We’re headed to that regional swim meet my kiddos qualified for awhile back, so that may well be it for today. I’ll try to get a ride in if I can, or maybe some bodyweight work once we’re settled this evening, but I have no real idea what the rest of today holds.
This weekend will be odd in that respect too, so we’ll just have to see how it goes.
Friday - 08 December 2023 Workout: Active recovery, 1920-1940 (20 minutes)
Alpha Male - about 1100 (just a guess, didn’t keep track)
25 1-pump burpees
100 air squats
25 1-pump burpees
Just a little something to keep from getting stiff—better than the nothing I could’ve easily talked myself into today, so that’s a win!
My son swam two events this afternoon. He dropped just over 2 seconds from his 50-yard backstroke entry time, and nearly 4 seconds for his 100-yard breaststroke. The latter put him 8th in a field of 24 very strong swimmers, but it was enough to qualify for the finals this evening, where he finished 7th overall!
It was an awesome day for him, to be sure, and we’re looking forward to two more events for him and two for my daughter over the next two days!
Saturday - 09 December 2023 Workout: Active recovery, 1140-1150 (10 minutes)
25 1-pump burpees
100 air squats
25 1-pump burpees
Didn’t sleep great, and we had an early morning at the pool, but my daughter dropped over 2 seconds in her 200-yard breaststroke prelims this morning, and she qualified for finals tonight at 15th overall!
We came back to the Airbnb before my son’s event this afternoon, and I knocked this out. It only took 10 minutes, which is probably how long it took yesterday too, but I wasn’t really paying attention last night so I guessed at 20 minutes.
Anyway, I’d like to get another one of these in before the day is through, but we’re back at the pool in a few hours for his 3:45 start, then she reports for finals at 5:00, and we’ve got dinner out with the team after that, so… I’ll squeeze in something if I can!
Saturday - 09 December 2023 Workout: Active recovery, 1840-1850 (10 minutes)
25 1-pump burpees
100 air squats
25 1-pump burpees
Got another quick one in just before we met the team for dinner.
My son dropped 5 seconds off of his 100-yard IM this afternoon, and that earned him 14th overall in the prelims. Only the top 8 qualify for finals in his age group, but we’re still happy that he was able to drop so much time!
Unfortunately, my daughter had a rough finals race this evening: She added about a second back to her prelims time from this morning, and that dropped her from 15th to 16th overall. Even so, we’re super-proud of her effort!
It was another solid day, no matter how you slice it.
Slept much better last night, in part because my daughter didn’t have to arrive at the pool until much later in the morning—I actually slept in about an extra hour or so. But once we got going, it was pretty much hurry-up-and-wait: We had to pack up and load the car before we left for the pool, and once we were checked out, that was it—we were basically at the pool the whole rest of the day.
My daughter’s 100-yard breaststroke went alright—she was seeded 28th and came in at 22nd (despite adding +0.09 seconds) in prelims—but she didn’t qualify for the finals. She’s definitely stronger in the 200—the other girls often peter out in the last 75 yards or so, and that’s when her ability to pace herself really shines—but with her small stature, she’s just not able to beat them out over shorter distances.
My son’s last event didn’t go off until about 3:00 PM, so there we sat. But once it was time to swim, he absolutely crushed it: He dropped over 2.7 seconds from his entry time to finish 6th overall, which was good enough for a spot in the finals!
It was an awesome surprise, but it was a surprise nonetheless: More waiting around, and a much later arrival at home than we anticipated. The finals race didn’t go off until nearly 7:00 PM, but once again he crushed it: He dropped another 1.19 seconds over his prelims time (or just over 3.9 seconds from his entry time)! All but one other boy also dropped time, so he stayed in 6th place overall, but it was a truly awesome race, and well worth the wait!
Anyway, we finally arrived home, but I was spent from doing nothing all day (!), so that was that… No training today.
Lovely to see some proud parenting moments here and those squats are a thing of beauty, great depth and the increasing weights don’t seem to phase you (yet)!
@alex_uk - Thanks, mate! As a parent, there’s no better reward than watching your children come into their own—definitely a proud moment for me and Mrs. SvenG!
Oh, and:
Thanks for that. (Haha!)
@simo74 - I’m not hungry all the time, but only because I’m eating all the time—e.g., I was force-feeding myself tuna and granola last night at time when I’m usually in bed!
I am so sick of food and the bathroom already, and it’s only… Crap, it’s only Week 3!
But you know exactly how it is, mate: You’ve just gotta push through.
Legitimately failed that last rep of BB curls, had to give myself 15 seconds to finish it off—weight stays the same next time. And everything else is getting heavy, Heavy, HEAVY: I’m really feeling the fatigue before I even get to the squats, never mind how I feel AFTER they’re done…
So glad to see you running this program. That way I don’t have to , and I can experience it vicariously through you. I do like the set up of the workout, but man those 20 breathing squats look torturous.
and those squats are a thing of beauty, great depth and the increasing weights don’t seem to phase you (yet)!
, and I can experience it vicariously through you. I do like the set up of the workout, but man those 20 breathing squats look torturous.