10, then 15, then 20. Still no one. What the? The fastest swimmer was off the front, so I’m sitting second overall and rolling through mile 25. Then 30. Then 35. At this point there were 2 athletes rolling up on me. Ok, here comes the train of cyclists. As they passed I realized that it was a pro male with a pro female drafting him (blatant I might add). So I was still in 2nd. It wasn’t until right before mile 40 that the first amatuer passed me. I was surprised it took so long, but I was riding right at a 5 hr pace so I guess in hindsight it makes sense that it would take a little longer for everyone to catch up. A few miles later the second guy came by, and as he did he asked, “Do you want to take turns taking 2 minute pulls?” I looked at him like he just offered to lick my toes. He then quickly added “legal pulls”. Whatever dude. I might have a slow bike time, but it’s legit. Slowly the cyclists then began coming, most all clean, but a few wheel suckers. Somewhere around mile 50 we came into an area that had just received a heavy rain, and the roads were soaked. I train this stretch every weekend and knew that the tar/oil with the water was going to make this section extremely slick, so I slowed way down. (I later saw a few riders with some healthy road rash and torn clothes, so my assumptions seemed to be confirmed.) I crossed the halfway point around 2:34ish and in 7th overall. I kept a keen eye on my heart rate the entire way and made sure the I kept the legs well in reserve. Even on the few hills I kept the effort so that I had 2 gears left in me. In terms of nutrition, I was drinking 1 bottle every hour, a saltstick tablet about every 30-45 minutes, and drinking the perpetum bottle as needed. 6 months ago in Ironman Cozumel I drank 1 bottle every 30 minutes and ended the ride feeling bloated and struggled with stomach issues on the run a bit because of it. This seemed at first to work much better, especially because the first few hours of the bike were under an overcast sky. The clouds actually made me rethink the hydration a little as at times it felt downright comfortable outside. That turned out to be a bit of a mistake as I would find out later.
Coming back to The Woodlands there was a bit of a headwind, but nothing to complain about. I went through a few rough patches where the back/neck would get tight, but otherwise a pretty consistent ride. Felt pretty good once I got back in the Woodlands, and the crowds on every corner certainly helped. Hear rate consistant throughout, with about a 5 beat rise in the last 10 miles or so. That was a tell…

Time: 5:15

What would I do differently? Drink a more balanced mix of water and Perform. I drank about 90% Perform, and what I thought was a bloating feeling was actually a mild case of sour stomach. Next time I will probably alternate bottles so I can help fix the hydration challenge.

T2

Rolled in, handed off the bike and ran to the tent. When I sat down I thought to myself, “take your time and get everything right for this brutal run”. Was a little surprised that it was still a 3 minute transition. I thought I sat there for a while. oh well. Time: 3:00

Run

The heat and humidity hit me like a wall. This was my 5th Ironman, and each one I have done has been in temperatures above 90 degrees. Having said that, this run felt the hottest. I knew immediately I was in trouble. I kept slowing down and the heart rate kept climbing (even though RPE felt the same). About a half mile in, my breathing started feeling shallow, like an asthma attack was coming. It was at this point that my mind started debating whether I could finish. I immediately kissed Kona goodbye. This was my hometown race and I wasn’t about to drop out in my backyard. As I ran up to the mile 1 aid station, I kept telling myself, “this is the unplanned problem for this race, just figure it out”. Got to mile 1 in 7:40 and hit the port-a-can. Immediatley figured out problem #1. I’m dehydrated. So I stopped at the aid station and started taking in A LOT of fluids. Jogged very easy to the next aid station and repeated the hydration. Struggled this way through the 4th aid station. Then slowly I was able to run at a steady pace again. Things started turning, even if slowly. Ran through a couple of aid stations and then started fighting the overheating. So I dedcided that since a Kona slot was out, I would walk through the aid stations and get as much ice on me as I could find a spot for. Chest, back, groin, and held a handful in each hand. This run was frickin hot! I have never seen so many pro’s walking. I actually passed a few on the run (ok, ok, they were a lap ahead of me but I still passed them technically!) Somewhere around mile 13 I got an update from a friend. He told me that the last update showed that I was 9th in my AG. So I thought back to where the last checkpoint would have been that was already on the internet and it was a good chunk back (maybe mile 8 or 9?), but I did start noticing that I wasn’t really getting passed much out here. I really couldn’t believe it. I was having a horrible run and running at what felt like a snails pace. So I guess everyone was suffering too, and I’m still in this race. Of course heat management was priority, but now there was a little more urgency in my step. Started the 3rd lap and life started getting confusing. I had to try and figure out if the person that was passing me was on their first, second or final lap. (On a side note, the crowds on the run were fantastic, especially on the waterway. Huge props to the director for designing the run course.). When I got to the turnaround (at Landry’s) I forced myself to up the pace as I noticed I was closing in on a competitor in my AG. Made the turn into Market street and soaked it up best I could. Great finish area set up by the way! Time: 4:01

What would I do differently? Start the run well hydrated.

