What Are the Hours?

It's God's gift to me. Friday. I like to live it, use it, enjoy it. Normally, I hang out with the cats, try to support Juan Valdez, and do some sort of swimming.

This Friday was not much different. I did, however, go to the pastor's breakfast in Carrollton. I feel a little out of place there since I am not a pastor now even though I was one for twenty-three consecutive years. This was only my second time to show up at the Carrollton Baptist Church where several area pastors turn up once per week to enjoy a good breakfast, chat with one another, and fellowship. I went primarily to give Brother Pinder a copy of my resume. I had sent him a text asking if I could email it to him, but he never responded to my inquiry. Help me pray, if you will, that my name will start getting out there in the Baptist world. I have something to offer in my pulpit ministry just like I do with my swimming.

After the breakfast I went home and lounged with the cats a bit before packing up and heading to DSU. I got into the water a little before 12:00 and thought I had a solid two hours to swim. I did

1,200 warm up
4 X 50 @ 1:15
200 for time (2:45)
400 easy
125 for time (1:42 - PR!)
475 easy
100 for time (1:21)
500 easy
75 for time (:59)
525 easy
50 for time (:40)
550 easy
25 for time (:19)
575 easy

I was on the wall and thinking about my next set when Ronnie Mayars (the big chief) turned out the lights. A glance at the clock showed it to be 1:30. What!?!?!? 

I got out.

In the locker room I asked some guy who had been in the next lane about the time. I always thought it was 12:00 till 2:00 for mid-day swimming. He mumbled something about Spring Break hours. Is there somewhere I can go and get this information? It's not posted on the sign outside the entrance door. What it says there is 12:00 til 2:00. It's not on the website. It's, oh heck, forget it.

I really got all I wanted and all I needed. After the 7,500 the night before, the 5,000 yards I did Friday and the way I did them was enough. The alternating of the faster and slower swimming, something Cagri has us do in several forms, produces a lot of fatigue and swimming while fatigued is one of the things that produces endurance.

It was a good practice, and I am thinking of doing another one like that one pretty soon. Next week the staff will switch the pool to long course. I love long course and I think it is even better for endurance training. Doing this practice, which I made up on the fly, has my brain churning like a food processor on high speed. The 25s are too short to run the heart rate up very high. The 50s run it up some, but the 100s and up really get me huffing. I am thinking of standardizing the practice to 100s and either 400 or 500 easier swimming. That will give 500 to 600 per round and in a long course pool it should really get me tuckered after a few times through. Can't wait.

God is good. Praise His holy name.