Swimming Is Easy, Math Is Hard!

I swear some workouts that I have no memory or ability to do simple math.  The memory thing is odd for me as I contain huge amounts of useless knowledge.  People IM me and text me whenever they have some trivia question.  But get me in the water and tell me that every 2nd and 5th lap I need to switch strokes or have me swim various lengths with various intervals and I get lost.  I need to swim only multiples of 100's all on basic intervals (only evens 10's nothing with 5's) and all the same stroke.  Otherwise my mind turns into jelly and I get so lost.  I can't lead otherwise.  Now tonight's workout was pretty straight forward and with a little bit of a rest break in between changes I was able to remember what to do.  Plus I'm learning if I talk to myself about the set I seem to be able to remember is.  So if the coach writes is down and I speak it out I'm pretty good.  But if the coach just verbally announces the set I'm doomed.  Back in my school days once I wrote down notes in my notebook I never had to look at the notebook again I just remembered.  Memory works in mysterious ways.

Tonight's workout was very lightly attended and I had my own lane for the whole warmup.  Then we all shifted but with only 3 fast lane swimmers it was great.  In fact the people I shared with are great guys so it was a joy to swim.  I know some people don't like swimming with me and there are some people I don't like swimming with.  But the guys tonight are lowkey and very nice.  And I do like tonights coach even after bitching about him in a post a few weeks ago.  I realized he makes comments to me because he knows I can do the intervals and his comments are because of that.  It's sorta like the old Friday morning and weekend coach.  She was on my case but in a good way.  And ya sometimes I'd sass back but she knew to push me.   Which is a good thing as some coaches would rather just write me off then to actually push me and others seem to give me too much praise when I really need someone saying "that was crap".  But as I have said a billion times I like all my coaches as they all bring something different to the table.  I know what I'll be getting before hand and just need to get my mind in the right train of thought for each of them. 

As for the workout...

Warmed Up

400 Swim

300 Pull

200 Kick which I did so slow hoping we'd hold up to regroup.  Ugh!

50 Swim.  This coach always gives us 400/300/200/100 S/P/K/S.  Very rarely do I get to do all of it.  Usually I chit chat and take my time.  After regrouping me started a kick set.  Ugh! (950)

12x50's Kick.  Rotating 1 free on our side, 1 butterfly on our side and 1 breaststroke.  I took a pee break and missed 1 breaststroke.  Such a shame!  (550/1500)

Then a 50 easy (50/1550)

Main Set

12x150's!  As follows -

4x150's Free on 2 Mins

take 45 seconds rest

4x150's on 2:15 2nd and 5th lap fly.  The first two hurt as hell.  But felt good on the third.  So much so the three of us were all on top of each other.  They got slower and I was just hitting my stride.  We then started going 10 seconds apart.

take 45 seconds rest

4x150's on 2:15 the middle 50 was fly.  Wahoo!  This was sorta easier then the middle round.  Mainly cuz' my body doesn't like to switch strokes midswimming.  Mainly why I don't like IM.  Well the 400 IM isn't so bad.  My slow twitch muscles like to stick to one stroke at a time.  I took the first two easy but the last two felt pretty good.  The last one I felt like I was ready to do a 200 fly.  Although that last 50 free wasn't so good.  I even did an open turn.  Mainly cuz' I felt like I was burning up.  Damn pool!  It was better then Friday night but still a bit warm to be swimming hard.  (1800/3350)

Then we did a 50 easy so I'm up to 3,400 yards.  The next thing up was a set of 50's.  It was 8:15 so I decided only to swim 2 of them for a warmdown and get out.  That way I had plenty of time to hit Trader Joe's on my way home to pick up dinner.  Swimming at 7pm is great but getting home at 9pm sorta sucks.  I mean I use to work and get home at 9pm and then wake up the next morning at 5am but I'm getting too old for that. 

Total yards was 3450.  I'll update my month to date when I do my monthly swimming recap.  As for my memory I find if funny that when swimming sometimes I can't always remember what I'm doing but I can blog about it hours later.  Cuz' like writting in my notebook actually swimming it makes it stick with useless knowledge about tv pilots that never aired that I loved!  Dear Hollywood, Please don't redo Torchwood!  You can't do it justice!