Mark goes hydro with my monofin

I endorse the Finis Monofin.

I am not getting any payment to endorse this fin and and I spent about $140 to own it. However, if Finis wants to hook me up with real cool toys... (Pssst, call me.)

This toy is a blast. The speed you can create is so massive that the walls become a threat and you have to consciously slow down to avoid an injury. Here is an image of Mark going crazy with my fin. He is about 12 feet deep at the VNSO pool and moving fast; (Of course Adobe Photoshop helped), but he is really moving fast despite the Photoshop "radial blur" image filter.

Besides having fun, the fin stretches out your ankles nicely and also helps you develop a correct and defined dolphin kick

The 17th man blog brought us a new visitor

This snippet from Scott's profile is inspiring.

"...I know for someone who’s had a broken back I’ve been very lucky but in August, 2004, having not worked out for at least a couple of years and packing on several additional kilos of flab, my continued neglect finally caught up with a vengeance. My back gave out. Three months bed rest and a further six months forced to work on my stomach gave a lesson not to be forgotten. Even then months more therapy, yoga, and light exercise (and two further relapses) were necessary before I reached the point where I could start regular physical workouts. ..."

I got back into swimming after I herniated 3 disks and partially lost the use of my left leg so Scott's story really resonated with me. When I got injured, I was a train wreck and now the doctors are amazed and credit my swimming as the healing factor.

You can read the 17th man blog here: [Link]

Race Training For Swimming Sprints from Timed Finals

Timed Finals posted a great article on swim sprints. A reader wrote in with a question and one of the answers given was rather clever:

• Colin M. answers: For what it’s worth, in swimming 50s with my TI stroke, I focus on getting more out of each pull, instead of turning the arms over faster. I make sure I complete the entire stroke, and also focus on the front quadrant swimming part. If I want to increase my speed, I do so by letting my hips set the pace. Since focusing on this TI stuff, I actually swim faster by taking fewer strokes, and making those count.

The article can be read here: [link]

Don't forget to RSVP for the SCAQ lactic workouts with Bonnie and Erik at LMU this weekend.

SCAQ: VNSO Swim Workout

Dimitriy coached a quasi-sprint workout. The only downside was that the lazy-bones, pool attendant forgot to put the covers on the pool after closing last night and the water has been cold. Watr temp was like, 78-79 degrees.

Total workout 2900 yards.

Warm-up:
200 easy

Transitional set, 1050 yards - 20 x 50's total done in this fashion:
5 x 50s moderate @ 1:00
5 x 50s build @ 1:00
5 x 50s descending @ 1:00
5 x 50's descending interval - 0:55, 0:50, 0:45, 0:40, 0:35.
easy 50

Main set, 1650 yards total:
5 x 100s @ 1:30 (Hold 1:20)
easy 50

2 x 100s @ 1:30 (Hold 1:20)
1 x 100 @ 1:25
2 x 100s @1:30
easy 50

1 x 100 @ 1:30 (Hold 1:20s)
1 x 100 @ 1:25
1 x 100 @ 1:30
1 x 100 @ 1:25
1 x 100 @ 1:30
easy 50

Warm down 200

Good News: This blog is going global

I just registered us with Technorati, both a blog portal and a blog search engine so we can make many more friends. I have to use this source link in this post to be recognized: Technorati Profile

Contrast this dive in slow motion to Dawn Fraiser's dive in the video below

The human body is getting more and more graceful as each generation passes. This dive is a both a work of art and a functional illustration of body coordination and hydrodynamics. Enjoy.

Video of the first woman ever to break a minute in the 100 free

Meet Australian super hero, Dawn Fraiser, the first woman ever to break a minute in the 100 free at the Tokyo Olympics. How about that groovy suit? I bet she would would have gone a 58 if she wore a Fastskin II pro and didn't belly-flop on the dive. (You know, she is kind of plushy and cute and I love that hair style but enough about my problems.)

SCAQ VNSO Swim Workout: I tried Lauren Matthewson's flip-turn tonight

Well, it appears Lauren Matthewson will still be the only swimmer in the United States doing that innovative and amazingly fast turn.

Let it be known that I have an anemic kick. It has gotten a lot better but it is still far below the average. The only reason that I am a moderately good swimmer is due to my enthusiasm for the art of swimming and my love for water itself rather than any sort of intrinsic talent. In my age group I finish in the middle-third when the final placings of a race are posted. In Open water I place in the upper third so basically that is where I am as a swimmer.

Tonight, I tried LMU swimmer, Lauren Matthewson's, innovative turn as noted below in the 'You Tube' video while swimming at VNSO tonight; (Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Pool). Though I was a little bit faster off the wall, it took up a massive amount of my oxygen store to accomplish. Since my kick was weak the advantage obtained is negated by my body going lactic much more quickly. Maybe I could integrate it into a 50 Free but I need a solid kick first.

If you have a strong backstroke kick, I recommend hooking up with Bonnie Adair and doing a turn-clinic with her. (Be sure you donate to LMU after learning the dark arts of a superior turn.)

IM workout at VNSO:

3 X 200's Free warm up

This set done 2 times through:

1 x 100's Fly/Free by 25s @ 1:40
1 x 100's Back/Free by 25's @ 1:40
1 x 100's Breast/Free by 25's @ 1:40

This set done 2 times through:

1 x 150's Fly/Free by 50's @ 2-something (Mark like he was a seeing eye dog tonight)
1 x 150's Back/Free by 50's @ 2-something
1 x 150's Breast/Free by 50's @ 2-something

150 warm down.

I sprinted a 50 under 30 to make sure I was ok.

LMU's Lauren Matthewson in the 50 SCY Free at the PCSC Championship

To regain lost momentum in a sprint is very hard task especially if you have a bad start. Lauren Matthewson did just that in the 50 Free. This quote by LMU Head Coach, Bonnie Adair, sums it up beautifully:

• Anyway . . . out of the first turn, we have Lauren stay on her back and do her 'kick magic' underwater, then when she does surface; (about 1/2 way down the pool), she is STILL on her back. ... Then she does a roll over stroke; [pulling with the downward arm], and sprints freestyle to the finish. As far as I know, she is the only one in the country that does this and it is super effective for her because of her great back kick.


