Swim yourself fit

Just a quick note about swimming -- again!

The kids are done their swim lessons, but my husband and I have enjoyed swimming so much that we're keeping it going this week. Yesterday was our anniversary, so we met for a swim, and then went for lunch. We can't do that every day, but the swim portion took us about an hour, so we figure we can squeeze that in quite often. I plan to meet him again today for another swim.

Yesterday I tried out a new arm position on my pull. I've been watching the Olympic swimmers and noticed that they use a much deep pull than I've been using. So I tried going a bit deeper, with my elbows bent, yesterday, and it felt like I was getting a more powerful pull. I was definitely going faster too. I ploughed through my usual 1600m (which is all I've had time to do during the kids' swim lessons) almost too fast, and wished I'd gone to 2000m. That's my plan for today, assuming the arms hold out. It is more tiring, and uses the back muscles slightly differently.

I think as a method of bumping up my fitness, regardless of how fast I'm able to go, swimming every week day for the past three weeks has been fantastic. At soccer on Sunday, I was able to run and run and run. I didn't feel winded, and I still had sprints left in me even at the end of the game.

I haven't done a long run since that 18.5km a couple of weekends ago when I was seriously dehydrated and felt awful by the end. Instead I've been doing much shorter speed runs. On Thursday, I ended with a number of sprints up a hill. Fun. Seriously. I think that kind of training helps with my soccer fitness, and vice versa -- the soccer games themselves help with my ability to sprint and recover. If I could just find time to add in the long runs ...

Well, it's never perfect. But I've also been doing my strength and stretching stuff more regularly. Need to after soccer -- want to, in fact. Otherwise I'm stiff as a board. I got a new foam roller that I'm using to roll out my glutes and IT band. I make the most awful noises while rolling on there, plus I look totally awkward. Ah, fitness ....