Hump Day

No revelations today: just more difficult swimming and running. We did free swim for 200 m, then another one, then another one, and I didn't complete any but one and I lost count of the total. Freestyle the whole way except for the "pulls" exercise, which is still half freestyle. I'm okay on those but still totally running out of breath after 50 m. I need the space and time to practice swimming the 350 m by myself. But I'd have to be there by 5:30 in the morning on Tuesdays or Thursdays if I want to use the pool.

A new thing we did was swimming "sprints." Mandy had us hang on to the side of the pool and kick as hard as we can for 30 seconds or something. Then bam, we had to turn around, push off, and kick super hard/fast while swimming freestyle. It was exhausting but my stroke was better when I did that. She had to yell "Come on Rikki" a couple of times to keep me from dropping out. I made it, though.

Then a small run: .75 miles. But with a traffic ramp and stairs. That fucking traffic ramp.

We did a hard swim, dragged ourselves out of the pool, ripped off cap and goggles (and for me, earplugs), pulled on shorts, and tried to get on shoes and socks while Mandy is counting down from 60 backward. She wants us to transition in less than a minute.

Let me just state the obvious: it sucks to start running when you're empty on oxygen.

I jogged the first part (around the pool, through the parking lot, down the service road, past The Advocate, past the tennis courts and yes, all the way up the damn concrete ramp). I started walking at the top of the ramp--cars were zooming down Bluebonnet beneath me. I walked down, too, because Mandy was no where in hearing range (yet). I let my body weight accelerate me to a sad trot and kept it up for a bit longer. Mandy was up ahead at the top of the stairs (to the walking bridge over Bluebonnet). I started jogging when I was in her range of vision. I know I won't get "in trouble" or anything, and she knows that WE know that she does what she does to encourage us. So I jogged up the stairs and she pep-talked me all the way up. I started walking when I got to the top. I walked a while and then finished with a jog after some encouragement from Carrie, who is also training for the first time ever and hating the running.

At the end, I bent over on a bench at the gym entrance to hang out in the AC for a minute and catch my breath. V came by to say Hi and ask if I was ready for Friday. "What's on Friday, biking?" I asked. "Oh, it's a mini-triathalon Friday," she said. "We're doing swimming, biking, then running."

The answer is no.