Wow. All I can say right now is SWIMMING IS NOT FOR WIMPS.
Ryan gave me my first “swim practice” this afternoon and, man, was it ever hard! I really thought I would have had a little more endurance than what I had since I run so often, but I guess swimming utilizes different muscles and is a whole different ball game. We swam laps for about 45-50 minutes and when we started, I could only swim 1 LAP without totally being out of breath and panting by the edge of the pool. However, being the good coach Ryan is, he pushed me further than I really wanted to go and gave me exercises and drills to do such as “swim six full laps with 10 seconds rest after three”. He also had me swim with a little floaty thing in between my legs to keep my whole body in a straight line since I kept dipping down. The whole time we swam freestyle and I’m happy to say that by the end, I felt a lot more comfortable and was actually enjoying the new workout! It definitely got easier as I kept swimming and I’m going to really commit myself to swimming twice a week now for the next couple months. Of course you can’t wear a heart rate monitor in the pool, but I’m pretty sure swimming laps burns mucho calories. Hopefully by August I’ll be a champ! 
After swimming, I snacked on this new bar (thanks, Kristen!!!):
I never thought I would be hungry again after my 5 lb pita, but swimming really took a toll on me! This bar was delicious…I’ve never seen them around here though! Its a mix of nuts, seeds and fruit and is very minimally processed. It reminded me of a KIND bar actually but with more dried fruit. I really enjoyed it!
Later, I heated up leftover chickpeas for dinner!
I have just enough left to make a lunch with tomorrow….that’s pretty good—getting three full meals out of one dinner!! This tasted even MORE delicious tonight…I need to try to recreate this at home sometime!
I also had this interesting “champagne” mango
Not sure how this is different from a normal mango, but it was incredibly juicy and perfectly sweet. I almost ate another! They were on sale at Whole Foods for a dollar each so I bought three. Glad I did!
Organic dark chocolate for dessert—
Grrrrr Sunday night just comes waaaay too quickly. Especially for me since I try to be in bed by 7:15! The weeks are just flying by these days, no? Tomorrow is work (uuughhhhhh) and then biking. I can’t wait to test out the bike feature on my new Garmin. I spent this evening totally analyzing my race yesterday with the computer software (which is AWESOME). I can hardly wait for my next run to stare at my wrist some more. Seriously, the Forerunner is the best piece of running equipment (besides shoes) that you could possibly get. A VERY worthy investment!
I’m crossing my fingers hoping I sleep tonight….see you in the morning!
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
I am glad you liked the bar I actually have never seen it anywhere except for one of the local health food stores here! The swimming will get a lot easier in time dont worry I am sure it will be like cake for you after a few practices!
Hmmm, champagne mango? I have never heard of them, I’m going to have to look for them next time I’m at the store!
Fabulous swimming experience!! Fun challenge.
Lovin’ those chickpeas!! And I ADORE champagne mangoes – much tangier than their larger counterparts.
Enjoy what’s left of Sunday!!
The swimming will get much easier!
You can wear your HRM in the pool- the polar HRMs are waterproof, just put the strap under your suit and it’ll work fine!
I love swimming for exercise, especially in our hot Arizona summers. Such an awesome workout, and I really have noticed more definition in my upper body. Good luck!
I deff couldn’t live without my Garmin. I love that thing!
MMM, I love those Trio bars. They sell them at Costco, but that’s the only place I’ve ever seen them!
They sell Champagne mangoes at costco too!! At least they did last year in VT but I was too scared to try them(6 at a time) in case they were really different and I didn’t like them but I wish I had. Also, I had the same experience the first time I tried to swim, without the excellent coach, it uses such new muscles and it’s hard but like anything the body adapts! Keep it up girl!
I bought some of those same mangos at Whole Foods on Friday. I am about to put one in a green smoothie now!
Glad you enjoyed your swim!! It definitely does take a lot out of you! Your chickpeas look just as delicious today as they did yesterday
Do you do running/exersizing as a profession- sounds so cool!
Oh wow, that mango looks delightful!
wow, to have your first swim session that long!! i think i pooped out alot quicker
but i wish i had a coach 
I got a Garmin for Christmas and am OBSESSED!
Hope you sleep tonight Jenna. I know that must be hard to readjust your sleeping schedule every weekend.
Swimming is definitely a totally different workout compared to running. I don’t know how triathletes do it! At least you’ve got a great coach.