My warm down amounted to zero. Almost passed out about 10 minutes after the race while talking to friends and family, so I spent a few minutes with the docs, drank some chicken broth and then headed for home. On the way out I heard from a couple of people that I finished 11th. The prerace predictions were that 11 slots would go to my age group (the largest age group starting). So it was just a matter of waiting until morning to see if it would be official. Went home, had friends come over, drank beer and ate pizza. The next morning I got my confirmation that it was indeed 11 slots and got my golden ticket to Kona! This will be my 3rd trip there, and I haven’t had the best history in Kona (more on that another time) , so my goal is to actually experience the legendary Kona finish, even though I finished both times.

Of course if I trained for the swim a bit more I might be able to…well….we’ll have to wait and see ;)

**Photo’s taken off of Facebook via firends who took the pictures. I would like to thank them and If any of the pictures need to be removed, just let me know.***
Also posted in Biking, Running | 2 Comments

Connor’s Stroke

By tjfry | May 10, 2011

I had the opportunity to take a look at Connor’s stroke not too long ago, and I have to say that my first impression was a good one. Typically, when someone starts swimming in front of me, I can pick up on 2 or three things that need to be corrected within the first 25 yards. Connor though, has a good rhythm to his stroke and at first glance was doing all the things I look for correctly (or mostly correct).  He’s a rising star in this sport and World Cup racing could be in his future if he continues to train hard and is able to get a stronger swim. For most who read this site, you’re going to look at his stroke and think that he is more than a strong enough swimmer to be a good triathlete. And you’re right. Problem is, you can’t be a good triathlete and race World Cup. And you certainly can’t be a ‘pretty solid’ swimmer and expect to survive a World Cup race. You are either in the first group out of the water or you’re sitting in the hotel room during the awards ceremony. But I digress. Let me beat up Connor’s stroke a little….

First thing that catches my attention is Connor’s kick. It’s fluid and functionally correct, but man he does a lot of it. In the videos here Connor is using a 6 beat kick for his freestlye, and while effective, it’s an energy hog. The two big reasons I see him using this are his head position and his stroke rhythm. If you look at the video where I’m filming from overhead, you can see that Connor lifts his head pretty significantly when he breathes. When you do this you tend to put a lot of downward pressure on the hips and if you don’t kick more, your butt sinks. So in order to stay flat on the water, Connor must kick a little more/harder, especially when he breathes. The other thing that I noticed is Connor’s rhythm. Notice that pause in his stroke on his breathing side. Fairly common among swimmers. You even see Phelps do it from time to time. The difference here is that the pause is often comes as he breathes. With Phelps and others, that pause comes during his glide, which is essentially a streamlined position. So take the fact that the head is being lifted more than it should with the pause during the breathe and you have a portion of Connors stroke that is basically applying the brakes.

The fix is not especially easy either. This is one of the things that becomes part of the habits of a stroke, and bad habits can be hard to break (Take note beginners, this is what a bad habit looks like. It’s subtle. What’s not a bad habit is struggling with freestyle because you only swim 1,500 yards per week of mostly drills in fear of forming bad habits). This first thing Connor needs to do is lower his head when he breathes. That will eleviate some pressure on his kick. Next he needs to work on a quick breath and a long glide. In other words, he needs to change where he puts the pause in his stroke. It’s actually pretty good on his non breathing side.  Finally, when those two have been fixed, he needs to lighten up the kick to save energy for the rest of the race. I’m a fan of the two beat kick, but even dropping down to a 4 (which I don’t like at all) or alternating between a 2 beat kick and a 6 beat kick would help save the legs.

Beyond that there are some minor things that could be adjusted. I see Connor drops his elbow a little when he pulls. Not by a lot, but it’s still happening. As he gets better at the glide he could rotate a little more to get more bang for his buck. Again though, not a major issue, and more than likely something that will fix itself as he ramps up the yardage.

All in all a really good stroke, with some adjustments and a healthy dose of hard work (and VOLUME), he’ll be getting out of the water in the first pack feeling relaxed and well rested for that ever so quick bike and run. Good Luck!

Also posted in Swimming Technique | 2 Comments

Product Review: Speedo IM Tech Paddles

By tjfry | April 11, 2011

Like most people I’m a creature of habit,  so trying a new hand paddle was a bit odd to me since I have been loyal to Strokemakers for so many years. But when Speedo came out with their IM Tech Paddle designed to be used on all four strokes, I had to give em a try. One of the big problems with hand paddles is that they’re effective for freestyle and rather awkward when you try and use them for the other strokes, and figured the same would be true with these.

