Did I Do Too Much Today?

This morning I went to the pool for the Masters Swimming workout. My arms were still a bit sore from a land-based workout I did a couple days ago, but I figured it'd do me good to get the blood flowing and to work through the soreness. Well, after the full 75 minute swim workout, my arms felt like they were going to fall right off. Of course they didn't, but they felt like they could and would!

OK, so, I patted myself on the back for making it through the workout. And then I hit the hot tub. I had 15 minutes to kill before the start of the swim stroke clinic for which I'd signed up. I sat in the hot tub and chatted with one of the other swimmers, until it was time to get back in the pool.

So, the swim clinic starts at 10:00 am. And I spend the next hour in the pool, working on my stroke and turn techniques. This involved quite a bit of actual swimming of laps, in order to practice the stroke corrections that the coach was giving me. And so my arms continued to feel heavier and heavier. And my stroke was getting sloppier and sloppier.

I won't go into the details about how I was getting very hungry and very very cold, except to say that I started shivering uncontrollably and actually got out of the pool 5 minutes early to make a beeline for the hot showers, but I was still so cold when I got home, that I then had to take a hot bath.

On the bright side of things, I got in a great swim workout, and I got some wonderful tips to improve my stroke. On the down side of things, I was not well prepared for such a long morning in the pool on such a chilly day, without nutrition, and...I really think I did too much this morning. Yes, I survived, but it really punished my body. It's almost 5:00 pm, and my body still feels exhausted!

Would I do back to back workouts again? Possibly. But, if I do, I will be better prepared. Next time, I will be sure to drink a carbohydrate replacement drink during the first workout. This will help replace glycogen in my muscles, and will help with my muscle recovery. Second, I will bring a small snack for between workouts, just to take the edge off of my hunger...maybe a piece of fruit, or a Lara bar. And third, if I'm really cold before the second workout even starts, I will have the sense to skip the workout....possibly!!