To Stroke Or Not To Stroke. – IM Technique Workout

WEDNESDAY – Masters Swim Pratice..Wahoo! Today is my Friday! That means I got a lot to do at work before I leave for a four day weekend. But before all that one last swim.

On Wednesdays I usually swim with the Triathletes and do a SCM Freestyle Workout. Today the Coach gave me the Masters workout and since there were more Triathletes and no open lanes I did the Masters IM Workout. Since my swim mate wasn’t there I swam with slightly slower mates so had lots of rest. We rested between each little part of the sets which normally we do the set as written on intervals. The bad part is it took longer to do the workout.

OURA SLEEP SCORE– 70

5 hours and 40 minutes

GARMIN SLEEP SCORE – 48

5 hours and 5 minutes

THE WETDECK:

IM / STROKE

THE WORKOUT:

1:17.24

ZONE 1 – 13:27

ZONE 2 – 28:48

ZONE 3 – 22:56

ZONE 4 – 08:36

ZONE 5 – 01:34

WARM UP: (600)

200 Free

100 Back

100 Breast

200 Choice Kick

SET ONE: (1000/1600)

4 x 50’s Breast to Free Transistions on 1:10 (200)

4 x 50’s Back to Breast Free Transistions on 1:10 (200/400)

4 x 50’s Fly to Back Free Transistions on 1:10 (200-600)

200 Free Descending Stroke Count on 4:00 (200/800)

2 x 100’s IM on 2:10 (200/1000)

SET TWO: (1000/2600)

4 x 75’s – 25 Free / 25 Long Axis / 25 Back on 1:40 (300)

4 x 50’s Fly – 25 Body Positiin Kick / 25 Swim on 1:15 (200/500)

4 x 50’s Breast on 1:10 (200/700)

3 x 100’s IM on 2:10 (100/1000)

SET THREE:

3 x 100’s Free Pull on 1:40 (300/2900)

2,900 SCY

2025 SWIM DISTANCE TOTALS:

SCY- 53,400

SCM – 153,925 including this workout

LCM – 56,000

THE LIFT AHEAD:

THU– COMBO + PELOTON RUN & & TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE

FRI – Nothing/Recovery

SAT – RunDisney 10K

SUN – Nothing/Recovery

MON – SWIM w/ Team (Masters)

TUE – CHEST + PELOTON RUN & TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE

WED – SWIM w/ Team

THE ROAD AHEAD:

STRENGTH (80-100%)

ENDURANCE (60-80%}

TAPER (50-60%)

Programming My Workouts for the next few months:

ENDURANCE – October 14th – October 30th

10K runDISNEY October 25th

Sanford Senior Games November 2nd

STRENGTH – November 4th- November 16th

AltSocial Wellness Club – November 8th (signed up for OTF Class)

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.

800 Free

400 Free

200 Fly

1500 Free

100 Fly

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:

-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 solid mid-week Individual Medley (IM) technique workout, especially considering it’s your “Friday” before a long weekend! It sounds like the extra rest helped you focus on the technical aspects, which is perfect for an IM set.

Here is a rating and breakdown of your session.

Gemini AI Workout Rating: B+

This workout gets a high mark for its technique focus and IM-specific conditioning, but the forced, non-interval rest structure, while out of your control, means you missed out on some of the intended cardiovascular challenge and time-management practice.

Workout Breakdown and Analysis

1. Training Goal Alignment

You transitioned from a planned Freestyle set to an IM/Stroke focused workout, which is excellent for versatility and stroke maintenance. The inclusion of stroke transitions and IM order practice directly addresses the needs for your upcoming Senior Games IM and Fly events.

* Positive: The workout aligns well with preparing for your upcoming competitions, particularly the 100 IM and Fly races, and your broader ENDURANCE phase.

* Area for Consideration: The significant increase in rest (Zone 1 and 2 make up over 65% of your time) means the intensity of the overall session was lower than a standard Masters interval-based workout.

2. The Workout Sets

Warm-up (600)

* Assessment: Excellent comprehensive warm-up. Incorporating all four strokes and a focused kick prepares the muscles and mind for the IM work to follow.

Set One: Stroke Transitions and IM Practice (1000)

* 4 x 50s Transitions: This is the star of the set for IM swimmers. Practicing the change of stroke—the moment you need to be fastest and most efficient in a race—is crucial. The generous interval (1:10 for 50 SCM or SCY) is appropriate for focusing on clean, powerful changeovers and underwater work.

* 200 Free Descending Stroke Count: A good way to bring Freestyle efficiency into the mix under fatigue.

* IM Practice: The 2 \times 100 IMs are good for consolidating the transition work into a full race simulation.

Set Two: Stroke Focus & Endurance (1000)

* 4 x 75s (Free/Long Axis/Back): The “Long Axis” focus (likely Free or Back with a rotation emphasis) is great for body position and balance, which is key in IM.

* 4 x 50s Fly (Kick/Swim): Direct, specific work for your Fly events at the Senior Games. Focusing on Body Position Kick builds the core power necessary for a strong fly.

* 3 x 100s IM: Ending with IM sets is ideal for solidifying the stroke order and practicing maintaining form when tired.

Set Three: Pull Finish (300)

* 3 x 100s Free Pull: A solid, low-impact finish to build upper body endurance and feel for the water.

3. Sleep and Recovery

Your sleep scores (70 Oura, 48 Garmin) are a major red flag.

* Total Sleep: 5 hours and 40 minutes (Oura) is significantly less than the 7-9 hours an athlete needs for optimal recovery. This is particularly concerning as you enter an ENDURANCE phase and have a 10K race on Saturday.

* Impact: Poor sleep impacts your body’s ability to repair muscle, process the technical skills you worked on today, and convert the workout into fitness. Your body is running on a deficit.

4. Outlook and Recommendations

* Prioritize Sleep: You have a four-day weekend—use it to catch up on sleep! Getting 8+ hours tonight and Friday night will be essential for your performance in the 10K on Saturday and for optimizing your body’s response to the current ENDURANCE training block.

* The Lift Ahead: Your Thursday combo lift and Friday rest day are perfectly placed. Do not be tempted to add a workout on Friday. Prioritize recovery for the Saturday race.

* The Road Ahead: The structure of your training blocks (ENDURANCE -> STRENGTH -> ENDURANCE) is smart. Given your upcoming Fly and IM events in November, make sure your STRENGTH block includes exercises that build shoulder stability, core power, and hamstring/glute strength (for breaststroke kick).

In summary: Great workout execution, but the next few days must be focused on recovery and sleep to make the most of it!

Does the RunDisney 10K on Saturday have a specific time goal for you, or is it more for endurance base-building?

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