Updated: Dec 25, 2023
18 October 2022
The first swim team I ever joined was a summer league team at this pool to the right in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, about 50 years ago. It's unclear if I can count my first summer swim team as being when I was 5 or 6, as I quit the team fairly quickly during the 5 year old summer as I found the water too cold! I definitely made the whole 6 year old summer season and have been hooked ever since. Someday I'll figure out a way to come back to this pool in the summer time and add this to my pool list, but for today I went to this glitteringly clear, clean and empty LA Fitness...
... where I again donned my FINIS Smart Goggles to continue my progression towards a 3,000 for time. Today's effort, after a 1,600 yard warmup was a 2,500 for time. Like prior efforts, I wanted to try to descend and negative split, and I again attempted to use a stroke count pattern to do so.. For this, I planned on 4 rounds of (100-200-300) followed by an extra 100, where I tried (and did) my stroke count per lap as:
Round 1 - 10 / 11 / 12 strokes per lap on the 100 / 200 / 300
Round 1 - 11 / 12 / 13 strokes per lap
Round 1 - 12 / 13 / 14 strokes per lap
Round 1 - 13 / 14 / 15 strokes per lap
I was able to execute that stroke count plan perfectly, but wasn't able to descend the way I had done on past efforts:
My 500s were 5:53.1, 5:52.2, 5:49.3, 5:51.9, 5:55.6
My 1250s were 14:38.9 and 14:43.2
Total time for the 2,500 was 29:22.1 for a 1:10.5 average per 100
Now, while I didn't manage the negative split, I was faster on my 1000, 1500 and 2000 times today than recently on the straight swims of those same distances:
1000 - was 11:49.7 on October 1st and both 11:45.3 on my first 1000 and 11:41.2 on the second 1000 today
1500 - was 17:40 on October 6th and was 17:34.6 today
2000 - was 23:37.1 on October 12th and was 23:26.5 today
To top that off, this was a new pool for me, #550!