small tweaks = huge gains
i pr'd my swim this weekend!
i pr'd my swim this weekend!
i pr'd my swim this weekend!
.....
did i mention i pr'd my swim this weekend!?
*sigh*
i am so thrilled.
honestly 100% absolutely stoked, elated, pee your pants from joy---THRILLED!!!
a little over a month ago, no joke, i was about ready to quit. i'd swam (swummed? swimmed?) my first 500 for time, and the result was less than ideal.
like.. minutes less than ideal.
like... dear god in heaven did i miss count?, less than ideal.
it was my first smack in the face of what if i can't do this? and i didn't take it very well. swimming since then has been... a struggle... and to say that i'm confident i'll finish in the cutoff time, even now, would...
well...
be a lie.
HOWEVER, this weekend.. huge gains!
a couple weeks ago i met with my coach to talk about my stroke and since then... things have kind of clicked.
saturday was my first 2000+ day and while i was a weetle nervous -- since tweaking my stroke my muscles have been screaming at me -- i was excited as well.
2000+ is a big deal for me!
so away i went, ready to swim.
and shockingly... i did. i was ON.
i mean, i was just so on.
and loving it.
loving EVERY SECOND of it.
towards the end of the workout i had 5x100 with 30 second intervals to do before my final cooldown, and on my last one, i glanced at my watch....
not really trying to go for time -- at this point my muscles felt like they would atrophy and die -- but just taking note of the time and... when i got back to the wall it read 2:00 flat.
(as point of reference, my 500 pace was almost 3:00 and my fastest 100 ever, at an all out dead swim was 2:07.
have i mentioned i suck?
oh yeah, really.
i am that bad.)
that can't be right.
......
that cannot be right. i did not just swim that fast. i did not. i did not just swim 100 in 2:00 flat. that cannot be right.
i was shocked. amazed.
it was the end of my first 2000 day, my shoulders and arms felt a lot like they were on fire and i was pretty zonked from the millions of drills. how on EARTH, while not sprinting, just swimming my regular holy-shit-i'm-tired-pace, did i just swim in 2:00 flat?
that cannot be right.
but ya know what?
it WAS.
because of course at that point... i just had to see for myself!
i swam one more 100, smooth, concentrating on my stroke, not straining to go fast, but just swimming right and..
2:00:54.
oh. my. god.
i was on cloud nine.
elated. thrilled. wanting desperately to scream at the top of my lungs, jump up and down, and give someone a high five.
TWO MINUTES FLAT! can you believe that?!
that's like.... one second away from SUB 2:00!!!!!!!!!!
that's insane!!!
needless to say i left the pool very happy with my day. now all i have to do is...
well...
do it again!
..... and again.. and again... and again....
Comments
That's awesome!
I am totally in the same boat as you. When I started swimming in December I did a 3 x 300 test to get my avg. per 100 and it came out at 1:47. I was so bummed.
Then, just last week, I hired a coach who made me do 10 x 100 (:10 rest!) and I avgeraged out at 1:35!!
So proof that you can make significant gains in just a couple months!
Way to go!
Posted by: Andrea | March 10, 2008 12:13 PM
That's awesome!
I am totally in the same boat as you. When I started swimming in December I did a 3 x 300 test to get my avg. per 100 and it came out at 1:47. I was so bummed.
Then, just last week, I hired a coach who made me do 10 x 100 (:10 rest!) and I avgeraged out at 1:35!!
So proof that you can make significant gains in just a couple months!
Way to go!
Posted by: Andrea | March 10, 2008 12:14 PM
Keep up the good work AJ!!!
Posted by: Wendy | March 10, 2008 12:45 PM
Keep up the good work AJ!!!
Posted by: Wendy | March 10, 2008 12:45 PM
Rad!
I took some lessons and actually got slower. I'd kill for 2:00!
Posted by: Danielle in Iowa | March 10, 2008 01:00 PM
Awesome! Congrats on the breakthrough:)
Posted by: alili | March 10, 2008 01:23 PM
You go girl!!! That is awesome!
Posted by: Greyt Times | March 10, 2008 01:25 PM
Great Job! Form and efficency in the water goes a long way. :)
Posted by: Triseverance | March 10, 2008 02:04 PM
you uber swimmer!
progress is a MAJOR motivator and you'll blow that cutoff away.
awesome!
Posted by: TJ | March 10, 2008 02:15 PM
You've stumbled upon the secret: speed isn't always about working harder! Way to knock those times down.
Posted by: Donald | March 10, 2008 04:29 PM
That's awesome! Under 2:00 is such a milestone and you're THIS close, chica!
Now...the question is this: yards or meters? Because, believe me (or not) it adds up like wildfire over 1.2 miles. 2,112 yd = 1,931 meters. :D
Posted by: Andra | March 10, 2008 04:50 PM
if you could only see the smile on my face!
Posted by: bold | March 10, 2008 05:32 PM
Wow! Congrads!!
Posted by: Denise "Firefly" | March 10, 2008 06:02 PM
I just wrote about swimming repeat 100s on the 2:10 and I was very happy with that so booyah! You're cookin' now!
Posted by: 21stCenturyMom | March 10, 2008 07:27 PM
Yeah! Good for you!
Posted by: BettyBetty | March 10, 2008 07:45 PM
That's awesome! You're going to kick some serious ass in that race with 2:00's! Well done.
Posted by: rainmaker | March 10, 2008 09:32 PM
Little Miss Aqua Pants
Posted by: greyhound | March 11, 2008 09:25 AM
sweet job lady! youre turning into a real fishy! go get em charlie tuna pants!
Posted by: Kim | March 11, 2008 01:30 PM
first a 7 on the treadmill, and now this!! i'm just glad you're not in my age group. wait, you're not in my age group right??
go on girl!!!
Posted by: monica | March 12, 2008 02:02 AM
Well, that is just awesome!! You are inspiring to get back into the pool after 3 weeks of nothing!!
Posted by: J (Julia) | March 12, 2008 10:55 AM
Great job on the swim. Nice workout.
Posted by: waddler26.6 | March 15, 2008 02:41 AM