Relaxing Monday
Marni Sumbal, MS, RD
Today is a recovery day. Sometimes it is a day off, sometimes it is active recovery. However, it is never running. The best part about a recovery day is no alarm, no time management and no specific workouts. Two of the last 3 monday's I have been in the pool. Only once did I ride my bike on a monday. I just love a nice and relaxing swim. This morning I woke up around 6:30...nice! That is generally the time that my body gets me up so I know I am rested when I can just wake up without an alarm. Anytime I roll myself out of bed before 6am, I know my body can use a little more sleep. Even though I go to bed around 9:30-10pm, I know my body can't get stronger without a restful night of sleep.
When I got to the pool at 7 I was in no hurry to start swimming. I chatted with another girl who I swim with on w,f with the master team and I probably spent 10 min on the side of the pool (holding my cap and goggles) just chatting away about ironman's and other tri-related stuff. Ok, a confession is that I always chat before I swim so I really never feel rushed to get in the water. Swimming is part social for me..I just love being in the water but I also love talking in the water.
When I finally started swimming it seemed as though time stopped. I didn't have a care in the world what I was doing and after a 300 warm-up I created my own set.
3x's
300 swim
200 kick
100 pull
That's all I did this morning and it was just what I needed for my tired body. I felt so relaxed after that swim and totally refreshed. I can't say that I always feel good after a morning swim but on a recovery day I always listen to my body. I know when I need a day off (there will be plenty of well-awaited day-off mondays after a weekend of peak IM training) and I know when my body needs a little increase in blood flow. What a good morning to start the day.
The rest of the day went by fast. I did my weekly grocery shopping at wal-mart, visited Karel at work, did my dietetic homework, walked Campy up to the Trek store (2.2 miles total...I guess I should say, Campy walked me!) and then back to the computer for more dietetic work. Now dinner is approaching and I'm thinking a nice fruity and nutty salad before I eat the yummy muffins I made this afternoon (Karel was craving muffins).
Oh, I also took some more pics of Campy today. He was just too cute!
And we can't forget about Smudla!
When I got to the pool at 7 I was in no hurry to start swimming. I chatted with another girl who I swim with on w,f with the master team and I probably spent 10 min on the side of the pool (holding my cap and goggles) just chatting away about ironman's and other tri-related stuff. Ok, a confession is that I always chat before I swim so I really never feel rushed to get in the water. Swimming is part social for me..I just love being in the water but I also love talking in the water.
When I finally started swimming it seemed as though time stopped. I didn't have a care in the world what I was doing and after a 300 warm-up I created my own set.
3x's
300 swim
200 kick
100 pull
That's all I did this morning and it was just what I needed for my tired body. I felt so relaxed after that swim and totally refreshed. I can't say that I always feel good after a morning swim but on a recovery day I always listen to my body. I know when I need a day off (there will be plenty of well-awaited day-off mondays after a weekend of peak IM training) and I know when my body needs a little increase in blood flow. What a good morning to start the day.
The rest of the day went by fast. I did my weekly grocery shopping at wal-mart, visited Karel at work, did my dietetic homework, walked Campy up to the Trek store (2.2 miles total...I guess I should say, Campy walked me!) and then back to the computer for more dietetic work. Now dinner is approaching and I'm thinking a nice fruity and nutty salad before I eat the yummy muffins I made this afternoon (Karel was craving muffins).
Oh, I also took some more pics of Campy today. He was just too cute!
And we can't forget about Smudla!
