Swimmer's Bisque

I'm running out of cooking descriptions to describe how hot the water it.  Water temps in the 90's is just not working for me.  The easiest of workouts are getting harder and harder.  The cool off periods in between portions of the sets are getting too long.  I kept feeling like my body was resetting itself each time we started to swim again.  It's frustrating for my training.  I'm guessing I'm in the best shape ever with my cross training.  But my swim training is a whole other story.

The Swimmer's Bisque Recipe Workout -

1x500 loosen.  I did a 550 mixing it up with some pulling, swimming and drilling.

1x200 kick with fins.  I did this butterfly on my back.  I was hypnotized by the moon in the sky.  Since it was really dark the light of the moon is what illuminated the sky.  Do I dare say that it was a pretty sight.

4x50 on 1:00 kick/swim with fins.  I did them butterfly and back.

2x200 on 3:20 - negative split and swim the 2nd faster.  I did these IM.  The first one was horrible.  I was just trying to get my body to function.  The water was warm and I just couldn't get any speed.

4x100 on 1:45 - breathe every 5, 4, 3 on the 1st one, breathe 4,3, 2, 2 on the 2nd and so on.  Descend 1 - 4.  Grrr...the first 100 was ugly.  The stopping and resting really was a bit too much but the water was so hot we had no choice.

6x50 on :50 pull with paddles and pull buoys.  Well aren't I a genius.  When I packed my bag this morning I somehow only packed my right hand paddle.  I tried just using the one paddle but it made no sense.  Luckily it wasn't like paddling a canoe as I didn't go in circles.

6x50 on 1:10 with fins descend.  Yeah we only did 4 of them.

25s.  Yeah, that didn't really happen.  I did some turns still trying to figure them out.

We will take time between each set because the water is HOT!

And that was it. So 2,050 yard swim.  At least yesterday I got in a good workout at the gym.  Some spinning, weights and zumba.  Okay so Zumba really isn't a tough workout since I have no idea what I'm doing.  But I'm having fun trying.  Speaking of Cross-Training the NY Times has an interesting article that just confuses me even more about Cross-Training:

    A more recent study of experienced runners by a group of Norwegian researchers confirmed that weight lifting could increase performance. One group did half squats with heavy weights three times a week while continuing a running program. The other group just ran. Those who did the squats improved their running efficiency and improved the length of time they could run before exhaustion set in.

    Similar studies also have found the effect in cyclists, but not in swimmers, Dr. Tanaka said. Swimmers do get faster, however, when they try a very specific type of resistance training, done while in the water, that concentrates on the movements they use in their strokes.

For me I know it is helping my endurance if not speed but since my swim workouts are not like the use to be who knows.  I'll just continue doing what I'm doing till I either sink to the bottom of the pool or get better at it.