To flip turn or not to flip turn...

That was the question today...actually, it really wasn't so much a question as it was a direct ORDER from Scott for all lanes to practice throughout our long, steady sets--he literally paced alongside the pool to ensure execution (loosely defined), so we were forced to oblige (ARG!). If you're not privy to the voices in a triathlete's head already, allow me: You don't flip turn in a triathlon, so why fret over practicing them? Well, APPARENTLY, maintaining momentum improves efficiency and cutting the breath of air you get from open turns out of each turn increases lung capacity over time. I've been dodging such debate/muting the voices since my last attempt to concur the world-o-flip turns last year resulted in me pushing off of the wall into ANOTHER LANE...I thought that was a clear indication that I should just cross out the idea all together.

But today was a new day (thank you, Suzy Sunshine). I fought my aquatic demons and gave it my best shot. Ali led the lane because she doesn't need to breathe when she works out; she's so "elite" that she just holds her breath for an hour and exhales when she sips her protein shake afterwards. The pace was fine, but I'm saying, this tummy tuck/roll over thing underwater takes the O2 out of you and is VERY dissimilar to the front flips I did as a kid in the above-ground pool in my backyard. Nonetheless, I pushed. I didn't make every turn (in fact, I missed the wall once), but I was stoked that I tried--so much that I spent 600 extra yards swimming after the team left to better my technique. I will continue to tri (get it? knee slapper) until I take 1st place in the FLIP TURN OLYMPICS.

I'm relatively certain that my shoulders think they've done something to upset me, because after today's swim, they're SCREAMING. But it's the kind of scream that's synonymous with the bark of those mighty muscle men you hear in the gym slamming down their 8740-lbs dumbbells: SOMEthing just got a whole lot stronger. Ali (a great friend of mine/the best female athlete on the team) and I traded off taking the lead of lane 4, the second fastest lane in the pool. Our crew was 6 people deep and we were cruising through the main set, which consisted mostly of intensity changes. Alternating between slow and fast efforts helps me get reacquainted with what Scott calls "active recovery." Basically, you can't stop in a race to catch your breath, right? So we train our bodies to function despite fatigue, which could be a result of heat, overexertion or in this case, a lack of oxygen. It's not a pleasant process, but it's a necessary one for endurance racing.

I was particularly pleased with my (our) times during the main set because they show that my swim has improved from last year. The times I'm seeing now (so early in the game) are consistent with what I was holding at the end of last year. Most people stopped swimming during the off-season (FOR SHAME!), but Scott led an unofficial, show-up-if-you-want group swim that I went to on an average of twice a week. We cut out intensity and lowered the volume, but I think practicing my form and making slight changes really contributed to the jump. I also focused on weight training this winter, which is something I never did and vow to never stop.

Coming off of an ITB issue last season and having just started to run again, I participated in speed work for the first time this season during the run leg of our practice! Side note: holy monkey we have some SPEEDSTERS on the team this year. I watched them flash by on the track in front of me while I jacked up the speed of my treadmill's conveyor belt to an alarming....10-minute mile for 3 miles with a few 2-minute 8:30 intervals interspersed throughout those 3 miles. Patience. Patience.