Alternative Trainings
Normal trainings at Nayade have stopped for 2 months due to the summer break. As I didn’t want to get out of shape too much, I decided to go regularly for some swimming in The Tongelreep. The 50 m pool there is open in the morning from 7:00 to 10:00 so I deceided to go swimming on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:30 to 8:30 so I can still be at my work at 9:00.
I started out last week on Monday but this first training was a bit of a mixture… I started out with a quite normal warming up of 3×300 meters. Somehow it didn’t feel very well already at the start of the first 300 meters but I just went on and on. It felt as if something was pushing me and at the same time it felt as if I was going really slow.
However, I must have swum like a mad man, as after those 900 meters I suddenly cracked and the rush was over. I took a look at the clock and it turned out that I was only in the water for just 10 minutes (for normal trainings, I usually do 900 meters in 15 minutes or more… I’ve never been close to 900 meters in 10 minutes before). Somehow it just didn’t matter to me and I couldn’t feel excited about it; suddenly, I was only very sad.
I only felt my right shoulder for the next two days…
It does remind me of that one other time years and years ago when I had quite a lot of frustrations to let go. I did 1 km backstroke arms only in just 16:30 and it felt again as if something was pushing me and as if I was going really slow. I’ve never been close to that 16:30 again (for 1 km backstroke arms only).
That Wednesday I met Zarko and we agreed to do some training together. He is a bit slower than I am, but at least we could try to see if it would work out. Training on Friday was fine, but I did get a little short breath and I kept feeling tired and my mind wasn’t very clear and focussed for the rest of the day. (Of course I had to give a quite important presentation that day… perhaps I should start training in the afternoon so I can go home immediately afterwards if I am tired or short on breath again.)
Last Monday Zarko wasn’t there. Training was fine, though I did only do some 2.5 km (1 km backstroke arms only in about 18 minutes). Wednesday Zarko wasn’t there either. Training was lousy as I got short on breath again. Got out of the water after only 30 minutes. Two lanes of the swimming pool were reserved for people from NZE (one of the three dutch institutes that focusses on young swimming talents).
Today I decided to go to work earlier than usual and go for a swim in the afternoon (16:30 – 17:30). Saw Harold (one of my trainers) there; he was practicing for the upcoming EK Masters (European Championship Master Swimming). I also saw Pieter van den Hoogenband there (or at least I think it was him). He was just finishing his last lanes as I entered the pool. Of course I was too shy to say anything (and I guess he was too shy to, as he didn’t say anything to me either :P ).
Training was lousy as I got short on breath again. I noticed it when I tried some backstroke arms only and I was on schedule for a nice round 20 minutes for 1 km… Did some 2 km total training, and afterwards my right lung was in cramps. Got worse on the way home, especially when I had to go through Genneper Parken where quite a lot of flowers and grasses apparently are still in bloom. Of course I forgot to take my medication before the start of the training and I left them at home, so things only got worse on the bicycle, but I had to get through. Luckily I didn’t have to go home, but I would only have to go halfway to Bram for dinner (and to rest a bit and regain my breath again). I was really lucky to arrive home again where I could take my medicine. Within an hour after that, everything was fine again.
I guess I’ll do more trainings in the afternoon instead of in the moring, as I’m usually a bit more stiff in the morning and especially as I can just go home after training in the afternoon, instead of having to go to work for a whole day. I just should not forget to take my medicine (and hopefully the weather will stabilize and get less humid next week, which should also help in not loosing my breath again).