getting stronger

so, this is sadly not the post where i announce that my fat burners have woken up and i'm dropping inches like crazy. However, it is the first of many posts where i tell you i feel stronger. i've never been an athlete- i *always* hated gym class-but strength/weight training has been something i've at least gotten some pleasure out of since i discovered weight lifting my freshman yesar of high school. i think i liked having the measurable progress of "i did this last week and it;s so much easier this week" or "wow i can do more reps and sets than before!" i've always been results driven.
with swimming, at least for me, that progress is a bit harder to measure in the short term because it's cardio and resistance training at the same time, which i guess is what makes it such intense cardio. anyhoo- last week's swims were SO hard. i did them every morning but every single morning i just wanted to give up. this week has been different. it's not been easy by any stretch, but i'm getting to the point where i can finish my set of laps (i'm currently doing 8 sets of 4 laps with a 20 sec breather between sets) without getting all gaspy and flaily, and that's nice. i'm still relieved when i'm done for the day, but i definitely don't feel like crying because it's so hard anymore.
another area where i know i am getting stronger is this: i have added full body resistance training this week. Last week i had tried out the Six week Six pack workout and found it to be great, so this week i have added upper and lower body work, and though it's really hard while i'm doing it, i love how i feel afterwards and am amazed that the soreness from it has not affected my swimming negatively. (current average time for a set of 4 laps is 3:10) Also, i am definitely getting stronger in each of the three strength training workouts i'm doing. during the upper body workout yesterday i was amazed at how many more reps of each move i was doing. there's only one strength move that i want to do but am struggling with (it involves a side plank with knee raises), and even for that i have a plan to build up to it! :-)
My sleep schedule has normalized, and that is awesome-now i'm just looking forward to when my energy level improves. seems like i've got enough energy to sleep and cook and exercise and not much else these days.