Swimming As It Should Be

Good news! I had to tear myself away from the pool this morning. This is huge, because although I enjoy swimming, I ended the season tired of it. Tired of the sore muscles, tired of trying to go faster, tired of my inefficienty stroke.

I mentioned how when I jumped back into my routine I first swam super slow so I could concentrate on my stroke. Today I got in the pool (perfect temperature for me!) and began slow, making sure I could feel efficient in the water. Then, when I got the rhythm going, I picked up a little speed. The result: a perfectly elevated heart rate (about 80 percent), more calories than I'm used to burning (453 in 40 min.) and swimming as fast or faster than the "fast swimmers" in the pool (I'm sure I'll detail character sketches at some point). It was awesome.

I know I'm swimming efficiently when I can actually feel the glide of the water, as opposed to just feeling the slap of the water and burn in my chest. When my stroke is solid, I can tell the water's slipping past quite strongly; I'm rotating my hip in line with my stroke (but not overreaching) and finishing the stroke underwater, as opposed to pulling my arm out too quick. I can feel myself being propelled by a kick that's in sync with my hip and arm; usually, even though it's fun, I tire more easily without elevating my heart rate and am uncomfortable.

That's it: I was comfortable in the water today, even while I got a solid cardio workout in. I'm a strong swimmer when I race, performing slightly above average to better than most, depending on the race. But I'm not always enjoying it, and I'm sure as hell not always efficient. I hope I can keep this up!

Btw, I also mixed in some backstroke and found that to be a lot more efficient -- while providing a good cardio workout -- too. I've been keen on working the backstroke in after reading an article in Triathlete magazine about how swimmers who incorporate backstroke balance out their muscle development and stand taller.Sounds like a plan to me.

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I just got off the phone with Cynthia, my good friend. She's in the UP of Michigan right now, but she's mentally in Chicago, here hometown. We were on the phone for almost 3 hours! Hey, it's what you gotta do when you can't meet in person.

Work was kinda crappy today, but the day started on a good note and ended on a good note. What more could I want?