Due to naps and other constraints, we don't get to head to the actual Newport Beach with the whole crew as much as we'd like (we usually head over after the kids get an early nap). It's not all bad, though, since the Marriott is a pretty sweet set up. We get to spend a lot of time at the pools in the morning, and yesterday I noticed one of their main pools is about the length of a standard lap pool. A swim was definitely in order this trip, and today was perfect since I've run the past two days.
As an added bonus, I was able to talk Bishop's sweet sister, Cath, into swimming with me! She was such a sport and even used her son's goggles...I think had I not had proper gear I would have declined a swimming invite, but she literally jumped right in. We did my standard 400 yd warm up of alternating 50 drill, 50 swim then proceeded with one of my favorite fast and furious sets of breakout 75's. I read about it in a triathlon training book (called Triathlon Training in 4 Hours a Week...my kind of promise!). In a tri, the swim starts with a crazy sprint at first to break from the masses followed by the real challenge of controlling yourself and settling into an effective pace after that. Hence the breakout 75's. Sprint a 25, keep a fast but controlled pace for the next 50, rest for about 20 seconds, and repeat as desired. I like to do 6-8...I don't know, it's my magic number or something. Fast, effective, and easy to remember, these 75's were tons of fun. And it was great to have Cath there, too!
I like to maintain a good base of triathlon training just in case I get to spontaneously sign up for and participate in one. And there are a few I have my eye on during our time in Utah after the beach, so I want to be prepared. This is why I almost always pair a swim or bike with something else. I recently read that doing swim/run bricks is a really good way to train but can also be logistically tricky, so it was suggested that doing some sort of plyometrics after swimming can have a similar effect as a swim/run. I just absolutely adore plyometrics; what an excellent way to top off a fun swim! Thankfully, Cath was down with that idea so after our 75's and a little bit of stroke 50's to shake things up we did a stair circuit. She is awesome at stairs - I've had the privilege of running the famous Santa Monica stairs with her on one occasion and it was amazing. Anyway, not only does this Marriott have crazy cool pools, it also has crazy long outdoor staircases. So we followed up our swim by doing a few plyo moves at the top of a giant staircase followed by a handful of stair sets: running down the stairs then alternating how we ran up them (i.e. sideways, skip a step, every step, etc). There's something about propelling your body upward that just hurts so good. Sort of makes me want to burst out singing Wicked's "Defy Gravity."
Swim, stairs, sister. At the Marriott. Seriously, I love exercising on vacation! And I'm not having too much withdrawal from my DVD routine - it was a good decision to go rogue this week.
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