One highlight of the West Coast swing that’s been keeping the Bookfish quiet was a swim last Wed at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center with the Master’s Swim Program there. I swam in the 10-lane, long course, deep water practice pool with about 25 other folks in the 1 pm practice, one of three held that day. I’ve never swum in an Olympic-caliber facility before, & it’s pretty amazing.
Coach Tim, who very kindly let me join the group as a visitor since I don’t yet have a US Masters card, ran us through a bunch of drills I’ve never done before. “Vertical flutter kick” is what it sounds like, and also combined with spins from the hips every 3 seconds to work on the long stomach muscles that cant the torso from side to side. Also a 15m “forward arm travel” kicking on my side after each turn on a 300m set.
Swimming long course — 50m rather than 25 yards — puts you in a much better rhythm, much more concentration on how you move through the water. I wonder if there’s such a pool anywhere in CT? Maybe at UConn — though part of the fun was also being outside, which of course we aren’t likely to have for east coast training.
Something else to put on my West Coast itinerary for next year, and all the years to come.
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