Eureka!

I found it! I think I wrote a day or two ago that of late I have been looking for a long swim. Our 4:00 a.m. starts is as early as I am willing to go. On Mondays I do get in a few minutes earlier but only a few. 

Well I got John to agree to meet me there at 1:30 Thursday afternoon. That meant I got more sleep that morning. It also means I was awake when we swam. I picked Thursday because I have more time then than any other day of the week. On Wednesday night, I now have a night class. On Monday, I work late in Greenville. Tuesday I have some time (usually), but Thursday is the best bet because I do not have to get up the next day and go to work.

So we hit the pool at 1:30. Surprisingly, I started cramping from the very first lap. Seriously, I pondered stopping after 1,000. It is just not my day, I thought. Usually when I cramp, it is related to one of three things: I have been running a lot; I am losing weight; or I have been sweating profusely. None of those three was in play so why the cramping? Beats me.

I kept swimming, but I could not push hard off the wall, and I could not kick. Towards the end of the swim, I was grunting under water and trying to pull my foot upwards to stop the calf from cramping. I kept at it, however, until I got 7,400 yards in 2:17:40. That was a 1:51 per 100 average, a decent pace especially for that distance, and considering the problems. That distance was my longest continuous swim of the year and the longest overall. A few weeks back I got 7,100 but that was with a bunch of sets. You can build endurance off 100s, but I am convinced that the continuous swim does something for you that nothing else does. It certainly trains the mind as well as the body.

Now we have a start. Maybe next week I can do more. Thank you, Jesus.