Swimmingly

It sure was fun to swim every day last week. I ended up swimming five days in a row, averaging 2200m each session. The pleasure of swimming in the outdoor pool on these crazy hot, dry days cannot be improved upon. It even inspired me to buy a bikini after I discovered my bathing suit was literally disintegrating and leaving black tarry marks all over my back. I could feel my cardio-vascular improvements over the week.

But I only ran once last week, believe it or not. I did a speed run on Thursday evening in insane heat, on a hilly trail. I was laying down a just-under 5 min/km pace, even with the hills, for the first 4 km, but then I kind of tanked. I was surprised I made it 5, actually, though the end time was reasonable, just over 25 minutes. Thursday was my super-hero day. I started with the spin/weight class, swam 2300m, then finished with the run. But I totally forgot to stretch! I was stiff the next day.

That said, I remembered to stretch virtually every other day last week, and feel better for it.

At yesterday's soccer game, I thought I'd feel all fit and fresh, but the weird thing is that I felt pretty winded, pretty fast. It was only by the second half that I started to feel better, and even then, it was relative. I think I'd just gotten used to feeling winded and realized I could keep playing winded and not hit a wall. Instead, I got slammed by the opposing team, not once but twice. I'm bruised and battered today, and wondering whether it's worth it to risk being concussed ... as a speedy forward, I'm a moving a target, and I've found that the less skilled a defender, the more likely she is to push, slide-tackle, or otherwise maim the incoming player. These are usually big women, too. My happiest moment in yesterday's game was when two defenders attempted to make a Carrie sandwich of me, on one of my runs to the net, but I slipped through and they ran into each other instead. No, I wasn't sorry in the least.

On the soccer front, this past week I practiced running with the ball -- it's all about touch. At AppleApple's Monday night soccer practice, I take the other kids, and we practice on a field nearby too. So on Monday, we basically ran up and down the field, taking shots on the net. I also got the kids to throw balls at me so I could practice receiving and turning them with my body. I still need a lot of work on that skill, but Kevin said I was positioning myself better on the field already, with my body facing to turn rather than facing my own net head-on. And I had a breakaway where I controlled the ball perfectly while running up the field, and was able to take a decent shot (which was saved). It wasn't the greatest shot, but it was not bad, and I was most proud of having keep control of the ball and maintained speed on that run.

Here is what I need to work on, likely by visualizing it: running before the ball is kicked. We have a great player on our team, head and shoulders above the rest of us. She plays midfield, and she's able to control the flow of the game, but she needs someone to pass to in order to create goal-scoring changes. I'm striving to be that someone. My problem is that I hesitate. She'll say: Carrie, go! as she prepares to kick the ball. But instead I wait to where the ball will go and then run after it. This is frustrating for her, and doesn't do a ton of good. Kevin explained why. My job is to make space. So by running into space, I'm giving her somewhere to kick the ball to -- not the other way round. In other words, I need to create the play, not wait to see what's going to happen. Plus, if I'm moving, my defender will have to move too, and it will throw her off. That's my goal for next game -- run into space without hesitation.

Can't really practice that tonight, so instead I'll practice running with the ball, shooting/passing into the net, and receiving and turning the ball.

Which reminds me -- I guess I did run on Monday night, if sprinting back and forth down a soccer field counts. I think it does, even though I have no idea how far or how fast I was running ...

Not sure what my training plan is for this week. A couple more runs needed, methinks, in addition to the swims. Physio exercises to be continued. And swims to be enjoyed!