• Nathalie Coughlan should actually try it this way. She's already super fast in the 50 but I bet she'd be even faster if she did it the way Lauren does.

Well, I am going to attempt to be the second person in this country to do it.

Cullen Jones has style, grace, and a sense of community

New Record in the Men's 1000 yard free: 8:42.64

Robert Margalis is his name and he swam a 1000 free in 8:42.64 setting a new national record breaking a six year old record by 2 seconds.

His splits are insane. He went out in a 23.96 and then held 25's thereafter. Here is a link to the USA Swimming news article: [Link]

Should L.A. Get The Olympics? I don't think so.

I am in a flame war over at Timed Finals as to why L.A. shouldn't get the Olympics. I think I am losing. Maybe we should all swim a 50 Fly and see who is right?

The thread can be read here: [link]

The Cal Tech Pentathlon

Cal Tech Masters Pentathlon today: I had a very good meet. I was able finish all my events without having to be assisted by a lifeguard or paramedic. ;-)

Times were mixed! Well, actually they were not entirely mixed. More pureed than solid but if you insist on the truth, my times were just not that good. So, I am going to blame the pool. "Beware, the Cal Tech pool is cursed and has slow water in it. Bring garlic and a Crucifix if you race there." There, I feel better now that the blame has been properly laid.

50 fly: 36.12 (Believe it or not I am happy with that time.)
50 Free: 26.74 (I am holding my nose as I write that.)
100 IM: 1:19-and-change (Hey, I made it across the pool, okay?)

Here is a link to the USA Swimming international swim teams roster.

Included are the 43 members of the FINA World Championship team which contain 22 Olympians and note that Gary Hall will be swimming Pan American Games.

Here is the pool that the World Swimming Championship will be held.

It is a temporary 50 LCM pool built by Astral Pools within the Rod Laver Arena in Australia. Astral Pools built the US Olympic trials pool in the Belmont Plaza parking lot in '04 as well.

Isn't it sad that all these pools are only temporary rather than permanent or even renovated structures?

This just in: I fixed this blog so that you don't have to have a "Blogger" account to make a comment.

Pentathlon at Cal Tech this weekend and I screwed up.

I forgot to send in my SPMA Masters Association thingy and $37.00 with it. Hopefully they will take it along with my deck entry but knowing my luck they won't and they will tell me what a miserable failure, a loser, and how much I suck anyways at backstroke and butterfly.

I am so not prepared! If they do let me in I think I will only do the fly, the free, and the IM. My backstroke is so bad that when I attempt it I look like I have a blood alcohol level of quintuple the legal limit. Oh well.

My fly on the other hand is much better. My strategy for the 50 is to start out slow and finish slower. At least I love doing it despite that if I was any slower I would be going backwards. BTW, I am the guy everybody is glad that had the courage to come and humiliate himself by swimming fly or back. This way even the elderly can brag that they beat somebody.

Here is a link to the Cal Tech Pentathlon: [Link]

The labels below say it all.

Timed finals is creating a "fantasy swim game" for World Swimming Championships; pass it on!

Athens Gold medalist, Scott Goldblatt; [His name is now spelled correctly and the correct medal placing as well], has created a really nice swimming related blog called Timed Finals. It is so current and topical that even Google News links to it. (That's a photo of Scott chilling with Michael Phelps.)

As the headline states, they are expanding the blog by adding a FREE fantasy swim game called FantaSwim. I copy pasted this promo for it from Timed Finals. I am going write a review once I am allowed in.

• Timed Finals announces the imminent launch of FantaSwim, the first ever chance for swimming fans to compete interactively with each other across the globe in a Fantasy Swim League for the World Championships in Melbourne at the end of the month. This will provide swimming fans the opportunity to be even more involved in what’s happening down under.
• FantaSwim will not just be limited to the World Championships. Timed Finals will be running FantaSwim for most major competitions, but our first event will be the World Champs.
• In typical Timed Finals fashion, FantaSwim will be 100% free for our readers. Check back soon to enter the game for the World Champs.

In a world where your life is not your own; in a land where no man is king; this March, in a deadly game of cat & mouse; 22 USA Olympians will face the world down-under in the land of Oz.

The actual headline read: "Twenty-Two Olympians To Swim For Team USA At World Swimming Championships". But I prefer a "Don LaFontaine", "voice of God", hyperbolic, headline to make it more jazzy. Yeah, that's what swimming needs, more hyperbole.

Great article which sums up who to look at and what exciting contests await this month at World Championsips. In other words, it details what events will be hotly contested, namely Ian Crocker versus Michael Phelps in the 100 fly et cetera, Larsen jensen versus Grant Hackett, and others so people like me can invest themselves in it.

The article can be read here: [Link]

Micheal Phelps interview over at Lane 9 news

On Cullen Jones 4 x 100 realy: "Cullen has really come out. He has had a great past year. He is a talented swimmer. I remember last year at Nationals, I said we need you on the 400 free relay. He was able to step up last year and put together a good 100. We need four guys that can go 48 flat start and add a relay start in there. He has impacted our relay. Being able to put together a solid race as one meant a lot going into the year.Interview can be read here: [Link]

I found a cool site for both swim rankings and world records.

It 's called Swim-Rankings-dot-net. Bookmark it! Not only does it have the latest swim news but it has a reference section to world records for both men and women. Click here to see: [Link].

I believe the site is out of the UK despite the "dot-net" domain for the swim rankings therein are just for European swimmers and the language is in English.

That gentleman to the right is Alexander Popov, world record holder in the 50 free LCM.

I got hammered at VNSO tonight. Dimitriy coached.

I "bonked" so bad that afterwards I am not really sure I can remember what happened. So here is a dreamy hallucination of what I think occurred.

Let it be known that anything over 100 yards for me is distance and tonight the main set was 9 x 200s.

