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Apologies in Advance – You’ll See Why I’m Random

Well, well, well, where to begin?

I haven’t done any OW swimming since the last time I posted due to weekend ice storm #1, weekend ice storm #2, and… weekend of abject craziness. I would swim in an ice storm, but I put driving-in-winter-weather-amongst-North-Carolina-drivers in the category of unnecessary risk. Many people might reverse those, but I think the statistics are on my side here.

I don’t mind missing out on some OW training right now – most people don’t even have the opportunity to train in January and February, and it’s nice to get a bit of a break before I start my final big push towards the EC in the spring.

I did mind the abject craziness, not on my own behalf, but on that of my husband, who had a medical emergency last weekend and spent several days in the hospital (Spoiler, he is fine now, hence my ability to catch up on blog posts). I spent the time divided between driving to the hospital and taking care of him and driving home and taking care of the kids (and cat). Although, sweet story, I got home one day to find that our 9-year-old had done the dishes, folded and put away his clothes, and fed the cat. When I got home again that evening he had cleaned the playroom. I’m not looking for any more medical emergencies, but way to step up, kid!

All is looking good now, and I’m starting to weave everything back together again. And being honestly grateful for the flexibility, adaptability, and perspective that I’ve been forced to develop in the last few years. Not being freaked out by changes in plans, and being able to take seriously what is serious and not what is not – these are sanity-saving skills. (Obviously my husband’s experience was far more intense than my own, but that’s his story to tell.)

Humor is also key. I considered sharing some of the humor of the past week, but some of it was pretty dark, and I don’t want you guys to be scared of me 🙂

For ease of looking back later, I’ve divided this post into the last three weeks that it encompasses. But mentally, I think I am writing them off as “Winter of Discontent.”

When Last We Met…

January 17-21

Brain Shutdown

A pretty tiring week. From my notes: “So, I think I tried to post on Sunday the 23rd – but my brain staged a revolt.”

Allie Brosh puts it so much better: “Today I was like “Hi brain.  Let’s write a blog post!”  And my brain was like “No. I want crackers.”  (And sleep. Crackers and sleep.)

My notes are certainly those of someone who needs to rest more than they need to post swim workouts:

This week was consumed by the search for housing. As of Wednesday we are waiting… and waiting… for them to send us the contract. Fingers crossed for Monday. 

The snow day on Saturday was a huge relief – I slept a lot of the day after a stressful week filled with early mornings (curse you, English time zones!) and coaching in the freezing cold.

No open water swimming this week, even though I had planned to – ice from here to Wrightsville Beach gave me a chance to rest and catch up. Sometimes we need that more than we need to train that day.

I’ve been talking with a fascinating cold researcher in Canada.

Wow, even as I try to write this, my brain is practically flat-out refusing. Ima take a rest before going to coach. There is no humor in me at the moment, and that is rare.

Deep Thoughts

#1 – I came across something I wrote in my review of “All the Light We Cannot See” –

Music, books… all of art. They store our courage and our hope for times we will need them but cannot summon them on our own. They are humanity’s batteries.

#2 – Celebrating MLK Day

I have the habit of framing all hard things (as in, the entire scale from moderate inconvenience to crushingly difficult) in hero’s tale terms. It seems unnecessarily dramatic, even to me, but it gets the job done. But rest assured that I laugh at myself when I, say, equate finding housing to the struggles of MLK.

England Business (Jan 17-21)

1/17 – Housing, housing, housing. (And sent forms to Park School)

1/18 – May have found housing. Air BNB + Holding deposit. SOOO much work! I can’t look at any more properties today.

1/19-1/21 – No notes – it was all housing stuff. But we found a place, we hope. (Through sheer luck, possibly.) I’ll relax when the contract is signed.

The Week at the Pool (Jan 17-21)

Summary

Pool Yardage ~34,000

OW Yardage – 0

I was very happy with Thursday’s practice. Weirdly, I’m sort of missing Christmas Training. One of the coaches made a comment about one of the kids, a stunning distance swimmer: “He kinda needs that amount of yardage.” It’s really resonating with me right now, even if I’m nowhere near this kid’s level.

