Last Monday I felt invincible, even though I could hardly hold my arms up over my head.

Over the last week, I took a big break and hardly thought about swimming at all. I went to yoga three times, lifted weights twice, and attended one awesome backyard cocktail party.

With over 600 wildfires currently burning in my province, air quality has been a huge concern for everyone. It has been gross. Not “move to Mexico to become a sex tourist” gross, but heavy, smelly, and oppressive. I take for granted the clean, fresh air I normally get to breath in my Kootenay home. I haven’t been in the lake all week – the fires need the water more than I do right now.

This week I describe my state as “in between days”, after one of my favourite songs. I have some time and space to refocus on my training plan for the next month.

Robert Smith eyes in honour of today’s theme.

So far this summer I have completed events at a variety of distance levels, from 2 km all the way up to 12 km. I worked with a specific training plan to build up to the longest distance, and I really believe that the planning made a huge difference.  How’s that for not being a planner? While I am probably physiologically and mentally best suited for longer distances, my next area of focus will be to become stronger and faster in the 2km – 5km events.

I try not to take all this stuff so seriously, but taking it seriously takes my mind off other gross stuff, so here’s to focus.

This week I am sticking to the pool and plan to complete 3x 3000 metre workouts. One for speed, one for technique, and one for fun.  Tonight I drove down to the Warfield outdoor pool, since today’s smoke show didn’t seem so bad.

I decided to start with the fun workout. It was weird to swim sets again, and weird to be just in a bathing suit. I felt rather naked and not very much like Catwoman. My “fun” 3100 meter workout incorporated all 4 strokes and every single one of my training tools, or my TOYS (as I like to call them, because FUN).  I used my paddles, buoy, training snorkel, kick board, ankle elastic, and my bullwhip. Okay, there was no bullwhip. I could smell the smoke but it wasn’t so bad. It was really great to be back in the pool, and for the last hour, I was the only one there.

I swam IMs and 50s and 200s and 300s. I didn’t swim with the clock, I just powered through sets and hummed to myself. Mostly that Cure song.

When I was finished, I forgot that I wasn’t wearing a wetsuit and almost stripped down to my birthday suit on deck. Oops.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll try the water slide.