Finding out your in love with "just a friend"

Have you ever been "just friends" with a girl when you were young, and then one day it hits you?  You care deeply for this friend and you realize that its love?  Not the kind where you wanna jump their bones, but the real kind?  Anyhow, that happened to me this week with Backstroke.  I've never swam backstroke in a meet, but I certainly spent time doing it in work outs every since I swam on a team.  I never really enjoyed it like free or fly.  It was a stroke that "mixed things up" for my workout.  Well this week I have realized I LOVE backstroke!

2000 free :30 ri
2000 zombie swimming

Zombie swimming is the same thing as channel pace, while Grandpa swimming is painfully slow, it's even slower and less mindful as zombie swimming.  The stroke is long, controlled, and aware of the catch, glide, pull, and recovery, as well as bilateral breathing.  No thought is put into going fast in order to hit a certain split time.  Just swim relaxed and pace yourself!  Like yesterday's post explained: Zombies can go on forever.  That's the goal.

2000 backstroke

The pool at this point had 2 people in every lane.  The guy sharing a lane with me had a fairly good free, but a little slower and was perfect for when I was doing backstroke.  We were almost the same pace.  Then another guy was standing on deck trying to find a lane.  I stopped the guy in my lane and asked him if it was OK if we circled and let the other guy in with us.  I figured we were nearly the same pace anyway.  One thing I don't like is circle swimming with someone that is extremely slow where I end up trying to pass them once every 100 yards or so.  But when we're nearly the same pace, no biggie.  

2000 free
2000 zombie swimming

Half way into this set I felt like giving up.  I was exhausted and while my shoulders and lower back weren't really giving me troubles, they certainly weren't blowing kisses.  But I threw the excuses and whiny baby thoughts out of my head and continued on!

2000 backstroke

When I do backstroke on a distance set like this the clock in my head really slows down.  I am amazed at how I can do 2000 yards, but it feels like I've only done half that.  My underwater push off the wall goes even further with back than when doing free, and my stroke count and rate is lower than freestyle.  Granted I go about 25% slower, but it is SO RELAXING!  I feel like I'm a windup toy.  When I do freestyle, I'm getting wound up, and then when I do backstroke, that wind up toy just goes!  The tension in my shoulders and lower back gets released.  Loving it!

400 - 4 x 100's odd fly/even free on 1:45


12,400 yards total

Swimming BL tonight.  Hoping to step it up and do a mile unless its lower than 48°.  But I think it'll be above that.