great morning practice!
Practice this morning was really good...I had a hard time sleeping last night because I was excited falling asleep, and once I did fall asleep I was dreaming that I was out for an ocean swim, but in shark-infested waters. I was sure that sharks were going to come and eat me up, and my dad insisted that if I stayed near the kayak then I would be okay. We were swimming off the coast of Assateague.
We swam (for real, not in the dream!) outside this morning. The sun was beginning to rise as early as 5:00 this morning! It wasn't really light yet, but it wasn't pitch black like it usually is at that time of day (night? haha). By the time I reached Salisbury, it was pretty light.
Today was my first resting practice. This is so weird for me because usually when it is time for a big event, I have full blown taper where I am sprinting during practice and decreasing to about 1500 yards. I will only go down to 4500-5000 yards before this swim. Just enough to not be swimming tired.
We swam outside...the air was 60 when we started but the water wasn't cold at all, somewhere in the 70s. We did a set of 500s and 800s. There was one fast 800 in there which I did at 10:10...just barely over the 1:15 pace! I have increased my quick moving pace to about the 1:15 and my "very comfortable" pace to just under 1:20, a month ago each of these times were about 5 seconds slower. This is BIG...for someone swimming as long as I have it is hard to drop that much time, but then again I have totally switched my training from being a sprinter to distance!
The other big thing is that I have reached $1000 in my fundraising! I have $1030 to be exact. A few people on my team donated this morning. I have some more checks to come too!
So, with just a few days left, I have a lot down-pat and ready to go. But I have a few things up in the air that I need to resolve within the next 48 hours (or less really).
-I need to figure out how to start. I think I want to try to hang to the side of the pack, rather than trying to sprint to the front, and then slowly sneak up. This will eliminate the need to warm up, build my confidence through the race, and decrease any chances of asthma complications. Negatives: I have some issues with sighting, so I have to be careful that I don't go swimming in the wrong direction, it does add a little more distance to the swim (but much more enjoyable, safer distance) and if I can't get a spot on the edge, I'm screwed.
-Lately I have been debating not swimming in a wetsuit. I have been training in 53-57 degree water with a sleeveless suit and that exposure, plus swimming in cooler outdoor pools, is beginning to acclimate my body. I realized I have changed this morning, when everyone was complaining about the cold but me (with a very low BMI, usually it is the other way around). My main reason for this change of heart? Because I can do it. It is what real, purist swimmers do. Wetsuits are for triathletes.
Pros: special catagory for non-wetsuit wearers, more comfortable, self-satisfaction.
Cons: what if I get too cold, wetsuit=speed and 90% of people wear them, I would be slowing myself down by not wearing one.
hmm some things to think about, will check out the water temp before making a decision on number 2 though...
We swam (for real, not in the dream!) outside this morning. The sun was beginning to rise as early as 5:00 this morning! It wasn't really light yet, but it wasn't pitch black like it usually is at that time of day (night? haha). By the time I reached Salisbury, it was pretty light.
Today was my first resting practice. This is so weird for me because usually when it is time for a big event, I have full blown taper where I am sprinting during practice and decreasing to about 1500 yards. I will only go down to 4500-5000 yards before this swim. Just enough to not be swimming tired.
We swam outside...the air was 60 when we started but the water wasn't cold at all, somewhere in the 70s. We did a set of 500s and 800s. There was one fast 800 in there which I did at 10:10...just barely over the 1:15 pace! I have increased my quick moving pace to about the 1:15 and my "very comfortable" pace to just under 1:20, a month ago each of these times were about 5 seconds slower. This is BIG...for someone swimming as long as I have it is hard to drop that much time, but then again I have totally switched my training from being a sprinter to distance!
The other big thing is that I have reached $1000 in my fundraising! I have $1030 to be exact. A few people on my team donated this morning. I have some more checks to come too!
So, with just a few days left, I have a lot down-pat and ready to go. But I have a few things up in the air that I need to resolve within the next 48 hours (or less really).
-I need to figure out how to start. I think I want to try to hang to the side of the pack, rather than trying to sprint to the front, and then slowly sneak up. This will eliminate the need to warm up, build my confidence through the race, and decrease any chances of asthma complications. Negatives: I have some issues with sighting, so I have to be careful that I don't go swimming in the wrong direction, it does add a little more distance to the swim (but much more enjoyable, safer distance) and if I can't get a spot on the edge, I'm screwed.
-Lately I have been debating not swimming in a wetsuit. I have been training in 53-57 degree water with a sleeveless suit and that exposure, plus swimming in cooler outdoor pools, is beginning to acclimate my body. I realized I have changed this morning, when everyone was complaining about the cold but me (with a very low BMI, usually it is the other way around). My main reason for this change of heart? Because I can do it. It is what real, purist swimmers do. Wetsuits are for triathletes.
Pros: special catagory for non-wetsuit wearers, more comfortable, self-satisfaction.
Cons: what if I get too cold, wetsuit=speed and 90% of people wear them, I would be slowing myself down by not wearing one.
hmm some things to think about, will check out the water temp before making a decision on number 2 though...