Friday I'm In Love

Date: Friday, June 8, 2012
Time: 5:50 a.m.
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Long Course Meters
17 days to Olympic Trials

900 warmup

6x100 free kick with snorkel and fins on descending interval
2:10 --> 1:45

6x75 kick with fins on descending interval
1:40 --> 1:15

8x25 kick on :35
odd: breast kick underwater
even: dolphin kick on back

Six rounds continuous:
15 meters fast from dive/10 meters scull/10 seconds vertical kick/75 aerobic

50 breast fast from dive (30.5)

250 warm down

Total: 3,050 meters (75 minutes)

Not a bad day at all! I woke up still sore from the dryland work ... and possibly from last night's massage. Kevin worked my muscles harder than they have been worked in a long time, but I think tomorrow will be better. Mostly, my pecs are in shock from the push-ups with hand claps, and my lats are just experiencing general soreness.

With that in mind, it was great to go under 30 seconds in my 50 breast today. I wasn't expecting that, even though my stroke and kick felt in harmony today. I just didn't feel like I had the speed for the first four or five strokes, and I was concerned I was rushing the stroke too much. This is my issue in any race. It takes me about 20 meters or so to "get going," and that's why I'm working on that in these final days of training.

I am listening to the advice of my body and not lifting weights today. I will most likely lift weights on Monday, and instead of the heavy sets I had planned, I'll do a medium-strength workout, since next week will be my final week of dryland. I was thinking of going to the gym anyway and sitting in the hot tub, but I'd rather go home and relax for a couple of hours before getting in the car for my drive to Tucson.

I might not be able to swim until Monday. I'm going to attend a bat mitzvah tomorrow and on Sunday, I'm flying to St. Louis to watch my older brother, Darryl, become an ordained minister. Then, I'll be back in Phoenix mid-morning on Monday. I am trying to find some time Saturday afternoon to swim, but Hillenbrand Aquatic Center will be full of swimmers for a meet this weekend. I might just go to La Paloma Country Club, one of our swim lesson sites, but the pool isn't great and I have little to no motivation when I swim there. But if I can just churn out about 3,500 meters, I'll be happy to take Sunday off. I am worried about the possibility of two days off in a row at this point in the season.