I'm toast

Just got back from the gym. Very relieved to be finished and I feel great. Saying I did not want to go was an understatement. I went kicking and screaming. The whole thought of a swim workout was nauseating. Having to go to the gym, signing in, undressing, showering before the workout, then walking onto the pool deck freezing from the shower, getting into the cold pool and warming up all sounded awful to me. Plus, I had to complete the workout which, no doubt, would wear me out. My only positive thought would be how good it would feel going into the weekend knowing I completed two good cycles and a really good swim workout.

The workout went swimmingly. My warmup was 300 yds plus 300 yds as a drill (I chose fisting). My main set was to be 8 100s followed by another 8 100s at the best avg time of the previous 8. I then had to do 400 with just arms and a buoy and a 200 yd warmdown. In all 2800 yds. I had no stopwatch, so instead, I focused counting my strokes.

Because I was so anti-workout today, I decided I would lengthen my body as much as I could and go easy. The key today was smooth. My first warmup laps got me to the wall at 19 strokes. I had to have counted wrong, I thought, because I usually avg about 21. But it kept coming up as 19. As I got to my main set, I was regularly getting to the wall in 18 strokes very easily. So I then started to challenge myself and shoot for 17. I stretched and stretched and started hitting 17s with regularity. As it was happening, I started to get over the drudgery of the swim and really started to enjoy myself and the challenge of hitting 17s. I would say my average for the day was 18. As I got a little more tired, I started to get 19s and even a 20 or so on an easy lap.

But the workout was a success nonetheless. Counting strokes is one of the best ways a swimmer can use to achieve optimum form. Although it's never possible to have perfect form in the water, you are always trying to go further, faster, with less effort, and in the most efficient manner. That is, you should strive to glide like a fish rather than thrashing like a dog. A 17 stroke lap means that I was getting a good push off the wall, I was stretching my arms straight, and using my triceps to propel myself. It also means I was breathing by twisting my body rather than pulling it out of the water.

I am very happy with my performance today. 17 stokes was probably a number I hit only a few times before. I used to try to strive for under twenty. Now that I have a new goal, that's attainable, I can strive for making that my new norm, and thereby, ensuring better and better swim technique. Alright no more typing, my triceps are killing me.

Song in my head "Big Girls Don't Cry" Fergie but since that sucks I'm going to switch it to "Become the Enemy" Lemonheads because you gotta listen to their new album, its a masterpiece.