200 Warm-up (I only swam 50 because I was screwing around underwater.)

9 x 100s in this fashion:
3 x 100s descending 1:40, 1:35, 1:30
3 x 100s descending 1:35, 1:30, 1:25
3 x 100s descending 1:30, 1:25, 1:20

9 x 200s in this this fashion:
3 x 200s descending pace/ascending interval: 3:00, 3:10, 3:20
Your expected descending times are: 3:00, 2:50, 2;40
Easy 50
3 x 200s descending pace/ascending interval: 3:00, 3:10, 3:20
Your expected descending times are:: 3:00, 2:50, 2;40
Easy 50
3 x 200s descending pace/ascending interval: 3:00, 3:10, 3:20
Your expected descending times are: 3:00, 2:50, 2;40

The only redeeming concept for me was that I swam a 2:36 for the last 200

100 warm down

VNSO - (Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Pool) - Workout 2-25-07

Above is a photo of the pool at night. I swam in the day. Mark gave me a pretty fun workout for establishing and maintaining a pace. I made all my intervals for a total of 3300 yards.

12 x 100s: 1:45
100 easy
8 x 100s : 1:35
100 easy
6 x 100s: 1:30
One-minute-and-a-half rest
4 x 100: 1:25
100 easy

USA 4 x 100 freestyle relay WR at Pan Pacific Championships - Cullen Jones just storms it!

The cleanest video yet illustrating Cullen Jones' powerful stroke and flawless technique. Those swimming, Michael Phelps, Neil Walker, Cullen Jones, Jason Lezak.

Evian Water commercial with babies doing synchro-swimming.

This commercial is over the top, bizarre, ridiculous and almost exploitive but these babies are trained professional so don't attempt this at home with your own infant. Do you hear me, Britney? Do you? huh? huh?

The Hearst Castle indoor swimming pool.

Katie Hoff's 200 IM Missouri Grand Prix
Uploaded by swimstars

More proof that Katie Hoff is not a land dwelling animal. When she does her fly look how high her hips ride in the water.

If you are having shoulder pain, here is an snippet on a quick shoulder fix by Clay Evans. My comments are at the bottom.

If your shoulder is sore after a workout, try lots of ice - every two hours for 20 minutes. This is what most trainers have told me. The problem is in the pool. Shoulder issues are because of bad technique (unless of course you banged it snowboarding). When you first come back after having a sore shoulder: start slow, warm up long and do easy stretching before and during workout. It is simple; when you are at the wall between swims: stretch, slow and easy.

Now about technique: First of all breathe to the bad shoulder. Most bad shoulders are the shoulder you breathe away from. This is because swimmers use that arm to support the turn of the head to breathe on the opposite side. They tend to do this with a straight-arm catch instead of a correct reaching over the barrel catch.

If the shoulder problem is worse than "bad" and you have tried technically to fix it you can just not swim with that arm. You do NOT have to quit swimming. Three extremities only can be done. Skip one arm and you will still get a great workout. I did it many times with a shoulder that dislocated often in my college water polo career. That is much better than nothing.

Another option is you can also try to cut the stroke short at the front end. This takes quite a bit of pressure off and you can still get 75% of the arm exercise. You can cut short your stroke at the point of hand entering the water as dramatically as coming in at the shoulder level and not extending any farther forward in front of your head. You get a great push from the shoulder level down and follow through like normal. That is 75% of your pull anyway. It is only at the front first 6-12 inches that shoulders are really hurt by swimming.

All these options will get you burning calories off as much as regular swimming. You might look a little strange and be swimming in slower lanes but who cares about appearances?

The secret is technique, it is not that hard, you just have to be vigilant every single stroke, every single swim, every single workout. Please come to any of my workouts if you have any shoulder issue.

[Note: A sore shoulder is a different animal than an injured shoulder. A sore shoulder could be as benign as strained muscles or fatigue or more a more serious condition that needs attention. If it is the former, a strained muscles or fatigue, I completely endorse the above article. However, a persistent or worsening pain in one's shoulder is certainly a red flag so use common sense. If the pain persists or gets worse; obviously you may be injured so get it checked out by a doctor.

I do believe that in most cases swimming incorrectly, such as crossing over to the front of your head compounded with a bad pull, WILL cause a shoulder injury so technique is vital. VITAL!]

"I have a secret, I see slow Australians and they don't even know they are slow..."

Meet Kate Ziegler; the new Janet Evans. Sure Laure Manaudou has been swimming faster than Janet Evans did but so has Kate Ziegler.


From Wikipedia:

• Her most recent records were set at the 2006 Tom Dolan Invitational, there she broke both of Janet Evans' distance records (SCY). With her time of 15:37.17, she broke Janet Evans’ former record of 15:39.14, set on March 17, 1990 in Austin, Texas. Her time of 9:21.57 in the 1000y free shattered the previous mark of 9:24.80, which Ziegler set last year at this same meet. Her times was also a U.S. open records and the 17-18 age group records. Ziegler now owns all three of the distance records (SCY)previously held by Evans.

• In February 2005, at the FINA World Cup stop in New York, Ziegler won the 800m in 8:16.32, breaking Sippy Woodhead's 25-year-old American Record in that event, which at the time was the oldest American record on the books. (Sippy Woodhead swam with SCAQ)
  

At the American Short Course Yards Championships she clocked a 4.39:54 for a 500-yard-free and a a 1:46 flat in the 200-yard-free so this girl is doing her hydro-ballistic ballet to astonishing results. Kate is going to formidable against the Australians.

Phelps reacts to breaking 200 Fly WR
Uploaded by swimstars

I am trying a new video "thingy" from swimstars and I don't like it. They write my headline for me which prevents me from writing "snarky" remarks. At least the clarity is better. Oh well, back to You Tube.

There is a new swimmer on my radar: Esther baron!

French swimmer and European champion in the 200m backstroke, Esther Baron, is currently training for World Championships while nursing a groin injury. She says her workouts are so painful that she ends most of them in tears. Swim News article on her: [Link]

Three important questions for the weekend:

1. Who would win in a fight, Natalie or Britney?
2. Who would you rather hang out with, Natalie or Britney?
3. Besides her health, talent, brains, good looks and her sanity, what does Natalie have that Britney doesn't?

My Answers: Natalie, Natalie, and Natalie has a career.

Here is a video of LMU swimmer, Lauren Mathewson, beating Nan Liu; a nationally ranked swimmer from the Liao Ning Province in China, in the 100 backstroke at the PCSC Championship Meet at the Belmont Plaza.

Note how Lauren uses her turns and underwater work as a lethal weapon. She only broke surface after her competitors were taking their second or third stroke. Just amazing and she never suffered any degradation to her momentum.

