Going Postal...

A month ago I got an email from my masters coach about doing a "1-hour Postal Swim"...um, sounds great, but what does that mean?

It's just a way to test yourself and see how far you can swim in an hour.  You have to have someone count laps for you because you submit your distance and splits to the US Masters Swim..it's OFFICIAL!  It's a great way to see where you're at and where you can go.  They take the information and base a training plan for where you're at.  Sounded great to me....I was in.  To be able to just swim and not worry about keeping count on laps, perfect.  I had to beg, plead, pull  bring a friend with me to count laps and I was set.

The day of the swim, I found my self getting nervous as we drove to the pool, why I have no idea...just how I do it!  My goal was to swim 2-miles or at least 3,000 yards.  I was just excited to see what I could do.  I told my friend/counter to let me know when I complete each, 500 so I can get a feel for where I was at. My plan was to swim a comfortable pace and keep my form and then in the last 5-15 minutes...push it, depending on where I was.

We started and I had an end lane, which was nice and we were in the pool I always swim in...which you can't beat...you know, home court advantage!  I love our pool, I love to swim in our pool, this is our pool!  Ok, ok!  

Was feeling great, calm and was focusing on my stroke and not going to fast.  I hated to stop and ask if I had reached 500 yet, but my curiosity will always get the best of me and I asked if I had done 500 yet...she said something and I couldn't hear so I kept swimming...finally she said I had and it was 10 minutes in so I did the calculations in my head and I was on target, sweet!  My pace was where I needed it to be and I just need to stay the course and remain calm. I was working hard, but it was very doable for the remainder of the hour.  I checked again at 1000 and again couldn't understand her, but next check she said I was at 1100...I loved hearing I was further than I thought.  Time was still right on and I figured I was swimming an average of 1000 yds every 20-minutes, I liked it!  I had assumed before I came to swim that I could do 500 every 10-minutes so I was right on.

At the end there would be a blow-horn to signal us to stop and I kept watching the clock because I didn't want to miss it.  I kept pushing it, but was tired.  I never stopped, but I did do 25 yds of breaststroke, 3 separate times through out the hour when I noticed I was getting tired, losing form and needed to switch it up.  The hour flew by and I was in my groove...I love when that happens.

I really pushed it the last 5-minutes and watched the clock as the 60-minutes was almost up...when the clock was clear...I stopped but no blow-horn and my friend said to keep going, they had started the clock 1-minute late, shoot...that was lost time.  I swam hard for the last 50 and then it was over!  I was tired, but pumped with my results, 3100 yards in an hour!  Not my 2-miles, but still great.

Official Distance	Splits	Date	Age Group
3100 Yards	500 split 9:12.00 1000 split 18:59.00 1500 split 29:00.00 2000 split 39:05.00 2500 split 48:54.00 3000 split 58:22.00 3100 final 1:00:00.00	01/29/2012	30-34

I wasn't as tired as I thought I would be.  Well until that night when I went to bed at 8:30pm and didn't wake up until 8:30am the next day.  Clearly the swim had worn me out.  I don't remember the last time I slept that long.

Monday is my Masters Swim day and I debated not going, but thought, nahhh...I will be fine!  I shortly would realize that I should have stayed home.  I have never been sore in my shoulders from swimming, but when I got into the pool...my shoulders were shot!  I was tired and considerably slower than usual.  Note to self...AFTER an hour swim...TAKE A BREAK the next day!  I got out of the pool 15-minutes earlier than usual.

So glad I did the swim and got the results I wanted!  I'm loving the swimming thing!  It's been so refreshing to jump into a new swimming routine!