Something!

So, we had to drive up to Akron/Youngstown today to bring the hubby's brother home, but I was hoping to get a good workout or two in first.  Mary couldn't meet after all, so I thought I'd just ride on the trail and then swing by the gym to swim on my way home.  But...  I needed sleep.  So I didn't have time for both.  And I actually only had time to ride 30 miles.  It took just under 1:45, with was almost a 17.5 mph average.  I love my new bike!  Sad I couldn't swim, but what can you do?

All in all this week, I only worked out 6:15, which is bad even for a rest week!  (I had 8 hours on the schedule.)  Boo...  But at least I did something.  Though I am a little nervous for the half IM I just signed up for in two weeks, especially since I'll be out of town half of next week and I'm not sure how I'm going to work out out there...  We shall see.  I need a plan, though, that's for sure.

Nada

Well...  Once again we planned to wake up early to hit the gym, and once again we stayed up too late for that to be feasible.  I got off work early today, too, at 3:00, but there's not quite enough time to get a workout in before heading downtown for another baseball game.  So I'm taking the day off.

Tomorrow, though...  I'm praying that Mary Sunshine and I can work out the details to meet at Caesar Creek for an open-water swim and then a ride...  It'll have to be early since we need to drive up north in the afternoon, and I know Mary likes her beauty sleep on the weekends, so we'll see if we can make it happen.  If not, I'll just hit the bike trail by myself for a couple hours, then swing by the gym pool on my way home.  Either way, I'm getting some kind of a brick in tomorrow!

Hot Hot Hot

Once again, I was kind of hoping and praying that no one would show up for my Cycle Club ride.  I would much rather have lifted inside in the A/C than ride my crappy old bike out in this heat.  But two of our regulars were there waiting, so we rode.  And it was actually a really nice ride!  Not too hot in the shade with the wind as we rode, a good familiar route, and good company.  AND, I didn't mind being on my crappy old bike since my crappy old bike SEAT is much more comfortable than my shiny new death seat!  (Can't wait to try out the new saddle I borrowed from Wheelie Fun this weekend!)  So, yeah.  Roughly 26 miles at a 15 mph average.  Good times.

Miscalculation...

So, I was supposed to do an M(Speed) workout today, but I never looked up what the M was for.  I did do some speed work, though:

Warm-up
3 x 400  Swim/pull/kick x 400

Main Set
8 x 100  EBEH (easy/build/easy/hard) x 25
8 x 50    Sprint through turn, easy back

Cool-down
1 x 200  Sighting drill
1 x 200  Easy

So... I planned to swim my usual 2 miles, even though this is supposed to be a rest week and I was only scheduled for a 1-hour swim.  But since I didn't have the workout written down and just kind of made it up as I went along, I miscalculated.  I was already into my cool-down when I realized I'd only be getting 2800 instead of 3200 meters, so I didn't bother adding anything else.  Oh, well.  It was still a good workout, and it felt great being back in the water!  Not quite as refreshing as it was earlier in the season when the water was still cool, but nice nonetheless. :-)

PR!!!

So, I mentioned last week that my time at the time trial was less than spectacular.  But I still had high hopes for tonight, even though I was a little afraid that I might not actually be any faster even with my new bike.  At the start, Peter predicted a PR, which I thought would be cool, though I didn't want to expect anything quite that big.

But I did it!  I could feel that I was going faster, especially on the flats and downhills, and my watch seemed to confirm that as I got closer to the finish.  My official time was 28:44, about 30 seconds faster than my old PR from two years ago.  But I haven't even been able to get close to that recently.  My fastest time this year was 30:00, and my time last week was 32:15.  I realize the better time isn't really because I'M any stronger or faster, but just because of the bike, but I'll still take it!  Plus, I'm newly motivated to keep pushing myself to see how much faster I can get the rest of this year. :-)

Bummed

I made it to the gym to run this afternoon, but then I ran out of time before I could swim. :-(  And I was SO bummed, too, because it's so hot and I really wanted to swim, but I had to get home so we could drive downtown for the Reds game.  Boo...

Well...

I got three good rides in this week, three plus runs, but only one swim and one strength session.  Overall, ten hours of the 12:15 on the schedule.  Not a great week, but not a terrible week either.  I'll take it.

Cervelo!!!

