Trouble in Paradise

It was almost a great week of training, but you know what they say about "almost": it only counts with horseshoes and hand grenades. Monday I had to make a trip to Carroll County so I did a 4.1 mile run on a wild, dirt road that I seldom see anymore. I also did a deadlifting/core session. Late that afternoon, I went to Twin 

All I could capture of the backyard gym in one photo.

Rivers and knocked out 3,000 meters in the pool. Three workouts in one day. Paradise.

This was the week I planned to start some new dryland strategies. The back yard gym just keeps getting better and my imagination, which has been both a blessing and a curse to me throughout the years, has been in overdrive since I've been off work. Some days I just go out there and stare until  new ideas invade my thinking. I've been trying to improve the gym and make myself a better swimmer, get more fit for next year's Chicot Challenge. Tuesday I put one of those ideas into practice with a tire slam/wall ball workout. The idea was to work the fast twitch muscle fibers of my swimming movers by hitting an eighteen-wheeler tire with a sledge hammer and tossing a medicine ball against an overhead platform with the idea of targeting the antagonistics of my swimming muscles. Great workout, but I thought I felt a little twinge in my left shoulder. For the rest of the day, I ran 2.43 miles and went to DSU where I swam one of the Mad Swimming Scientist's complicated 3,200 meter practices.



Tuesday's toys. Not as harmless as they seem.

Wednesday I ran 3.51 miles, worked in the yard, and did a bicep/deltoid workout (another new idea). I drove over to Twin Rivers only to discover a private party had taken over the pool. AGAIN?!?!?

Thursday was the only day I got on the bike trainer. While I sit in one place and spin, I've been watching Alfred Hitchcock movies. The first six were great. Now, I need a new director. I ordered some 1930's John Wayne movies from Oldies.com. Can't wait. I did 42 minutes on the trainer, some squats, and ran 3.27 miles. I didn't go the DSU because my wife wanted to attend a festival here in town. She doesn't often ask me to break a workout, so I stayed in town and took my bride of thirty-six years to the river park to eat junk food, gaze at hordes of ugly people, and watch a firework show. It was nice.

Friday morning I went to Twin Rivers and hammered it pretty hard to make up for missing Masters. I swam

1,600
150 for time
50 easy
100 drill
200 small paddles
200 medium paddles
300 large paddles (miscounted)
200 extra large paddles
200 large paddles
200 medium paddles
200 small paddles
Total: 3,400 meters.

In the afternoon I ran 3.67 miles and started a swim specific strength training session at the backyard gym. While doing a set of chins, something hurt in my left shoulder. Trouble in paradise. I tried to swim Saturday morning but tapped out after 500 meters. I couldn't pull water with the left hand.

For the week, I
swam 10,100 meters (+19,497 over last year)
walked 9.94 miles
lifted weights three times
pedalled 42 minutes on the bike trainer, and
ran 21.98 miles (+338.88 over 2012).

Despite the shoulder and some Achilles issues, I am beaming with hope and scheming on the future. In the next post, I'll reveal my next big thing. It's big, it's crazy, and it's all mine.