Get More Sleep

We should all sleep more. Starting with me. I like the idea of going to bed early to read until I pass out. Maybe with a cup of Kava tea. I need to order a book I like, then. What I do instead is watch a show on the laptop and then fart around on the Internet until I realize it's pretty late. Or last night I was actually playing piano and figuring out Joanna Newsom chords when I realized it was 11.

I went to bed around 11 but couldn't fall asleep until around 12 and got out of bed around 6:20. That's not optimal for a workout that is on a higher level than I can keep up with. But I ate my egg on bread and drank my coffee and water and went anyway, even though I was in a foul mood.

Today I had about 3 25 m laps that felt almost comfortable (swimming freestyle). We "warmed up" with 100 m freestyle, 100 m backstroke, 100 m freestyle. I did 100 m, 50 back stroke, 100 freestyle. Then I did another 200 m freestyle when we were supposed to do 400 with some "catch-up" and "half-catch-up" drills thrown in there, but I just practiced my freestyle until it was time to jump out and put on shoes.

I jogged to the ramp, up the ramp, then walked the top. When I rounded the curve at the top of the ramp, I saw the majority of the class at the bottom receiving instructions from Mandy, who was perched on a bike. It turns out that we had to do lunges up the first third of the ramp, then a jog with our heels hitting our butts up the second third, then a sprint up the final third. We walked down and repeated that sequence three more times. Then she had us do a sideways gallop up the ramp and a top-third sprint. Walk down, repeat on other side. I skipped side two of the crab gallop. Then we sprinted up, walked, sprinted. Twice. Then we sprinted all the way to the other side of the ramp and jogged the long route back to the pool. She said we were supposed to do an "85% jog" between posts and a "50% jog" to rest between intervals. I just tried not to walk. I made it around the curve, through the gate, and past the Advocate building before I felt really overheated and sick and slowed to a walk the rest of the way. Mandy didn't yell or anything--I think she figured we were spent after all those ramp sprints. But she did tell me to run once I got to the pool parking lot, so I technically finished with a little run.

According to her, this is our last week to "train." Next week I guess we are just going to focus on racing. I actually have only made it two days per week for the past three or so weeks because of vacation, house guests, and one alarm goof. I did supplement with a few bike rides and runs, though. Whatever. I'll just try to keep moving until the day of the race and then keep trying after it's over. I wonder how I am going to keep running and also get back to training my ballet technique. I really haven't danced much this summer.