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The best micro fiber gym/swim towel
My wife go me this towel for Christmas. Wonderful. Light weight. More effective than the big beach towel I used to use. And takes weight off my bag too. http://www.amazon.com/Wanderluxe-Microfiber-Absorbent-Swimming-Sapphire/dp/B015XCRII6/ref=lp_13307361011_1_1?srs=13307361011&ie=UTF8&qid=1451786483&sr=8-1
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A snapshot of swim calorie calculators
I took a few minutes to run the numbers with 3 different swim calculators. Keeping the time and weight fixed. Varied only the distance. The shows shows the results from the 3 calculators. I added a note regarding the MFP(***) calculator due to the nature of the assumption made behind the calculation. I actually found that…
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Garmin Forerunner 225
I've been looking for a multi-use HRM that works without a strap and works in the pool for swimming. Apparently some reviewers are lying. It will survive swimming with it but it will not function properly while swimming with it according to Garmin.…
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10 days left on this China trip
Chlorine withdrawal is awful for chlorine addicts. Been he two weeks. Back on the 24th. Walked around West Lake in Hangzhou today. About 9 miles total for the day. Definitely going to get a good long swim in the day before Thanksgiving.
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Speedo Endurance Race jammer deign update?
The latest Speedo Endurance that I bought is showing signs that it was either updated for longer life, or the fact that I am washing the seam threads with shampoo after each swim is improving seam life. Until these ones, as anyone who has used this model Speedo jammer knows, the material they used for the seams degrades…
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Back from China. It is good to feel safe swimming again :)
It's the little things like lane ropes and etiquette that make swimming safe. And it those little things one misses when spending a month on a communist country where lane ropes seem to be banned except at government approved Olympic training facilities. It was good to be in 80 degree water instead of something over 90…
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One legged squats. China style :)
In China they have bicycles one can check out using the transit card. Just one problem. They are sized for the average Chinese that is 5'2". My son was 5'2" when he was 8. :) I'm 6'. So even with the seat all the way up, my upper leg is parallel to the ground on the max up stroke. Thus mimicking the starting position for a…
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My outlook: Adapt or get fat
Starting about 8 years ago, doctors started telling me I should not be doing martial arts due to degenerative osteoarthritis in my feet. I didn't stop. 2008 foot surgery due to DOA. Took a break for a little while for recovery. But didn't change my unhealthy eating. Moved, trained less, gained more weight. After the third…
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Fasting wellness checkup next week. Big AM swim before it :)
Next week is my annual 'wellness' checkup. (whatever happened to just calling it a physical?) Can't eat or drink anything but water for 8 hours before. Appointment is at 11:00. I figure by blood sugar should be pretty low by that time if I do a nice 5 mile or 10KM swim that morning :) I'll keep some MIO Fit handy so I can…
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Another month in hell...ooops I mean China coming
China again. This crap is getting old. But this time they swear they are going to get me pool access. I hope it doesn't turn out to be another lie in the form of taking me to a place with a splash pool. But I'm told it is a real pool. But unless it has lane ropes it is a splash pool. Finger crossed. But it still sux being…
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Nut carbs. How much actually counts?
I kicked the protein bar habit and not only use nuts for snacks. Kirkland snack pack multi pack box conveniently has 10 packs each of 1.6oz cashews, peanuts, and almonds. They list 12,10 and 8 grams of carbs respectively. Likewise their GI's are pretty low. 22, 14, 0 respectively. How much of those carbs is actually fiber…
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Hydrodynamics, Strength, technique. What is you weakest area?
I have observed, in myself and other swimmers that these three factors, in combination, determine who fast one can swim a 100. Today, there was a much younger swimmer, clearly physically stronger than I am, and much better hydrodynamics (thinner :smile: ). Yet his technique was his obvious weak area. I have also seen…
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Why do you listen (or not) to music while swimming?
Personally, I don't listen to music while I swim. One reason is cadence. While walking it is fairly easy to adjust stride length and pace to keep time with the tunes. That The cadence matching just happens when I walk. But when I'm swimming my cadence is fairly constant. Music is far to distracting for me. I'd end up…
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Changing up post swim breakfast
I decided it was time to cut out the processed protein bars I have been eating after my 4 miles swim for breakfast. This will be my new breakfast. A spicy breakfast egg salad. 3 eggs, hard boiled 2 TBS of the best mayo in the world, Duke's Mayo (one of the benefits of living south of the Mason-Dixon) Chopped habañero and…
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Started taking a Combat scoop before morning swim
In the past, I didn't eat anything prior to my 5AM swim. I decided to try drinking a scoop of Combat protein with water before I leave the house. This is about 30 to 40 minutes before I hit the pool. Today might not be a good day to compare to swims before doing this because it was also the first good night of sleep since…
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Fuel before endurance exercise?