Per my PT's request, I ran 45 minutes this morning.  But what I was really looking forward to was my inaugural ride on the new steed.  I met up with a lady who often ride with the Lifetime Cycle Club and a friend of hers.  The original plan was just to ride up the bike trail and back for a total of about 50 miles.  Soon after we started, though, I realized that I'm definitely going to need a new seat.  So I suggested we head up to Lebanon via that trail instead, so I could maybe even buy a new saddle today.

On the way up the big Fujitec hill, however, my bike started squeaking very loudly.  I walked up the rest of the way, then figured out that the rear wheel was rubbing somewhere, which was causing the terrible noise (and making my pedaling a LOT harder!).  Yes, VERY glad we were making our way to Wheelie Fun.  We got there a little after 9:00, and they didn't open till 10:00, but the owner/manager guy who sold me the bike was there and let us in.  He saw right away that the wheel was rubbing on the frame, and he fixed it right up.  Whew!  We left him to work, but planned to come back when they actually opened to do a little shopping.

As we continued, one of the other ladies got a flat.  We pulled over in someone's front yard and started changing it under the shade of their tree.  Fortunately, she had a spare tube and I had my small pump and a CO2 cartridge and adapter, so we were fine.  By then, though, it was getting late, so we just headed back to Wheelie Fun.  That lady bought some tire-changing tools and supplies, the other lady decided to buy a new road bike (!), and I perused the various saddles they had.  Really, though, I couldn't just pick one without testing it out, and I didn't have the time to really make any decisions at that point.  So I figured I'd come back later to borrow a saddle or two to try them out and make a decision.

Anyway, with all of that, we only ended up riding about 38 miles, and didn't get back to Loveland till after noon.  So, I didn't have time to swim, too, since we have to leave at 3:00 to get to Columbus for the Crew game.  Ah, well.  At least I got to ride my new baby!

Lazy Again...

I was planning to go to the gym to lift before my PT appointment this morning, but the Hubby had switched to a later shift so I was getting him set for the day till I had to leave for the appointment.  While there, my therapist had me run on the treadmill a bit so he could see if there was anything suspicious going on.  He added a padding under the ball of my bad foot because it looked like I was reaching when my foot landed (or something like that).  I'm supposed to run a few more times before my next appointment late next week to see if that helps at all.  I'm skeptical, but I'll give it a shot.  Plus, I'm going to have to get used to running with pain anyway...

After that, I went to pick up my new bike!  It's so pretty...  :)  (Except the manly colors...)  I rode it around the parking lot for 2 minutes, but the real test will come tomorrow when I try it out on the bike trail.  Praying for no rain in the morning!  I have to go early, too, to get another 45-minute run in before the ride at 8:00.  And I'm thinking about stopping for a swim on the way home, though it'll depend on how far we ride and what time we get done, since we do have to leave about 3:00 to drive to Columbus for a soccer game tomorrow night.  But yeah, all that because I was lazy most of today.  Boo...

Back in the Saddle

Well, my foot still hurt a little when I got up this morning, but it seemed o.k. once I was up and moving around.  So instead of going back to bed, I decided to do my run.  I ran without my PowerStep inserts, which felt weird but fine.  As usual, my foot hurt when I first started running, even after stretching, but after a few run intervals the discomfort went away.  All was well as I finished the 45-minute run and started walking back up the hill to get home, but as soon as I took my shoes off inside, I could feel how sore it was.  It's been the same all day, just like it was after my hour-long run on Monday.  I'm getting SO frustrated by this!  PT doesn't seem to be helping much, and I'm starting to think that I might just have to get used to some pain after every run.  Grrr...

I'm also getting pretty sick of this heat wave!  It was already 80 and humid when I ran at 7:30 this morning, and it was in the mid-90s with a heat index of 110 when I had to lead my Cycle Club ride tonight.  I was praying that no one would show up so that I could just swim instead, but one member came in addition to my co-leader and me.  We decided to drive down to the bike trail instead of riding from the club because it's usually a bit cooler there.  We rode up and back on the bike trail, with a little road riding in the middle, for a total of 25 miles.  It was too bad, though I would have preferred the swim...

Gone

I decided to take the day off from running since my foot still hurt a bit when I woke up this morning.  Then, because I had a Yahoo article about the 2012 Olympics due today, I figured I'd get that done before heading out for my swim and other errands.  Unfortunately, it took me 5+ hours to finish the article, and by then it was too late to get the swim in and still have time to make dinner...  So I was completely lazy today and did nothing workout-wise.  Boo...

