Open Water and a Brick

I am about 6 weeks away from my first sprint triathlon.  Training has been going pretty well.  My swims in the pool have improved and I was beginning to feel more and more comfortable with them.  With the warm weather finally here in New England I am able to now go into the local lakes and continue my swim training in open water.  Not having the comfort of a heated pool, lane markers, or clear vision of the bottom swimming once again became hard.  Not being in what had become a comfortable zone I struggled with my first swim in the lake.  My breathing was off and I also found that I had to change my stroke up some so that I could spot a landmark to keep myself going somewhat straight. 

I was very annoyed after my first swim in the lake.  I felt as if all the work I put in at the pool didn't pay off.  Luckily, I had a good friend remind me that it was only one swim and that the triathlon isn't tomorrow.  My wife also oh so gently said "dude, RELAX and just swim."  She knows me well enough to know I was getting frustrated over what wasn't a bad training session, just not one where I wanted it to be.  She was right (dammit) and she got me to refocus on my training.  I know that I want better and that I will continue to push myself to improve come race day.  I need to listen to the wife and also follow the words of Dory and just keep swimming. 

I have also started doing brick workouts.  At first I had no idea what a brick workout was.  I remember bricks during my Goruck events but those were actual bricks that you put in your backpack (ruck) for added weight or had to carry with rocks and logs, depending on what the Cadre wanted you to do.  But that’s a whole different story.  Anyway a brick workout is stacking 2 of the elements of the triathlon back to back in your training.  Generally a bike/run but it can be any combination of the three.  My guess is they call it a brick because that’s what your feet feel like when you try to start running after biking.  Needless to say these workouts are challenging but I am enjoying the challenge (unlike the challenge of the swim).  I have been doing a long bike followed by a fairly long run, but I just read that you can also do these workouts in shorter rounds to really mess with your body.  I think this week may be a good week to give that a try.