Thank God It's Friday

Date: Friday, January 6, 2012
Time: 5:45 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Long Course Meters
171 days to Olympic Trials

400 warmup

12x50 on 1:00
25 kick/25 swim

8x50 on 1:00
25 drill/25 swim

4x(6x50 on 1:00)
Two easy, four hard
Rounds 1 & 2: breast kick (:53 on fast ones)
Rounds 3 & 4: back swim (:36 on fast ones)

200 easy

4x(3x50 on 1:00)
2 easy/1 fast from push
Fly: 30.8
Back: 31.1
Breast: 34.1
Free: 29.7

100 easy

Total: 3,500 meters

I felt like rubber when I woke up today. Nothing wanted to work. When I dove into the pool, I felt a little better, but I had to change up the main set, doing backstroke on the last two rounds instead of breast kick. My legs were not responding well. Even on a good day, though, I don't think I would have been too much faster.

I was very happy with my times on the last set, though my freestyle could probably be faster. My strokes didn't feel smooth, but they did feel strong. I was also happy that the entire workout was 50s, because I wasn't sure I could handle anything longer!

A few hours after workout, I was hit with the strong urge to take an extended nap. If I could have done so, I would have closed my eyes for at least an hour. No nap possible for me today, though when I get home, I will sneak in about 20 minutes of rest before getting into my car and driving the 120 miles to Tucson for the weekend. It took me a while to figure out why I've been so beaten down physically this week, and after I looked at my past workouts did it all make sense.

I haven't had a day off from exercise since December 26. That's 11 days of some really tough stuff in and out of the pool. I am counting New Year's Day as an exercise day, since I lifted weights and walked a lot at Six Flags. Those who read my blog often know that I do not normally swim on Saturday and Monday, but it was good to do so while in Los Angeles for New Year's. I didn't think, though, that it would have this effect on me today. I even think I'm coming down with a cold and a sore throat. I'm going to work to get rid of this nastiness before I get on the plane to Austin.

Because I have been putting my 37-year-old body through so much in the past two weeks, I've decided to skip the gym tonight. My body needs the recovery, and even a light weight workout could be counterproductive. Sleeping in tomorrow morning will feel soooooo good!