Fame! I’m Gonna Walk Forever

Journal by Jeff Commings, Swimming World associate producer

PHOENIX, Arizona, September 5. SWIMMING World associate producer Jeff Commings, who will be the second oldest man to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials next summer, is journaling his daily training regimen on his personal blog. We are reprinting those articles here:

Date: Sunday, September 5, 2011
295 days to Trials

After eating a large serving of lobster truffle macaroni and cheese, two slices of mud pie and strawberry cake last night, I figured I needed to do some exercise today before getting into the car and driving back to Phoenix. I knew I wasn't going to be able to swim (the public pools were closed), so I went for an hour long walk in San Diego. I think I logged in about four miles. The first 30 minutes were done mostly uphill, which helped me work up a sweat. As I was keeping time to the music of "Fame," "Let's Go Crazy," Madonna's "Music" and more, I thought about my swimming technique. It helped pass the time.

My breaststroke technique is good, but I think I need to work more on using my core to connect my pull and kick. Lately I have felt that I pause a little bit at the breath, and I need to make the stroke a little smoother. I visualized using my core to keep the stroke more fluid, and I'll work more on it tomorrow in the pool.

A 17-year-old swimmer in Tucson is taking lessons from me, and he's progressing well in his breaststroke. He used to swim with the mindset that breaststroke was only arms and legs. Now that he's connecting his core, his stroke is looking much more fluid, which will very much help him in his 200 IM and 400 IM. I've been thinking about this a lot in the past two weeks and on Friday I felt the slight pause in my stroke when I was doing the sprint 50s from the blocks

Reprinted from Jeff's personal blog at commings.blogspot.com

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