I Know Why the Swim is First

   I have a fun, part-time job in freelance sports production.  Long story short- I work on the Jumbotron crew for two professional sports teams in Nashville - the Tennessee Titans and the Nashville Predators.   We're getting towards the end of the Preds season now, and we're in the middle of a home-stretch.  I think 12 of the next 15 games are at home.  And if it wasn't for me going on vacation next week, I'd be working every one of them.  Great for the wallet- but hell on a training schedule.
  Since I have games on most Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays this month, I have to get my workouts in on the remaining days.  Fortunately, the C25k program is over, so that time is available now.  Unfortunately, I need to double-up my workouts on some days.  Today was one of those days.
   In an attempt to actually plan my workouts rather than just winging it like I did for my last tri, I'm currently basing my workouts from a plan I got from Fleet Feet- a local running store.  It's specifically designed for the sprint tri I'm doing in May.  I started it on Monday with the swim - 500 yards total.  That swim felt great, but I also hadn't done any exercise since the Tom King 5k the previous Saturday.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking out those 500 yards in one stretch; I have to take breaks.  But I would always swim 25 to 50 yards at a time (as the schedule planned) and I never took one a break longer that one-minute.
  Well, Tuesday I had to skip my planning running work-out (the dreaded speed session) due to a Preds game.  So today, being the slave to the schedule, I did my 4x1-mile speed work and then went to pool.  The mile repeats felt good.  Really good.  I know I bitch out speed sessions, but they definitely work.  My goal time was supposed to be 10:07.  I did all four under 9:45 - and I was trying to slow down.  So my body is definitely adjusting to the tempo change, which is good.
   But from there I went to the pool...which wasn't so good.  That great feeling I had on Monday was gone. I left my schedule at home so I wasn't sure what my exact workout was supposed to be.  I just remembered I was supposed to swim 550 yards total.  So I did 8x25 and then 5x50, which is one 50 longer than Monday.  It was terrible.  My legs just felt like lead and my arms just sort of hit the water rather than slicing into it like a knife.  I was S-L-O-W too. But whatever.  I finished and hopefully, I'm better for it.
  As I mentioned in the title - I know why the swim is first.  Because people will freaking DROWN if it's last because they are so tired.  You can always coast on a bike and walk on the run, but you'll drown if you stop swimming.  And no one wants that!

Things to work on:
Speed - both running and swimming
Form - swimming
Breathing from both sides rather than just one when swimming