Facing Disapointment

Yesterday was a mentally tough day for me. 

Yesterday morning was the One Hour Postal Swim at my Masters Swim workout.  I was really looking forward to seeing what I could do. 

I've been working really hard on my swimming.  Three times a week 5:30 am workouts - yawn.  My stroke has been completely changed by my coach and it's made a huge difference in my speed.  Where I used to do my 100 repeats on 1:45 and bring them in on the 1:30, sometimes 1:25-1:30.  Now I can do them on the 1:30 and bring them with rest to spare.

So this one hour swim....  everyone that came to workout was doing a straight one hour swim. There wasn't an option - too many people to do two different workouts.  But, I think there were only 3 of us planning on submitting our times to USMS (US Masters Swimming).  I wasn't a member and joined last week to the tune of $44.  Ouch.

So long story short there were 3 of us in my lane.  And it was a fiasco.  Jodi and I swim about the same pace but the other guy who got in our lane hasn't been consistent at all about coming to practice - starting to see the picture??  He's a fast sprinter - 1:11 on a 100 the other day but his endurance is crap.  I think I lapped him 6-7 times.  And his lane etiquette was also crap.  Anyone remember the Clint Eastwood movie Heartbreak Ridge and how he described the situation??

The coach brought in some volunteers from his senior swim team to time us and check off our laps.  I overheard that the bribe was that they could miss Thursday morning practice. The poor guy counting our lane had three of us all swimming way different paces and both Jodi and I wearing blue swim caps.  I'm an idiot here - I'd brought my Team Aquaphor cap and was planning on wearing it, I even put it on but then it felt loose so I wore my regular silicone one.  It would have made it easier on him counting laps for us.

I was watching some of my splits on the time clock and could tell that I was bringing all of my 100's in under 1:30 (which would have given me 4000).  A 1:25 pace would have given me the 4220 that I was hoping for.  When I finished and saw my sheet it was a hot mess.  The coach told me to go through and check the splits.  Most of them seem correct with the hundreds being in the 1:24 - 1:29 range.  But then there are a several 1:38's, a :45, a 2:03, a 1:57, and a 2:13.   I wasn't ever swimming that slow - or that fast. 

I was really, really disappointed.  Not mad and not really upset but almost depressed.  I don't think I can submit this time.  Fail.

So what did I do to shake off my funk?  Went and met my friends Judy and Lesley at 8:30 am on the Trace and ran 6 miles!!  Judy swam for Auburn on a full ride and is my sounding board for my swimming.  She gets it.  I'd called her the day before for some last minute advice - she told me to really work the walls, concentrate on the streamline - it can mean a second.  

Immediately they both started thinking of how I could re-swim the One Hour.  Judy said she would time it and bang on the kick board if I dropped below the 1:25's.  They both said they'd give up their workout to time me.  I don't think I'll do it but that is friendship.  They are awesome.  Thank you girls. 

We had a good chat during our run.  We went for coffee at Starbucks afterwards and the sun came out in my heart.