1. I didn’t get enough sleep again – Waking up at 5 am would be more like Christmas morning if I could fall asleep before 1:00. I mean, I am a terrible sleeper, unless I’m not supposed to be sleeping, then I’m a rock star. But honestly, this is a significant source of frustration and I know it probably boils down to me being a self absorbed ass that isn’t spiritually evolved or something. So, as I drove away from the wonderful scenery I once again promised (and craved) being a solid citizen that will attain his goal of getting used to early morning workouts. I took a deep breath, looked at myself in the rear view mirror, then realized I have no chance. 
2. Coach does not take open water training lightly – You would think swimming is just swimming, but our coach is constantly focused on making us better and more comfortable in the water. Today he challenged our sighting with a new “moving target” drill that made us find him on the beach after we cornered the buoy. And in an exercise he “discovered in a dream,” we did a staggered start, then swam single file and parallel to the boom (see above photo) for about 300 yards. if you passed, you had to go by on the right, then drop back in front of the person who was then supposed to draft you. It was race mode with a rising sun to our right and a curved boom to the left which created sighting havoc that would have leveled the playing field for Hellen Keller.
3. I forget techniques from one swim to the next – A week ago I wrote this post about sighting and today I completely ignored my own theory. My eyes were squeezing every ounce of reflection from the buoy for the first half of our workout. BUOY OR BUST! I mean, I was sucking the texture out of that floating latex through my foggy goggles. Eventually I calmed down and looked for bigger and general-direction targets that helped alleviate anxiety that comes from trying to spot a tiny white speckle each time I sight. It also helped me resist lifting my whole damn head out of the water.
4. Your mental state shapes your workout – I had a conversation with coach the other day about, what he said, was “the best swim workout he’s had in a very long time.” Then he added, “But I felt like that would be the case, even before I got into the water.” His mind was right. I wouldn’t say I was expecting the worst today, but I was probably only about 50% convinced I would crush the lake. 90% of that 50% can likely be directed at my lack of sleep, so as with most things in life, it comes down to recovery and energy, which is probably why I workout alone at 10PM most days.
5. I like swimming on Friday more than Thursday – As I drove away from the beautiful scene, I felt a tingle of joy creep over me knowing that the weekend was here. Then I hit a literal and figurative speed bump. It’s only Thursday! This is obviously a deep seeded issue because, frankly, what’s wrong with Thursdays? Nothing. Thursdays are pretty awesome really. Used to love them back in college because it was the big party night and Fridays were pretty much a blow-off. To make matters worse, one of the guys (who will remain nameless) has the day off today, ie . . . “is working from home.” Anyway, it’s never a bad morning at the lake, but some are better than others.
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