BIKE: 17 miles in 1hr
RUN: 6.4 miles in 1hr
SWIM: 2500m in 1hr
It looks like biking is the fastest way to get somewhere in one hour.
The bike was early morning, so I did it indoors to keep safe and prevent me from overdoing what was supposed to be the minor workout of the day. Unfortunately, it meant that I didn't get to test the new wheels.
The run was a brick run, as per usual I was totally wiped. This run, like many recent sessions, left me dehydrated. But I did it, and here is why. The way I see IM training is that one major goal is to learn to train tired. "Feel like sh!t now? haha, wait til you see how you feel at 130 miles!! Then you'll really feel like sh!t!!". So on that note, I push through the workouts in which I'm falling apart tired. If my form starts to suffer or I feel like I'm pushing an injury, I'll hold back and stay home. Otherwise, runs like these are teaching me that I'm capable of finishing a run hours into the day.
And so this line of thought falls apart once I get to the swim. I skipped swim class tonight to instead take advantage of the 50m pool in CSP. Since I'll be out of town Friday, I won't get my planned Friday Four Thousand. So at the end of the workday, underfueled and underwatered, I headed to the pool for my long swim. I was so mentally fuzzed I even took the wrong roads to get to the pool. This should have been a sign.
Once there, I learn the pool is 86F! With the air temp hovering around 98F, the water sounds cool. I struggle to get dressed. I'm ready to swim, just not 100% mentally there. Off I go, feeling great on the first 1000m, then it all starts to unravel. My form goes to hell. I slow down. I get negative. Suddenly I need to hang on the wall for breaks. I start getting mad at every book or swim coach I've worked with. Why do they just keep teaching me drills? Why can't I swim faster? What am I doing wrong? All I do is worry about whether my form is bad! Why can't they just teach me to SWIM! AHH! At 1600m, which took about 37 minutes, I was on the downslide. I set a minimum goal of 20 laps. More hanging on the wall. I reach 20 laps in 45 minutes. I set a goal of 25 laps, figuring that if I do 5 laps at a time the overall count becomes more managable. 5 laps sounds much better than 20! 21st lap was a drag. 22nd lap was worse. During the push-off for 23, I popped my right ankle. I took it as a sign that I needed a break and climbed out of the pool.
Sitting on the pool edge, I debated my options. While sipping some PB drink, I watched other swimmers. Not all of them had perfect form. But they kept trucking along, lap after lap. They weren't stressed out about their hand entry or shoulder (or they were and hid it). They just swam. Why couldn't I do that? Why do I perserverate on all the little points about form? Because I want to be a better swimmer! And I just can't seem to make it happen. I'm not sure what to do about this.
I'm worried about the IMWI swim. I'm used to a smooth pool, what if there are waves? I'm used to wetsuit-free swimming, will my arms get tired of working against the suit? Will I be able to stay calm with people all around me? Only one way to find out.
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