To illustrate the gravity of this win, take a look at this snippet from Nan liu's bio: "...represented her province in the National Game and Chinese Championships, where she was a top three finisher in the 50 and 100 butterfly events... Earned the Outstanding Junior Swimmer award by the Chinese Swimming Association and the Most Outstanding Athlete by the Liao Ning Province... ."

Note that at the PCSC Championship Nan Liu also won the two butterfly events setting new meet records and was named along with, Lauren Mathewson, PCSC Swimmer of the Year. I can personally tell you that Head Coach Bonnie Adair and the coaching staff of LMU were euphoric about this meet and Lauren's PCSC Conference record-setting swim.

Chuck Tansuwan shot this video and I thank him for letting me post it.

Natalie Coughlin looks confident in black whereas Katie Hoff looks as if she prefers something a little less formal.

Natalie sets a U.S. Open record in the 200 free with a time of 1.58.00. Natalie broke the old record of 1:58.02 shared by Katie Hoff and Claudia Poll. Coughlin asserted her dominance by finishing just ahead of Katie, pulling away in the final 50 meters to win by an arm length.

The five-time Olympic medalist also stormed the 50 free in a time of 25.22. (The world record is a 24.13. The winning time at the 2006 Athens Olympics was a 24.98. Ipso facto, Natalie is definitely a contender.) Read the details here: [Link].

Timed Finals has a comment about how graceful Cullen Jones' stroke is. Here is a You Tube video of a race where Cullen goes a 19.07 in the finals at the ACC Championships at the University of Maryland

Michael Phelps breaks his own world record in the 200 LCM butterfly at the Missouri Grand Prix

The world record now stands at 1:53.71. The previous world record he set, a 1:53.80, was at the Pan Pacific Championship on August 17th.

Hopefully he shaves that mustache for World Championships in March because right now he looks like a refugee from a really bad episode of COPS.

Besides wearing Speedo FS Pro gear, being the planet's best swimmers, and belonging to the human species, what do these super-heroes and super-sheroes have in common?

Answer: Freakishly large feet and hands.

The Playa Del Run races are coming up where you can either swim, run or do both.

I use the Play Del Run races a s a tune-up for Alcatraz. They are a lot of fun and make a great practice race for triathlons or swim events. Details here at Playa Del Run. Oh, and that handsome hunk on the front page is ME but I have no affiliation with the race!

Here is the race schedule:

Race #1	Mission Bay	April 29, 2007
Race #2	Santa Monica	May 20, 2007
Race #3	Huntington Beach	June 3, 2007
Race #4	Playa del Rey	July 22, 2007
Race #5	Solana Beach	August 19, 2007
Race #6	Malibu	September 8, 2007

Injured dolphin gets a monfin from Bridgestone so she can swim again!

Finally I scooped Timed Finals: A dolphin by the name of Fuji had her tail-fin attacked by a mystery disease and four years ago two thirds of her tail fin had to be amputated. Well, a couple vets and the Bridgestone tire company totally hooked her up with a new monofin. You can read the story and even see a video of her swimming with it: [Link]

There is a new Speedo in town and half the Australians racing this March will be wearing it. Introducing the Fastskin FS Pro

Of course Timed Finals beat me by 8 hours with this news and they even have a photo of it before anybody else; that is why I have a news feed to them in the right-hand-navigation of this blog. Click to read about it here: Link

The Fastskin FS-Pro, launched last night, weighs less than half the previous Fastskin II but is 15 per cent stronger to provide greater muscle compression.

The comments posted at Timed Finals are almost better than the article itself.

The LMU Lions can swim faster than you and 12 other college programs as well

Loyola Marymount swimming posted its best finish ever at the PCSC Championship placing second out of 14 teams with 1049.5 points.

In the conference championship's 17 swimming events, the Lions set new school records in 10 of them and new PCSC records in two events.

DAY 1
200 Medley Relay: Mathewson, Finley, Samuels, Wike 1:44.24*
800 Freestyle Relay Magura, Brophy, Plume, Witter 7:39.24

DAY 2
500 Freestyle: Maggie Brophy 5:05.53
200 Freestyle Relay: Cook, Mathewson, Magura, Wike 1:36.42

DAY 3
400 Individual Medley: Trinity O'Neill 4:34.82
100 Backstroke: Lauren Mathewson 54.94*

DAY 4
1650 Freestyle: Julia Hall 18:01.78
200 Backstroke: Lauren Mathewson 2:03.78
200 Breaststroke: Morgan Finley 2:23.50
200 Butterfly: Trinity O'Neill 2:05.72

(* denotes record)

Details Here. [Link]

Sunday workout at Santa Mo.

Renee coached and my spies tell me she is a formidable open water swimmer. The exact adjective-and-noun used used to describe her was, "Amazingly fast". So, triathletes of the world, schedule a clinic with her.

Today, we finished faster than we started:

Warm up:
2 x 200s @ 3:15
2 x 200s @ 3:00

More warm up:
4 x 100s stroke drill/kick by 50s @ 2:30?

Main set part A:
1 x 100 - Sprint first 25, easy last 75 @ 2:00
1 x 100 - Sprint first 50, easy last 50 @ 2:00
1 x 100 - Sprint first 75, easy last 25 @ 2:00
1 x 100 - Sprint @ 2:00
1 x 100 - Easy @ 2:00

Main set part B:
1 x 75 - Sprint first 25, easy last 50 @ 1:30
1 x 75 - Sprint first 1/2, easy last 1/2 @ 1:30
1 x 75 - Sprint first 50, easy last 25 @ 1:30
1 x 75 - Sprint all out @ 1:30
1 x 75 - Easy @ 1:30

Main set part C:
1 x 50 - Sprint @ 1:00
1 x 25 - Easy @ :50

Repeat six times through.

The video clinic I had with Bonnie has really helped my swimming. I find that when I am fatigued and completely wiped out, I use less effort to maintain momentum. Let me tell you, it's all about the elbows leveraging a strong catch.

Grant Hackett is the best but he trains like he's the worst.

There is nobody out there that can't beat Grant Hackett in the 1500. I wish it were our very own Larsen Jensen, Klete Keller or Eric Vendt but currently Hackett owns the 1500. Since the press down under loves to salt their swimming news with lots of drama. News out of Oz tells us that Grant Hackett is switching coaches after a 21 year run with Coach Denis Cotterell and switching over to Coach Ian Pope.

