The Aftermath

I had forgotten what it feels like to race. More importantly I had forgotten about the DOMS of racing. I was plagued by restless legs Saturday night. Sunday I got up and stumbled out of bed. I just about fell over! Not sure how my legs had the chance to stiffen. They had been running around all night. In addition to the stiffness I had areas on my legs that were painful to the touch. I was pretty sure I had strained my abductors (inner thighs) while riding the bike. I felt like I had been tossed up against a wall and not in the good kind of way. On a positive foot, my foot felt fine!

I spent most of Sunday stretching and spending quality time with my beloved Trigger Point. I managed to drag my tail to the pool in the evening. I thought the water might help loosen things up.

Swim - 2800 yd

2 x 200 easy (uh-oh....legs are sinking to the bottom. I'm an anchor)

3 x 200 buoy and paddles; rest :30

8 x 100 rest :20 (buoy did not help, legs still sunk like an anchor)
:30 rest

8 x 100 rest :20 w/ buoy and paddles

Warm down

100

I thought wrong! This sucked. Energy sucked. My muscles were tight and limp at the same time.

Sunday night I managed to sleep a solid 9.5-10hrs.

Monday the DOMS slightly improved but my energy level decided to take a dive. I lacked all motivation. I found this as my cue to take the day off from any physical activity and rest my body.

Tuesday I woke up motivated to swim!
Swim - 2500yds

4 x 100yd, rest 0:15 / 100yd

1 x 100yd Single Arm (arm out front) 6 x left, 6 x right, 6 x full stroke, rest 0:20 / 100yd
Freestyle using one arm at a time, focusing on shoulder and hip rotation. Complete 6 arm strokes with the left arm then 6 strokes with the right arm followed by 6 strokes using both arms. The non-stroking arm is held out front in a streamlined position.
1 x 100yd Freestyle DPS, rest 0:20 / 100yd
Freestyle swim with maximum Distance Per Stroke (DPS). Concentrate on long, efficient strokes and a high streamlined body position to reduce drag in the water. Count your strokes per lap and try to reduce.

1 x 500 buoy & paddles; 30 rest
1 x 500 free (landing on 8:10 - ugh);30
1 x 500 buoy and paddles

Warm down
1 x 200

Muscle fatigue and energy was improved but still not stellar.

By mid afternoon my legs were completely pain free and muscles felt lose and free again. Energy was slightly improved. I was motivated enough to do an easy aqua jog for 25 mins in the evening.

Wednesday – AM Spin
90 min low Z2 spin. Legs felt pretty good and energy felt almost normal. I entertained myself by reading mental self-help books for the first 40 mins. I finished watching Chris Rock's - Never Scared. Not as good as Bigger and Blacker. 

PM Run - 20 min easy grass run.