Lost Pines and New-Found Energy

When I first came to Texas I thought of the wide open spaces, the great outdoors with rolling tumbleweeds, lonely open ranges and livestock. Austin was a big surprise to me due to the fact that it is set in part of the Texas Hill Country. Most of Austin and the surrounding area is not flat land at all, rather it is rolling hills and valleys. Last week I was made aware of a park outside Austin called Lost Pines in Bastrop county. Lost Pines is set along part of the Colorado river. The trail winds its way up and down gentle slopes while being covered by a canopy of tall pine trees. Never did I think this would exist in Texas. Last Friday I went to explore Lost Pines for an afternoon and was delighted at the quiet and beautiful serenity of the forest.
My weekend was really relaxing and I feel as though finally my body is starting to regain some life. For a long time I was in a deep hole. Lifting four days a week was definitely taking it’s toll on me. In the middle of last week I talked with a former coach of mine, Randy Reese. Randy is the younger brother of my current coach, Eddie Reese. I told Randy I was amazed at how big a difference lifting four days a week made on my energy level and the performance or lack there of I was able to create in the water. He told me that lifting four days a week was probably a bit too much and that my body needed some time to relax and regrow itself stronger.
The next two weeks will be much more calm and recovery based before I swim in the Austin Grand Prix. I can’t wait to feel like I have some explosiveness back into my muscles. I generally always have some explosiveness in my mind because I’m such an excitable person but when my body is tired there can be absolutely nothing there. I will know I’m starting to be somewhat rested when I wake up in the morning actually feel somewhat refreshed.