Well, at least it's a short swim. I think what I'd do is warm up in the water, then get out and stick ice cubes down my swimsuit/sportsbra/whatever you're wearing so that you feel a bit cooler at the start. The whole race is going to be hot it sounds like...

Oh, definitely a latex cap, not silicone.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Last week = accomplished!

This week:
4 swims (1 done)
5 bikes (1 done)

I practiced some of my new flip turning skillz in the pool last night and only ended up in a pickle once when I turned early, completely missed the wall, and ended up on my back underwater. So funny. I only experimented during w/u and cd as I didn't want to get distracted from the other stuff I was supposed to be working on. I will do the same thing tonight.

Flip turns are fun!

Mission: Accomplished!

Last week was a mixed bag here. Some calendar craziness as I realized I was racing Open Water (5K, 3K, 1K) at the Georgia Games on Saturday. I had thought there was another week before it. So I had to fenagle the schedule around a bit & knew I was going into the races tired - which is nothing new & just part of the game this time of year for me. I decided to treat it as a long training day & experiment around with some stuff, no real pressure. Wound up swimming fairly solid all week, did a killer bike ride on Thursday night with a group & had a blast. Easy swim Friday morning & travel to race.

The course was different than it was last year - the water is back at a normal level (& temp) & they reversed direction & added some new "features." The wind was kicking up some chop moving east to west, this also happened to be the longest stretches of straight swimming on the whole course....GREAT!

The 5k started at a quick pace with a bit of jostling. I let the speedsters take off a bit & settled in to get my bearings. Worked on keeping my tempo a little elevated while I was with the wind. There's a small cove that was included on the 5k & 3k that was totally protected from the wind - made for a good place to really stretch out & find some speed. There's an advantage in having been there last year, knowing some of the geography in/around the lake & being able to pick/swim straight lines. I had someone sitting right on my feet (touching them repeatedly) for the ENTIRE 5k. Found out it was a chick as she tried to pass me about 75 yds from the finish. I just flat out got angry, used a good line coming around the last buoy & wound up in the chute and across the line ahead of her. 5k - 1:17:17, 2nd age group, 6th overall (74 total)

I settled in on the 3k & didn't want to swim very hard, just steady. Had a small group consistently next to me until we got into the long, rough stretch into the wind/chop. They disappeared. Stayed long & comfy, elevated the pace only slightly coming into the last bit & finished with no problems. The wind & chop were still picking up. This was a super long course, equaling about 3.64K. The conditions took their toll on more than a few. 3k - 1:02, 2nd age group, 7th overall (73 total)

The 1k out & back went directly with the wind for about half & then turned straight into the wind/chop for the last leg. I intended to swim pretty easy & just get the finish and the day over. I decided to push the pace as I was swimming with the wind in the easier leg. At the turn I was only behind my coach (& KNEW I wasn't catching her) so I decided to keep pushing. The current was pushing me around a good bit & again the course was long (~1100-1200 or so). It was a brutal last leg but got the job done. 1k - 19:44, 2nd age group, 2nd overall (42 total)

HUGE lunch & then we headed back. Easy 2mi open water swim on Sunday was just an evil idea, regardless of how easy I was swimming.

This week - recovery, adventure, fun. Trying to get the volume back on track, recover from the weekend a bit & pick up some fun stuff. Took the kayak out with a group after work last night, had a great time for about 4.5mi. Group ride tomorrow night, a few swim practices.....summertime fun.

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AW

I'm still 10 minutes off my Half PR that I set 9 or 10 years ago. But this runner-up PR if that makes sense.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Thanks for advice! It's supposed to be 98 today and tomorrow so that water is going to mighty toasty on Saturday. If it was at 86 on Monday, it will be at least 90 on Saturday - swim is in a shallow, man-made lake for rowing competitions.

Ice is going to be my best friend! Don't have a choice on cap material - have to use whatever they give me for my wave. The only blessing - it's short (still a 12min effort for me). I feel sorry for anyone who is doing the Olympic.

better than the previous week.

9 or 10 years ago....
I'll never see times that I set 9-10 years ago again...no way. I'm even more impressed by all your improvements & growth now!!

I've now been sidelined for the week....gave in to the cruddy feeling & went to the doc yesterday afternoon. Turns out a fairly impressive sinus infection has been hanging around, complete with ears, eyes & teeth involvement now. So I've got the prednisone, the flonase, the antibiotic, the claritin and have been told to sit still, keep my head out of the water for a couple days & actually catch up on rest. Slept 12 hours last night & ate a pint of cookies 'n cream ice cream.

With all the chemicals in my body, I should feel bulletproof by 7pm.

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AW

This week:

4 swims: done! Slowman needn't yell at this guppy.
5 bikes: 4 done

I still need to hop on the trainer this afternoon after I find some energy after ALL. the KICKING. that was this morning's swim. Holy moly. I'm really tempted to take a nap on the couch with the cats.

It's about 88-90 degrees in the east bay, CA. There's a nice breeze today, which is a great change from a couple of days ago.

I go back to the PT this coming week, so I'll know more regarding progress on my pelvic stability and if I'm able to start trying to run again. Fingers crossed!

Kat,
How does your PT assess your pelvic stability? Just curious, as this is a big issue for me as well. I can only bike as long as I can stay stable, and I've been pulled from swimming until further notice because of it. Funny thing though--doc has me returning to running with a walk/run program.

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

He has a series of stress tests. First he puts it back into alignment, and then we go out and do some exercises. He checks it after each one. What I'm allowed to do as far as tri training depends on how many of the exercises I can get through. He doesn't want me running right now because the lack of stability caused injury to my foot and calf as it created a 3/4" leg length difference. (He and my chiro independently got the same number, so...)

The first test is going up and down a 12" step, which I failed miserably the first time. I stepped up and wobbled, and when he checked it, it was already out. The second is a series of lunges. I haven't made it past lunges yet, but I did pass the 12" step last time, after two weeks of exercises at home.

He also taught me how to correct it on one side if it gets really bad (meaning I feel more weight on one foot than the other.) I had to do that a lot at first, but I haven't touched it in a week. I definitely feel a lot better, so I feel like it's working.

Edited to say: the exercises are almost exclusively core work...totally different from when I tried to fix it a couple of years ago. The theory is to put my pelvis where it should be and then work the muscles really, really hard to hold it there. The impact of running would pop it back out again. He even has me tipping my bike really low to mount so as to not dislodge anything. (Helps that he's a cyclist.)