Masters Swim...

Lately, I have really had the itch to get back into the pool. Not for a lazy dip like you would on vacation (although that would be nice too) but for some real lap swimming workouts. Tuesday was the day to commit! I got up a little earlier than usual in order to be at the gym by 5:45 AM. Since I have been “self” coaching I have been getting there closer to 6:15. My snooze button habits are beyond control. I find that if I have a class to attend or if someone is expecting to meet me at the gym, it is so much easier to get up and out the door. Masters Swim starts at 6:00 so I gave myself some extra time to wet my hair in the shower and apply conditioner before pulling the cap over my head. Ladies (and gents who may color their hair), it really does help keep your color from fading in the chlorine – my helpful hint of the day.

I grabbed my gear bag and headed to the pool. I introduced myself to the coach who was either very disinterested or just tired. I am going to chalk it up to just tired as he warmed up the tiniest bit towards the end of the session. I have attended Masters in the past at another pool which was pretty intense. The crowd in that group was mostly people who swam during high school and college. There were some triathletes but typically that group was lifelong swimmers. In comparison, I would call my new group “masters light”. The group at the gym appears to be all triathletes, a mix of both experienced and beginner swimmers. I quickly made myself at home in the comfort of the middle lane. I am nothing if not consistently middle of the pack.

Our set looked a little something like this:

200 m warmup
8 x 25 – 2 of each stroke (one kick, one swim)
3 x 50 – free (six kick drill down, swim coming back) on 1:05
3 x 100 – kick (alternating fast kick and easy kick by 25)
2 x 300 – free (100 swim, 100 one arm drill, 100 swim) for time
50 cool down

It felt great to be back into a coached workout. I can lap swim all day on my own but really don’t push myself the way I do in a group. The coach seemed to be good at offering pointers throughout the workout, not just handing out a preprinted workout and letting you go at it. Overall, it was nice to be back in the pool. It was totally worth the goggle marks I carried with me for the better part of the morning. I can’t wait to go back tomorrow.