First swim since Redman

SWIM 1050y in 28-31 mins

5x100 swim
5x100 kick and pull

I've been saying that I need to get back to the pool, mostly as a way of convincing myself to do so. I haven't been in a swim cap since Redman-2 months ago! Between recovery, Glacial Trail, recover, and injuries, the pool was really a distant thought. But that's not to say I missed the pool either :)

This morning was just to break the ice, so to speak. I didn't have high goals other than to swim at least 30 minutes. Quite simply, I wanted to get back to the habit, test the injuries, and see what needs to be worked on this winter. The injuries were fine. My form was decidedly NOT.

In the first few laps, it seemed as if the pool was longer than it should be. In the next lap I counted my stroke and realized why. It usually takes me 11 right-arm strokes to go 25y (not an ideal number for a swimmer, but it's what I'm capable of). Today it was taking me 14. 14!!?? So the next few laps focused on finding what was wrong and reducing that to at least 12. I settled with a few 12.5's and 13's.

Dear Gawd, what have the last two months done to my swimming? Time to get it back!

If I've heard it a hundred times, then I've thought about it a hundred times more: my catch is weak. My forearms and hands slide backwards under me with little resistance. CHG suggested strength building to develop the muscles in my back. (He's suggested a lot of things, but this one seems like something I could actually make changes to right now). I have the bands, I bought them early this summer or late spring. They're hanging on the hook...waiting...

So that's one thing to work on. Let's keep it simple, and work on dryland strength training and just getting to the pool 2-3 times a week for now.