#MotivationMonday: My Longest Swim To Date!!!

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O-M-freakity freakin- G people!!!!

Today I had a pool workout on the old training plan. With the injured hip, I have been reducing the miles run and increasing my time in the pool and on the bike. I figure this will ALSO give me a good jump on the half ironman I have in June. Right? :)

Well after kickboxing yesterday, I wasn't sure how my arms would feel today. I can tell you my shoulders were sore. Since I spend so much time pushing my shoulders down away from my head for running and biking, it was a surreal feeling to be told to push my shoulders up close to my head. It felt as if my body was fighting the instructions. Haha. 

My training plan had 2800 meters for today. I moved them from my normal Sunday swim since I was attending the kickboxing charity event for a friend. I couldn't remember the last time I swam 2800 meters, but I looked in my training book, found a workout plan and jotted it down on my trusty post-it-note.

Friends: what do you write your pool workouts on? I feel lame using a post-it-note. There was a guy in the lane next to me on Friday that had his on an index card in a sandwich bag.

But I digress...

This morning was a holiday so I was able to make my way over to the pool late morning. Oh boy I didn't realize so many other people would have the same game plan. The pool was PACKED. Every lane already had 2 people in it.

Thankfully between me checking in (you can see the pool from the front desk) and me stepping on to the pool deck, a spot opened up in one of the lanes. Oh thank you!!!

I set my stuff up and got to work. My iPod is still dead so I didn't have my music to listen to, which was okay and as always good practice for race day.

I knocked out the first 3 sets:

  • 300 meters warm up
  • 8x25 meters mixed form (10 sec rest)
  • 6x100 meters moderate pace (5 sec rest)

Then it was time to prep for the big set - 6x200 meters max pace (20 sec rest). My arms were already feeling it so I told myself to just give it all I had. I knew these sets wouldn't be "fast" by any means, but I told myself to give it all I had in that moment - no matter how slow I felt I was swimming.

My lane mate rotated a few times while I was in the pool.

As I finished the 6x200, I realized I would end just 200 meters from 3000. I couldn't remember the farthest I had swam before this moment, but I guessed it was 2800 meters while training for my first half ironman in 2014. I thought I'd be pissed if I got out of the pool, looked back at old blog posts and realized I missed a new distance by 25 or 50 meters. 

So I decided in that moment that I would add an extra 200 meters to the workout to hit 3000. I decided to add another 8x25 mixed form to the 8x25 I had planned.

Final sets:

  • 16x25 meters mixed form (10 sec rest)
  • 300 meters cool down

I FREAKIN DID IT!!!!

I swam 3000 meters which is 1.86 miles!

Looking back at my stats, my sets were pretty consistent. The 6x100 and the 6x200 were within 5 seconds or so of each other. I honestly felt like I was moving slower than the time says, but I am happy with what I produced with sore arms.

I think my new sights will be to prove to myself that I can swim the distance of the Ironman swim, which is 2.4 miles and over 3800 meters. Some day my friends. Some freakin day! Now please note this is just for the swim part, there are no Ironmans in my future... only half ironmans!

Today was a reminder that - once again - I am stronger than I think I am. Now let's wait to see how my body feels tomorrow. ;) Tomorrow is a cycling day!