I think tomorrow I'll try to swim before my Cycle Club ride again, then move my second strength session of the week to Friday with my second run.  Maybe I'll swim again on Friday, too, or maybe I'll try to squeeze that in after my long Saturday ride before we head up to Columbus for some soccer.  Although... the forecast is showing rain on Saturday, so that could interfere with both my riding and swimming plans...  So, we shall see.  I think I can totally still salvage this week, though.

Momentum...

My foot was still hurting pretty bad this morning, but I got my lifting done before PT anyway.  The PT was trying to figure out why an hour of running hurt so much more than 45 minutes, wondering whether my stride changed as I went slightly slower, whether the inserts I'm using are providing too much support with my news shoes, etc.  He wants to see me run there next time, so we'll see what he thinks!

Then tonight, I went to the time trial.  I really didn't feel like it since it's been in the 90s for days, but I did want to ride the old road bike one last time to see if the new steed will make a difference in my time next week.  Unfortunately, I rode horribly in the heat: my official time was 32:15.  It only took 34:something for me to ride my warm-up, and I was pushing so much harder during the actual race!  Terrible.  And not a great comparison for next week either, I'm afraid: I'd better be 2 minutes faster, since I should have been tonight!

On the way home, I talked to Mary Sunshine.  It had been awhile, and it was good to catch up.  I asked about the wetsuit she'd said I could borrow for my races, and she suggested I come by to try it on.  So I did!  It fit, but of course was tight since it is, after all, a wetsuit.  I'm sure it'll work just fine, but what I realized is that I'd really just like to get a sleeveless suit of my own since it's just so much freer feeling than the full-length kind.  So, yeah.  I think I'll try to sell the old one on ebay and see if I can't get a new one from Wheelie Fun.  I'll check out their prices when I pick up my bike. :-)

So, Mary is always super encouraging, but she did mention some prep work I should really do to be as ready as possible for my Ironman.  Like practice peeing in my (or her) wetsuit.  And practice swimming in salt water (or at least ask others how they prepare for that when they don't have saltwater nearby to swim in).  Got a little worried, but was also encouraged since she said that I really don't need to run that much in training and that I could probably go out and do the distance tomorrow if I had to.  Yeah, it would hurt, but I could probably do it.  Still, I'm glad I have a bit more time to train!

Success!

Plan A was to get up with Hubby at 5:00 to run two laps around the lake together.  Of course, that didn't happen.  Plan B was to go as soon as I saw him off to work, which almost happened.  I finally made it out at 8:30, and let me tell you: it was already pretty hot and sweaty by then!  Oh, well, at least I got it done.  I did the first lap in 30:25 and the second in 30:05, which surprised me since I felt like I was really dragging on the second lap and my walk breaks invariably fell on flats or downhills the second time around, too.  Anyway, I felt good about the run, but my foot's been pretty sore ever since.  We'll see how it feels tomorrow and what the PT has to say about that.

So, as a reward for running this morning, I headed out to the bike shop after a shower and breakfast.  And I bought a bike!  I went with the Cervelo P2, since they didn't have the Felt B16 in my size.  I picked out pedals, a computer, and several water bottles/cages, too, and got a pretty good price on everything I think.  Now, I just need to wait for them to build it, and wait for a few of the out-of-stock accessories to come in later this week.  So I'll ride the road bike at tomorrow's time trial, then next week I can see just how much of a difference a tricked-out carbon bike really makes.  I hope it's significant, otherwise I might feel like just wasted a couple grand!

Anyway, after all of that, I stopped at the gym for a swim before heading home.  I did another force workout, 3200 meters in 1:15, as usual.  Here was the workout:

Warm-up
1 x 400  Swim
3 x 200  Pull/kick/drill s 200

Main set
1 x 400  Free - pace, w/paddles
2 x 300  Free - pace, w/paddles
3 x 200  Free - pace, w/paddles
4 x 100  Free - pace, w/paddles

Cool-down
1 x 200  Easy

All in all, a great workout day!  Looking forward to keeping it up the rest of the week. :-)

Nap

I thought I might try swimming today at some point, but I've been exhausted since my ride yesterday.  I stayed up too late Friday night, got up early and rode a long time yesterday, worked all day cleaning and cooking and running errands, stayed up too late again last night, then got up early for worship practice before church today.  After we got home and ate some lunch, I crashed.  Went to sleep at 12:30 or so, and didn't wake up till 4 hours later!  Yikes.  But that's just what I needed.  I mentioned yesterday that fueling long workouts is going to have to be a focus of my continued training, but sleep will be even more important.

