Just keep swimming

I managed my 22 laps yesterday. I did the first five as a warm up, stopping for a few seconds after each lap, then did five laps of form drills, then finished up the last 12 laps with half breast stroke, half freestyle. I stopped for a minute between sets of five, but otherwise swam continuously. So overall, not nearly as bad as I expected. My time was slower than last year, of course, but not as slow as on Saturday, and my stroke rate was what it had been before, so I don't know what was up with Saturday. I *think* the pools are the same distance, but now I'm wondering if the one at the fitness center is in meters and not yards. They don't look any different, though. I spent a little while watching the woman doing laps in the lane next to me. She's one of these swimmers who looks like she doesn't even have to try to keep going--perfect form, nice even pace, and just keeps going lap after lap. Out of curiosity I counted her stroke rate and it was only two or three strokes less than mine per length, so that made me feel better too!

I really like the pool at work because it's heated. When you first get in it feels nice and warm, so it doesn't jar my muscles and make me tense up. Then as you work out and your body warms up beyond the temperature of the water, the water feels nice and cool in comparison. I can't remember what my average heart rate was, but it never felt really bad, and I let it slow down to 140 bpm between sets. My SI joint hurt last night more than usual, and still does today, so I'm not sure if I'm going to venture back into the pool tomorrow as planned or wait until Friday to give me more time to recover.