Back in the Pool!

On Saturday, I headed to the pool to give swimming a try. My shoulder was still a bit sore, but I could make a swim stroke motion without pain so I took that as a good sign. I was really nervous when I got in the pool. What if swimming made my recovery digress? I started out with some drills and felt pretty good. Once I started swimming, I had a few aches here and there, but I think more than anything, my shoulder was kind of stiff from not using it very much. Once I got into the swing of things, I actually felt really good!

I was so excited to be back in the water and even more excited to know I would make the master's swim the next morning! I decided to swim in the B lane. I knew that with 2 full weeks off of swimming, this was going to kick my butt...and it did. My arms were noodles by the end. It didn't help that the girl leading our lane was new and should have been in the A lane. She was flip turning and everything! I was really struggling to stay in her draft! It was a great work out though and I was thrilled to be there!
After the swim, I challenged Steve and Jessi to a handstand contest. Growing up with a pool gives me a slight advantage here. :) The key to a good handstand is a flexed butt and pointed toes. It helps keep your legs together. Obvioulsy, I'm the one on the right! I think the funniest part of this picture is Steve's handstand. I crack up every time I look at it. Thanks for being a good sport, Steve!
Once again, A+ was separated this weekend. I can't really remember the last time we all swam together! Tim was out riding 100 miles so this was our tribute to him. We're making a 100 if you can't tell. Sure missed you, Tim. I hope your ride went well!
After my swim, I headed home for a nap. I was beat and my arms were already getting a little sore. I still had a 2:15 bike to do followed by a 15 minute run. I woke up from my nap with a head ache. Perfect. It was SO hard to motivate myself to get on my bike. I had to give myself more than one pep talk about how bummed I was when I couldn't ride a couple of weeks ago. Plus, it was so nice outside, I wore shorts and no shoe covers! Overall, it was an ok ride. I was never really in it mentally and thank goodness I had my heart rate monitor to keep my honest. I definitely caught myself falling under the zone I was supposed to be in more than once! The weather was perfect, though, and I'm ecstatic to be back at it!