Eureka!

After tiring and getting tight shoulders on a 6.6 mile swim scarcely a week ago, I was a bit worried about my Chicot Challenge which is now less than a fortnight away. Monday, however, I went to Austin 58 early, and started what I hoped would be my long sought after monster swim. When the fish slime cleared, I had swum 8.27 and run 2.26 miles. I could have done more, but May 20th is my wife and my wedding anniversary, and this one was number thirty-six. I didn't want to be late getting home. Although we didn't do anything special, it was nice being in the house together. During the school semester, I teach two nights per week and swim two, so I am gone a lot in the evening. The weenie dog and my cat miss me. I think my wife does too.

Both the fatigue and tightness in my shoulders on my earlier monster attempt were highly troubling. If I get tired at six miles on the Chicot Challenge, I will never make it. Also, I had that same tightness in my shoulders once before which led to an injury that kept me out of the water for awhile. But Monday I was loose and strong all the way through. True enough, 8 miles is only half of my scheduled 16, but still it was encouraging. It seems that the 6.6 miler and the 32,000 meter week put something in the tank for me. This is one reason I love swimming so much. The results of endurance work seem to show up almost instantly. With running, it would be two weeks before a simialr workout manifested itself on the road. Now I am confident that with a taper, I have a good chance at pulling off the Challenge.

Tuesday I ran a terrible 4.24 miles. I still flet the affects of leaving my nutrition at home this past weekend. My wife and I went to Carroll County Saturday. I got out and tried to run the six miles in. My legs were already shot from kicking with Zoomers and I think from dropping my energy gel before my protein shake. Now I am convinced that the insulin spike from the energy gel before the protein is worth the expense. I got to Hillbilly Heaven only to discover I forgot my bag with my post-workout nutrition. My legs are still paying for that mistake. That may sound trivial to some of you, but I am only a couple of weeks short of being fifty-seven years old, and the older I get the more important the little things become. Nutrition, rest, stretching, and easy days are all now a necessity not a luxury.

I did finally make it back to Masters Tuesday night. It was nice to see the Mad Swimming Scientist and to swim with someone else. Mark and I were the only ones there. All the lanes were full of age group teams when I arrived so I started warming up behind the bulkhead which has one short course lane. I did

850 yards short course before Cagri moved me and I continued my warmup with
300 meters long course. Then Mark and I swam
16 X 50 @ 1:30 (odd all out, even easy; I did one :38, one :40, and six :39s)
400 pull breathing 3, 5, 7, and choice by 25s
Total 2,276 meters.

It felt really good to do that sprinting despite having swum 8 miles the day before, which is something else to recommend swimming. If I had run 8 miles one day and tried to sprint the next, the results would have been disaterous. Oh well, the taper began Tuesday. Probably I won't even swim today but will try to finish the week with a couple of moderate pool swims. Then next week, I . . . oh heck, I go back to work next week! Well, at least it's an easy week as far as physical activity goes.