The deciding factors were as follows: Grant has a new wife that he wants to be closer to and Coach Pope convinced Hackett that he could add equity to his stroke. I suspect that added equity could be the correction of the wobble he has in his rotation

Ian Thorpe was always able to beat him in the 400 because unlike the mild wobble you see in Grant's stroke above, Ian Thorpe's stroke was as true as arrow. Check out the video.

The underwater photography of Howard Schatz

The underwater photography of Howard Schatz is summarily blissful and sublime so go to his site and see for yourself.

What do you get when you cross a swimmer with a dancer? Fine art by Howard Schatz!

I can barely contain myself over the enthusiasm I have for his art. Not only are his photographs hanging in galleries, museums, and private collections world over, but he has done work for such clients as Nike, Sony, MGM, Cirque du Soleil "O", Sports Illustrated, Vanity Fair, on ad infinitum and then farther than that.

His underwater work can be seen here at howardschatz.com and if that doesn't inspire you to go out and swim two or three thousand yards, check out his cinema-photography work here.

Now, if you are not through with being a land-dwelling animal after all that, be sure to view more of his water photography of the Cirque du Soleil show "O" for the final coup de grâce.

I am posting some underwater photography in the next couple of days. This leafy sea dragon was spotted on the Flickr.com site.

If you go to this Flickr page; [link], you will see tons of Leafy Sea Dragons in all their splender. I got this idea from Spy's Spice, a blog I like from a guy in the UK. [link]

Amanda Weir signs with my favorite swim company, TYR

I wear mostly TYR suits and equipment. I do have Speedo Fastskin II leggings which I am impressed with and raced in during Masters SCM Championships but I am more impressed with the quality of TYR products over Speedo. Consequently when you see me training you will see that most of my swim gear is TYR related. I am not paid or provided any material goods to make this statement. This is a blog not a "flog". (A flog is a phony blog set up for the sole purpose of covertly endorsing products or to create false buzz about a product or service.) I endorse TYR.

Weir's signing quote with TYR went as followed: "It didn't take me long to know TYR was the right fit for me," Weir said. "Their technology, fashion, and family atmosphere made my decision clear. With TYR's support, I will be able to achieve my swimming goals for the 2008 Olympic Games. I look forward to contributing to the innovation of the next great Olympic technology. I am thrilled!" [link]

Well, at Nationals last year, Amanda Weir, was wearing Speedo Fasatskin II gear and that is what she paid $400 bucks to win her races in. (See inset photo.) Has she seen the light regarding TYR's products or did George Washington give her a couple of hundred thousand reason to change her mind? Hopefully, like me, she now feels that Tyr is a better product but more likely, Jesse M. Unruh, said it best: "Everyman has a price and can be bought. For some it's wine, women, or money but in those rare individuals that can't be bought; they can be leased."

One of Dimitriy's Gulag workouts today at Santa Monica College!

225 yard warm-up because the last 25 yards put us at the opposite side of the pool so the sun wouldn't be in Dimitriy's eyes. The damage that followed:

8 x 75s conducted in this manner:
1 x 50 Backstroke 1 x 25 Breaststroke @ 1:20 interval
1 x 75 Freestyle @ 1:20 interval
Repeat six times.

1 x 300 Freestyle @ 4:30 interval
1 x 100 Freestyle all out sprint @ 2:30 interval
1 x 100 Freestyle easy @ 2:00 interval
Repeat four times through

200 Free warm down.

On paper this looks like cake but in practice when you are holding a 1:20 pace on the 300's the all out sprint thereafter feels like water-boarding torture!

Why I support college swimming!

I gave $530 to the LMU pool last summer to help support their team. Soon, a brick will be dedicated at the pool with my eldest son's name carved on it. When you donate money to college swimming you are supporting programs that will elevate both swimming and the community at large in several different ways.

Three reasons why we should aggressively support college swimming:

1.) College swim teams provide outstanding pools for masters swimmers and those that want to be swimmers such as triathletes and kids.

At the time of this writing there are about 10 pools open in the city of L.A. available for club or masters swimming. (This excludes the Los Angeles Unified School District pools since they have their own schedules and priorities such as PE, water polo and school swim teams.)

L.A. has a population of nearly 4 million people and with 10 pools total to represent 400,000 citizens each, this is obviously not a big enough aquatics infrastructure to support quality club swimming. College pools, on the other hand, are more interested in both swim clubs and masters programs so more college pools means more quality pools for triathletes and clubs.

2.) College scholarship opportunities for like-minded athletes.

Cullen Jones; (pictured above), is tied with Gary Hall as my favorite sprinter. Cullen goes to North Carolina State University and is majoring in English with a minor in Psychology. Hailing out of Irvington, New Jersey, a town that has a 17.4% population which is below the poverty line, Cullen attends NCSU as a result of a swim scholarship.

It is looking pretty good that Cullen will be a member of the US Olympic Team come the 2008 Beijing Olympics and it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he may break Popov's 50 meter long course record between now and then. He would be the first American of African heritage to hold that record.

Swim teams are yet another sporting opportunity to get bright individuals into a cool university. Let's not allow these opportunities to fade.

3.) The sport itself, which includes future Olympians, master swimmers, swim clubs, triathletes and even sprint triathlons will evaporate if college teams fade away and pool construction halts. This is a variation of reason number one with the added threat of non-competing pools being converted for other real estate functions. If there are no teams, why own a pool?

What you can do? Donate to college swimming programs or withhold donations to schools that plan on dropping swim programs. Write or call the NCAA and demand that they defend all Olympic related sports especially swimming.

Adam Savage of Mythbusters does an unconventional breath control set.

If it is aquatics related I post it. According to the Auto Club of America, 11,000 cars a year go into the water and 300 people die as a result. They say you are suppose to wait for the car to fill up with water, then calmly open the door and escape. What they don't tell you is that you will have to hold your breath for a couple of minutes and God knows how deep the water is. In this case it was only 13-feet-deep and he didn't fair well.

Sanctioned Underwater Swim Events In Russia

Two events are included in this video, both an underwater 50 meter sprint kick and a 400 meter kick. In both events the swimmers are allowed to wear monofins and consequently the times are insane.

In the 400 event oxygen tanks are allowed and they carried while maintaining a stream line position in front of the swimmers. Watch how dramatic the flip turns are.

