Swam 2 hours 43 minutes yesterday morning. Just under 10 km I estimate. It felt great!
No breakfast before (which has been my habit for years), and no food breaks during the swim. My slow-fuel system is dialed in, though I felt the energy drop on the last 40 minutes which was anticipated. Now I can plan some mid-swim fueling and work out my plan for going over 3 hours toward my interest in the 12 km mark.
Last Monday the conditions were too good to pass up so I did 2 hrs 34 minutes passing up my last record by 30 minutes. Today I intended only to go 2.05 again, but I was feeling good, the water was sweet, and I had enough time because my first swim lesson for the day canceled. So I just kept going.
I realized something the other day as I asked myself why I don’t race very much, yet I train so consistently, so deliberately but without external pressures pushing me along- I LOVE practice! I train to be ready for OPPORTUNITIES, not deadlines. And on these last 2 Mondays I found an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up on each day. I compromised no training plan or deadlines by taking them, because taking the opportunities in what the water, weather, and my body present to me today IS my training plan.
Swim on!
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