Thursday is swim day around here, and I went to my gym’s pool at opening time, 5:45 AM, to get a 3 KM / 3280 yard swim.
I do this once a week, and I have trouble beforehand every time. Thinking about such a long swim, and not running on top of that, is hard for me. But after about 5 laps warming up, I start to really enjoy my time in the pool, cutting through water, pushing forward, and feeling like I’m swimming so fast. Which I know I’m not, it takes me about 70 minutes to swim this distance.
I’m beat by the end of the workout, but it’s a good feeling.
It was raining hard this morning, and I got to the office really late. It took me forever to take the kids to daycare and drive to work. We are not used to much rain in Israel, so it seems the world stops when it does rain, traffic gets crazy, the sidewalks are empty of walkers.
My next race is the Jerusalem Half Marathon on Friday the 21st, so tomorrow I officially start tapering, one week. It should go smooth, I’m getting good at this race preparation stuff. I don’t feel nervous about the race or worried about tapering. I was a mess before my first race, and to think that was only 4 months ago…
I know the courses of the Jerusalem races (all distances) are tough, with lots of hills, so I’ll definitely be slower than my last half.
After looking at the course map a few times I finally figured out to look up the elevation chart.
Approx 230 meters / 755 feet total elevation gain. That seems like a lot to me.
2 Cups 'N Run 
That is a lot of climbing for a half marathon but you are strong. You will do great!
Thank you for the kind words, I hope you are right, I’m getting cold feet for sure.
Oh, I love swimming! I can’t wait till late May when the outdoor pools will open here.
Swimming outdoors must be incredible! My gym has an indoor pool so at least I can enjoy it in the winter, but outdoors would be awesome.
It is really nice. I don’t belong to a gym so usually I don’t swim much until the public pools open for summer. The atmosphere is different, and you have kids to contend with if you go at peak weekend times. But the water is usually warm, the lap lanes aren’t crowded, and after doing laps I like to just float on my back and feel the sun on my face and just relax.
I used to be a lifeguard and I think that totally screwed up the way I swim (as we were taught to swim with our head out of the water). Now I still feel a little weird anytime I swim properly. I do want to attempt a triathlon in the future maybe in 2015 (my dance card is full this year) so I guess I’ll have to get out of that habit. Enjoy your taper week!
I’m impressed you were a lifeguard! I also consider doing a triathlon one day.. maybe.. it would have to be a small one to begin with. And I don’t even have a bike! 🙂
Swimmings great isn’t it? I try and do 3x1067m (33.3m pool) each morning for my endurance swims. I find it amazing how quickly you can increase speed and reduce fatigue with swimming. I never have sore muscles from running or my strength work either and I put it all down to swimming( because when I miss a session I may ache from the running).
Good luck with the upcoming half and I would live to run in Israel – it would be amazing!! We should swap- you can run London and I’ll do Jerusalem! Lol enjoy your tapering 🙂
We should definitely swap! Swimming is hard for me, I don’t know if I can attribute improvement in running to swimming.. maybe it’s related.. however swimming is tough for me.
It’s tough but if you have the correct form and do it 3 or 4 times a week very soon you’ll see the difference.
Oh my gosh those hills are terrifying to me! Good luck, I can’t wait to hear about it and enjoy taper time 🙂
I feel the same way!
I’m the same way with swimming. I swam a mile (for the first time ever) yesterday and it felt great, but at the beginning it always sounds less than exciting.
I guess some people feel that way with running? 😉 Crazy!
That must be awesome to race in Jerusalem. Maybe I’ll make that a long term goal for me. Also, great on the swimming. I’m not very good at that, but I can do it if I have too!!! 🙂
I’m not good at swimming, but I get by. It’s supposed to be a really nice route to run in, so I hope you do make it one day.
Wow, a hilly half but you’re going to do great and about one week away!! That’s awesome!! Nice swim, too!! I love hearing about your workouts!! I’m taking off swimming this week because of my soreness so I miss it and love hearing about others swimming and enjoying it!
Yes, not looking forward to hills, but then I’ll try to take it easy…
🙂
That does look hilly. My last group run kind of looked like that and it was slow going. There is something exhilarating about conquering hills… but for me it’s only well after I’ve finished the run. During, I’m just trying to keep it together.
That last big hill at km 17 would make me nervous for certain.
I don’t like hills, not conquering them, not running them, no nothing. 🙂
Lol. 🙂
How did you determine your distance for swim day? Do you always do the same or do you vary the workouts? I need to use my gym’s pool! I love swimming and diving, mostly just fooling around in lakes and big pools (as opposed to swimming serious laps). My husband calls me a fish. I like to think of myself more as a mermaid. 😉
I go by laps, usually the same distance on thursdays.