I had a pretty bad week workout-wise overall: didn't lift at all and only swam once.  Only got in 8:45 out my scheduled 12:15 this week.  Boo...  But I'm really looking forward to this coming week since I'm not working at all and have a fresh chance to do everything right.  Wish me luck!

Long Ride

This morning, I had to lead a ride with my gym's Cycle Club, so I had planned a 53-mile loop up to Caesar Creek State Park and back.  There were five of us at the start, including one newer guy on a flat-bar bike, a regular social rider, and two more experienced, faster guys.  We started out, and the two fast guys took off to add a few extra miles.  They met back up with us a little later, and we all pressed on.  There were several significant hills in the first half of the ride, which were particularly challenging for the newer rider.  They took a lot out of me and the other lady as well, though.  We decided that when the route took us back to the bike trail, we would just take that back to our start location instead of finishing the planned route with a few more big hills.  It was the same distance, but definitely easier since it was flat.  We met a LOT of other cyclists on the road today, which just goes to show that we picked a good route. :-)  It was hot, challenging, and long at 53 miles, but fun, too.  We took a lot of breaks along the way, so we got back to the park pretty late, but I'm really glad I got a good ride in since I've done little else well this week...  I'm also learning that I really need to start figuring out my fueling plan for these longer workouts.  I didn't have any sports drink or gel or bars or anything at home, so I only consumed a Snickers bar and some Gatorade I bought mid-way through the ride and was starving by the time we finished.  Yeah, this has got to be an important aspect of my training in the coming weeks...

But now I've got to get the house cleaned before Hubby gets back with his brother!  And then to bbq...

Lazy...

I was supposed to run before my 9:30 PT appointment this morning, but I ran out of time.  After the appointment, I went out to Wheelie Fun to see what bikes they had in stock and see if I could get me a good deal.  I was a little disappointed to find that they only had one P2 in my size in the store, and no B16s.  I didn't really have much of a preference in which one to go with, other than that I like the look of the Felt better, but not having a choice is not my favorite.  Bob said the Felt is probably a slightly better fit for me now, but the Cervelo would be slightly better if I lost 10-15 pounds.  So the Cervelo is probably a better bike in the long run anyway, but I just really think it looks too masculine for me.  Hmm... maybe I could use that to my advantage in negotiations, though: "Man, I really was leaning toward the Felt, but you don't have one in my size..."  Guess I'll find out come Monday, since I have to go back when the owner/manager guy, the one who can decide prices, is there.

Anyway, after Wheelie Fun, I had planned to hit the gym to lift and/or swim and/or run.  I had all my stuff with me, but just didn't feel like going.  It was hot out, and I was hungry and still preoccupied with the bike stuff...  Plus, I had a lot to do around the house to get ready for Hubby's brother's visit.  So I started organizing all the stuff in our office to make room for him in there.  I finally did get my run in tonight at 8:30 or so, but that was it.  And I didn't run quite as far since it was getting pretty late and dark by the time I finished my first lap.  Ah, well.  Still something!

Good Day!

Finally, I had my first good day of training this week!  I went to the gym for a swim before my evening bike ride with the Cycle Club.  Fun little brick!  I did 2 miles in the pool, using paddles for most of the main set for my first force workout.  Then we rode 26 miles.  I was leading the slower group, so it was a pretty casual pace, but with a few hills mixed in there it was still a pretty good workout.  Yay!

45 minutes

So, my PT wanted me to try running for 45 minutes instead of 30, which I did today.  It seemed about the same: a bit sore when I started out, fine for most of the run, a little sore afterward, but nothing major.  I AM a bit discourage, though, since it doesn't really seem to be getting any better...  Is the PT helping at all?  Will I just have to learn to get used to this level of discomfort until after my Ironman?  Hmm...

Bike Fit

Well, I didn't work out today.  I was too tired to get up and go to the gym this morning (still mad at myself about that), and I had to skip tonight's time trial to go get my bike fitting with this Bob Duncan guy.  I had planned to go swim or lift after the fit, but it was a bit late at that point, the Hubby was already home, and I was really just too focused on my new bike...

Anyway, this Bob guy was hilarious, and the whole experience was very interesting.  I was kind of nervous to go, too, since I don't exactly look like your typical Ironman.  But he was impressed with my muscular legs and my position and power on the bike.  Cool.