Kind of a cross post as I posted a similar thread in the swimmers group. I wake up at 4:20AM and am in the pool by 5:05AM and swim a minimum of 6000 yards. Today I pushed it to 4 miles (plus 10 yards, 7050 yards) I started taking a scoop of Combat protein powder with water right after waking up. So abut 35 to 40 minutes…
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June 4th begins another month in China. No pool.
No pool for another month. Picked a new pair of hiking shoes. Technically they are called approach shoes. The soles are the stiffest I have ever found in a low cut. As still as many hard boots. This should help reduce flexing my toes on the walks to the office. But they are not "indoor friendly" as the sole are most…
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Working back up after a month in China ans no pool.
Got back home at 1AM Friday. Managed to make 90 laps. 100 laps yesterday. Y opens in 2 hours. Will shoot for my normal 120 laps. Pace if off too. Worst part though is that I'll lose it all again soon because I have another effing trip in mid June. for a month again.
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In China for a month. No pool, so walking a lot.
In Hangzhou for a month (again). No pool access in this city. Any fitness 'club' is a considered a luxury here and very expensive, even by US standards. No pool close to the office as there is at the Shanghai office. (I've posted video of the chaos in that pool when one goes at the wrong time) So against medical advice, I…
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ANyone ever refer to Speedo's swim site?
Some intersting videos here on the Speedo swim web site. http://explore.speedousa.com/speedofit/swim-tips.html The old Pace club site was apparently compromised or discontinued.
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Kick board techniques
The only laps I use my burner fins for now are kick board laps. I have noticed that there are 3 basic techniques people seem to use. My preferred is with the board outstretched and my face in the water to keep as close to my front crawl plane as possible. Other I've seen hold the board outstretched but raise their head out…
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Darn kids in the pool. Swim team kids :)
Swim team practice is done for the season. But one of the swim team kids was there this morning. And DAMN SHE WAS FAST! If I could swim as fast as she did I'd finish my 120 laps swim at least 45 minutes sooner :) I'm way to old to ever get that fast. But it is amazing to watch these kids glide through the water like they…
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Meeting fat metric with vegetables sauteed in a lot of oil :)
I update my targets to get more in line with the K mets. It occurs to me that getting that much fat in, particularly when my typical exercise regime doubles my calorie target, means I could basically end up at dinner time with a bowl of onions and peppers sauteed and swimming in a bowl of olive oil, coconut oil, peanut oil…
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Chlorine withdrawal sux.
I've been coughing up a lung for a few days now. The hardest part is not swimming. I really have to force myself to let my body fight the respiratory virus. Always impact my right lung the most. Fortunately I don't get hit by these very often. Feeling like I should be able to get back in the pool tonight. I'm jonesing bad…
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Life finally settling down again. Back to the "grind."
It has been an eventful 9 months. Got laid off for the first time my career last March. Luckily we already had the house on the market. The layoff actually gave me time to help my wife get ready for the sale and move. But it was still quite stressful. My kids, 17 and 18 at that time (18/19 now) panicked more than I did. A…
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Big mistake at lunch
In China for another damn month. (1a week ad a half left now) Eating lunch in the building cafe (company pre-paid food card) Made the mistake of trying just because it had hot peppers. I found it was pig tripe. Figured I try a couple pices anyway. I guess I'm lucky I only ate a couple pieces. Been feeling like I'm gonna…
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No pool this time in China. Chlorine withdrawal is bad
I was only home 5 weeks when the CEO dragged me back to China. Another damn month. But this time in a differrent cityy with no pool access. Jonsing for Chlorine bad. In reality it is probably the endorphin hit that I'm withdrawing from. Though I am not supposed to, based on doctor's recommendations, I am walking from the…
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Swimming in China: Pool Anarchy
I'm in CHina for a month. Employer paid for a membership to a pool club near the office. Imagine everything from the "I hate it when" thread happening during a single 5km swim. No lane ropes. No rule, no etiquette. People swimming across the lanes. People pushing kids on floats across lanes. Getting kicked, slapped,…
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Found my way back :)
Last March when I got laid off, I found myself less motivated to track. I still got my workouts in. But I stopped tracking food. About the only thing I still tracked was swim miles. And that was n the board at the YMCA: my goal is 900 miles for this calendar year. Selling the house (it was already on the market when I got…
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My Y should have a rule about.....
About who can wear a micro speedo. Dude, if your gut measures over 50" at least wear a jammer. We don't need to have that visual stuck in the brain. :glasses: If you are a lifeguard, at least wear a jammer. Have some respect for the job. particularly at a Family YMCA.