YESTERDAY’S SUMMARY:
1 mile swimming (32 laps), 37:40
Avg heart rate = 163
I went for my first swim in a while last night, and it was surprisingly tough! The heater in the pool is certainly fixed, as the water was too warm — a temperature that would be fine if one was just splashing around for fun, but uncomfortable for doing laps and exertion. The chemical content of the pool seemed better than the last time, but oddly, the water was more cloudy. Cloudy water, but I left without my lips burning. I really think they are having a hard time getting the balance right in the silly pool.
Since the weather is warming up and I went at 7:00, there were of course some kids using the lap pool as a play pool. Normally the kids I find there are good about staying to one side of the pool while I do laps, but last night there were two lap swimmers and three kids, and a three-lane pool isn’t so great for that. The kids weren’t helping matters by moving from side to side and often standing right in front of me as I swam down the middle lane. I think they were trying to see if I’d run into them…some sort of swimming version of Chicken to see who’d move first. I never moved. TAKE THAT KIDDIES.
The summary is that I got my laps in without a problem, but the kids-playing-in-the-lap-pool annoyance continues just like last year. There is another pool in the complex, but for the people who live next to the lap pool, I guess they find the two tenths of a mile too far to walk (I say sarcastically).
Anyway, as far as the actual swimming itself…it was tough! I don’t know whether it was the kids splashing around and upsetting the water, or the warmth of the water sapping my energy, or me just being tired, but I got tired much faster than usual. It usually takes me 20-22 strokes to get from one end to the other, depending on how hard I pull and how much I kick, but last night it was taking me 23-25. I was really struggling and I’m not sure why. But I pushed through it and did 32 laps (~1 mile in my 25-yard or possibly 25-meter pool). I’ve got a month to do a bit more swimming before the Danskin triathlon in Austin. I’m probably not as prepared for it as I was last year, but I’m hoping to lower my time. In 2003 I did 1:58, last year I did 1:47, so this year I’m hoping for sub-1:45…