I've got a lot more respect for swimmers

This morning I thought it'd be fun to shake up the normal workout with some swimming. Figured 30 - 45 minutes doing some laps at the local gym. Ouch... My shoulders are going to be so sore tomorrow. The pool at the east location (which I can see from my balcony) is only a half lap. Going down and coming back the first few times though, I couldn't even make it back (was lacking something 10 feet). After the turn around, for some reason I couldn't get enough air in. I'm not used to having to take short deep breathes. I think that's what was throwing me off.

I finished Core Performance Endurance yesterday. A lot of the exercises look like new-age Pilates to me, which is great as that focuses on core (or in Pilate's lingo "trunk") strength and strengthening muscles without bulking up. As Mahokey will attest, not many exercise/health/nutrition magazines or books or websites targeted toward men deal with anything but bulging biceps. Anyhow, I'm going to start working up a strategy incorporate it into my training. Once I've given it some time, I'll post up what my thoughts on it are. Dave really liked the original and cites it as one of the things that's made him the racer he is today.

I'm really starting to get excited about this weekend. First race of the year and the first time I've been at a starting line since the end of August.