A Day in the Life: Kelly Reitz, Day 2

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia, November 29. KELLY Reitz's "A Day in the Life" blog series continues today with a lot more talk about training as well as some discussion about the upcoming U.S. Open in West Lafayette, Ind.

Tuesday, November 28, Day 2
I felt much stronger in the water than I did yesterday, and that has given me confidence as I get ready to leave for the U.S. Open. During today's drill set, I took the opportunity to focus on swimming from my core. When holding the tennis balls in my hands, I was forced to increase the rotation in my freestyle stroke so that I caught more water with my arms. In breaststroke, I added more power to my kick just to move through the water.

During the main set, I focused on technique and pace. I used that set to get my heart rate up. But, I also made a clear distinction between the fast swimming and recovery. The sprint set gave me an opportunity to work on the tempo of my breaststroke and, by using a flutter kick with fins; I could exaggerate the quickness of my pull. The sprint portions of today's practice gave me a chance to gear myself up for the 100 breaststroke at the Open. Meanwhile, the increased strength that I felt in the water gave me confidence for my 200 breaststroke. It was also a welcomed change to do fewer yards today! I feel rested and ready!

Here is our practice from today:
Warm-up: 400 Swim, 3 x 200 kick/drill, 400 pull
Drill Set: 4 times through odd sets freestyle, even sets stroke, 2 x 100 on 1:30 drill/swim, 2 x 25 on :30 with tennis balls in hands, 2 x 25 on :30 build, 2 x 25 on :30 sprint
Main Set: 4x 400 on 6:00
#1: 200 pace, 200 recovery
#2: 100 build, 300 recovery
#3: 25 fast, 75 recovery (repeat)
#4: pull
Kick/sprint set: 300 kick with board and fins, fast, 8 x 25 on :30 odd/fast, even/recovery
Warm down: 4 x 100 backstroke with fins on 1:30

The day didn't start as early as usual, because I was given the morning off in preparation for the Open. I definitely appreciated it too! It was not as hard to go to class today as it was yesterday. I guess I'm back in the swing of things. But, I also had things to look forward to today. The first was lunch with my friend Kate. We lived on the same hall freshman year and we haven't lived near each other since then, but we've made it a point to have lunch together every semester. It's always fun to get together with a good friend and shoot the breeze. After lunch, I had a history class all about Thomas Jefferson. It's incredibly interesting because the life he led was so dynamic.

After practice, I had to go straight to the library to meet with a group from my international relations class. It was our first meeting to discuss a new project due at the end of the semester, and we were all a little confused about the criteria. Hopefully, after talking with the professor, we'll have a clearer agenda. Then, I had a late dinner that I cooked at home. I made steak! I even had the foresight to marinate it, which is a big deal for me, and I made some vegetables. I love vegetables; sometimes I order meals at restaurants just because of the vegetables. After dinner, I finished packing and preparing for tomorrow's trip to Purdue University for the meet. We're leaving early in the morning, so it's an early bedtime for me!

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