SELF's #FitGirl Talks Early Morning Swim Sets After a Late Night

Model and writer Elettra Wiedemann shares what it's like to throw a fab 40th birthday -- and then freestyle for hours in the pool.

Hey Fellow #FitGirls! How did your weekend go? My Friday night was great because I organized a surprise 40th birthday party for my husband -- and it totally worked! He was absolutely surprised and really touched.

And while yes, the party was fun, getting home late Friday night made my morning swim on Saturday just brutal. After I got to the pool, I saw a fellow swimmer who moved away a few months ago was back in town and swam in my lane for the day -- and wow, was she amazing. Fast and majorly talented. (Oh and, BTW: The pic is an example of our workout "swim board," although this one is from last Tuesday's 60-minute session.)

Well, let's just say the late night and my new, faster lane buddy made the workout tough. The sets were long, and I felt like I was dragging a something the size of a whale because I was so far behind my brand-new lane buddy. I couldn't help but wonder if ramping up my recent swim efforts really was paying off, considering my lane buddy was literally lapping me.

As I was leaving (read: stomping off), one of the female swim coaches came up to me and told me how great my technique looked. I was surprised and told her that I felt dead in the water. She explained that I might be slower for now, but that my technique looked WAY better than a few months ago, and that slowness was just my muscles adapting to the changes in my form. I pushed back and asked why the heck it mattered that I had good technique if I went slower? She laughed and said that proper technique helps muscles to avoid injury and even major issues like shoulder surgery in the long term -- yikes! So rather than being disappointed, I felt quite a bit better about myself and my swim skills. Why compare myself to anyone else when my coach is giving me such positive feedback, right?

What always works when you need to improve? Practice! Anyway, here's my workout plan for the week:

  • Monday: Early morning private training session before my flight to Dallas
  • Tuesday: 30 minutes at the hotel gym (But I'm not sure what I'll do yet, I have to check out the facilities when I get there and let you guys know!)
  • Wednesday: Will try to squeeze in a 30-minute workout before my flight home, but not sure this will be possible...
  • Thursday: Back home in NYC for a 60-minute swim class
  • Friday: 60-minute conditioning class
  • Saturday: 90-minute swim class (same long swim as every week!)
  • Sunday: REST

What's your plan this week? Tweet me using #FitGirl at @ElettraW to share your workouts/tips/ideas, etc. As my trainer Jenel says, "GO DO IT TO IT!"