I probably waited too long to post this inquiry, but if anyone has advice on how to swim the 1650 when slightly (as opposed to deathly) sick and microbially-exhausted, please let me know soon! My heat is scheduled to start at 8:52 tomorrow morning.
Notes:
1) I did the hour swim three weeks ago, nice and easy pace, for a total of a less than spectacular 4825 yards, but I felt good, relaxed, and that great sense of "breathing really well" that periodically characterizes my distancy swimming, for reasons I have never quite figured out.
2) in the interlude between then and now, I got some kind of cold/malaise-virus, that left me extremely tired, prone to head rushes upon climbing a short set of stairs, and in a mood to do little more than nap on the couch with professional golf on the tv in the background. in the pool, I have really struggled.
3) the above malaise seems to be slowly receding, and since I already paid for tomorrow's 1650, I am going to go for it, but--and this is the reason for my emergency request for strategic advice--I don't want to A) HUMILIATE myself, or B) delay by several hours the expected timeline of the meet.
So, in this spirit, please tell me how to swim the 1650 tomorrow (medical fuddy duddies out there need not advise skipping the attempt, since cheapness is trumping infirmity in my psyche, and I can't get the $15 entry fee back.)
Thanks in advance!
Well, I didn't take ibuprofen in the morning, just an Egg McMuffin, some coffee, a packet of GU, and a chicklet of Jolt caffeinated gum sublingually.
One of my many competitive nemesises (nemises?) was in the adjacent lane. After the first 50, he was two body lengths ahead.
I thought: "This is not my day."
I didn't see him after that, but kept waiting for him to lap me. I consciously tried to stay smooth and swim easy and not build up any lactic acid (or whatever new substance has now been pegged by the exercise physiology community as the source of muscle tightness, fatigue, and eventual tungsten-ization.)
By the 1000, I was still feeling okay, but not so okay that my original strategy (wait until the 1000 then pick it up) proved doable.
At the 1500, my cap fell off.
I had enough left to sprint the last 50 at least. I made the whole race (not just the last 50!) in 19:47.+, which was almost a minute slower than 5 years ago, but nevertheless faster than I had imagined I'd be going. Retrieving my cap was almost as difficult as the swim--akin to pearl diving under the influence of pneumonia.
In any even, it's now time for that nap to the accompaniment of professional golf, the perfect soporific!
Thanks for all the excellent advice. Oh, I ended up beating the nemesis by 30 seconds or so, though I never saw him after he took that two body length lead on the first 50. Maybe he rested on the bottom of the pool for a little while?
Well, I didn't take ibuprofen in the morning, just an Egg McMuffin, some coffee, a packet of GU, and a chicklet of Jolt caffeinated gum sublingually.
One of my many competitive nemesises (nemises?) was in the adjacent lane. After the first 50, he was two body lengths ahead.
I thought: "This is not my day."
I didn't see him after that, but kept waiting for him to lap me. I consciously tried to stay smooth and swim easy and not build up any lactic acid (or whatever new substance has now been pegged by the exercise physiology community as the source of muscle tightness, fatigue, and eventual tungsten-ization.)
By the 1000, I was still feeling okay, but not so okay that my original strategy (wait until the 1000 then pick it up) proved doable.
At the 1500, my cap fell off.
I had enough left to sprint the last 50 at least. I made the whole race (not just the last 50!) in 19:47.+, which was almost a minute slower than 5 years ago, but nevertheless faster than I had imagined I'd be going. Retrieving my cap was almost as difficult as the swim--akin to pearl diving under the influence of pneumonia.
In any even, it's now time for that nap to the accompaniment of professional golf, the perfect soporific!
Thanks for all the excellent advice. Oh, I ended up beating the nemesis by 30 seconds or so, though I never saw him after he took that two body length lead on the first 50. Maybe he rested on the bottom of the pool for a little while?