Glad you’re enjoying your Garmin. My husband bought one not too long ago, and still has yet to figure it all out. He is the smartest person I know, but totally clueless when it comes to electronic gadgets.
hhahaha you’re swimming story sounds JUST like mine! My best friend coaches a swim team (too bad she lives in seattle now or she could be my coach!!:) but I visited a couple of weeks ago and we went swimming together. I thought “Ok, I run pretty often and am in pretty good shape that this swimming thing shouldn’t be all that bad.” HA! I looked like I hadn’t worked out in ages! hahaha! To make it worse my friend coaches like 10 and 11 year olds and they DEFINITELY out swam me!
i’ve worn my polar in the pool and swimming hard is definitely a really good workout! i think i need to start making an effort to do it once a week or something. i haven’t wanted to all winter because it’s too cold to have to walk 15 minutes from work to the pool with wet hair and stuff in -17° weather but now i have no excuses!
Swimming is so much work!!! I’m not a very good swimmer at all, but would really like to get better. I think it’s a very important skill to have!
Mmmm.. I love mangoes! I bought some for .79 today (and that’s CDN, maybe .50 US) I was so excited!!!
Hope you fall asleep quickly tonight!
swim paddles! Love them! Use them! You wear them on your hands, builds tons more muscle in the upper body and makes you mucho strong. Then when the real race comes, you swim without them and you fly!
I definitely agree that swimming is not for wimps! It’s such a great workout and it’s very intense!
I just love when you get a lot of meals out of one dinner. That’s seriously the best!
Hope you get a wonderful night of sleepppp!
Swimming IS hard! I totally know how you feel. But it is such a great total-body workout! I hope to do more as the weather warms up.
Hi Jenna, i’ve been reading your post for a week or so and am enjoying and learning to live life all over again slowly, thanks for your great blog.
I love swimming and have been swimming for years now after picking it up again but there are days i get bored and feel like a fish just going up and down doing laps but it definitely is a totally different ball game altogether. i find running harder for me but it strengthens my core muscles better than swimming. thanks.
i hope to keep reading your blog! ta!
45-50 minutes is awesome for your first swim practice! It’ll get easier & more enjoyable with time, I promise!
Swimming is also not for people that take 40 minutes to blow dry and flat iron their hair.
Charlie LOVES champagne mangoes. He bought some at WF too this weekend. Glad you enjoyed your swim.
Since I grew up a swimmer…its easy for me to jump in the pool and bust out 2000m if I’m not in shape. BUT! You are NOT alone..I see people all the time who can barely do one lap and quit. Its a different kind of endurance…the kind where you can’t BREATHE! haha. In running as your body requires more oxygen you just increase your respiratory volumes/rate. In swimming…your body ends up going with less oxygen and you tire faster. Good luck and keep up the great work!
I love swimming for a workout, I can’t wait for the ice to come off the water in Canada so I can start swimming outside again!
I used to swim competitively and when I blew out my knee I started swimming again a lot. It is amazing how hard it is at first but pretty quickly your body will adapt. I keep considering starting to swim again a few times a week…maybe i’ll wait until the outdoor pool is open. Sunshine and working out in the middle of a work day=perfection.
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sounds like a jam packed fun weekend
that’s nice that Ryan is helping you with the swimming. I wish I had a pool!
My gym doesn’t have a pool so I can’t wait until the summer when I can use my parents pool to swim in! It’s definitely a great work out!
Hope you got some rest last night!
mango madness!! i love mangoes
swimming is so intense! i was on my school’s swim team for 2 years… our coach even made us do kick sets with shoes on in the water. it was pretty much torture. swimming definitely makes you hungrier than running… i think it’s why runners are so skinny and swimmers tend to be more buff.
OOO Champagne mango! I LOVE those and I can never seem to find them! Regular mangoes are just fine, but I find the champagne ones to have a bit more bite to them.
That bar sounds good, I’ll have to be on the look-out for it.
Have a great day
hey jenna,
haha your post made me laugh so much. i had the exact same thing when i went swimming the other day. it just seems so hard when you have to breath and use your arms so much at the same time but i’m sure you’ll be fit very soon. just doing it regularly will help alot.
have a lovley day
lots of love from singapore
I give you so much credit for taking on this swimming training! Its so hard for me, I think triathlons may be off limits for good! Good luck and keep up the good work.
I love my Forerunner too but need to get the equip for bike mode. Keep up the swimming, once you get the rhythm you’ll really start to enjoy it.