31.05.12 Monster set!

I looked on my swim coaches website yesterday to see that the new program was available to view and saw the main set for today.  Hustle and Hurt 5-8 X 300m.  I get there and there is a 300m warm up followed by a 300m kick session and then followed by another 300m warmup.

Then it was onto the main set 8 X 300m.  It was a killer with the first 100m at full sprint then the second 100m at a pace that you could maintain and the last 100m in recovery.  These are some of the hardest sets in swimming because you bring your body to fatigue and then you can't just stop and suck in big gulps of air, you have to keep going.  Not only that you are still going at a reasonable pace and trying to suck in big gulps of air in water!  The last 100 you pulled right back and had a relaxing swim before finally stopping for 45 seconds and then doing it all over again.  I was put in the fast lane again, I should take this  as a compliment but when you are swimming behind a olympic swimmer and an American girl who looks like she was also an ex olympian...it does not make for a fun swim session!  The two olympians finished the set with 2 sets still to go whilst the rest of the lane finished all 8 sets.  A warm down of 300m finished the set.  I was stretching on the pool side and was doing the math and realized that we had swum 3.6km today, a monster set.  I was absolutely exhausted!

Whilst having lunch I was on the internet and somehow stumbled across an article on Barefoot running catching on in Wellington from back in January.  I start reading it and am blown away by the comparisons of the people who start running barefoot and what they are feeling.  I can't actually believe that they are talking experiencing the same calve pain that I have experienced when they first start running in their Vibram.  I keep reading and honestly can't believe win I read that one of the people interviewed stated that her posture improved dramatically her posture and she felt like her spine just shot straight up.  That is exactly how I have felt over the last couple of runs.  At least I have not been dreaming it is feeling different, it is now backed up by other people who are feeling the same thing.  The best part about it is that these people have continued with the running and swear by it.  Maybe that will be me in a couple of months...