Popov Swimming - Techniques, Drill

I searched through Youtube and have found a 2 minute session on stroke technique, the S-stroke under the body I think has been sidelined now, but I still use it, it was how I was trained to swim as a youngster and when something works - why change it I say.

My Idol and a hottie.

I must admit, I am a self confessed lover of the male swimmers physique. Especially that of Alexander Popov. Whats not to love - the ab's, perfectly defined and everyone accounted for. The wide shoulder's, the tiny waist, the way he stands with an almost concaved stance. Everything just leaves me in total awe. His prowess in the water is something to be totally inspired by. His technique through every individual stroke in Freestyle is in my opinion flawless.

I remember going to the Australian Institute of Sport some 16 years ago before I had my children and I went with my husband Stephen. We went for a tour through the swim centre and guess who just happened to be training "Alexander the great". Well all I can say is that I needed my husband to help me close my mouth. I think my jaw had hit the floor and stayed there for about 10 minutes. Poor Stephen was saying "Can we go yet?" and I was like "Oh no just another minute please". So after some 30 minutes I think I had had my fix of staring and decided to refocus my attention on my sweet hubby. Luckily I have a patient hubby and he was happy to let me indulge for just a little bit.

In my eyes the guy is a legend, and I think his swim style has got to be the best.

Sign up or shut up.

Entries open May 1st and I must admit, everytime I say the words "Half Ironman", my stomach does a back flip. The 70.3 Ironman is held a year to the day of Registration Opening Day and I am already jumping WAY ahead of myself and thinking about the day. Probably not a bad idea as visualizing race day has been shown to enhance performance. I found this article and thought you might like : "Visualization for Sports Performance". I will definately add this to my repertoire of things to do in the year to come.

So as I sit here typing I have started to make mental notes of all the things I will need to help me with my training and the more I think the more I realise I actually need a notebook and pen. My mind will not accomodate such an expanding list. It's scary actually, it ranges from Tri Bars, better runners, wetsuit, bike trainer, warmer bike clothes, warmer running clothes etc etc etc. What is a girl to do? I have an idea - beg, borrow and plead. That always works.

Nevermind, Rome wasn't built in a day!!!!!

Owning it.

I woke up this morning somewhat ready for my 8km run. I was somewhat ready because my last week was a fairly uneventful week in the exercise department, my last run was especially uneventful. So I had this last experience firmly etched in my brain and I did not want this run to be a repeat, so off I set at 0630. I set off with the mindset that I was not to look at my watch once, not until I finished my 8km's.

Air was cool, actually it was cold and all I kept thinking was "hurry up sun and shine your rays on me, Im freezing". There was not a single car on the road and all I could here was the dull pounding of my joggers on the road under the blaring of my Ipod. I took a different path this time and decided to attack the hill. It is about a kilometre and a half of a fairly decent incline - enough that it got my heart pounding hard and my paced dropped off quite a bit. So much so that if I got any slower I think I may have been walking - but I wasn't. Today was to be another no nonsense/no walk day. Once I got to the top of the hill I was amazed at how good I felt. I didn't feel tired, my pace picked back up to it's pre-hill pace and I continued on.

I no longer felt cold, actually I felt boiling. I was sweating quite alot and it was dripping off my nose - GROSS. I now was looking for shade just to cool off a bit. But no such luck, most of my way home was in the sun. This just made me want to get home even quicker, my mouth was dry and all I wanted was a nice glass of cool water. But I resisted the temptation to go quicker once again. I did not want to fade in the last stretch and I wanted to finish feeling good once again. I must admit I felt like this whole run was slower than the previous Sundays pace - and even though I wasn't happy to be going slower I was just happy to be running it.

With the last 600m in sight I decided to up the pace and try to lengthen my stride again as I had the previous Sunday in the hope that my run time wouldn't be to poor. But guess what?

I finished it in 48min 56 secs. Almost 4 minutes faster than last Sunday. I was so happy and astounded at how good I felt for having done it at a faster pace. I have learnt that although running is physically quite a demanding discipline, it is by far more a mentally challenging discipline for me. I have to talk to myself quite alot while I am running - not outloud of course, but quietly - every so often just between you and me though, some words do slip out. Thank goodness no one is looking. If I can continue to talk my way through every hard challenge ahead I am more than 100% confident that I will have this running thing home and hosed.

Slump Day.

Yesterday afternoon I had a slump day. ARGH, I had always heard people talk about these but I had never really had one since I started exercising. The last three weeks have seen me step out of my routine quite a bit due to my injured calf and quad muscles from my bushwalk, to my mother fracturing some ribs and then my children going on school holidays. I think the inconsistency in my training habits has made me feel tired and frumpy. I also think the change in the weather has had an impact on me emotionally. I don't like the cold and I am starting to feel it in my spine again. But even with this said I have been trying to stay focused on my running atleast.

