Fast or dumb?

But let's start from the beginning as usual.

Yesterday I did a 3h bike ride, which was pretty awesome. I liked it. I stayed on the roads again and there were little ups and downs and I just like it much more than staying in a park because I feel that I need to get used to going up and down the hills. I was kinda tired by the end.
It was kinda cold, I was wearing gloves, 2 pairs of socks, earwarmers, long-sleeved shirt, short-sleeve shirt, running jacket, reflexive vest. Well, cold.

Then did 1h on the elliptical. Hm, I am not sure whether it is good on ITB because it did not feel that hot in the evening. I am not going to let anyone touch my ITB in knee area again!!! No ultra sounds, no massage, nothing that puts direct pressure on the outside of the knee!!!!

And I went to get an underwater swim technique analysis yesterday. I think that it was not really worth the money I paid for it but I have received some very good feedback and thus it was worth it! The instructor told me that my head position and catch and pull are very very good. That's no surprise to me because I have been working on those very hard. But I was told that I cross the centerline when I enter the water. I thought that I was doing it but I was not sure. And my kick is very bad, I am draging the feet very low behind me. And a few other small problems. But overall it is not too bad for a self-taught swimmer swimming only since December. The instructor also invited me to join his masters practices but it is too far from me so I can't.

I went to watch the tri race this morning. It was horrible. Be there and not being able to race. It is such a fast course, I could have had a very good time. Next year.

And then, I had an AWESOME swim.
I did this exact swim last Saturday. It was 4x300 at 5:15 descending. I was supposed to start at 5min and end at 4:40.
I did 5:03, 5:55, 5:50, 5:48. I felt like a crap. It was horrible. The worst swim ever.

And today I did the same swim. And I felt like 1000000 bucks!!! After the pathetic swim last week Michelle told me to to them at 5:45 and start in 5:10 and get it down to 4:50. But I did the first one in 4:52 and it felt easy. So I decided to do them at 5:15 and see how it goes. Second one: 4:42. WTH? Then I remembered that I should be descending, and I have two more. Hm, this will be hard... 3rd: 4:35. Wow, I am flying (in water)! 4th: 4:33. How awesome is that???
I was like, hm, am I that fast or am I that dumb and can't count right or tell the time? But it was not that. On the last one, I was concentrating hard on not losing the count to make sure that I am counting laps correctly. And also I made sure that I am not screwing up my timing. But I was not. I really swam those times. And it was not even that hard.

So, I have 3 theories about this:
1, Cupcake(s) (and bagels and cookies) pig out on Friday was the best fueling ever. I am doing it every single day from now on!!!
2, I really am dumb and do not know how to count.
3, My new improved technique gives me swimming superpowers. I worked hard not to cross the centerline, enter the water with the hands pointing in the forward direction, extend the arms, don't go like a windmill and keep the legs just below the surface with small kicks and do not let them drag behind and below me. It was not that hard. I thought that it would be harder to keep the legs up but it was not that bad. I think that I did a good job.
It is a lot of things to think about - hands, arms, head, legs, rotation.....

I saw that I have a swim test on my schedule for this week (I am scared!!!) so I suppose that we will soon find out what's going on with my swim.