Let the swim training begin

Yesterday began my "official" swim training from now until I do the National Championship in Hawaii.  I haven't been in the pool since I did a really short sprint race last month at the beach.  I have only swam about a dozen times since I did Ironman Canada last August 2010 and two of those times was at a race___Hawaii 70.3, a half ironman triathlon which was in Kona and Portofino Sprint Series, a VERY short sprint race that only allowed 40 people to sign up and had no awards.

I swam a little over half a mile (1000 yds) and it took about 25 minutes (slow!), but felt good.  My plan is to swim at least twice a week through the off season.  I am also going to start biking again.  I haven't been biking much since Ironman Canada.  I even did Hawaii 70.3 last June with only about 4 bike rides at only 20 miles each.  My splits show it, but I was in Kona to have fun and finish.  It was Hawaii after all!  I wasn't racing for time.

Me after doing a practice swim in Kona the day before the race.  The Murph didn't
know as he was taking this picture that I had just gotten cut up on coral and he was
about to take me to the hospital for stitches in my hand and elbow.
(Glad he didn't have the camera on video!)

Except for a brief period of time last summer (2010) when I was ironman training, I haven't been consistently swim training for at least three years.  That's about to change.....