This morning at 5:50 I hit the water after being away from a lap pool for about 3 weeks. Gosh darn diggity dog, did it feel so good to walk in the locker room and begin to smell the pool water from inside. I have missed my swimming, but it all came back as soon as I jumped in. Lifetime was closed last week for renovations, and before that I was away. Anyhow, onto today, I swam drills for a total of 800 yards in 40minutes. The drills are what keep my swim session interesting and challenging. Remember, I am a new swimmer, well actually I learned 3 years ago but never being consistent day to day, but instead a seasonal swimmer once a week. To get really good, I believe that you need to be in the pool practicing stroke, breathing and pace at least 3 times a week. With my current lifestyle and busy schedule my goal is to hit the pool once a week followed by another cardio session and 2 weight workouts. This morning, I felt challenged in that I have a little cold and my breathing was a bit constricted, but I worked through it. Water was warmer than usual so the jump in was not so shocking, and I warmed up with 8- 25 meter freestyle laps followed by 2-50 meter kick board 1-25 meter kick board and one more set like that. Next came 2 easy 50′s followed by my drills—4 sets of 75 meter slow, medium and fast pace. As I swim as fast as I could, not that super fast, but I was moving, I thought of how Michael Phelps trains for sprints. He always comes to my mind in early morning when I PUSH or stay the same. I want to push, I would like to get so good that I can jam on my 25. I ended with 2 sets of 50′s and one cool down 25 meter. Overall, I rate this morning’s swim a 9 for my condition, and only reason I do not give it a 10 today is because I forgot my heart rate monitor and I had no idea what my zone was. Poohy.
Wednesday I jogged on the treadmill for 40 minutes at 145-150 heart rate zone. The pace was good, but my knee gave a slight yelp, and I think it may be time for a new pair of running shoes. I’ll hit Runner’s Soul in LaGrange for that. Jayne, the owner, has invested in sizing/evaluating equipment that allows one to be perfectly fit for the unique foot, arch and posture. YES-your running shoes make the difference!
What’s left for this week; one weight session, which I will do either Saturday or Sunday. This week I increased the time of my workouts to 40 minutes. My nutrition journey continues with internalizing the notion of proper portions, and eating as healthy as possible. Keep in mind, I am GREEK, and I like my food and drinks, but I like my strength and lean feeling better!!!! New recipe I just read about, a veggie wrap with hummus dip inside. I think I will incorporate this into my snack options.
LESSON: Purposeful drills in any workout will challenge and improve your fitness level. Continuously listen to your body for signs and signals, which tell you what is missing or if your intensity is off. Shoes are an important component of fitness because the wrong ones could lead to injury.
As the weather changes, the sun rises earlier and the feeling of Spring is everywhere, I am motivated to get as strong and lean as possible.
In the meantime, I wish you a kefi-nated day!
xo
The Roadrunner