The Gory Details

Monday 1/17 – Theme: A day when nothing was hard (~6800)

• 200 ez
• 1600 w-up
• 10×50 kick on 1:00 – odd back; even fly
• 10x(75 on 1:30 4 breath, 3 breath, 2 breath; 25 u/w on :45)
• 4×600 on 1:20 base
• 10×100 – 2 on 1:20, 2 on 1:25, 2 on 1:30, 4 on 1:35
• 100 ez

At the start of the kick set, I thought to myself, “I need to just swim today – without having to try too hard.” And my wish was magically granted. Had I known that we were warming down after the 600’s, I might have done them with the 1:15 group, but I’m glad I didn’t, because I think this was exactly what I needed today.

Making the kick on 1:00 did not require a strong effort (or cheating). 4/3/2 breaths was very doable (so different than 3/2/1), and I made every 25 u/w without feeling too much pressure. I would have gone faster on the 600’s, but my lane kept slowing down. And the cool down set was easy.

It will be interesting to see how I feel tomorrow. But I’m reasonably stressed trying to find lodging in Bournemouth, so I may need several days where I just… swim.

Tuesday 1/18 – Theme: Didn’t have it + weird shoulder/back thing (~6700)

On Monday morning, totally unrelated to swimming as far as I can tell (I hadn’t been in the water since Friday afternoon), my shoulder started feeling really weird. Like something needed to pop. And then my right lower back got that feeling like it was going to go out. Nothing hurt in the water yesterday, but I couldn’t do a weird set of very simple things today (like turn the steering wheel to the right using my left hand). So I was a bit tentative in practice. I feel much better now. So weird.

• 100 ez
• 1600 w-up
• 7×250 on 4:00 (choice – I went from all free to all back and then did the last one ez)
• 6×500 on 6:30 (this is where it came apart – I just couldn’t hold that pace while also trying to protect my shoulder. I missed a couple of 100’s, then put on fins and just made it, working my stroke)
• 500 cool down

Wednesday 1/19 – Theme: Frighteningly Easy (~6000)

In anticipation of Friday and Saturday’s snow, we’ve been put on notice that we’ll be making up for it tomorrow. Considering how easy today’s was, I’m concerned 🙂

• 1600 w-up (got in a little late, missed a little talking to John about making sure the pipes don’t freeze tomorrow night)

6x:

• 4×25 IM kick
• 4×25 IM drill
• 4×25 IM swim
• All on :30

(It took me all of this to get warmed up, and then I felt tired. I don’t think stress from finding a place to live in England is helping me out this week)

2x:

• 25 free on :30
• 25 br/25 fr on :55
• 25 bk/br/fr on 1:15
• 100 IM on 1:30
• 100 ez on 2:00

2x:

• 50 free on :45
• 50 br/fr on 1:30
• 50 bk/br/fr on 2:10
• 200 IM on 3:00
• 200 ez on 4:00

Felt pretty good at the end. It really helps not to do fly

• 10×100 1:25…1:40
• 50 ez

Thursday 1/20 – Theme: Mother of God (~8000)

Had much to say about this, but too exhausted now at the end of the night. Suffice to say, I was really doubtful as to how it would go, and it went REALLY well

• 150 ez
• 11×100 on 1:40
• 50 ez on 1:00
• 10×100 on 1:15
• 50 ez on 1:00 (skipped to drink)
• 9×100 on 1:15
• 50 on 1:30 (skipped)
• 8×100 w/fins on 1:10
• 50 on 1:00 (skipped)
• 7×100 on 1:15
• 50 on 1:00 (skipped)
• 6×100 on 1:20
• 50 on 1:00
• 5×100 on 1:15
• 50 on 1:00
• 4×100 w/fins on 1:10
• 50 on 1:00
• 3×100 IM on 1:30
• 50 on 1:00
• 2×100 on 1:15
• 50 on 1:00
• 1×100 on 1:10
• 10×100 on 1:25..1:40
• 50 ez  interrupted by massive foot cramp

There were a couple of minor bobbles, but nothing that had to do with my swimming. I was able to keep new stroke together, as far as I know. I was frustrated to come in on 1:11 on the last 100. There wasn’t any reason for that, since I had already done a couple of 1:10’s earlier in the set.

I skipped the 50s until Besch yelled at us because active recovery blows chunks (I skipped the 50s cause it blows chunks… Besch didn’t yell at us because it blows chunks. Dangling participles are fun.) And it doesn’t give me time to drink.

Friday 1/21 – Theme: Stockholm Syndrome – I’m not trained for this (~6500)

Practice got moved up to 11-1 to avoid the oncoming snowstorm and since the kids were out of school. I made the decision to go very quickly, regretted it, but now think it turned out OK.

