Last night's practice.

Finally! I think I'm getting my mojo back.

Last night was 4000 yards, and it hurt, yes friends it did hurt, but I felt like I could push all the way through it without being zapped by the beginning of the season breathing issues that make you feel like the world's biggest wuss.

I'm getting more comfortable with the 1000-yard warm-ups and the lack of fins (I swam only my cooldown with them). And last night there were even some intervals (4x100 IM kick @ 2:00 descend). And then a dreaded breaststroke set. I had been avoiding that stroke where I could while I got a little strength back, because it is too damn depressing to swim it poorly, especially while the memory of my strength and speed last spring is fresh. But when the coach asked last night which stroke I'd like for the last set, I meekly volunteered it. Bad. Mistake. Because the set was 4 x 150 breaststroke, with the first 150 straight swim (focus on technique), the second 150 negative splitting (2nd 75 faster than the first), the third 150 ascend (getting slower by 50 through the swim), and the last 150 descend (getting faster by 50 through the swim).

After 2 of them I was really ready to just confess to the coach that I was not quite up to a breaststroke set, because I could hardly breathe and my arms and legs felt like fettucine alfredo (yes, soft AND fatty). That's when Coach pulled out the motivational speech, about how the 200 BR is the hardest event, when swum right, and that to swim it you have to be really tough and strong. OK, OK, I'll do the rest of the set.

It turns out there is a meet in Columbia in mid-October, and although we won't be able to attend the whole meet (we have a wedding to attend that weekend), I think we will go for Sunday only. So now it is time to start thinking about that as a goal....