Gradual improvements... nahhh... boring

I´ll keep up the habit of writing a knee update in the beginning :) I iced it again tonight... but the whole day I felt ok, sore at most... tonight in trainings it felt great, absoulutely no discomfort. But after training as I cooled down I had a little pain so I decided to ice it again, just for the fun of it.

Well, spinning class was not very noteworthy, except I showed up a bit late... was working till five and the class starts fifteen past, I had to get to my car (parked around 10 minutes walk away from my work), drive through the city (probably town on American scale) :) Which should take around 20-25 minutes in the rush hour. Change into my gear, 5 mintues... so all in all around 35 minutes... I knew I couldn't be 20 minutes late as thats half the class so I rushed through traffic my pulse rising with every slow car or red light so that when I finally jumped on the bike, 12 minutes late I was already at excercise level :)

But the reason I am writing this is not to talk about Icelandic traffic... I have lived and traveled to too many countries so I promise never to complain about our tiny traffic delays. Go to Jakarta and you will experience a real traffic jam :)
The reason why I am writing this blog that I am totally elated with my swim training. I took light weights in the lifting/excercise class so my arms felt relatively fresh. Although it was kind of hard having the lightest weights of everyone in the class. But it sure paid off.

Up till now I have been swimming at around 2:20 sustained pace per 100m. I go faster for 2-300m breaking the 2 minutes. But never been able to do it consistently. And more importantly when I go around the 2 minutes I am really going all out, tiring my self immensly. My legs and arms tired.
Well... not any more!!
I have always been aiming for the 2 minute pace as it will give 30 minutes for the 1500m in a triathlon. I was getting rather worried because I have not been improving my swim times for over 3 months now. But this week I have been reading Total Immersion again. Great book and i totally recommend it. I had read it before, before I started taking the masters swim classes but it hadn't really helped. But this time it really clicked, putting together what my coach has been telling me (I have listened, but not been able to turn it into action) and what the book says I just flew. That, even though I was trying to go slower, I did more or less nothing with my feet that up untill now have been sinking the moment I stop kicking for my life. But by pushing my chest down and swimming "downhill" my legs just popped up and I started gliding through the water.

I also slowed down my armstroke alot, taking fewer, slower and with less effort my strokes. Just focusing on not raising my head as I breath. The first 100 meters were my slowest tonight 2:06 and I wasn't tired at all. So I managed to cut my rest time and for 1.7 or 1.8km (lost count) that is 17-18 trips I kept under 2:00 minutes for 11-12 of them and the others 2:01 and 2:02... just amazing...

I rested and pushed off the banks so it can not be transfered directly to triathlon time but my avarage time of 1:58 would give me 29:30 for the 1500m and now the 1900m in the half Ironman I plan to compete in June doesn't seem scary at all. I'll come out of the water fresh and in the middle of the group... YAY!!!

ps. was reading it over... well... lot of numbers... meaningless to most... but as most of you guys reading are triathletes or runners and I am just so happy, so I decided to post it anyways :)