He took a lot of measurements, and then we looked at the geometries of several brands and sizes of bikes.  He concluded that a Cervelo P2 or a Felt B16 in a 54 would be great.  He also suggested going out to Wheelie Fun sooner rather than later since they've got some issues and are trying to liquidate their inventory to pay some bills.  I'll just have to do that!  I love me a good deal. :-)

No Can Do

Well, I ran this morning.  At least that's something!  I was supposed to swim tonight, too, and I thought I had all the time in the world since I got off work before 4:00.  But I was just SO tired that I had to lie down and rest instead!  Then I worked in the kitchen for 3+ hours to get food ready for the rest of the week.  Heading to bed now, so hopefully we can get up and hit the gym early tomorrow!  And maybe I'll make up tonight's swim after my bike fitting tomorrow evening...  We shall see!

Scorching!

This afternoon, I met up with a few Cincinnati Cycle Club folks I'd never met for a long ride in the scorching sun.  We cut it a little short and ended up with 44 miles, which took almost 4 hours with water stops and everything (more like 3 hours of actual riding).  It didn't feel too bad out at first, until we stopped and the sweat started pouring down our faces.  But by the end, I could feel the sun toasting my forearms and I just wanted to get inside!  I drank about 9 glasses of water during the ride and another 2+ on the way home, and I think I still lost about 3 pounds out there.  I felt good and strong, though, and was proud to be a decent climber among this group.  Still, the IM will be 2.5 times as far...  So glad Florida is flat and (hopefully) cooler in November!

For the week, I ended up doing o.k.: got 11:30 of the scheduled 12:15 in.  Mostly just short on running.  Curious to see how the coming week goes, though, with almost 40 hours of work too...

Brick-ish

Well, I was supposed to run for another 30 minutes yesterday, but I just didn't feel like it when I woke up and saw that it was raining.  It was gorgeous out later, but I had a cycling cardio test thing at the gym this morning and I wasn't supposed to exercise for 48 hours beforehand, so I just took yesterday off.

I guess the test this morning went o.k., though I really don't know what to do with the data.  They gave me ranges for working out in various heart rate zones, but since I don't train with a heart rate monitor, I don't think that it'll help me, unless I buy a monitor.  Which I've kind of always wanted but never wanted to spend the money on...

Anyway, after that, I headed out for my 30-minute run, in the hot noon sun.  It wasn't too bad, though.  Even though I had stretched out really well before I began, my foot hurt a bit when I first started running.  When I started back up again after my first walk break, though, it was much better.  I could tell it wasn't quite 100% as I kept going, but it was definitely bearable.  I think I could even do my half or full IM on it like this if I have to.  Then again, I'm not really looking forward to hours-long training runs with it not at 100%...  Praying that PT helps...

After the run, it was time to head out for my third swim of the week, my reward after running in the heat.  The water felt great!  I did another long endurance swim of 2 x 1600, which went pretty well.  I developed quite a headache, I'm guessing from the tight cap and goggles, though maybe not since I always wear those and don't usually have a problem...  But I finished the workout, laid out for a few minutes, then got cleaned up and headed home for a smoothie and an afternoon nap. :-)  I'm thrilled to report, too, that I haven't had the congestion and sneezing issues that I had the last time I did this swim workout!  Maybe I'm getting stronger?

Tomorrow I'm planning to try a Cincinnati Cycle Club ride I've been curious about for some time.  It's 50 miles starting at noon, so that'll be a long, hot afternoon.  But since I haven't ridden yet this week, it should be good.  But now, I'd better go clean the bike!

Running around all day...

Well, my foot actually felt pretty good this morning!  Still not perfect, but no worse than it's been.  So that's good I guess.  After dad left, I went to PT, then hit the gym for my swim.  I was supposed to do a new type of muscular endurance workout, which went really well!  I felt strong and quicker than Monday for sure, and it was just nice to be out in the sun.  Here's what I did:

Warm-up
4 x 400  Swim/pull/kick/drill

Main set
7 x 200  Swim - T1 pace(ish)

Cool-down
1 x 200  Easy

Pretty straightforward!  Halfway through the main set, I changed my breathing.  Instead of breathing every 3 then 4 strokes, I switched to every 4 then 5.  With the 3/4 breathing, I just felt like my breaths were too short and shallow, and the 4/5 pattern was a great improvement.  I don't know if I was actually going any quicker, but, like I said, I felt strong.  Good workout!

