Swim 4k - Done!

This morning I got up and went to the pool. I dropped the kids off at the daycare and headed to the locker room where I realized I didn't have my swimming suit. Ethan was really disappointed to have to leave right when we got there, but he was ok when we got home and he got to play on the computer.

There wasn't really time to go back before Ethan had to go to school so I decided to do it in the evening. You know how I hate working out in the evening, especially when it's swimming because the pool is so crowded then, but that seemed like the best thing to do. I was able to do a bunch of cleaning and take a nice nap, snuggled up next to the big pile of laundry that needs to be folded, while Elle slept for 2 1/2 hours! It was nice to recover a little longer from such a hard day yesterday.

I got in the pool just after 7, and did my long swim from yesterday:

S: long day-mental toughness day!
8 x 500, odds are RPE3, evens RPE 5

It has this workout scheduled for 2 hours, but I had no intention of having it last that long. At first I thought I would just do all 4000 meters without stopping, but then I decided it would be easier to keep track if I did them in sets of 500s. 80 laps are a lot to count! So I did 10 laps 8 times. The odds took me about 10:30 and the evens took me about 9:40. It seemed like so much swimming to do, but I was surprised when I got to my 3rd easy set and I realized that it was set #5, so I was more than half-way done! 

At one point I had to get out and move down to a different lane because the Masters people were starting to come in. The coach said she usually has 20-25 people come so it gets pretty full. I was worried I would end up having to get out, but I was lucky because it wasn't very full today! I got to finish out all my laps, and only had to share a lane for like 2 laps. 

I got done at 8:33 so it was just about an hour and a half to do the Ironman distance. Of course it will be different when I'm out there in open water with waves, no wall to kick off of every 21 strokes and 2000 other people to avoid being hit by, but I think this was a good time. I felt pretty good. By the end my shoulders were getting pretty sore, but it's not like I was about to drown or anything. I could have kept going. 

I wore the pink swim cap that I got at the St. George Tri (I had to use it sometime right?), and when I got out, it had all turned orange except where the straps for my goggles went. This made me feel the need to wash my hair twice. I resisted the urge to wash it a 3rd time by telling myself I'll just be showering in the morning after my next training session. Tune in tomorrow to see what it will be! (So exciting, I know!)