Reflections on DIY Training Camp
I miss the beach, but it is also nice to be home again (with, for instance, properly functioning faucets). I am really, really satisfied with the way that the week went.
There were so many things that I learned – I thought about enumerating them here, but I think that it would be boring, and, at least right now, I feel like I will remember them. For the most part, it was nothing earth shattering – things like, the tea should not be TOO hot, and how much increasing my kick did (or did not) keep me warm. But I was there to make mistakes and to learn from them and I would say mission accomplished.
While I was getting ready to go and during the first couple of days I did have a lot of sadness about having missed out on an actual, non-DIY training camp. I had really been looking forward to going to Croatia, my first international travel in many, many years. And this was definitely harder – no experienced hand to guide me, frequently having to be alone in the water, feeling guilty that hubby had to walk 10 miles on Saturday. But all of that mental toughness and aloneness will definitely come in handy in the Channel. And hubby seems to have recovered… I hope.
By the time I finished my first long swim on the first Saturday I had let Croatia go, and I really enjoyed my time in Wrightsville. The kids had a reasonably good time – I also felt a bit guilty for lacking the energy to play with them as much as I normally would, but they had a good time on their own, if not as much of it as if I had been enforcing beach time. But there was putt-putt and go karts and cool sand and water formations out by the coast guard station. And an aborted bike ride when a knee was bloodied up pretty good. You know, family fun.
I’m pretty tired, and I haven’t stretched/theracaned yet, so we’ll see how that goes – but all-in-all I feel pretty good. I would say better than when I went into it. I have got to do something about my flip turns and their effect on my neck/shoulder! Not having to do the pool covers should also help.
Anyway, it’s back to the daily grind for me. The next thing coming up is a 10K in early May in Charlotte. I’m planning to take it quite easy this week and then spend the next three weeks trying to get some speed back (without breaking myself this time). We’ll see how it goes!
Friday
51 m / 2700
Saturday
5 h 10 / 20,000 – 6 h / 22700
Sunday
1 h 45 / 5000 – 7 h 45 / 27700
1 h 15 / 4000 – 9 h / 31700
Monday
0 h / 0 – 9 h / 31700
Tuesday
2 h 5 / 8000 – 11 h / 39700
1 h / 4000 – 12 h / 43700
Wednesday
55 m / 4000 – 13 h / 47700
2 h 5 m / 8000 – 15 h / 55700
Thursday
2 h / 8000 – 17 h / 63700
Friday
1 h 4 / 4300 – 18 h / 68000
Saturday
6 h / 24000 – 24 h / 92000
Sunday
30 m / 2000 – 24 h 30 m / 94000 = 53 miles
