Everything I've heard about taper is true. You think it's going to be a walk in the park, but really, everything hurts and it sucks. My knees hurt, the tendonitis in my foot won't quite go away, heck, even my shoulders are tight and tired. Things that never hurt, not a single ache or twinge, are acting up and saying enough is enough. So to humor my creaky parts, I figured I'd take a day off from work, sleep in, and head to the pool. I am, or used to be, an avid swimmer. Even while enormously pregnant, I was swimming 2000-2500 yards twice a week. So replacing a run with a swim should have been a relaxing diversion. If only I had been swimming more than once since Max was born.
I knew I was in for it when I stepped out on to the pool deck to find that it was set up for long course! Okay, no big deal. I hopped in and started with my standard 100 free, 200 kick, 100 stroke warmup. Man, that first 50 just seemed to take forever. My stroke is all herky-jerky. The last couple months of pregnancy, I had no body roll to speak of, and frankly, I still don't. My left arm is big and burly from hossin' the baby around, but my right seems weak and uncoordinated. I couldn't keep my fingers together, and my wrists were getting tired. I was in fine cardiovascular shape, but my body needs some more practice before it remembers how to swim.
I quickly abandoned any idea of doing intervals, and just pushed on through to do my 1000. Today, I have a whole new set of swimming-induced aches, keeping my running-induced aches company. Ay, caramba.
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