Thursday morning swim

And it was lovely, too. The first day of the new session, and I was having mild dread yesterday at the prospect of newness and extreme early rising--but now I feel I am over the newness/dread bit, I hope at least, and will just look forward to it. It is a great thing!

(But the come-home-and-bike idea is totally unrealistic--I don't really walk in the door till around 7:25, we were having pleasant and useful swimming-related chat in the locker-room--and I can't do it at the expense of things I need to finish for morning lecture. Ritual grumble: I requested a 10:35 rather than 9:10 lecture slot for exactly the reason of morning exercise, plus the students are more awake at that hour. I was given that slot. Then in mid-August I learned there was no available classroom and the class got moved an hour and half earlier.... Yes, yes, I know, I lead an unbelievably and decadently professorial life--but still, it would have been so much more convenient!)

Swimming makes me feel I can do anything, though...

Warmup: 650. But what were they?!? Arghh, seems a long time ago now! 50 double-arm back, 100 catch-up, 200 something IM-related, 300 swim.

First set: 10 x 50, stroke count drill. Two sets of five: start with regular swim, hold same time but reduce stroke count by one each 50. (So: 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, then repeat from top.) I did the first 50 in 50 seconds or so, the coach gave us (kindly!) a 1:10 interval rather than 1:00, but I think I started too fast--I was finding it hard to reduce strokes without sacrificing speed, whereas I remember the last time I tried something like this and didn't worry so much about time, I did a much better job with the counts. I don't think this is terrible, probably I just aimed more ambitiously this time, but I could have gone a couple seconds slower that first time out.

Then a main set that is exactly what I need but what is very challenging, esp. as I still do not understand butterfly to speak of! (I am not sure this was what I. was planning for our Saturday lesson, but I must get her to give me the nuts and bolts on Saturday, I need it right away!) 10 x 100 IM, alternating drill IM and regular. The drill for butterfly is dolphin kick with three strokes on each side, back is three right three left three regular, breast is one pull and two kicks, free is catch-up. We got up to the end of number 8, and then it was time to stop. But I think it was pretty good that I could even do it at all, though my dolphin kick is extremely erratic! I think if I work hard I will be able to do a proper IM 100 by Xmas...