6Jun12 - Treat Test!

I didn't want to hit the gym I normally go to this morning so I called Gordon last night to see if I could join him at the SLC swim complex.  They have 2 pools there.  One is 25 yards indoors and a 50M outdoor.  We swam about 500 yards then they opened up the outdoor pool.  It has been a couple of years since I've been in a 50 meter pool so I was pretty excited.  The excitement was cut a bit when I realized the water temp was pretty warm.  You could see steam coming off the top the whole time I was there.
I did another 1500M then a bit more to make up the 500 yards to be around 500 meters.
The workout today was all sets of 200's.  Some were swimming regular, some were pulling, some were mixed speed.  My shoulders took their usual sweet time to get warmed up then I started to feel pretty good. 
One set was 8 x 200 and the first set I actually caught Gordon.  I guess he was going really slow or stopped to read a book and I was able to catch him.  This is a VERY rare occurrence.  He realized it and it was the last time it happened.  I was going at a solid pace but he was going back to his normal speed so I was left way behind.  When we had to switch lanes for the swim team, I stood up and chatted with Will Reeves for a minute.  It was a REALLY dumb move that I've told other people I have given lessons to over and over to never have your upper and lower body in 2 different temps.  Sure enough, my lower body was warm from the water and my upper body was in the cold air.  Like magic, my shoulders got cold and tightened up.  As soon as I started swimming again, it felt like lap 1.  I know better and yet I didn't chat with just my head out of the water.  Dumb dumb dumb!
We then moved on to a pull set that made my shoulders REALLY hurt.  I held a decent enough pace but I knew that whatever momentum and good speed I had before was now gone for good.  Workout finished well enough and even had a few sprints at the end.  2nd to last sprint I was able to hang with Gordon and just barely hit the wall before him.  The last one I got TOASTED and had to pull up about 15 meters short and stop because my body and energy crashed big time.  Was fun anyway. 
Finished out with 8000 meters.  I had time to do more but am worried about doing too much before the GSL 8 miler on Sat.

One really good thing is that I have found my treat for my Catalina Crossing.  I have been trying new things but Gordon liked to eat chocolate Swiss Rolls from Little Debbie snacks.  The guy did the first Catalina crossing this year at a few also along the way.  I gave it a shot and had one about halfway through the workout and another about 3/4 through.  No problems at all.  I have an iron stomach anyway but testing it is always best.  I now have a nice chocolate treat I can have at times during my swim.  This will be a nice mental reward and help calm the chocolate whore that lives inside of me.