My First "Double" in a Long Time

Today was my first weight workout with the group.  I chose to ease into these since these are challenging physical days for me with only one practice per day plus dryland.  Today I chose to swim my first "double", a term many teams/sports use to refer to two practices per day.  I haven't done a double since the summer of 2009, and I only did a few of them while training with EMU's summer practice squad.  The morning began with a 1 hour weight workout.  By not knowing where to go, I lifted upstairs for 30 minutes like an idiot, assuming nobody showed up for the weights.  I eventually did some recon, asked around and found the team in the basement weight facility... a room I didn't even know existed.  On a side note, the "M" and "Michigan" branding is extensive.  I can't even imagine how much this university has paid in stickers, painting and printing efforts to put the logo on so many things.  It's everywhere you look.  On one side, it's really impressive and immersive, on the other, it's like... ok, we get it.... I know I'm at U of M.  Overall I like it even though it's a bit overdone.  The weight workout was 70% normal stuff I've done, 10% stuff I could have imagined other teams did, and 20% exercises which have never crossed my mind in any way, shape, or form.  The 20% amazed me.  I felt pretty awkward through the weight workout, just lots to learn, and I felt pretty self conscious doing it all, knowing I was probably doing some of them wrong.  Thus far the team has been helpful, and haven't laughed in my face anyway, perhaps behind my back.  They would have plenty of reasons.

I've only made slight progress in the last week at understanding these written swimming workouts.  Today I found myself in the majority of the group when more than half of the guys were utterly confused as to how the main set was intended to be swum.  I sincerely like the workouts but I'm really having a tough time following them.  This morning we did "buckets" and "chutes".  We went off the blocks the typical 8+ times during the workout.  I'm impressed at how many "race pace" type exercises we do.  So many sets have a "burst" or other high intensity swimming.  There seems to be at least one set a day where we are going off the blocks at full speed and doing a full 15 meter underwater kick.  These types of sets are easy to understand how they apply to real races.  I'm enjoying training like this.  I think I might have a good 50 Free at nationals due to all this freestyle swimming.  There has been quite a bit of underwater kicking.  I have the speed to hang with these guys but nowhere near the lung capacity.  These swimmers are so much better than me underwater it makes me look like a fool.  I know I'll improve, but in the mean time, I'm feeling pretty pathetic when we have repeated 25 meters underwater and I can't even make it past a few of them.  The other day we had 20x25's underwater on the :30.  I made about  4 of them and started coming up early.  I was the only guy not making them. Sad.  I'll get there someday.  We did a 4,500 meter threshold set, I didn't do so well but made all the intervals.  The one thing I can be proud of is that I've swum every single meter/yard I've been assigned.  Although I've been at the back of the pack, I've made every interval, no exceptions.  I'm proud that I can at least survive on this team at this point.  I'm looking forward to exceling once I get used to this type of training.

 I had a short but pleasant conversation with Coach Mike Bottom after the practice.  He asked how I was doing.  As with most people who have asked lately, I conveyed that I was doing well but the transition has been tough.  I let him know that I felt like I was making progress each day.  I'm feeling better and more confident with each practice I get under my belt.  I informed him that I would be traveling to the Short Course Nationals meet out in Arizona this weekend.  He seemed happy that I would be competing.  We discussed the meet and I asked if I could take it easy on Wednesday to prepare for the meet.  He happily agreed.

I'm looking forward to the meet but I doubt I'll swim well.  I'm pretty run down and I don't see a real need to taper down for the meet.  I'm not really trying to prove anything, I just want to go race and have fun.  I'll make it an easy practice on Wed, perhaps no practice on Thursday due to travel and with any luck I'll be mostly not-sore by the time the meet begins on Friday.