The end of my training week is going to be huge, so on day four, I was restricted to just one workout; a swim. It was no ordinary swim however. I was a big one.
When training it is always critical to remember, that other aspects of your life can impact how your workout goes. Sometimes these ‘life factors’ can have a big effect. I think I experienced a little bit of that today in the pool.
First some background. Outside of triathlon, I have spent the past three days painting the entry way to our house. This is a two story entrance, with a flight of stairs leading to the upstairs. Painting this room has been an adventure, with lots of climbing ladders and assembling/disassembling of platforms. This, together with lots of overhead painting, has left my arms and shoulders a little tired. That tiredness showed up in the pool this evening.
My pool workout was as follows:
- 200 Swim
- 200 Swim with Pull Buoy
- 200 Kick
- 200 Swim with Pull Buoy
- 4 x 50 Fast on 30″ rest
- 24 x 100 at 80-85% Effort on 20″ rest
The total distance of my swim was 3,400 yards and by the end of it, I was getting very fatigued and my form was suffering. This meant my pace was dropping significantly. While I didn’t necessarily like the times I was seeing, I was determined to finish the swim. I did that, even if it got ugly towards the end.
So day four didn’t go that great. In the scheme of things however, one ‘lower than average’ workout is nothing. I have them all the time, and they still add to my training.
As mentioned above, I have three very big days ahead. I am preparing for this by increasing my food intake. I will need the fuel for what is to come.