 The first thing that catches your attention with the IM Tech Paddle is it’s shape. the shape is a little different than other paddles as it has a curved kidney been look to them, rather than the typical mishapen oval of other paddles. The purpose of the shape is so that each stroke will benefit from the paddle. During freestyle you wear the paddle as shown in the picture and  breaststroke you would switch hands. Initially I tried the paddles using freestyle and noticed immediately the difference between my Strokemakers and the IM Paddle. Swimming freestyle with these paddles was odd initally because of the way the paddles directed my hand through the water. it took 100 or so of getting used to before I started getting comfortable swimming freestyle. Once I adjusted it was very comfortable. I also noticed that my pace was not quite as brisk with these paddles, but I must admit that I use a pretty large hand paddle (Strokemaker Blue) so I was expecting a difference.  The gold in these paddles though are in the ability to swim other three strokes. when I reversed the paddles and swam breaststroke and backstroke I immediately saw what they were intended for. Typically in breaststroke for someone to train with paddles they have to use a traditional paddle and size down a couple sizes so that they can control their stroke more effectively, but with these paddles I found that my stroke was very natural right from the start. So I was able to get up and work the stroke right away. No adjustments, no awkwardness, no nothing. I put them on and starting working. Same with back and fly. It was a very natural feel and I could work the pull right away.

After a few hundred yards of swimming with these paddles I found them really enjoyable during all four strokes. The downside?   Not much. The way you fasten your hand to the paddle is similar to most all other hand paddles using rubber tubing to strap your wrists and fingers to the paddle, but one thing different with this paddle is that the rubber tubing doubles back on itself. This created a minor problem for me as it forced my fingers to separate in order to accomodate the extra tubing and started to irritate by the end of my swim. This is not a big deal though as you as you can cut down and adjust the rubber tubing to fit your personal preferences (something I didn’t do), and you shouldn’t be wearing them for an entire workout anyway. Overall I found these paddles to be an asset to my equipment bag and have left them there (something I don’t normally do). I’ve also added them to my regular workout rotation. If you are looking for something different to train all four of your strokes or are needing to focus some attention on your pull, I would highly recommend these. Enjoy your workout.

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Rip’s Stroke

By tjfry | April 8, 2011

I need to first apologize for the long delay in getting some of the swim analysis posts up. For some reason, I was no longer able to embed videos here and ….blah blah blah. You get the idea. I got it fixed. Now onto Rip’s swimming.

Rip is an accomplished athlete but hitting the pool is a more recent endeavor. In watching him hop in the pool and go, a few things popped out at me right away. First off I noticed that Rip crosses the centerline of his body when his hand enters the water. This is more exaggerated when he breathes. Its pretty easy to see in this first video.

Pay attention to his right arm as it enters the water. Ideally, you never want your hand to cross over the top of your head. Imagine a skewer going through the top of your head and extending straight down through your body. With that as your guide, you never want your hand to cross that skewer and come over to the other side of your body. This will immediately cause you to swim crooked, among other things. So if you cross over with your right arm, you will most likely swim off to the left. If both arms cross, you get a bit of a wormlike stroke. An easy tell is if you see someone wiggle their behind back and forth as they swim. The fix is simple enough. Point where you want to go. Yep. That’s it. You can look up drills online til you’re blue in the face, but it really just boils down to pointing, or positioning your hand, so that it lines up with the direction you want to go. So as your hand enters the water, make sure your hand is pointing to the cross at the other end of the pool.

The next thing that I saw was very common if you read this site much. That is, Rip is dropping his elbow when he pulls. By dropping his elbow, he is losing a large amount of surface area that you use to pull, leaving each pull rather ineffective. This is a tougher problem to fix as this type of habit gets pretty well ingrained in your muscle memory. Additonally, as you get tired, you naturally begin to drop your elbow in order to keep the cadence consistent.

What Rip needs to do to fix this is a few things. First of all, the pull needs to be deeper. Try and get away from bending your elbow at 90 degrees and more like 10 degrees. A deeper pull and straighter arm will fix some of the issue almost immediately. Next try swimming while making a fist. If you lose the surface area of your hand, you will be forced to get though the water using your forearms as your “paddle”. This will bring your elbows up higher so that your forearms have a clear shot at the water. Takes a bit of work, but the results will be substantial.

Finally, I noticed this once we left the pool and I started looking at the video. It was pretty obvious, but I missed it at the pool b/c I am looking at a number of different things all at once as someone swims across the pool. That’s why video is so great!

OK, So take a look at Rip’s arm cycle. Notice how his arms are almost always opposite of each other, like a windmill. This causes a gap in his stroke in which the pulling arm is behind him and the recovery arm is still up in the air.  With no arm in front helping to streamline and no arm pulling, your freestyle will hit the brakes in a frickin hurry. The fix is what some people call front quadrant swimming. In other words, most of the power and all the the streamlining happen from roughly the chest up. so as one arm pulls, the other arm should be gliding, which helps to maximize that pull. The common drill used to practice this is called ‘catch up’ drill. In catch up, that hand that is gliding doesn’t begin to pull until the other hand literally ‘catches up’ and touches the gliding hand. Like playing tag with your hands. It’s going to feel very strange at first, but you will start to notice that you are gliding more and that it takes fewer strokes to get across the pool. And less strokes across the pool allows you to take all that energy you just saved and apply it to the pull. Once you get that down? Duh… Winning!

Happy Training.

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