My main purpose in going was recovery from yesterday’s practice, but it turned out I was feeling amazingly fine after yesterday’s practice. And then we did a bunch of drills that hurt my shoulder, and I had to spend the last 40 minutes of the practice recovering. But I’m feeling OK now, and since I won’t swim again until Monday, it probably was a good idea in the end.

I am also feeling better after a monster nap. I have a lot of sleeping and not-being-stressed-out to make up this week. Still no final contract on the flat in Bournemouth, so we’ll have to wait until next week for the suspense to end.

• 500 w-up (was in a gold lane and couldn’t pass – only did 350)
• 400 IM kick/drill
• 5×100 fly kick/one arm (with other hand at side, breathing forward. Note to self – put this on the list for “does this kill shoulders?”
• 5×100 back kick/L drill (a shoulder killer the way Abby does it)
• 5×100 breast kick/fly kick drill 
• 5×100 free kick/3-touch drill (a shoulder killer with straight arms, if normally swim with elbows bent)
• 16×25 IM on :40 – 3 fast, 1 ez

5x:

• 4×50 IM all out on 1:00
• 100 ez on 2:00

• 1000 descend by 200s (as cooldown?)

We didn’t get the whole 1000 in – maybe 800?

January 24-28

This was the week the foot cramps started… still waiting for the week that they will end. (Reading over my notes, they actually started after the 8000-yard practice last Thursday.)

Definitely a week of getting things done vs. writing about getting things done

England Business (Jan 24-28)

1/24 – Things

1/25 – More things

1/26 – Finally getting a chance to work on England Business other than housing. Working on flights – hope to book today or tomorrow. I have my appointment to get my Medical Assessment on Friday. Scheduled a visit to the chiropractor as well, hoping to clean up small lingering tightness under my armpits and across my delta. Getting the kids music lessons taken care of. Going through my lists, making sure I have everything on there that I need to, etc.

1/27 – Booked flights – yay!

Did more stuff from the Master Timeline, including improving the master timeline 🙂

1/28 – Emailing kids teachers, working on music lessons, getting physical for medical assessment, and then SUBMITTING MY CS&PF APPLICATION!

1/29 – EEEEEE!!!! I’m signed up!!!!

Worked on homeschool curriculum stuff

The Week at the Pool (Jan 24-28)

Summary

Pool Yardage ~ 32,000

OW Yardage – 0

Sometimes, the plan is boring…

My season plan was to train hard in the fall and be ready to nail Christmas Training. Mission Accomplished. And then to take it a bit easier in January and February, since 1) I knew I’d have to focus on England Business more and 2) because training balls out straight from September until July didn’t seem like a good idea.

Everything is going according to plan, but I can tell you this – I enjoy training balls out WAYYYY more than I enjoy sitting at my desk. Is there still time for me to become a professional athlete? There’s gotta be some weird sport that my 44-year-old body can rock, right?

Suffice to say, this wasn’t the most exciting week of training, and I continued to struggle with foot cramps. At least better that than shoulder problems!

The Gory Details

Monday 1/24 – Theme: Descending is the best ending (~6800)

Felt weird when I got in… like I had no feel for the water. Eventually (around the end of the 200’s) felt better.

• 100 ez
• 1600 w-up
• 3×500 on 6:45 descend (DPS)
• 200 ez
• 5×200 on 2:45 descend (2:38, 2:38, 2:37, 2:31, 2:26)
• 200 ez
• 10×100 on 1:25 descend (1:20…1:10, within +/- .5 sec of descending 1 sec per 100)
• 200 ez
• 10×50 on :45 descend (:40 down to :33. Couldn’t go lower on the last)
• 6×100 on 1:25, 1:30, 1:35, etc.)
• 50 ez

Tuesday 1/25 – Theme: Sprinties (~5700)

• 1600 w-up
• 200 ez
• 20×25 sprint w/fins on :30
• 100 ez
• 12×25 IM long on :30
• 100 ez
• 20×100 w/fins on 1:30 – alt Free and IM (1:07-1:09, 1:15)
• 200 ez
• 20×50 kick w/fins alt fly and back on 1:00
• 200 ez

I struggled with foot cramps and missed a bunch of the 20x50s

Wednesday 1/26 – Theme: Another Sprint Day?!?! (~6200)

