Training week 5

This week I felt the "heat"- mentally and physically.  I felt like I was "lights out" by 10pm every night due to just pure exhaustion.  The heat was wearing on me.  I have one more 4 mile run this week, tomorrow after church, but otherwise I just need to go to the gym today to do a little spin workout and my strength/core activities.  It has been a good week, but at times I felt very unathletic and deconditioned. 

Swimming- this week made me feel humble.  Why- well I took the plunge and swam in the competitive lanes/natatorium, at our wellness center.  I had normally done my 10 laps in the 25 yard (which I'm doubting the measurement of those lanes after swimming the official 50 yard lanes in competitive pool).  The length of the competitive lanes challenged me and made me feel out of shape and not well conditioned.  My breathing was off and my body was exhausted after doing 250 yards.  I would swim the length of the pool, stop take a breather, and then swim back.  There were no kick turns or continuous lap swimming.  I didn't feel smooth or fluid, instead I felt like i was barely hanging on and was surprised the life guard never questioned  my swimming or asked if i was "o.k.".  

I'm not a competitive swimmer, nor was a i ever.  I swam quite a bit during my childhood and took swim lessons from about 1st grade-3-4th grade.  I love the water and my mom always called me "a fish".  However, I'm several years older and don't have that activity a young person does- you know the kids who can swim for literally 3 hours straight, diving, swimming, up and down off the diving board (or now up and down off aquatic slides).  

So all I can do is keep trying and be glad that my sprint tri has a short swim in a pool with non-competitive lanes- they are 25 yards, not 50.  It is good to try challenging things like plunging into the "big kids pool", but it certainly can mess with your mental vision of the athlete you thought you were.  

Next week the toughest part is going to be having hubby gone for 2 days for work. I will likely have to attempt some runs on the treadmill then- UGH!  But I will carry on- it is all one can do when training.  I will adjust and move forward.  

This is the pool I swam in this week- they had no walls up so remove the flags/walk way mid picture, and that is the full lap I swam.  I did my 250 yards breast stroke and then did 250 yard with kick board.  Despite not being in the heat for this work out I still felt the heat when I walked outside to my car- I think I was out of it the rest of the day.