Empty Pool

The Hinton Triathlon was held this past Sunday and now the pool is empty. When I went for my swims on Monday and Tuesday you could have floated the Queen Mary in there. It was great!
I’m not anti-social or anything like that, but I hate when the pool is crowded and I can’t have lane 2 all to myself. It is my lane after all, and I can’t see why people would have the audacity to think they can swim in it! Seriously though, I am selfish in one way that I like the private lane. I love being able to do my workout at my pace without having to time things around the other people swimming with you.
In another way though, I am surprised how people can just stop for another whole year. It amazes me that they will not get in the pool again until 3 weeks from the date of the triathlon next year. They also won’t run or bike in that time either. Apparently with 3 weeks of exercise and one sprint triathlon you are good for an entire year. Some people have just got it figured out while the rest of us believe you have to do this training gig year round. My niece, who is much more active and does things all year, has her own training plan. It’s called 1, 2 , skip-a-few, and seems to have her ready to enter anything from a 5K to a half marathon. And to boot, she usually does quite well!
Monday I swam (by myself), 1,700 metres. No real plan, I just kind of swam. It was really enjoyable and I was marvelling at the fact that 4 years ago I would have never dreamed that 1,700 metres would be a quick, lunch time swim. Trying to do 1,000 metres was a major accomplishment as I thrashed through the water while the lifeguard sat nervously wondering if she should throw the buoy line to me. Now, while no lightening bolt, I glide through the water with a nice relaxed stroke on most days. On rare occasions, I will have a tough day in the pool, but it is the exception now.
Monday evening I did a short run, 5.2 miles in about 40 minutes or about a 7:45 pace. I was trying to run slow as my Achilles has still been bothering me. However, running slower is a real struggle for me and my pace bounced all over the place. It was a nice route along the east side of the river on some game trails. I thought I was going to get caught in a thunderstorm but I somehow managed to leg it out and get home before the rain.
Today I did another quick swim at lunch. It wasn't on the schedule but I went because I knew it was going to be empty again. Sure enough, there was only me and two senior citizens floating in the middle lanes. I always like when the seniors show up because I feel very fast lapping them. It's shameful and shallow, but I get to see what it is like for the fast guys and gals who lap me on other days!
Tonight there was a bit of rain so I did a 20+ mile ride on the trainer. Mixed it up with lots of variable gearing and intensities. I know from my IMAZ training that these workouts were very instrumental in my cycling improvements so I need to keep doing them.
So far I am back on schedule for my Sylvan Lake training. My Achilles is still concerning me as it seems to be worse and I am not sure why. Maybe my new shoes? I will continue with the massaging and the ice and hope I get this behind me soon.
Have a great day!