• 200 ez
• 1600 w-up
• 10×75 fast backstroke on 1:30 (:58-1:00)
• 200 ez
• 10×75 fast free on 1:30 (:51-:53) (except for the first two when I was fighting massive guacamole burps)
• 200 ez
• 4×175 fast back on 3:00 (2:28ish)
• 225 ez

Watched L kill a 200 fly from the blocks – 2:28 for a best time (B said 2:27 the next day)

• 25 ez

• 4×175 fast free on 3:00 (2:13, 2:09, 2:08, 2:06)

Set the goal of 2:03 during the backstroke… and then lost all of my momentum and tightened up while we were stopped. Had to give myself a good talking to after I spent the first two mentally complaining about that. If something gets in my way in the channel, am I gonna whine about it or make it happen?!? I wasn’t thrilled with the last one, but at least it was a lot closer to making it happen. And I got my mind right.

• 8×100 2 on 1:25, 1:30, 1:35, 1:40
• 50 ez

Thursday 1/27 – Theme: A Bit Grim (~6500)

• 1000 w-up (got there late – more digestive issues)
• 2000 Tiger IM (drill/swim/kick/swim)
• 2000 Tiger IM swim
• 100 ez
• 10×100 w/fins on 1:15
• 400 CD

I’m really struggling with dehydration this week, I didn’t sleep well last night, and I am eating something that disagrees with me and can’t figure out what. So perhaps today’s less-than-lackluster performance was to be expected. That didn’t make it fun.

Plus a much faster swimmer was moved into our lane, so there was a lot of watching my back and demoralizing getting passed going on.

We didn’t make the interval on a majority of the 10x100s, and I couldn’t bring myself to care. I was just grateful that my feet didn’t cramp with fins on.

I did stop to drink, and by 3/4 through the practice had downed both water bottles. I don’t know if it’s just that the air is so dry right now or what, but I am painfully dehydrated and am struggling to fix.

Friday 1/28 – Theme: Felt better, thank heavens (~6800)

• 100 ez
• 1600 w-up
• 6x: 200 DPS / 4×50 / 200 all out / 100 ez
• 50’s were on :40 for free rounds, :45 for IM
• 100’s ez were on 2:00 (I did most of them as 50s and made sure to drink – I really think it helped a lot
• 200’s were as follows:
• Rnd 1: Free on 2:40 (all out 2:24)
• Rnd 2: IM on 3:00
• Rnd 3: Free w/fins on 2:35 (all out 2:14)
• Rnd 4: IM on 3:00
• Rnd 5: Free on 2:40 (all out 2:24)
• Rnd 6: Free w/fins on 2:30 (all out 2:12)

I feel like a did a pretty good (not perfect) job of holding new stroke together. Breaking through to consistent 1:12 pace makes me happy.

• 25 ez

Watch F do a 100 free of the block in 1:02

• 25 ez

• 10×100 1:25…1:40
• 150 ez

January 31 – February 4

Monday, January 31st – The Best Laid Plans

I had a plan. I was planning to write a post of great humor and deep wisdom on Sunday the 30th (you won’t believe how good this post was going to be – As if Plato had descended from Olympus to blog about swimming)… funny how life is. 

E has been in the hospital since Saturday the 29th. He is doing well, but I am lacking in humor. As far as wisdom, it has reinforced the wisdom of both the pandemic and marathon swimming for me – 

Unexpected things are going to happen. The less time you can spend being upset about that, and the sooner you can move to dealing with it, the better you are going to feel. This isn’t a nihilistic philosophy that nothing matters, but I’m grateful for an increased ability to differentiate between the sadness of sad things and the petulance of the world messing with our plans. Being sad about the first, and getting over the second, creates a much healthier and more effective approach to life.

Oh, Notasium Billing Software

Even with what is going on, my sense of humor is never far from the surface, no matter what externals go on. I cannot make this up – Notasium is now sending FOUR separate emails each time they charge my credit card for music lessons. I feel like I’m on an episode of the Twilight Zone.

Peanut Butter

On Wednesday, E came home (he is fine – yay!) I was able to start working on other things again, and for those of you who have been following my peanut butter saga, you will appreciate – 

When I called to cancel one kid’s music lessons, we got to talking and I mentioned that we’d be living in England. The girl on the phone had studied there, and I asked here if she had any advice for us. I kid you not, the first words out of her mouth were “peanut butter.”

