What a Difference a Week Makes

Thursday, starting last week, is long swim day. Last year I had done a bunch of long swims by now. It's time to crank up the distance and ready myself for Chicot IX. Last Thursday I swam 7,400 yards at an average pace of 1:51 per 100 and with an average heart rate of 135. The Garmin Swim 2 records heart rate through the wrist strap. No bra is necessary to capture this vital information. This week, I swam 8,000 yards at an average pace of 1:49 with an average heart rate of 124.

What!?!?!?

That's a big difference. Am I that much more fit in one week? What caused such a jump? Is there a workout I can point to? Look at the numbers again laid out side by side for easy comparison.

Distance      7,400          8,000
Pace              1:51           1:49
Heart rate       135            124

The long swim itself from last week no doubt had an impact on my fitness. As, I would expect, have the time trails I have been swimming a time or two per week. Monday, for instance, I did a long warm up of 2,500 and then swam 800 for time. The Monday before it was a 2,350 warm up followed by a 750 time trial. Those are endurance/stamina workouts. Yes, I plan to take those numbers up next Monday.

Plus I can't help but wonder if all the back stroke work is having an impact. I never swam back other than a 100 now and then under Cagri. It has to be good for my muscles to be hit in slightly different planes.

Not only that, but I have been hitting Plate City very hard and doing things I never did before. All this strongman training is new and making me overall much stronger. Does that transfer to the pool? I don't know, but I don't see how it could hurt. 

Also, I am running a bit. Last year at this time I was only beginning to shuffle about five miles per week. This has to positively impact my cardiac efficiency. Plus my legs are more fit and not producing lactic acid when I swim hard. Not only that, but they can burn off some of the excess lactic acid helping my levels stay low enough so that I don't die (metaphorically).

In short, I am encouraged and hoping to swim better at the Senior Olympics as well as at Chicot this year. I did a shuffle Thursday after the swim. I only went 2.42 miles. I had planned to lift, but when I sat down, fatigue washed over me like water when one dives into a swimming pool. I was done and I went to bed early and had bad dreams all night long. Thank you, Jesus.