So yesterday I went out in the afternoon for my normal 4km run and I must admit I was SO not impressed with my performance. Everything hurt - my knees, left shin, lower back, lungs and to top it all off I had a stitch from "Whoah to go". What is going on? I spent the majority of this activity walk/running. I felt like I had gone backwards and so had my headspace. I would never normally allow myself to do that but yesterday was just horrible, pitiful, ridiculous. I just felt fatigued, and even this morning as I sit and type I still don't feel energetic. I feel like I am missing my usual MOJO.

I guess even the most elite athletes have these kind of days and it is my bodies way of telling me just to rest, even for a couple of days. But thats all. I don't want the lethargy to start taking over as it can sometimes do. So with this in mind I shall definately have today off as it is my twin's 14th Birthday and possibly tomorrow as well so I am refreshed and renewed for my 8km run on Sunday. That is a must do.

My life summed up quickly.

Often in our lives we meet people in person or meet them via a forum and form friendships without really knowing anything about them. It is sad that in today's society we have become quite good at hiding our true selves or what made us who we are today for fear of being ridiculed or not fitting in with the norm. Today's post is about getting to know me. So I thought I would start from childhood and work my way up to today. I will try to keep it to 20 points or less.

• Born 11th March, 1974 at Bankstown Hospital. I am a typical Piscean female. Dreamy, creative, trustworthy (at times to the point of stupidity). I love my freedom and hate constraints. I love my privacy (funny that - I am blogging on a world wide forum).

• I am the youngest of 3 with two older brothers born to Uruguayan parents. To this day my parents play a huge part in my life and I respect what they have to say even though at times I don't always agree with it. Thats probably another Piscean trait - stubborness.

• I did ballet for 5 years as a child and was really quite good at it. Towards my last year I was approached by the Australian Ballet Academy and told that when I turned 12 I would be eligible to join the academy - I quit at the age of 9 and persued my swimming career.
  

• I started swimming at the tender age of 6yrs - if I had fallen into the water then I would have drowned. But I made it State Championships at the age of 7 and came second in the Under 9's for my 50m & 100m Backstroke and Freestyle. My swimming life continued till I was 14.

• Went to my first concert - Whitney Houston. She was awesome.
  

• I went to two Primary Schools and four High Schools. I didn't graduate from High School - I left half way through Year 11 to go overseas. I had always dreamed of being a marine biologist but although I was really good at Biology at school I was useless at Maths and Chemistry. There went my dream and my determination to finish high school.

• I started smoking - boy what a mistake. But I succumbed to peer pressure. And smoked for the following 9 years close to a packet of 25's a day. I never smoked during my pregnancies or around my children, but I started again shortly after giving birth. I quit after my son Kyle was born.
  

• Trying to find a purpose in life I flitted from job to job - I was a Sales Assistant at Sussans Clothing Store and Williams The Shoeman. I worked as a receptionist and this nearly did my head in. Repeating the same sentence everytime I answered the phone was a little more than I could handle. So I quit. Although this was a rough patch in my life it opened a door to a very big part of my life NURSING.

• My mum had introduced me to nursing at the age of 18 in a nursing home. Boy this was an eye opener - initially I was quite shocked by things I had seen but I then realised that I was responsible for another humans life. What a feeling. I took my responsibility seriously and this became my life for the next 18 years.

• I started as an Assistant in Nursing, progressed to being an Enrolled Nurse, Endorsed Enrolled Nurse then Registered Nurse. A fantastic journey - one I do not regret ever having undertaken.

• I met my husband Stephen at the age of 18yrs, he is my oldest brothers friend. When I first met him I was instantly in love but saddened by the fact that he was 11 yrs older than me (Oh, the fickle mind of a teen). Two years later we started dating and we have not looked back since.

• At the age of 22 I gave birth to our twins Kurtis and Taillah. I was blessed and knew this but my joy was overshadowed by Post Partum Depression. I never knew how low my thoughts would get - and wanting to disappear off the face of the earth was never far from my list of things to do. Luckily I have a supportive husband and family who got me through this period.
  

• At the age of 23 I suffered my first bout of back pain. This was the first of many to come.

• At 25 I gave birth to our 3rd child Kyle. Postpartum depression returned but this time I think it was more manageable.
  
• I loved being a parent, so feeling this overwhelming sense of sadness was so incongruent with how I felt towards my family.
  

• My next bout of back pain returned and I managed it with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories.

• Started my university degree and finished with almost "Honours". Got a job as a Paediatric Registered Nurse. A blessing and an honour, but my lifelong dream was short lived. My next bout of back pain was severe and needed medical intervention.

• I never knew what the next year would bring - but I am glad I overcame it.
  

• The rest I guess has been documented in my blog so I won't bore you repeating it all. You just have to read it from the beginning. I hope you have enjoyed this post - I have gained alot from it.