4x100s

No rain, very little wind. The lake looked great for rowing, but alas, I was swimming this morning.

4x100yds, all-out-balls-to-the-wall freestyle sprint. That was our swim test this morning. There are three swim tests that Marcia uses to gauge our performance--4x100yds free, 15 minute free swim, and 400yds flutter kick. The 4x100yds is by far, my least favorite. Think about it as 4x500m on the erg at sub-2k time splits, very painful.

Each lane had three swimmers; everyone got about 4-5minutes of rest and recovery in between 100s while the other two swimmers did their 100s. I was a #2 in my lane. The first 100 was alright; the first one will always feel pretty good because you are still fresh. The second 100 was okay; I focused on arms, thinking about powerful push every stroke. The whole time, Marcia kept reminding us not to breath so frequently--you do not need all that air! The third 100 was amazing. I focused on arms for the first 50yd and then, on legs for the second 50yds. I pictured it as the third 500m of a 2k race, working through the pain. My (women's) double partner is big on the third 500m. Everyone feels pain and fatigue in the middle of race, and it is natural for many rowers to fade a little in the third 500m, hoping to be able to come back in the last 500m. My double partner believes that it is at this point in the race to be different from everyone else, to find another gear, and to make a move. I dropped 1 second on my third 100. The last 100 was about digging in and swimming through the pain. Afterward, I did not know how much lactic acid I had until I tried bringing my knees to my chest and felt massive tingling through my legs.

Perhaps, it was appropriate that I was not the only one in pain this morning. Many of the women on the LMRC Women's Team met this morning to do their 2k erg test, the one I did on Sunday.