First Swim Eval

During my 15 miler on Saturday, I came to the conclusion that I have to take a few complete rest days between now and Shamrock. I'm running less miles now that it's taper but instead of calling it quits after my run I always end up putting in more time cross training, etc. On Saturday I expected to feel completely refreshed but that wasn't really the case. In fact, when I woke up that morning I told Andy I actually wasn't in the mood to go. Since I never feel like that, I know it's a sign that I need a little break. We averaged just under a 9 min pace, got in some good hills, and while I felt strong, I could tell I need a little rest. So that's what I'm going to do.

In other news, I met my Stalker on Saturday and she's completely harmless! Andy and I met up with Stalker and her fiancé for some drinks and Tri talk and it turns out we had a lot more than running to talk about. We had a lot in common and I'm really looking forward to training together. It makes going into these Tris a little less scary when you know someone else there with you. Definitely see us hanging out with them again!

And today...I had my first swim evaluation with the Tri Coach. It went better than I expected!! It started off with me doing a few laps so he could watch my form. Needless to say I was really happy when I stopped, thinking he would tell me I have to relearn everything I know about swimming, and he said I was a pretty good swimmer. In fact, on a scale of 1 to 10, he rated me a 7! My kick is great but I need to work on rotating my body more with each stroke and not bringing my arms so far out of the water. We did some drills, one of which I nailed pretty quickly. But when he got to the second drill, I struggled a bit. Now for the next few weeks all I do is to practice the drills, for about an hour at a time, and when I feel I have them down and they are too easy, we'll meet again for some new drills. During this time I won't swim laps because we don't want to make progress with the drills and then have me go back to my old swimming form. I left the session feeling great! I already feel so much more confident going into these Tris now that I have some guidance. And it doesn't hurt either knowing I don't completely suck in the water. Coach Bill was great and I have a feeling I'm going to learn a ton from him and his wife. For the first time since registering, I'm actually SO excited for these triathlons. I have a feeling I'm going to love this sport!

Two weeks till Shamrock. Still focused and ready to kick some ass. Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 5 mi
Tues - 5 mi w/ 2 ladders
Wed - lift (possible off day)
Thurs - 4 mi w/ 3 mi at race pace
Fri - 3 mi
Sat - 10 mi
Sun - swim drills (this will count as an off day as it's not a hard workout)