We're at the 15th of February, so just over halfway through the month and since I've already swam today, we've also just passed the halfway point of the #SMASHswimstreak!
I'm at 20700m and, if all keeps going to plan, should be at 40k by the end of the month. Which is ridiculous.
Since this is the first athletic streak I've been able to successfully do (so far), I've had a few thoughts:
- Holy crap am I itchy! All this time spent in chlorine means that I've kind of been constantly itchy for the past few weeks. Living in a dry climate in winter in general doesn't help, but the pool is making it so much worse. I've been slathering myself in lotion every day and drinking a crap ton of water, but OMG THE ITCHY.
- My new Finis paddles (along with my pull buoy, when called for) are my new best friends. Seriously. I had a pair of Strokemaster paddles that I'd been using, but I'm pretty sure they were too big/advanced for me. I'd seen the Finis ones on several people and asked for (and got!) them for Christmas and I am in LOVE.
- It took about eight days for me to need a 4-500m warm-up in the pool to start feeling good ... which usually takes me a few MONTHS to need while in IM training.
- I kind of constantly smell vaguely like chlorine. It seems to be unavoidable.
- Getting in the swims has been surprisingly easy. I'm actually looking forward to getting to the pool. Working on getting in everything else, however ... that's been a struggle. I mean, I've managed, but it's been hard. And I've had some shitty bikes and runs.
- I am seeing new dents in my back/shoulders that I don't think I've ever seen before.
- I handle arm fatigue waaaaay better than I handle leg fatigue. And if the shoulders get really cranky, I try to find a way to make sure there's around 24 hours between swims (so if I swim at 7am one day, make sure I'm not back in the water until 11am the following day) as that seems to recover me enough.
- Best of all, the swim hunger? The I-swim-so-I'm-ravenous-the-rest-of-the-day feeling? If you swim every day, it's not as big of a thing. Which makes sense, since apparently that feeling is due to changes in body temperature so if you're in the water all the time, you're more adapted? Or something? I don't know. I just know that I don't always want to eat everything in sight this month because of swimming, so that's good.
15 days down, 13 to go!!
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