BONK! of a different sort...

I've been a little absent here lately. Have I been traveling and away from the computer? No. Have I been too busy to blog? No. Has our internet provider started charging by the amount of time we actually spend online as opposed to a set fee per month? Not yet.

I've been absent because I've fallen off the wagon. I haven't been training. At least not on a regular basis. I have swam a few times but that is it! I am starting to feel quite frumpy. I feel so guilty! As a result, I haven't had anything running or swimming related to share.

After the Circle the Bay, I wanted to take a couple of months to enjoy myself and not train with anything specific in mind. I wanted to continue working out though! Funny how a training plan really helps you to stay focused and reach your goals. I need to get myself going again as I've lost the endurance I had built up.

I went to Masters yesterday anticipating a crowd. My girlfriend had attended on Mon and Wed - both of which she said were unusually crowded (6+ in each lane). Certainly not ideal but what can ya do? Surprisingly however, there were very few there yesterday! Just myself and one other swimmer in my lane, only one in the third lane, while all the other lanes had 2-3.

After the warm-up, Coach has us working on backstroke. 4 x 25m back w/fists, 4 x 50m back palm down, 4 x 75m w/paddles and correct knife-hand strike position. This drill set forces you to focus on the rotation of your body in relation to your hand position. He encouraged us to use fins and to take it easy - speed wasn't the objective.

I enjoy backstroke. It has always been one of my favorite strokes. As we were doing the 75s, I really got into a groove and I felt like I was gliding through the water with little effort. As I was approaching the wall on the last 75, my mind was drifting. I wasn't paying attention and didn't see the flags warning me of the obstruction ahead. I banged my head on the wall! Fortunately, it hurt for only a few minutes. I hung onto the wall and allowed my senses to return before I floated leisurely back to the start. I don't even know what I was thinking about. Perhaps I should fib and say I was daydreaming about sex or Lance Armstrong's abs. It would make the story so much better... but I wasn't! Pain for naught!

I recovered quickly and we then did a freestyle pull set: 50m pull, 100m pull, 150m pull, 200m pull and 250m pull. I began to feel the effort of the pull set in the midst of the 150. I am so accustomed to kicking - so much of my strength is in my legs (at least it has been). At the wall, I told Coach, "This set is killing me!" He laughed and replied, "You race to your strengths. You train to your weaknesses." A light bulb went off in my head. I know this but haven't been executing. I need to change my strategy. I need to be more focused.

The pull set was then followed by a descending 200m free swim, 150m free, 100m free and 50m free. I could really feel that I was rotating better.

I felt really good. With each passing day, I love swimming more and more.

Total distance: 2050m