Only 18 days left until the Swim Around Key West! Looking at my calendar it blows my mind how this swim I have been training about 10 months for is now less than 3 weeks away (where the heck did time go?) I estimate that I have about 10-12 more swims and 8 days left of practice before I start to taper (yes, that means some days with 2 swims).
My birthday was this past week and I took the day off to visit the beach. It was possibly some of the nicest swim conditions I have seen since I have started training. Warm sun. Smooth water. Minimal waves. Mild current. And an almost private beach all to myself. If perfection needs a picture for the dictionary, I think I found it…
I have had some setbacks these last few weeks in my training and I have been trying really hard to stay focused and keep a positive attitude. Most notably, my shoulder has had periodic flare ups making it challenging for me to push myself. I have had to sacrifice some distance in my long swim practices, but I have tried to stay consistent so that I am swimming a weekly average of at least 22,000 yards (which is roughly the yardage I will swim for Key West). I have also been making it a point to add weight training and stretching into my post-swim workouts.
I recognize (worry) that this adjusted plan may not actually be enough to prepare me, but I think at this stage it is better to be prudent and keep my shoulder safe from injury than it is to push an extra 2000 yards in the pool and really hurt myself.
Today at the pool, I swam 9000 yards. My goal was 12,000 but my shoulder started nagging me and I felt it smart to listen to it. Super cool though, while at the pool I met a girl who is ALSO swimming around Key West! It was really great meeting a fellow swimmer and being able to chat about our training and preparation for the swim. And it was truly a much needed pick-me-up for my final stretch of swimming.
My Swim Around Key West 