REST TODAY FOR A STRONGER TOMORROW & A 4K RUN TOMORROW

I was beat yesterday. We had interviews in the morning, then ate Chipotle for lunch, right to a social then back to my center to prep and then have my regional staff holiday party. My break was eating standing up while checking work emails. I got home late and didn’t get to sleep right away. My sleep was crap lots of tossing and turning. Restless legs from standing all day.

Therefor today is resting and just one errand. Gonna stay off my feet and rest. Tomorrow is back to the gym. Monday is back to the pool for 4 last swims of 2025.

OURA SLEEP SCORE– 67

5 hours and 37 minutes

GARMIN SLEEP SCORE – 40

4 hours and 7 minutes

SATURDAY – RECOVERY DAY

THE LIFT AHEAD:

SUN – BACK & BICEPS + Run Tread 2.485 Miles / 4K

MON – SWIM w/ Team (Masters)

TUE – CHEST & TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE (May just Teach as I work late on Monday)

WED – SWIM w/ Team

THU – CHRISTMAS – BACK & BICEPS + Run Tread 2.485 Miles / 4K

FRI – TBD NO SWIM (No Coach) + Run Tread 2.485 Miles / 4K

SAT – CHEST + TREAD

SUN – BACK & BICEPS +TREAD

MON – SWIM w/ Team (Masters)

TUE – CHEST & TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE

WED – SWIM w/ Team

THU -(NEW YEARS DAY) SWIM w/ Team (I’m off so why not get an extra swim in?)

FRI – SWIM w/ Team

ANXIETY ME vs ALPHA ME

Oh I’m Not Alpha but Indo want to beat everyone on as many sets as I can. Thats why I like at 5am since we each get our own lane. We push each other. But today about half way into the workout we had someone join us and they jumped in my lane. I let them lead staring the second set as they went 5 secs after me which causes ANXIETY for me. It’s LCM dude and it’s just the two of us, go 10 seconds apart. I just made it a game to see how how much of that gap I could close. By the 100’s Pull we had our own lanes again and I made sure I was ahead each time.

Overall it was LCM so I was happy. Tough workout.

I will be working later than normal tonight and today is a busy day so tomorrow may just be RECOVERY. I’ll figure that out later.

OURA SLEEP SCORE– 55

4 hours and 9 minutes

GARMIN SLEEP SCORE – 52

5 hours and 19 minutes

FRIDAY – SWIMMING

THE WETDECK – ENDURANCE PACING

THE WORKOUT:

1:11:22

ZONE 1 – 03:54

ZONE 2 – 07:21

ZONE 3 – 19:38

ZONE 4 – 20:54

ZONE 5 – 18:18

WARM UP: (500)

300 Free

150 Back

50 Fly

SET ONE: (1000/1500)

300 Free on 5:30

2 x 50’s Breast on 1:30

300 Free on 5:30

2 x 50’s Breast on 1:30

200 Free Sub 3 min

SET TWO: (1000/2500)

2 x 200’s IM on 4:15

4 x 100’s Free on 1:50

15 sec Rest

200 IM Sub 4 mins

SET THREE: (500/3000)

4 x 100’s Free Pulling on 1:45

100 Cool Down

3,000 LCM

JUST KEEP SWIMMINGx:

2025 SWIM DISTANCE TOTALS:

SCY – 70,000 including last workout

SCM – 166,925

LCM – 72,200

Rowdy Gaines Masters Classic 17 January 30, 2026-February 1, 2026

THE LIFT AHEAD:

SAT – TBD – RECOVERY or CHEST + Run Tread 2.485 Miles / 4K

SUN – BACK & BICEPS

MON – SWIM w/ Team (Masters)

TUE – CHEST & TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE

WED – SWIM w/ Team

THU – CHRISTMAS – BACK & BICEPS + Run Tread 2.485 Miles / 4K

FRI – TBD NO SWIM + Run Tread 2.485 Miles / 4K

THE ROAD AHEAD:

STRENGTH (80-100%) 12/9 – 1/16

ENDURANCE (60-80%} 1/17 – 1/24

TAPER (50-60%) 1/24 – 1/30

runDISNEY:

12K’s of Christmas Virtual

WDW 5K – JAN 8th

PRINCESS HALF – MARCH 1stSprinwgtime Surprise – APRIL 17-19th (Not Running)

GEMINI AI RATE MY WORKOUT:

Workout Rating: 9/10 (The “Internal Alpha” Achievement)

This was a massive session, especially considering the psychological hurdles and the sleep deficit you were carrying. To drop into a Long Course Meter (LCM) pool and spend nearly 40 minutes in Zones 4 and 5 is high-level grit.

The Breakdown

* The Psychological Win: Dealing with “lane crashers” is the ultimate test for a swimmer who likes their space. Choosing to use that person as a rabbit to chase—rather than letting the anxiety shut you down—is exactly how you build mental toughness for race day. That “closing the gap” game turned a negative into a high-intensity performance booster.

* LCM vs. SCY: 3,000 LCM is a different beast than Short Course Yards. There are no walls to rest on. Sustaining sub-3:00 on that 200 Free and staying consistent on the 100 Pulls (1:45) in a long pool shows your endurance pacing is sharpening right on schedule.

* Intensity Distribution: Look at those zones! You spent 60% of your hour in the “Pain Cave” (Zones 4 & 5). This wasn’t just a recovery swim; this was an engine-building session.

The Red Flag: The Sleep Score

Your Oura (55) and Garmin (52) are screaming at you.

While you crushed the workout, your body is currently “borrowing” energy from your reserves. Doing 3,000 LCM on roughly 5 hours of sleep is impressive, but it’s not sustainable for the Strength Phase you are currently in (80-100% intensity).

Strategy for “The Road Ahead”

Given your work schedule tonight and the cumulative fatigue, here is my recommendation for your TBD Saturday:

| Factor | Recommendation |

|—|—|

| Physical Need | Active Recovery. Your CNS (Central Nervous System) is likely fried from the Zone 5 efforts and low sleep. |

| Mental Need | Rest. You’ve been “on” all week. |

| The Move | Move the Chest + 4K Run to a day where you have 7+ hours of sleep. If you feel “antsy” tomorrow, do a very light walk or mobility work, but prioritize the nap. |

> Insight: You are in the “Strength” block (12/9 – 1/16). High-intensity lifting requires a fresh nervous system to prevent injury. Pushing a heavy chest day on 5 hours of sleep is how “Anxiety Me” wins; resting so you can crush Sunday is how “Alpha Me” wins.

>

Would you like me to help you adjust your lifting schedule for next week to ensure you hit that 80-100% intensity without burning out before the Rowdy Gaines Classic?

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