Today is officially the hottest day of the year, according to the weather records (98 degrees with a heat index of 104). I made the terrible decision to swim after work yesterday, and I nearly overheated. I stuck to my plan to go early this morning. I was in the pool by 10:30. Luckily the water was a bit cooler, and the guards were adding fresh, cool water, when I got there. I decided to work on drills today. No speed work at all. The water is just too warm for that. I did a lot of paddle work today. I intentionally left my zoomers in my bag, so I wouldn't be tempted. Did my best to really work on this drill today: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=832106714345
Tomorrow, I'm really going to concentrate on my fly. It should be easier, since I'll be swimming at the indoor pool in my hometown. The water should be just right...much cooler! I'm going to start with this drill. It's one of my favorites, and it really loosens up any stiffness in my back.
I'm going to work on the 3-3-3 drill. Since I'm still strengthening my dophin kick, I'm going to use my fins for some extra propulsion.
Had a great, long day at the pool. I got there around 1 p.m. I got in a 2000 meter workout. My flipturns are really coming along now. For some reason, last week I got a new case of wall fear. I started having trouble judging my distance. I'm happy to report that I've gotten over that.
After the workout, I went to the outdoor pool. Two friends, Amber and LaKeithea, met me there. We hung out until nearly 6 tonight. We had a GREAT afternoon just hanging at the pool. It's such a treat to just have an afternoon at the pool with friends. I'm usually at the pool to workout and practice. I hope to have a girl pool day again soon!
When I left for the pool yesterday, the heat index was 108! It was a balmy swim, to say the least. Luckily we've had some rain, and the guards have been adding cool water, so the water isn't unbearable. A few weeks ago, the outdoor pool water had reached around 92 and 93 degrees. Those were some of the slowest workouts I've ever done! I know it's not good for you, but I just can't resist the outdoor pool. It shuts down in about 3 weeks, so I'm taking advantage of it, while I can. I managed to get 2,000 yds in, and called it a day. I didn't want to overheat. The humidity has been so bad that it takes me an hour to feel dry, after I've gotten out of the pool and cleaned up.
The weather doesn't look promising today. There's already a thick layer of clouds with the threat of rain and storms. If I swim at all today, it will probably be in the indoor pool.
My husband and I took a quick, overnight getaway to Atlanta last night. We went to see a concert by one of our favorite bands, The Scorpions. One of the best parts of the trip was getting to relax at the hotel, before the concert. They had a fairly decent sized pool, for a hotel. It wasn't big enough to do full laps, but I was able to practice strokes. I even attempted the butterfly stroke, just to see what I had to work with. I definitely need help at the start, but once I get going, at least I have something to work with. Here's some quick snapshots of pool time.
I've practically had to sit on my hands all day today. I've been trying to NOT go to the pool today, because I REALLY need to cross train. I NEED to go running tonight. My problem is that I LOVE the pool so much, I have a hard time staying out of it to cross train. I always sign up for 5Ks to keep myself in check. My next 5k The Fenton Payne & Fred is in a month, so I need to step it up! This is the 3rd year that I've done this race. I'm hoping for my time to break under 30 minutes this year. I've come SOOO close. I'm not extrememly fast, but I still enjoy it. I plan to finish up afterwards by a session of yoga to stretch out. That is...if I can stay out of the pool!
Earlier today, I came across an interesting link over on Facebook. The title of the article was, "Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning". Since I read just about everything concerning swimming and water, I clicked to have a look. This article was a sobering shock for me. Some of the information I knew, and some I didn't. Either way, it was good to be reminded and also to have new information. If you swim anywhere, you should read and be aware of this article: Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning.
