Running in the Rain

This last week of training was pretty good and I felt pretty strong. My weakest area is by far swimming. I know that I can physically swim the 1.2 miles that will be required come race day, but I want to do it more efficiently and I want to stop fighting the water. For those of you that are swimmers, I am a classic “flat swimmer” – i.e. I have no rotation. So, to become a better swimmer I decided I was going to start over and I joined a Masters Swimming group that meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30 – 7:00 a.m. because it was clear that I wasn’t getting any better on my own.

For the past 2 weeks I have been doing nothing but drills. Swimming on my side (a lot), swimming on my side and rotating to the other side (a lot), 10/10 drill, 5/5 drill, finger tip drag drill, breathing drills, etc. all with fins. The coach is fantastic and she has been very helpful and patient. Today after an hour or more of drills I actually got to take off my fins(!) for my last 100 yards I got to actually swim … and I enjoyed it! I actually like swimming now and I am excited about what is to come (hopefully, better swimming!). Now, with that said, I am slow. I mean, painfully slow. SLOW. I am slower than I was BEFORE I started this program.

Coach Jan assures me that starting next week when I am doing more of my swim workouts without fins, my speed will slowly come back. Technique now, speed later. Don’t the swimming gods know that I am not patient?!? Ok, ok, I may not be patient, but I am committed to getting this right and I am confident that when October 5 comes around I will ready. I may be as slow as I was when I started these classes, but I will be swimming much more efficiently which means that I will be saving my legs for my stronger sports, the bike and the run!

Training last week:

Monday – Master Swim Class: 1.5 hours
Tuesday – Brick Workout: 40 mins biking (est. 12 miles), 20 mins running (2.3 miles)
Wednesday – 45 minutes biking (estimate 12 miles) – swimming rained out
Thursday – 45 mins a.m. run (est. 5+ miles in the rain), brick workout at lunch (15 min bike and 15 min run)
Friday – 27 mile bike ride (about 2 hours)
Saturday – 10.5 mile run (1.5 hours)
Sunday – Rest day / walked 4 miles (1 hour 10 minutes)

Total workout time: 8 hours (not including rest day)

Total distances: Run: 19.5 miles Bike: 51 miles

Favorite workout this week -- running in the rain with my neighbor Anna. It was actually quite refreshing and good practice in case it rains on race day.