After a week away from a 25 meter pool, it was good to be back at my gym. I remembered my flip turns and have them down well. Getting control of my breathing is the next step. One thing I know for sure, swimming in an 11 meter pool really cut down my endurance! I noticed a difference in my pace this morning, I swam 2,000 meters and was ready for bed. Too bad I had to go to work. I am sure some of it is from travel, some the elevation change, and some from not swimming as intensely last week. Tomorrow I plan on doing my speed workout and hope to have my distance back up over 3,000 meters.

I am also working on a mantra just for swimming. “Believe” is helping me most in running. Now that I know I am capable of flip turns and improving my time, I want to focus on something to get me through the hard swims. The swims where I have to push it to get to the next level. “Push”? I am not sure, when I stroke I am pulling the water more than pushing. “Keep On”? Maybe, there are times when I just want to call it quits after so many sets. I even googled “swimming mantras” and came up with “long and strong”, “you’re long, you’re lean, you’re in control”, and my favorite that I am going to try tomorrow from Finding Nemo “Just keep swimming“. Really, Dory the fish has it right – “when life gets you down you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming, swimming swimming.” So when my lack of speed gets me down I will just keep swimming. Swimming. Swimming.

Besides, who wants to be a Mr. Grumpy Gills?