Some workouts just don’t workout. And on those days all I really want to do is hide and cry. Today was one of those days. For the most part I am able to mange my MS when I am in the water; but if things get too warm the tingles come out.

I started this morning at 6:15 with a 2.5km swim on my own. It was a nice swim, switching between freestyle and IM sets. Not too fast, but fast enough that I felt it. By mid workout I my face was glowing and I could feel the tingles in the inner arch of my foot every time I kicked.

At 7:30 I began the Victoria Masters workout and was hoping to put in at least another 2.5km. The 400m warm-up set gave me an opportunity to cool down a bit. Next was a set with fins. As soon as I put my right fin on, my foot cramped up and seized. I stretched it out and swim on.

The set was fun, and was coached by one of my favorite people ever – Dale Robinson who was also a swim companion in Great Bear this year. It was also a set that could easily lead to overheating with the added pressure on heart from the fin work – and it did. This was the part of the workout where I started to cry inside my head. The numbness in my right foot had worked its way up my leg and had moved to the left side. It was also now in my arms. It is so frustrating when you are physically fit enough to do something but can’t because something else gets in the way. It is frustrating when things get in the way of training for specific goals. And it is frustrating now knowing how far you can push without causing permanent damage.

Ultimately I had to make a decision – to stay and play or to get out and rest for the remainder of the day. It is a dreaded part of any workout for me as I always feels as though I am giving-up or quitting. I hopped over to the lane beside and put in another 500 meters at a slower pace to see if my body would cool down and the tingles would go away but it was too late. I hopped out after completing 4km; 2km short of my goal for the day.