Master's swim team, that is.
I got my butt out of bed at 5:15 AM this morning (and it was dark!), slurped down some coffee, and shlepped myself to the Rec Center for my scheduled swim workout. Since it's Weds, the Master's group was there too.
And since my left shoulder has been hurting quite a bit lately (something I haven't written about), I had decided to NOT join Master's and to just "do my own thing". But, as it turned out, I ended up wishing that I had joined. There they were, a mass of splashing water, working way harder than I was, with an experienced coach telling them what to do. And there I was, slowly going back and forth, not having a clue what I should be doing.
But here's the dilemma: my husband, a sports medicine guru, strongly feels that I should NOT do Master's because I risk getting a shoulder injury (and I may already have one). Something about rotator cuffs, he says, or deltoid-something or other. All I know is that when I try to swim fast, my shoulders hurt.
But I need the comaraderie that Master's provides and I like having someone tell me what to do (did I really just say that?). I can run and bike in my sleep but swimming is totally different. And the other problem with Master's - for me - is that I'm so darn slow that I can't keep up with the group. Everyone says that's ok but it's a little embarassing when the group is done and you're still on the second set.
And then there's the whole issue of whether Master's is needed for an Ironman. Master's swim workouts are notoriously centered around speed. I don't need speed. I need increased strength, improved technique, and plain old endurance.
AAARRRGGGHHH! I think I'll ponder this for another week or so. The regular session doesn't start for 2 weeks anyway. I can get 1-2 lake swims per week in the meantime, which is way better than Master's swim practice anyway (in terms of training for an IM), and then I'll need to make a decision. In other words, I'll procrastinate a little longer....
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