It was my first time back in the pool today for about three weeks, and boy did I suffer.  My swim was not particularly long, but it included several sets of hard intervals on minimum rest.

One of the training philosophies we have at C26 Triathlon, is that when we go to the pool, we work hard.  It is very rare that we go and just swim.  Our workouts are structured to include fast swimming, often on minimal rest .  It is far more common for me to be gasping for air in the pool, compared to when I bike or run.

To become a good athlete, you have to work on developing your cardiovascular system.  Just like any other system, you do this by stressing it to enable adaptation.  The reason we chose to work hard in the pool, is that it enables us to work that cardiovascular system, while at the same time minimizing the risk of injury.

We could chose to do a lot of anaerobic work while running, but running is much more stressful on the body.  We work hard on the bike too, but getting anaerobic in the pool is easier.  This is because breathing is more limited while swimming.

So I was back in the pool today and working hard.  I worked my cardiovascular system to the point where I was hypoxic at times.  Being hypoxic is an uncomfortable feeling, but also very good for me.  Sometimes you need to suffer a little to make progress.