MILLIONS of litres of pool water from the World Swimming Championships will be used to save Melbourne's historic trees and the lake at the Royal Botanic Gardens.

I read at the CIA World Fact book that water management is not so good in Australia. Here is a snippet:

• Environment - Current Issues: Soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources

Now couple that with a drought down and under six million litres of pool water looks pretty yummy to surrounding plants and fauna. Personally I am bewildered that water management is that desperate down there. I think the continent should seriously consider desalinization and forward thinking technologies to better collect and manage their water.

This article has the details. [link]

Natalie Coughlin says the Australian women's 4x100 free relay better break the world record or they are "Luserzs".

Natalie has been trash-talking the Australian women's team twice now. Here is an article where it is claimed that she says that both the Europeans and the Americans are going to spank the Australian women's team at World Championships this March. That both continents are going to grab the Australian women's team by their pencil necks and make them say that "Natalie Coughlin is their daddy!" (Well, actually that is what I wished she would have said but she really said this instead.)

BTW, if she really believes that, then why is she training in Australia with an American and an Australian coach? Why not France; or here is a thought, why not the USA with Kaitlin Sandeno or Katie Hoff since this is the dominant continent?

My take is that the Australian men's team is the gender that is going to be humiliated by the Americans and the Europeans. I suspect the Australian women's team will have problems with the Europeans but will mostly come out on top and dominate World Championships.

Logged in about 3200 yards tonight

1 x 200 warmup
4 x 150s (50 kick - 100 swim four times through)
3 x 200s easy (3:15 interval)
3 x 100s easy (2 :00 interval)
3 x 200s moderate (3:05 interval)
3 x 100s easy (1:45 interval)
2 x 200s harder (2:55 interval)
2 x 100s easy (1:30 interval)

Always hydrate before a workout and keep your blood sugar reasonable or you will cramp!

I dived into the Santa Monica College pool today to begin my 4 PM SCAQ workout and as soon as my body was wholly submerged my foot cramped. I hadn't even done a single pull yet or even a kick but my toes and foot felt like the Marquis de Sade was doing acupuncture on it.

Instead of hydrating like I usually do I chose instead to binge all day on a half- gallon of chocolate milk. (so, enough about my problems.) The fact that I didn't stretch, was physically cold, had obviously tweaked blood sugar certainly explains why the cramp-karma kicked in.

What causes cramps?

The exact cause of cramping is still unknown, but there are several factors that are associated with muscle cramps:

• overexertion
• failing to stretch adequately before exercise
• extreme hot or cold
• dehydration
• salt imbalances after sweating
• low blood sugar

My reference is here: [Link]

THE BELL SHAPE CURVE OF SCAQ SWIMMING - BY CLAY EVANS

How about a politically incorrect "bell shape curve". How good a swimmer are you? SCAQ has about 1,000 swimmers and this is a break down of where I think they fit. (* These are yard times. For meter conversions add 10% if you have lousy turns and 12% if you have good flip turns). [Hey Clay, I bet $200 to Children's hospital that Scott Hubbard and Dan Wegner could do 10 x 100s on a minute.]

10 x 100 Yards in a short course pool
0 swimmers @ 1:00
10 swimmers @ 1:05 top 10
20 swimmers @ 1:10 top 30 / 1000
40 swimmers @ 1:15 top 70 / 1000
80 swimmers @ 1:20 top 150 / 1000
100 swimmers @ 1:25 top 250 / 1000
150 swimmers @ 1:30 top 400 / 1000
150 swimmers @ 1:35
150 swimmers @ 1:40
150 swimmers @ 1:45
100 swimmers @ 1:50
80 swimmers @ 1:55
70 swimmers @ 2:00
60 swimmers @ 2:05
50 swimmers @ 2:10
40 swimmers @ 2:15
30 swimmers @ 2:20
20 swimmers @ 2:25

Many will be discouraged with these statistics. I think you should realize how good our SCAQ swimmers are. Even to swim 10 x 100 on 2 minutes is quite an accomplishment and would put you in the middle of the pack of most triathlons.

Most triathlons do not have coach potatoes. They are vigorous people intent on their health and fitness. Anyone in the 1:20s and above most likely had a competitive swim background. The reason I put this out there is to get swimmers a sense of accomplishment and to help you in goal setting. You want to keep an eye on the clock and an eye on your times for the main goal: staying in the water and enjoying a little effort at being healthy.

Now, if you want to make a jump to the next tier on the bell-curve you have several options: You can add an extra workout per work, ask your coach for stroke correction, or if you feel your technique, or the lack thereof, may be holding you back, click here to sign up for a swim clinic of your choice.

I have now included a news-feed from Scott Golblatt's Timed Finals.

Scott Goldblatt has participated in two Olympics: Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004. He even brought home a couple of souvenirs; that's right, both a silver from Sydney and a gold medal from Athens. Each was well earned in the 4x200 Freestyle relay.

Timed Finals is my favorite swim related website. If you look at the archives you can see that I have a linked to several articles from the site. In fact, even Google News links to Scott Goldblatt's site because he is so in the loop. Hence, I have included his topical news feed.

Not only does Scott have a big site, he has a big heart too. this from the USOC website [link]:

"...While in Athens, Goldblatt organized an Olympic Team memorabilia charity auction to benefit the Melanoma Research Foundation. He asked Team USA athletes to donate unique items to benefit the Melanoma Research Foundation. In May of 1997, Goldblatt lost his mother, Linda Goldblatt, to this disease. "I have seen what this disease can do, and together with your help, hope to educate others in the prevention of the disease," said Goldblatt. ..."

So, to add equity to this site I have included a news feed from Timed Finals in the left navigation. It's below the "links" section. Be sure to check out the headlines every day.

Toyota Swimming Grand Prix update: Sandeno wins again! Coughlin breaks her own American and U.S. Open record in the 200-yard free and some guy named Phelps won his third event by almost 3 1/2 seconds.

Sandeno dominated the 400 IM SCY in a time of 4:09.74. Here is a quote I stole from Lane 9 News: "I was talking to Natalie this morning, and we were saying it's like you can't come here (to this pool) and not swim fast," Sandeno said. "It really is a fast pool, and I can't think of a meet where I've come here and not swum fast. This pool is just phenomenal."

