Finding Something

It is Friday morning, the coffee is good, and the rain falls lightly outside my window. The two sandwich thieves, Luvie and Jeff, are napping on the bed with me. I could stay here all day. Earlier I heard some thunder. Scratch that, I just heard some more thunder. Not good. Not good for swimming.

I've been on a quest to get in that really long swim. This training cycle will conclude exactly two weeks before the big charity swim, and I think this is the last one that can substantially affect my fitness for a watery marathon. Monday I got in 6.6 miles, which is very good, but not quite the monster I want and feel I need. That effort was aborted by a family emergency. Tuesday I got a good pool session at Twin Rivers and did 5,400. Maybe I should have taken some off that effort and put it into the next day, but the one thought that always runs through my mind when I train is, You're not going to get this one back. So I normally do more instead of less. An easier effort now and then would allow myself better recovery and thus a greater chance at having the juice, so to speak, for the monster.

Wednesday found me back in the pool where I swam

2,600 (50:18)
100 kick with Zoomers
10 X 50 @ 1:15 with small paddles
100 kick with Zoomers
400 strong (7:06)
100 kick with Zoomers
400 strong (7:05)
100 kick with Zoomers
1,700 (33:31)
Total: 6,000 LCM.

Not exactly a recovery day. That afternoon I did a 4.94 mile run, planted some flowers, and did my first upper body weight lifting session in about ten days. How did that happen? The weights are important.

Thursday morning I dragged into Twin Rivers at about 10 am. This peak training cycle is starting to wear me down. I did

4,100 (1:20:42)
200 kick with Zoomers
200 easy
Total: 4,500

After lunch I took a nap with Luvie and Jeff then started working in the yard. Later in the afternoon, I took some food my wife had prepared to my in-laws in Carroll County, thus knocking me out of Masters once again. But who needs a double dip when one is swimming big meters every day? Since my in-laws live in the hills, I had my running shoes on when I got  there and after delivering the food, I shuffled 5.39 miles. I've noticed that kicking with the Zoomers is wearing my legs down. I think the overall effort is probably affecting my recovery some. But there is no doubt that the Zoomers hit the legs hard.This really has me in a conundrum. When it comes to kicking, I'm like a yo yo. I make a commitment to it, then decide it's useless for me only to regain my enthusiasm so I can lose it again. My legs undoubtedly have all the fitness they need to swim 16 miles, especially when you consider my kick, or lack thereof. It's the shoulders that need the work.

At any rate, what I had planned for today was a really easy, short pool swim with the hopes of a long pond effort tomorrow. But I just heard some thunder outside. What to do? I really don't know, but there are several more cups of coffee in the pot. I could go to DSU although that is a long drive for a short swim.

Although I haven't found my monster swim yet, I am finding something: a monster week. What will I find today? Stay tuned.