Running and Swimming Workout

I did a brick tonight, running two miles followed by swimming 850 yards. It was a great workout. I'm very tired now.

The run went very very well. I went two miles, just like last Friday, but I was able to run more and thus lowered my time by over a minute. I again did intervals (standard operating procedure for me), this time running .3 miles and walking .1 (on Friday I ran .25 and walked .1). I finished in 26 minutes and 7 seconds, with an average speed of 4.6 mph and an average pace of 13:03 minutes per mile.

I would say the swim went OK. If I step back objectively I'd have to say it went great, but I find it hard to be objective about swimming. I swam 850 yards in 19 minutes and 51 seconds. The first four 100 yard sets were done on a 2 minute and 15 second interval (meaning I started the first 100, then 2 minutes and 15 seconds later started the second, then 2 minutes and 15 seconds after that started the third, and so on), but after the fourth I needed more rest than the interval was going to give me so I switched this one to a 2 minute 45 second interval. The rest of my sets were done on the initial 2 minute and 15 second interval. I sprinted the last 50 yard set and finished it in exactly 50 seconds.

I felt like I was moving too slowly for the swim workout. and that my arms got tired way too early/easily. Part of it may have been running two miles prior to swimming, but I don't think it would make as big a difference as I felt. I know I've been out of the water for a few weeks due to laziness and sickness, but I didn't think I'd lose as much endurance as I seem to have. It's frustrating for me to feel slow/ineffective in the pool. I swam competitively for eight years, and while it's been twelve years since I stopped swimming in races, in my mind I should be able to jump right back in and get right back in the groove. I know logically this is not the case and that twelve years of inactivity will obviously take their toll, not just on endurance but on form, yet I can't shake the thoughts that tell me I should be better than I am in the water. Hence my frustration with tonight's swim. I know I shouldn't be frustrated with it, but I can't help it.

Hopefully more swimming will help. I'm actually following my training plan this time. and right now it's got me swimming twice a week. My next swim workout is Friday, which works out well as my arms are pretty tired from tonight's workout. Friday's workout will be 400-500 yards longer than tonight's, so we'll see how I do then.