She recommended making sure we had someone in the States to ship it to us – I assured her that I was on the case 🙂

Motivation

Brought to you by Sam this week. I mentioned that I was wondering what E had told his doctors to (apparently) make them think that he was the 43-year-old version of Michael Phelps. That inspired Sam’s idea for a motivational t-shirt:

 “Be the kind of person that you tell your doctor you are”

England Business (Jan 31-Feb 4)

1/31 – Followed up on cancelling A’s music lessons starting March 15

2/1 – Nada

2/2 – Back to England business – working on Minor Travel Consent forms, music lessons for J (should be all set – call N tomorrow), coaching/admin for when I am gone, etc.

2/3 – Giving myself a little recovery time today, but talked to J’s piano teacher and got his music lessons taken care of for there and cancelled for here, emailed his teachers for curricula (had to look up the plural), asked about AIG continuation for Alex, cleaned up my email, etc.

2/4 – Mostly resting

The Week at the Pool (Jan 31-Feb 4)

Summary

Pool Yardage ~ 18,800 plus a heapin’ helpin’ of stress

OW Yardage – 0

Hospital week. No practice Monday or Tuesday. The rest was getting back into it – it seemed to go fine.

The Gory Details

Monday 1/31 – No Swim

Tuesday 2/1 – No Swim

Wednesday 2/2 – Theme: Getting Back To It (~6000)

• 100 ez
• 1600 w-up
• 12×50 free on :45, back on 1:00

6x:

• 4×50 :40/:50 (went to :45 and :55)
• 200 2:40/3:10
• 100 ez on 2:00
• Odd rounds – free (descend the 200’s – 2:31, 2:33, 2:29)
• Even rounds – back (descend the 200s – 3:00, 2:59, 2:52?)

• Social kick – maybe 500?
• 200 CD
• 50 ez

Didn’t go too hard, felt OK

Thursday 2/3 – Theme: While the Besch is away… (~5600?)

• 500 loosen (missed some)
• 8×25 – odd from a run, even from a dive
• 100 loosen

• 2x:      
• 100 on 1:40 (last 25 @ 200 pace)
• 3×50 on :50 (200 pace +2, +1, +0)
• 75 on 1:15 (last 25 @ 200 pace)
• 2×50 on :50 (200 pace +1, +0)
• 50 on :50 (lat 25 @ 200 pace)
• 50 on :50 @ 200 pace
• 200 ez on 4:00

I did the first round free and the second round back. I was not satisfied by my free round. I failed to pick up the pace enough on the 25’s, coming in at :18, :19 ish. My plan for the 50’s was :36, :35, :34… instead they were all :35’s. I took the backstroke round kind of ez to see if I could lengthen out.

• 225 ez
• 200 broken off the blocks – 75, 15 s rest, 75, 15 s rest, 50. Macon said 2:16, but I saw a 5 when I came in, so maybe 2:15 if he started us on time.
• 25 ez
• 5×200 – swim on 3:00, 150 swim/50 kick on 3:20, 100/100 on 3:40, 50/150 on 3:40, 200 kick ez

• 2x:
• 200 on 2:40
• 2×100 on 1:20
• 2×50 on :45
• 300 ez

Aim was to try and beat your best 500 time

1st round – 2:27, 1:12, 1:11, :34, :34

2nd round – 2:26, 1:11, 1:11, :35, :34

• 600 CD

Friday 2/4 – Theme: Distance on Friday?!? (~7200)

Took a pretty big recovery nap this morning – felt better after.

• 1600 w-up
• 600 on 8:30 (7:38)
• 1×100 on 1:15 (1:11)
• 500 on 6:50 (6:40)
• 2×100 on 1:15 (1:11, 1:13)
• 400 on 5:20? (5:17?)
• 3×100 on 1:20 (1:17ish)
• 300 on 3:55 (3:43?)
• 4×100 on 1:20 (1:17ish)
• 200 on 2:30 (2:28?)
• 5×100 on 1:25 (made them)
• 1×100 on 1:15 (1:14)
• 6×100 on 1:25 (made them, took last 2 ez)
• 18×50 kick w/fins on 1:00 (fly on back, back on side, free on side) Held :33ish
• 500 ez

It didn’t go as well as I would have liked, but considering that I spent 5 days sitting in hospital chairs, and I tried to go fast yesterday, I’m not too unhappy, athletically.