This evening, I was supposed to lead our Cycle Club's first Thursday evening ride.  My co-leader was there, but no one else showed up!  We were surprised, since it had sounded like there was a lot of interest in this ride.  Who knows what the problem was?  We were both tired after a long day, so we decided not to ride and just head home instead.  I wasn't too disappointed since I've had a busy couple of days, though I think I am pretty short on my workout times this week...  And tomorrow I've got to take it easy, too, to rest up for my VO2 max test on Saturday.  I'm supposed to run another 30 minutes, but I think that'll be it.  Saturday after the test, I'll swim again, then try to get a long ride in on Sunday.

Shelves!

So, I got some homework from PT yesterday.  I was supposed to try running for 30 minutes.  I went out with Derek this morning, though I had to take it easy and go a lot slower so we didn't really run together.  But I ran!  A little...

I tried jogging down the hill toward the park, but my foot really hurt.  So I kept walking a bit more, then stretched my calves and hamstrings really good.  When I started running after that, it felt much better.  I could tell it wasn't quite normal, but I wouldn't call it pain either.  Then again, it never really hurt while running before I started PT either, but was really sore afterward.  After my warm-up, I only ran/walked about 20 minutes, then walked back up the hill toward home.  I stretched a bit then, too, but didn't have time to ice it because we had to get started on garage project...

So I was on my feet all day, and it was pretty sore.  I iced it at lunch time and again in the evening before bed.  We'll see how it feels tomorrow!

I didn't have time for a swim today either, but I think working in the garage building shelves all day counts for something.  We'll call it strength training, and I'll swim tomorrow.  :-)

Oh, and here's the finished project!

Strength

Before PT this morning, I hit the gym for a good strength session.  I was supposed to do a new type of workout that involved quick movements and included some plyometrics, but I wasn't really sure how to do everything safely with the equipment at the gym.  So I tried to do some faster, more powerful movements for certain exercises, but I think it was still basically like what I've been doing.  Good, though, and glad I got it done before my appointment!

After PT, I hurried home to meet dad, who drove down from Akron to help me with a little project at the house...  More about that tomorrow!  I thought we might go out to the time trial, but we didn't have time.  Oh, well there's always next week.

Speed?

No run this morning since I'm still banned per my PT.  But I did swim tonight.  It was supposed to be a speed workout, yet somehow my 2 miles took 1:30 instead of the usual 1:15...  Guess I took more and longer rests between intervals, but I still don't like it.  I am glad that I got it done, though.  Here's what I did:

Warm-up
1 x 600  Free - loosen
4 x 75    Kick - choice, no board, w/fins
4 x 75    Free - build x 25

Main Set
2 x 200  Free - pace
10 x 50  Free - hard, mid-pool start, work turns
1 x 200  Free - pace
10 x 50  Sprint through turn, easy back
1 x 200  Free - pace

Cool-down
1 x 200  Easy

Success!

So, my plan for today's Cycle Club ride was to try something a little shorter, a little flatter, and a little slower, to try to persuade some new riders to come out with us.  (My other motivation for doing that this week was because it's a rest week for me and I really only needed to do an easy hour-long ride...)  Well, it worked!  In addition to me, there were three other riders who've come out in the past, but also two new riders.  One was the wife of one of my regulars, so it was nice for her to be able to join her husband on this less intimidating ride.  The two new folks were also riding hybrids, but they kept up just fine!  We rode up the trail a ways, then went off on some low-traffic local roads in South Lebanon, then took the trail back to Loveland.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the route, and it was particularly fun for me since I could hear everyone just chatting it up as we rode at a casual pace.  Fun times!  I think I'll try to keep my first ride each month more casual like this one, and do the second one each month with some higher speeds and longer distances.  We still have to work toward that century in September, after all!  (Not to mention my IM...)

Double Dose

After PT today, I picked up a new swimsuit before heading to the gym.  I lifted first for 1:15, then went out to the pool.  It was warm out, and I was surprised to find that the pool water wasn't quite as refreshing as I'd hoped.  I guess it warms up, too, in the summer heat.  Anyway, I had a good form workout regardless, for 1:05:

Warm-up
1 x 1200  Swim/pull/kick x 300

Main set
5 x 200    Drill/swim (w/fins) x 100 (drills: catchup, fist, fingertip drag, thumb-to-thigh, balance & rotation)
2 x 200    Free - pace

Cool-down
1 x 200    Easy