You know, This Blogger has swam at Belmont [Plaza] and the pool certainly has charisma and a history but in my opinion, LMU and Santa Monica College trump Belmont and are faster pools.

Phelps won the 400 IM SCY in 3:39.61 with a 3 1/2 second lead. His goal for the meet was to best 3:40.

Phelps placed second in the 200 Breaststroke SCY, the first time Phelps has swam the 200 breast SCY in about three years time and he was happy with his time.

Jason Leezak beat Ian Crocker in the 50 Free SCY with what he believes was a lousy start in 19.49. Quote from Lane 9 News: "My start I didn't like tonight," Lezak said. "I had a much cleaner entry this morning, but I'm normally a long course swimmer, so (starts and turns) aren't the things I worry about too much. At a meet like this, it's practice.

Lane 9 News [Link]

Toyota Swimming Grand Prix: Natalie Coughlin wins the 100 free SCY in a fast 47.03

Quoting AP Sports News: Natalie Coughlin won the 100 free in 47.03 — the second-fastest time by an American in history. She set the American record of 47.00 four years ago.

"I definitely think I could go faster than that, I just don't have that many opportunities to race this event," she said.

I'm like that too, I have a great race and then I start thinking how I really could have done better if I had only, blah, blah, blah! In other words I just kill the accomplishment for myself.

Sigh, the human condition.

That be-bop, hipster, Olympian with the cool, daddio, gotee has two freestyle victories so far.

Michael Phelps won the 100 free in 42.43 beating butterfly rival Ian Crocker who swam a 42.88.

In the 500 free he led all the way finishing in 4:14.57 according to ABC News. [link]

Forbes had a couple of interesting quotes:

"I tried to go out as fast as I could, which still wasn't that fast," he said. "But I was pretty happy with the time. It's my best time."

Phelps tried to wiggle out of swimming the shorter race, but his coach Bob Bowman "reminded me I have 17 swims in Melbourne." [link]

From Sports Illustrated: "I get to see where we are and see what we need to tune up for worlds," he said after a light workout at the indoor pool. "I can't believe we're less than 60 days away to Melbourne. That's going to be a pretty big meet for all of us." [Link]

Update on Kaitlin Sandeno: She is stormin' it!

Kaitlin Sandeno wins the 200 butterfly and 500 free adding to her 1,000 free victory on Friday.

2007 Toyota Southern California Swimming Grand Prix

So Cal local girl, Kaitlin Sandeno, dominates the 100o SCY. Kaitlin went out stroke-for-stroke with Japanese Olympian, Sachiko Yamada; (Quasi-local girl too since Sachiko trains in OC with the Misson Viejo Nadadores), for the first 750 but beat her by a second. Her time was 9:37.06 versus Sachiko's time of 9:38.09.

It is really great seeing people come out of "retirement" and dominate their first race and she appears to appreciate it too: "I never thought I'd swim here again, and that made me sad," Sandeno said. "Some people think this is an old, dungeoney pool, but I like it. I'm really happy that all my family is still here. ... "

In the Photo above which I "deep linked" from Go-Swim, look at Kaitlin's catch and how symmetrical her stroke is. [Photo page link]

Meet results here: [link]

Shirley Babashoff calls for the acknowledgment she and several other Olympic athletes deserve.

Read as 5 gold medals, and one bronze robbed from her and numerous other swimmers by East German Republic (DDR) admitted doping. Other countries robbed include Holland, New Zealand, Canada, Australia and Russia (USSR).

This quote by Shirley Babashoff is awesome: "...ONE hundred and sixty-seven former East German (DDR) athletes will be financially compensated through Germany's Olympic Committee for the systematic doping of DDR athletes from 1973 through 1989. When told of this fact, Shirley Babashoff's first comment was, "Only 167 Athletes!" ..."

It speaks volumes because the intelligence arm of the DDR known as Stasi labeled as many as 10,000 knowing and unknowingly doped athletes.

The article can be read here: [link]

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY - The US Swimming Grand Prix SCY- Michael Phelps, Eric Vendt, Klete Keller, Kaitlin Sandeno and local boy who lives in my neighborhood, Lenny Krayzelburg - Tickets on sale now!!! BE THERE!

Lenny Krayzelburg swam at SMC and then USC where he went on to win, not one, not two, but three gold medals at Sydney. Other locals from So Cal include; Kaitlin Sandeno, El Toro High School, the University of Southern California; Erik Vendt, another So Cal local boy too, but you have my permission to cheer Phelps and Keller if none of my crew is swimming against them.

All of the above will be swimming at the Long Beach Grand Prix, taking place January 12-15, at the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool. Here is where you can get ticket information: [link]

I have not been in the water in three weeks due to illness and I am so going to die on Monday when I get back in!

I did get in the water and swam a few hundred yards for a video clinic with, Bonnie Adair, but I have not done a workout in 3 weeks due to illness. It is amazing that you can swim consistently month-after-month but when you suddenly get sick, miss three weeks or so, you're done! Finis! Game Over! And Monday is a distance workout too.

Luo Xuejuan, Chinese breaststroke swimmer is in the hospital for suspicious heart ailments. [Read as steroid abuse].

Timed Finals once again gives me something to talk about.

The Chinese have a spotted past when it comes to swim doping. Well, actually it is not spotted, it's more checkered. Well, maybe that's a bit to nuanced. It's not spotted nor checkered it is actually opaque and red-handed. Over 40 Chinese swimmers since 1990 have failed drug tests. That's triple the amount of any other swimming country during the same period of time. [link]

Now, Luo Xuejuan, is in a hospital with a heart ailment.

From Eurosport:

Luo ... omitted from the Chinese national team for the Doha Games due to ill health, but then fainted during training in November caused by what doctors at the time thought was lack of rest [or] low blood pressure.

Swim News stated she has passed out several times during training. That is not good for a girl as young as she. The Chinese government always distances itself from doping scandals usually blaming the athlete. However, and my opinion is biased, there is enough circumstantial evidence to point a finger at the Chinese swim program due to past questionable tactics. Such as, sending secondary swimmers to swim and be drug tested for international meets while elite swimmers stay home and train in a bubble till just before internationally covered meets such as the Olympics or World Championships. Note, the USA is not exactly saintly either but the Chinese have some "splaining to do" due to such immense positive tests in the past and the fact that their athletes are subsidized.

