The Snooze, The Mindset and The Early Taper.

This morning my first alarm went off at 3:25am but I kept hitting snooze for 30 minutes. Then it was a scramble to get my gear bag ready and hit the road.

Drove the 35 minutes to the pool listening to pop music to get me happy and awake. As it turned out there was no IM Masters Swimmers in my group so I took some liberty and made it a Taper Workout. I even started about 10 minutes later waiting to see if anyone would show up. Once it was a No I jumped in and started the warm up.

OURA SLEEP SCORE– 75

6 hours and 21 minutes

GARMIN SLEEP SCORE – 59

5 hours and 34 minutes

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th, 2025

Swimming – Masters Theme Drills

THE WETDECK:

SCM

WARM UP: (600)

100 Free

200 Back

200 IM Kick w/ Fins

SET ONE: (1000/1600)

4 x 25’s Fly 2nd Kick Drill :15 rest (100)

4 x 50’s Breast Moose Drill :15 rest (200/300)

4 x 50’s Free Catch Up Drill :15 rest (200/500)

4 x 75’s Back L Drill, Swim, Roll/Roll/Pull :15 rest (300/800)

4 x 50’s Free w/ Fulcrum Paddles :15 rest (200/1000)

SET TWO: (800/2400)

4 x 25’s Fly on 30 (100)

4 x 50’s Back on 60 (200/300)

4 x 25’s Breast on 30 (100/400)

4 x 100’s Free on 2:00 (400/800)

SET THREE: (200/2800)

200 Free Pull

Okay so I modified the workout being on my own. I did 4 x 25’s Breast when it should have been 4 x 75’s Breast. I hate Breast. Also I finished with 1 x 200 Free Pull instead of 2 x 200’s. The coach wasn’t watching either.

ZONE 1 – 29:28

ZONE 2 – 25:41

ZONE 3 – 06:32

ZONE 4 – 00:00

ZONE 5 – 00:00

2025 SWIM DISTANCE TOTALS:

SCY- 41.950

SCM – 114,100 *including FRI AM Swim

LCM – 54,100

– 24th Annual Gainesville Senior Games

Sept 14th

500 Free

100 Back

100 Fly

50 Fly

100 IM

– 2025 ROB CURRY PANCAKE PENTATHLON

Sept 21st

100 Fly

100 Back

100 Breast

100 Free

200 IM

–3rd Annual SWAGtoberfest Meet October 12th

-Florida Senior Games – TBD DEC Temple Terrace

– Rowdy Gaines Masters Classic 17 January 30, 2026-February 1, 2026.

TBD

– T.V. Senior Games April 18 & 19, 2026

TBD

THE LIFT AHEAD:

SAT – CHESTIE + PELOTON WALK

SUN- TBD

MON – SWIM w/ Team (Masters)

TUE – CHEST + TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE

WED – SWIM w/ Team

THU– Back + TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE

FRI – SWIM w/ Team (Masters)

Programming My Workouts for the next few months:

STRENGTH – July 12th – August 24th

ENDURANCE -August 26th – September 4th

TAPER – September 6th – September 20th

I have my first swim meet on September 14th and then on the 21st.

ENDURANCE – September 23rd – September 25th

STRENGTH – September 27th – October 9th

Swim meet on October 12th so not much TAPER.

STRENGTH – October 14th – November 16th

Announcer for Running of the Squares 5k October 18th

10K runDISNEY October 25th

ENDURANCE – November 18th – November 23rd

TAPER – November 25th – December 4th

Florida Senior Games either Dec 6 & 7 or Dec 13 & 14.

RUNNING MORE – Will be running more as I’m running a Half Marathon on March 1st.

Rowdy Gaines Masters Classic 17 January 30, 2026-February 1, 2026.

TBD

Will figure out a training program for December thru March that will keep my swimming up, weight training in a longer Endurance Phase while I gear up my running. Yikes!

runDISNEY:

Wine & Dine 10K – OCT 25th

12K’s of Christmas Virtual – TBD (Registration 8/19)

WDW 5K – JAN 8th

PRINCESS HALF – MARCH 1st

Springtime Surprise – APRIL 17-19th (Not Running)

GEMINI AI RATE MY WORKOUT:

Based on the information you provided, here is a breakdown of your recent workout and some things to consider moving forward.

Workout Analysis

Overall, you got a solid workout in, even with the modifications. The total distance of 2800 SCM is a good volume, especially given you were on your own and still completed a majority of the planned workout.

* Warm-up: The 600 SCM warm-up was well-structured, incorporating a variety of strokes and some IM kick work, which is excellent for getting your body ready.

* Drill Work (Set One): This set was key. It focused on different aspects of your strokes, which is crucial for improving technique. The use of fins and paddles, along with specific drills like the Moose Drill for breaststroke and Fulcrum Paddles for free, shows a focus on refinement. You completed this set as planned, which is a big win.

* Main Set (Set Two): You correctly identified that you modified this set. By doing 4 x 25 breaststroke instead of 4 x 75s, you cut the total distance by 200 meters. While it’s understandable to avoid a stroke you “hate,” consistency is key for building endurance across all strokes, especially with IM events on your calendar. You also skipped one of the 200 free pulls at the end, which further reduced the total yardage.

Mindset and Early Taper

You started with a couple of clear observations about your day: the snooze button and the “early taper.”

* The Snooze: It’s a common struggle. Those 30 minutes of snoozing not only cut into your prep time but can also leave you feeling more groggy than if you had just gotten up. Both your Oura and Garmin scores show a relatively low amount of sleep. The key takeaway here is to prioritize consistent sleep to improve recovery and performance.

* The Early Taper: You made the call to modify the workout and do an “early taper.” While it’s great to be flexible and listen to your body, a conscious taper is something that’s strategically planned to help you peak for an event. It’s not typically something you decide on the day of. Given your busy race schedule, adhering to your planned taper schedule will be important for maximizing performance at those meets.

Moving Forward

Your upcoming schedule is packed! It’s great that you have so many races and training blocks planned. To ensure you’re at your best for each event, consider the following:

* Stick to Your Plan: You’ve laid out a detailed training schedule with specific strength, endurance, and taper phases. The most important thing you can do now is stick to that plan. If you find yourself wanting to modify a workout, ask yourself if it’s because you’re genuinely fatigued or if it’s just a lack of motivation.

* Prioritize Sleep: Your sleep scores are on the low side. With multiple meets and an increasing running schedule, recovery is going to become even more critical. Aiming for more consistent sleep will pay dividends in your training and race performance.

* Don’t Fear the Breaststroke: With so many IM events on your race calendar, working on your breaststroke will be essential. Incorporating it into your training now, even on days when you don’t feel like it, will prevent it from becoming a liability in your races.

Your commitment to balancing swimming, lifting, and running is impressive. How are you planning to adjust your running schedule to accommodate your swim and strength training without overdoing it?

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