AKA: Swim till you puke…and then swim some more
It’s official! Less than 4 weeks until RAGE!
It’s time to F.R.E.A.K!
Begin training phase “Competitive Stage”. Time to kick it up to the next level.
Let’s just take a look at our trusty training manual….
Um…Holy crap!
Holy HOLY crap!
Looking forward to the next couple weeks, I can pretty much kiss my free time good bye. Friends – I’ll talk to you in three weeks (try not to hate me too much); Work – it’s been a pretty good year so far, how about I just show up and collect a paycheck while I sleep at my desk for the next few weeks? OK? Family – Um...yeah. You’ll pretty much be asleep when I’m home. I’ll be gone before you wake up and you’ll be asleep when I get home. (I swear, I do actually live there).
First up on the schedule?
60 minutes swim - Non stop
Nonstop – that means no stopping. No feet touching the floor. No holding on to wall for ‘just a few extra seconds’. No “I need to adjust my goggles”. NON-STOP.
I’ve done this before. I did for my very first tri. I don’t remember how long it was but I remember doing this before. I had to do it. It was the ‘only’ way I’d "know" that I could do the distance.
It sucked back then …It sucks now!
Lately, I’ve noticed that for whatever reason, after swimming somewhere around 800-1000 yards, my mind wanders to the feel of the water flowing in and out of my mouth. This continues for a while and I begin to notice the subtle differences between the pool water and my own saliva.
I notice the feel of my saliva. The thick viscosity of it. The way it ‘sticks’ to my lips. I imagine the long spit trails hanging from my mouth like spaghetti noodles. It fills my mind, it fills my mouth, I can’t eliminate the feeling, I can’t escape my own spit.
I’m swimming in my spit!!
(Not surprisingly,) I start to gag. Gagging leads to more gagging! UGH! Now I feel like I’m going to throw up. I’m dry heaving! I’m swimming and I’m dry heaving. What a wonderfull world!
This has happened before. First at a Tri and now anytime the distance creeps over 1000. It’s a mental thing. Nip it in the bud and force it from your mind and you're ok. Let it grow and it snowballs (spitballs?) itself into a monster. The throw-up monster.
Hiya Chuck!
This time it continues. It builds and I can’t stop it(nonstop). But it doesn’t stop me. Not this time. I'm Non-stop.
Swim till you puke….then swim some more.
Literally!
Bet you're glad I didn’t eat ‘solid’ food that morning!
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3 comments:
Seriously it is time to freak. Or laugh maniacally.
Or laugh at this post . . . and be thankful that of all the issues I have in the water, spit/snot is not one of them. Although you didn't mention snot specifically the are sort of related . . . .
You are rocking your training just like you will rock that course on the 19th!
Uh huh, come to New Mexico and do the Milkman Triathlon...once you have swum in the duck toilet nothing will gross you out in the water.
Less than 4 weeks? Heck, it's almost taper time!
We'll still be here when you get back, just make sure you take some nice photos and write a good race report.
Slightly too much info on the spit swimming, you can swill your mouth out!
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