Wednesday: Double Swim

I got to the pool at a reasonable time this morning, and swam a great masters workout with Dennis. When I left the pool, I let Rogers, a great swimmer, have my workout. Dennis gives us our workouts printed on a slip of paper in a ziplock bag. This way we can keep them beside the pool and not get them wet. Other swimmers covet Dennis's workouts. I am going to report as much of the workout as I can remember. I know that we swam 3200 meters, so somewhere in my workout, I have stuck in something extra. Hmmmm:

• 300 swim/ 300 pull
• 4 x 200 odd IM/ even swim @ 4:00
• 200 kick
• 8 x 75 swim
• 8 x 50 kick
• 8 x 50 swim
• 8 x 25 kick
• 8 x 25 swim
• 200 cool down

I got home, and finished getting ready. I ran some errands and got in a Gilad workout. Then worked a bit, before heading back to swim.

Now, this week is butterfly week in the triathlon swim group. I just want you to know that I have been working on my butterfly stroke for two years now. This does not mean that I will be swimming in the olympic trials anytime soon, but I was gaining some confidence in my butterfly. It is challenging and it seriously ups the heart rate, but I was pretty proud of myself for learning a new skill. I thought that I would be the leader of the pack with my pre-worked butterfly skills. I was so over-confident. I bragged to other people in my lane that I was pretty good at the butterfly. SO foolish, because after the first drill, I was clinging to the pool side panting and thinking wistfully of curling up in the fetal position on the the pool deck.

Tonight, my confidence was shattered. We began with several different butterfly drills. One-arm drills, butterfly kick drills, and then real butterfly strokes. For the first time, in a long time, I thought I was going to have to give up. I felt like I was completely out of shape and maybe drowning. It was just brutal. I will try to recount the workout:

• 300 warmup
• 4 x 25 butterfly kick on back
• 4 x 25 butterfly kick on tummy
• 4 x 25 butterfly roll
• 500 pull
• 6 x 25 right arm butterfly drill
• 6 x 25 left arm butterfly drill
• 6 x 25 left arm/ both arms/ right arm butterfly drill
• 500 pull
• 8 x 25 butterfly
• 200 cool down

I think I got all that right. By the time we got to the 8 x 25 butterfly at the bottom, only sheer will and the thought of the shame of having to slink out of the pool in a puddle of shame kept me going. Even now, I am amazed at how difficult it was. It was so hard. IT WAS SO HARD.