MONDAY – Less than one week to the next swim meet. Pretty much I got one swim meet a month for the next few months. Luckily as of now only one 200 fly!

I did nap yesterday afternoon which is never good for my nighttime sleep. Pretty much after the gym yesterday I pretty much was lazy all day. Laying in bed or the couch. My sleep scores are LOW but I don’t feel that.

OURA SLEEP SCORE– 70

5 hours and 25 minutes

GARMIN SLEEP SCORE – 57

4 hours and 33 minutes

THE WET DECK:

SCM

WARM UP: (600)

200 Free

100 Back

100 Breast

200 Choice Kick

SET ONE: (1,000/1,600)

4 x 50’s Fly to Back Transistions on 1:10

4 x 50’s Back to Breast Transistions on 1:10

4 x 50’s Breast to Free Transistions on 1:10

4 x 100’s Choicr (I did Back) on 2:00

SET TWO:(1,000/2,600)

3 x 100’s IM on 2:20

4 x 100’s Free Breath Control (I pulled w/ Paddle and Buoy) on 2:00

3 x 100’s IM on 2:15

SET THREE: (400/3,000)

3 x 100’s Free w/ Paddles and Buoy on 1:40

100 Easy

3,000 SCM

1 hour and 10 minutes

ZONE 1 – 05:38

ZONE 2 – 21:06

ZONE 3 – 23:50

ZONE 4 – 09:12

ZONE 5 – 03:03

The workout wasn’t so bad. Felt like I was just getting by during the first set. The second set Infelt good and pushed the IM’s and the final set’s 100 Pulling. I’m gonna try and make Wednesdays swim although I work late on Tuesday.

2025 SWIM DISTANCE TOTALS:

SCY- 50,500

SCM – 146,375 *including this workout

LCM – 56,000

THE LIFT AHEAD:

TUE – CHEST + TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE

WED – SWIM w/ Team (Maybe working late on Tuesday)

THU– COMBO + TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE

FRI – SWIM w/ Team

SAT – Recovery

SUN – Swim Meet

MON – SWIM w/ Team (Masters)

THE ROAD AHEAD:

Programming My Workouts for the next few months:

TAPER – October 7th & 9th

Swim meet on October 12th so not much TAPER.

STRENGTH – October 14th – October 19th

Announcer for Running of the Squares 5k October 18th

ENDURANCE – October 21st – October 30th

10K runDISNEY October 25th

Sanford Senior Games November 2nd

STRENGTH – November 4th- November 16th

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

JUST KEEP SWIMMING:

3rd Annual SWAGtoberfest Meet October 12th

500 Free

50 Fly

100 IM

100 Flyp

100 Back

-Sanford Senior Games – Nov 2nd

100 Fly

100 IM

50 Fly

100 Back

-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

runDISNEY:

Wine & Dine 10K – OCT 25th

12K’s of Christmas Virtual – TBD

WDW 5K – JAN 8th

PRINCESS HALF – MARCH 1st

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

GEMINI AI RATE MY WORKOUT:

That’s a lot of activity and planning! It sounds like you’re managing a very full schedule, even if your sleep trackers are giving you a hard time.

Here is an analysis of your workout and a look ahead at your schedule.

SWIM WORKOUT RATING: 8.5/10 (Solid Base-Building Effort)

The Wet Deck: 3,000 SCM

This was a very solid, well-rounded workout with a great balance of technical work, stroke variety, and sustained effort. Hitting 3,000 SCM in 1 hour and 10 minutes is an excellent benchmark, especially on low sleep.

| Workout Element | Rating | Notes |

|—|—|—|

| Warm-up (600m) | A | Perfect mixed stroke to engage all muscle groups. |

| Set One: Transitions (1,000m) | A+ | Excellent meet preparation! Focusing on Fly-Back, Back-Breast, and Breast-Free transitions directly translates to better IM performance and race efficiency. It’s tough, high-quality work. |

| Set Two: IM & Pull (1,000m) | A | Great structure. The IM work builds speed and endurance across all strokes. Your choice to pull the Free Breath Control adds a specific focus on lungs and upper body strength, which is ideal for a meet taper/strength phase. |

| Set Three: Finish (400m) | B+ | A good final set with pulling, ending with an easy 100m to bring the heart rate down. |

| Intensity Zones | A | The distribution shows you spent over half the time in Zones 2 and 3 (aerobic and threshold) and still had significant time in Zones 4 and 5 (anaerobic and max effort). This demonstrates a fantastic balance of base-building endurance and high-end speed training. |

The Takeaway: You felt like you were “just getting by” in the first set, which is exactly what tough, quality swimming should feel like! But you were able to push the IMs and the final set’s pulling, which shows your endurance base is strong and you can access your higher gears when it matters. Well done!

SLEEP & RECOVERY

It’s very common to have low sleep scores and not feel it—for a day or two. Your body’s adrenaline and training momentum can mask the deficit, but the scores are a warning sign. Your analysis is spot-on: a long afternoon nap and a lazy day can disrupt nighttime sleep cycles.

* OURA (5:25) & GARMIN (4:33): Both scores are low and indicate a significant sleep debt. This is a factor to monitor as you move into your taper and meet schedule. Focus on sleep consistency over the next few days.

THE ROAD AHEAD: Training Phase Analysis

Your schedule is extremely busy and spans many months and event types!

1. Immediate Focus: TAPER & SWAGtoberfest (Oct 7-12)

* Your Plan: You are starting your TAPER now (Oct 7th & 9th), which is perfect timing for the October 12th meet.

* The Challenge: Your goal to “keep swimming up” while adding more running later will make this period tricky. For now, prioritize your rest to maximize the effect of your taper. Don’t worry about the running yet.

* Goal: Maximize energy stores for the meet.

2. Post-Meet Shift: Strength & Running (Mid-Oct to Mid-Nov)

* Your Plan: STRENGTH phases interspersed with ENDURANCE and key running races (10K runDISNEY).

* The Synergy: Your strength-focused gym work will directly support the high-intensity nature of your 50-100m sprint events in the upcoming Senior Games.

* The Key: The Announcer for Running of the Squares 5k is a great way to stay engaged with the community without draining your legs. The 10K runDISNEY on Oct 25th is perfectly placed in an Endurance/build phase.

3. The Big Picture: March Half Marathon

* The Decision Point: You are correct that the period from December to March requires a specific plan.

* Recommendation: When you start that program, you’ll need to dedicate more time to running volume (Endurance Phase) and potentially reduce your swim distance (though keep the intensity) to prevent overtraining and injury while still managing your other meets.

Final Word of Caution:

You have meets (swim & run) almost every two weeks for a few months. Be hyper-aware of your Garmin Body Battery/Recovery score and your Oura Readiness score. Your high level of activity means your body is always one bad night’s sleep away from a sharp decline in performance and immune function. Listen to your body and don’t be afraid to skip a workout if those recovery scores are in the gutter.

What event are you most looking forward to in the SWAGtoberfest meet?

MY FITNESS WHY:

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