So, why is steroids being suggested? Because her illness is a fishy as a tuna! I did a Google search on anabolic steroid use in regards to heart health. What I found were article-after-article about how steroid use can: Weaken heart valves, as witnessed with Governor Arnold's heart valve replacement; cause stroke issues and heart attacks due to decreased HDL or good cholesterol; and mess with your blood pressure as well as weaken your bones. [link]

This is sad for both Luo and her family but hopefully it warns other swimmers from thinking you can buy performance with no consequences.

"Healing Swimmer's Shoulder by Staying in the Water"

"Healing Swimmer's Shoulder by Staying in the Water"
-- Bonnie Adair

Bonnie Adair is the head Coach of the LMU Women's swim team and co-founder of Southern California Aquatics. In just three years as head coach, Bonnie has turned the LMU program into a contender for the Pacific Coast Swimming Conference Championship. The LMU Lions finished a program-best third in the conference in 2005 and set 16 of 19 school records in a history-making season. LMU earned its first two conference event titles in 2005, winning both the 200 medley relay and the 100 backstroke. [LMU Swimming] 

During her own 13-year swimming career, she set 35 National Age Group records including a 50m freestyle record that stood for 29 years.

Many swimmers and triathletes of all levels have succombed to the pain of "swimmer's shoulder," an impingement syndrome caused by repetitive shoulder rotations. A typical Masters or fitness swimmer swimming three 1-hour workouts each week will do between 10,000-11,000 rotations compared to a professional tennis player who will do approximately 1,000 rotations.

The standard Rx: ice the involved area, take an anti-inflamitory medication and give the shoulder a rest. In short: stay out of the water! This may be good advice for that occasional flare up of shoulder pain caused by extra activity or heavy lifting, but it is not the desired treatment plan for those with chronic shoulder pain who do not wish to interrupt their training regimen by skipping workouts each time that nagging shoulder ache returns. Thus, we designed this workout to allow you to continue your training while correcting poor stroke mechanics and building strength in the vulnerable area.

In our program at SCAQ, we train over 1,500 swimmers each year and are confronted almost daily with complaints of shoulder pain from swimmers of every level - ranging from new fitness swimmers and first time triathletes to aging competitive swimmers still seeking that personal best.

We employ a 3-step approach to eliminating shoulder problems:
(1) Correct technique: If you have chronic shoulder problems, chances are you have a flawed stroke which causes excess pressure to be placed on your shoulder structures. By making a few simple stroke adjustments, we find that we can quickly eliminate shoulder pain in 90% of our swimmers that are having repeated "flare-ups. If you are one of these, ask your coach to look at your stroke or, better yet, sign up for a video clinic if one is available to you.

(2) Strengthen: We strongly recommend that all swimmers, not just those with shoulder problems, incorporate a series of dryland shoulder strengthening exercises into their weekly training schedule (3-4 times/week).

(3) Relax: learn to relax while swimming.
However by staying in the water and slightly modifying your standard workout, you also can strengthen this vulnerable area, something not being done when you are continuously "giving it a rest" by skipping weeks of workouts waiting for the pain to subside. And the good news is that the modified workout we recommend actually accelerates your heart rate and provides a great conditioning workout. So here it is!

Warm-up: Easy 400 - Alternate breathe to even out stroke. Relax.
Warm-up #2: 4 X 100 freestyle increasing effort each 100 but only to 80% on 4th 100.
Warm-up #3: 4 X 50 - 3 on a short rest interval providing 5-10 sec. rest, the 4th 50 is easy. Repeat set 3 more times with 30 seconds rest in between each set for a total of 12 X 50. Stay between 80-85% effort. These are not sprints! [Total 1200 yards]

Main Set: 6 X 200. If you are having a "bad shoulder day" we recommend that you use a short fin on this set and follow this pattern. #1: Do the first 150 yards using a "catch-up" or "touch-stroke" to stretch out and relax the arm cycle. Put your kick into overdrive, which will increase your cardiovascular output. The last 50 is in your regular stroke cycle. #2: The first 100 is "catch-up" stroke, the second 100 regular cycle.#3: The first 50 is "catch-up," the remaining 150 regular cycle#4: Same as #1; #5: Same as #2; #6: Same as # 6
[1200 Total]

Kick set: 25 - 50 - 75 - 100 - 75 - 50 - 25. Repeat. [Total 600] Do not use kickboard as this will cause extra stress on your shoulders. Instead try kick on your side, alternating between right and left.

Sprint set:4 X 25 @ 30 sec. 2 breaths maximum each 25, loosen 25 4 X 25 @ 35 sec. 1 breath maximum each 25, loosen 25 4 X 24 @ 40 sec. no breath Until you are asymptomatic for 3 months, we recommend that you substitute breath control for "sprints." Stay below 90% effort but put your kick in overdrive to create.

Warm-down: 200 "catch-up" stretch out and relax.

ADDITIONAL TIPS:
Extend your warm up: At least 1/3 of your swimming workout should be in the "warm-up" phase. Gradually increase the effort, never exceeding 80% until you are well into the middle of your workout. You are still getting a good cardiovascular workout at 80% and are strengthening your upper body structures without tearing down the shoulder area by sprinting too soon. Save the 100% effort for another day when you have rehabilitated your shoulder to a point that it is pain free.

About pulling: we recommend that you don't pull in workout until you have been pain free for at least 3-months. Instead substitute "catch-up" stroke with a short fin when your coach gives pulling sets. Most importantly - stay away from paddles! If you must, use an undersized paddle which will still satisfy your "paddle addiction" without breaking down your vulnerable shoulder structures. Again, it is better to put the paddles away and use a short fin until you are asymptomatic for a minimum of 3 months.

Happy birthday Tracy. (Five world records, 63 American records which is more than any other American swimmer, male or female.)

If there was a pantheon built for the world's greatest swimmers whereas each great swimmer was idolized in bronze and surrounded by marble, people like Mark Spitz, Shirley Babashoff, Michael Phelps, Janet Evans, and Jenny Thompson would be standing right along side of Tracy Ann Caulkins for here is a swimmer that owned records in every single event. She will celebrate her birthday on January 11th. [Link]