The Devil Went Down to...the Pool?

(I'm cheating and pre-dating my posts - I swear I had every intention of writing this on Saturday but it just never happened...)

Saturdays are usually sleep in days for me but Coach B has been able to wrangle some extra pool time for us at 6:30 am on Saturday mornings. Nice. I'll pretty much take any offered opportunity to swim when there are no floaty, wall hugging, lane hogging lap swimmers in the pool. My first swim meet of the season is in two weeks and I figured I better get some additional yardage in the bank...and start getting myself into an early Saturday routine...since I'll need to add a swim to get ready for the Timberman Half IM. SO, 6:00am, off to the pool.

On Friday, Coach had sent around an email warning that she would offer any of us the opportunity to try the "Satan Set". Well, although everything at Masters swimming is optional, the very offer of such a set begged acceptance. Only wussies would decline such an invitation.

I'll take your bet, you're gonna regret 'cause I'm the best that's ever beeeeen...

So the deal with this set...You take your fastest race time for 100 yards of whatever stroke you choose to swim...I chose freestyle and my PR time is a 1:22 from the blocks.

Then you swim 6 x 100 yards on a relatively long interval (the true Satan Set calls for a 6:00 interval - we did it on about a 7:30/8:00 - or until our heart rates had recovered)...which means you go 100%, all out, swim like you're being chased by Jaws, fast for 100 yards and then spend the rest of the time recovering...in this case, we did a 200 pull in between the 100s...reeeeeeeaaaaaaly easy like. Because you think your heart is going to explode. No joke.

The goal for the set is to swim each of your 100s within 6 seconds of your PR time...so for me, that meant I had to swim each in under 1:28.

Well the Devil bowed his head because he knew that he'd been beat:

#1: 1:24
#2: 1:23
#3: 1:24
#4: 1:24
#5: 1:25
#6: 1:27

Oh, and we warmed up for 1000 yards and cooled down for 200 for an even 3000 yard practice. All before 8 am on a Saturday...

I gotta tell you, weekends are really long when you get up that early.

Devil just c'mon back if you ever wanna try again, 'cause I told you once you son of a b**** I'm the best that's ever been...