9 Months to Tri

I hit the pool today for the first time in over 2 weeks. I had 35 minutes and right off the bat I could feel that my left arm was hurt. It was a pain that told me I might have pulled or strained my triceps. I figured I’d try to get a quarter or half mile in and then switch to the kickboard or something. However, by the time I finished my first half mile, my arm felt absolutely fine.  Its actually hurting again right now, but for a long while after the swim, it felt fine. So, I swam 62 lengths (7/8 of a mile) in 35 minutes. It wasn’t a hard core swimming day, but it was a strong pace.

A couple of observations about swimming vs. other exercises. When I finish swimming, I’m usually ready for more.  Today, I would have LOVED to swim another mile or two. When I run and do other cardio, I relish the thought of quitting time.  However, I don’t think I push myself as hard at swimming as I do at other activities. I just find a nice pace, get into the rhythm, and go as long as I can.

The other thing about swim days vs. other exercises is that after swimming I am hungry for the rest of the day.  Today for instance, I went to Panera after swimming and ordered 1/2 Sierra Turkey sandwich and 1/2 Chicken Ceasar salad.  Two hours later, at 3:30, I had several handfuls of trail mix, and wanted MORE.  In fact, all I could think about was some nice, grilled fish. I called my wife at 5 and said “let’s go out” and by 6 we were sitting in Jake’s Seafood and Steak, and I had some nice grilled Tilapia, baked potato and dinner salad in front of me. Man, was that good. I think its the lean protein of the fish I was craving. This is also pretty typical of a swim day.  Other workouts have caused me to crave meat (turkey, meatloaf, etc.) but not always. Swimming, almost without fail though, kicks me into overdrive with the appetite.

I think it must have to do with the fact that while other exercises can be intense and eventually I use all of my muscles at one point or another, in swimming I use all of my muscles all of the time. While it might not be as ‘tiring’ as one of the other cardio workouts, I think I get a more full-body workout and burn thru my energy stores quicker.

Share This