Now I just got back from a friend's graduation party and I'm feeling pretty good, especially since I also just finished this amazing book by Chris Cleave the author of Little Bee, it is called Gold and it comes out on July 10th. It is focused on three elite level cyclists in England and the troubles they face as they come to the highlights and end of their careers. As a swimmer yearning for a taste of being on that high of a level, I really connected and learned from their stories of what it takes, physically and mentally, to be at such a competitive level where you are the sport. I think anyone in a competitive individual sport would appreciate this book, or anyone involved in sports at all, as everyone has once had a rival at some point. The other side of the story is tragic, an eight year old girl with cancer who lives in a world of Jedi's and stormtroopers, watches her parents give up their lives to be there for her. She begins to fake healthiness in order to relieve their worrying and only wishes for a sense of normality in her life full of colorful pills and constant nausea. This book sucks you in, shakes you up, and spits you out feeling a bit lost, leaving an after-taste of an urge to do something inspiring with your life.
As the pages flew by my face some of it really sunk deep, I dove into practice with a renewed sense of purpose this afernoon and really attempted to do what the coach asked without sacrificing technique. Here's the set we did:
Warm-up-
400 free
4x150 50 kick 100 swim
6x150 2:05 w/ fins strong kick
6x100 2:10 kick best stroke
Set-
1x 200 kick faster than 3:30
6x200 50 free 50 best non-free
4x { 150 free strong kick on 2:05
100 easy 1:55}
Since we just swam a meet this weekend it was mostly a swim-out practice, but it felt good to try and really concentrate on techniques while still having to put forth effort to go make the intervals.
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