Today’s swim is a tempo swim in preparation for the race on Saturday. The workout is one of the longest distances at 1,640 yards. The routine consisted of a warmup of 200 yards followed by five repetitions of 50 yards of freestyle stroke with 10-second rest. Then a steady-state swim for 850 yards followed by a 1-minute rest. The cooldown was 200 yards. The primary purpose of this workout was to ensure I could swim the entire length of the triathlon race and build confidence in myself. The morning started a bit normal and a little behind schedule; however, I had a reasonable amount of time to complete my workout without any issues.
In the 200 yards of the warmup, I did 50 yards of freestyle and 50 yards of backstroke. For the last 100 yards, I used fins for the first time to strengthen my legs and to practice the technique. After the warmup, I used the five reps of 50 yards to work on speed and improve my speed. This was very tiring and a challenge. For the steady 850 yards, I focused on lowering my cadence and heart rate to get to a comfortable pace with regular breathing. This was a good exercise in managing and pacing myself. I found myself with plenty of energy and could have gone longer if I needed it. This was a significant boost to my confidence in finishing the swim. The cooldown was a non-event. I just did 100 yards of freestyle and 100 yards backstroke.
