Forced Easy Week

I typically only cycle once per week so I never really have easy or hard cycling weeks. I just cycle 30-40k most Sundays from Aprilish until Novemberish - as long as it's not raining or we don't have a race that weekend.

From November until April,  Sunday mornings are for lazing around.

Best!

When it comes to running, I do schedule easy weeks. I have been running enough to know that I can handle (barely) three tough weeks of building up distance before I really really need an easy week. By easy week I mean 5k runs during the week and a 10k run on Saturday. After that, I'm raring to go for another round.

Swimming, on the other hand, never changes. I go three times per week, almost every week. I take the odd day off when I'm a) sick b) have a race on Saturday or c) had a race on Sunday. Other than that, I'm pretty much ol'faithful at the pool. First one in. Every morning.

It's great and I love it but it's probably not good for me to just keep going and going and going. I just can't ever seem to force myself not to go. Even on the days when I'm exhausted and dreading the alarm, I get up anyway because I know I'll feel better for going. And I do. Every time.

It's probably a good thing that, every so often, I get a forced easy week. Sometimes it's because the pool is closed for routine maintenance. Other times it's because I'm on vacation.

Next week is one of those forced easy weeks. I am away on work business for most of the week. The pool is closed on Monday for Thanksgiving as well. That means I will definitely miss two, and most likely all three, of my swim workouts.

My body will miss its early morning routine. The feeling of slipping into the water and slowly waking up. The feeling of leaving the pool both exhausted and invigorated - ready to face the day. On the other hand, my body may also be grateful for a wee respite from all the sprinting, bucket pulling, bungee-cord stretching workouts.

Either way, I don't have much choice about it and the place I'm going doesn't have a pool so I'll be on a forced swim holiday.

If I complain next week about crazy high blood sugars - please remind me that my lack of early-morning exercise is most likely to blame.