The Boys Are Back to School, But I'm Still On Vacation

For the past 8 months, I've been telling myself that I need to start getting back in the pool regularly. And for the past 8 months, I've been making one excuse after another for not swimming.

But now that marathon training is done, and I have a triathlon coming up in about 8 weeks, there are no excuses left.

So I was back in the water at 6am sharp today, ready to see if I still remembered how to swim!

I started out doing 100s, and had to rest quite a bit between the first few sets, but was happy that my arms and legs still knew what to do, and was actually feeling ok.

After 8 x 100, I decided to try for 200s. I was definitely feeling more comfortable now, and really enjoying being in the water. I forgot what an incredible workout swimming is - it was tiring, but also felt great.

And once I did my first 200 and knew I was now up to 1,000m, I knew I'd go for a full mile.

I ended up completing the 1-mile swim in just about 45 minutes, which I was thrilled with, considering it was my first swim since August! The endurance I gained from marathon training definitely carried over. (Can't wait to test out that endurance on my bike soon, too!)

Now that the tri is on the horizon, I think it'll be a lot easier for me to stick to a schedule of swimming at least once a week. And when the weather (and the water temperature) warms up, I need to get in at least a few open-water swims. I didn't do that before the tri last year, and I paid for it with one of my worst swims ever, so I want to be sure to not make that same mistake this year.

I also went out for my first post-marathon run on Saturday morning, and it was wonderful. I did have my Garmin on, just so that I'd have the info to record in my running log when I got back, but I wore it upside down on my wrist, so that I wouldn't be tempted to look at it while running - and it worked - I looked at it only one time during the entire run. 

The rest of the time, I just ran, and reveled in the fact that I did not have to worry about hitting a certain pace or a certain number of miles. It felt so liberating.

There is a small part of me that feels a little lost not having a plan to follow, but I'm mostly really loving the freedom. I'm going to give myself at least a few more weeks of easy runs, and will maybe start to pick things back up again around the middle of May.

By then, I think I'll be ready to get back to the track, and pin down some more specific goals for my summer races, and get back to work. Until then, I'll kick back and enjoy my little 'vacation.'

Comments

[Wes]

while the arms and back aren't built up for swimming, the aerobic engine is definitely there. Have fun! :-)

[Laura]

Great job getting back in the pool- I need to stop making excuses, too! Enjoy the no-plan season of running. I struggle with that time too (kind of where I'm at right now) but then miss it when I'm in the thick of training!

[Michelle]

I don't know why I find it so hard to motivate to get myself in the pool. Once I'm there, I love it. Hoping I can make it a weekly thing now that I have a race on the horizon - nothing like a goal to keep you honest!

[Michelle]

@Wes - yes, I was pleasantly surprised at how well my endurance held up. It can only get better from here, right? : )