FAFO Long Course & My SCM Don’t Call It A Taper IM-ISH Taper-ish Swim.

This morning I was so happy when the coach opened the outdoor gate and not the indoor door. Meters! But then as happy as I was I was given a SCM Workout. Which is okay but I kept looking over at the LCM area with envy. But Rowdy is SCM so I can’t complain that much. Plus after the Coach said Monday will be LCM Endurance so yeah!

Since my swim mate and pacing partner didn’t show I started the workout with the slower group. Which isn’t bad but they do take extra rest. By the second set I went on my own. Since I did the first half with them it was time for me to go before finishing the 2nd 200 Pull or the cool down. So it was like a Taper but not a Taper Workout. Lots of rest during the first half.

OURA SLEEP SCORE – 52

4 hours and 22 minutes

GARMIN SLEEP SCORE – 42

3 hours and 59 minutes

FRIDAY – 1/23:26

SWIM – SCM TECHNIQUE

THE WORKOUT:

1:11:46

ZONE 1 – 08:49

ZONE 2 – 11:49

ZONE 3 – 21:46

ZONE 4 – 15:36

ZONE 5 – 07:16

WARM UP: (500)

100 Free

200 Back

200 Kick

SET ONE: (2000/1600)

4 x 50’s Drill 25 Shoulder Tap / 25 Shark Fin Dill 15 sec rest (200)

3 x 100’s Free High Elbow Recovery on 1:50 (300/500)

4 x 50’s IM Order Transitions on 1:10 (200/700)

200 IM sub 4 (200/900)

100 Back Roll/Roll/Pull 50 Swim L Drill (100/1000)

SET TWO: (1000/2500)

4 x 50’s Fly Kick/Swim on 15 sec rest (200)

4 x 25’s Fly on 45 (100/300)

3 x 200’s IM on 4:20 (600/900)

100 Long Axis (100/1000)

SET THREE: (200/2700)

200 Pull

2,700 SCY

It was about 1:12 and I had to get out to get home and all that work day stuff.

JUST KEEP SWIMMING:

2026 SWIM DISTANCE TOTALS:

SCY – 21,000

SCM – 2,700 (including this last swim)

LCM – 0

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

FRI – 800 Free / 25 Fly

SAT – 400 Free / 200 Fly / 100 Back

SUN – 1500 Free / 50 Fly / 25 Back / 100 Fly

USMS OPEN WATER CHAMPIONSHIP 1K – April 3, 2026 Sarasota

TV SENIOR GAMES – April 18 & 19 2026

THE LIFT AHEAD:

SAT – CHEST Taper

SUN – BACK & BICEPS Taper

MON – SWIM w/ Team

TUE – CHEST Taper & TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE

WED – SWIM w/ Team

THU – BACK Taper (got a sub for my cycle class)

FRI – SWIM ROWDY 800 Free / 25 Fly

SAT – 400 Free / 200 Fly / 100 Back

SUN – 1500 Free / 50 Fly / 25 Back / 100 Fly

MON – RECOVERY

THE ROAD AHEAD:

ENDURANCE (60-80%) 1/17 – 1/23

TAPER (50-60%) 1/24 – 1/30

STRENGTH (80-100%) 2/3 – 3/26

ENDURANCE (60-80%) 3/28 – 4/9

TAPER (50-60%) 4/11 – 4/16

runDISNEY:

PRINCESS HALF – MARCH 1stSpringtime Surprise – APRIL 17-19th (Not Running)

Disclaimer: This information is for general knowledge and should not be taken as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before considering the use of peptides and/or testosterone replacement therapy. 

GEMINI AI RATE MY WORKOUT:

That outdoor pool feeling is unbeatable, even if it was Short Course Meters (SCM) instead of the Long Course (LCM) lanes you were eyeing! There is something mentally refreshing about seeing the sky while you work.

Given your Oura (52) and Garmin (42) sleep scores, the “Im-ish Taper-ish” nature of this morning was actually a blessing in disguise. With less than 4.5 hours of sleep, your central nervous system was likely redlining; the extra rest you got by starting with the slower group probably saved your quality for the later sets.

Here is a breakdown of your Friday session:

Workout Rating: 8.5/10 (The “Accidental Taper” Win)

The Intensity Balance:

Looking at your heart rate zones, you spent 22 minutes in Zones 4 and 5. For a “technique” day on low sleep, that is a high-octane output! It shows that even though you felt you were resting more, you were putting down serious power during the actual work intervals.

Technical Focus:

* The IM Transitions: Excellent specificity for the Rowdy Gaines Classic. Working those transitions on the 1:10 is great for keeping the heart rate up while focusing on the “stroke switch” mechanics.

* Fly Volume: Doing 200 Fly at the meet is no joke. The 4 \times 50 and 4 \times 25 Fly sets today were perfect “bite-sized” maintenance to keep the feel for the water without blowing out your shoulders before your taper lift tomorrow.

Rowdy Gaines Prep Checklist

You have a massive schedule coming up (800m, 1500m, and the 200m Fly are the “Big Three”).

| Metric | Observation |

|—|—|

| Volume Shift | You hit 2,700 SCM today. Dropping from your 3k+ SCY sessions into the mid-2000s is the correct “Taper-ish” trajectory. |

| Stroke Work | Good inclusion of Backstroke and Fly. Since Saturday/Sunday at Rowdy are heavy on those, today’s technique work kept the neural pathways sharp. |

| Recovery Need | Critical. Your sleep scores are currently the biggest threat to your performance. With the “Taper” officially starting tomorrow (1/24), sleep must become your primary “training” metric. |

The Road Ahead: 1/24 – 1/30

You are moving into the 50-60% Volume Taper phase tomorrow.

* The Lifts: Keep the “Chest Taper” and “Back/Biceps Taper” sessions snappy. Focus on high velocity but low total sets. You want to feel “bouncy” and powerful, not fatigued.

* Monday LCM: Coach promised LCM Endurance. Since Rowdy is SCM, use that Monday long-course session to work on your sustained rhythmic breathing and pacing, as you won’t have as many turns to rest on.

> Gemini Insight: You’ve logged 23,700 total meters/yards so far in 2026. You have the base. Now, the goal is to “let the bubbles out of the tank”—let that fatigue dissipate so you can explode off those SCM walls next weekend.

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