Back to Business...kinda

I actually made myself sick.

So sick of NOT doing what I knew I should be doing (swimming, what else?) that I returned to Masters. Because I am a glutton for punishment. And I know that while I am not a great runner or cyclist, my swim is even further behind.

And of course, someone actually noted that I had been gone awhile, LOL! In a very kindly way however. It was a slow day and my part of the class (the slow baby group) was in what is my favorite part of the pool, the diving tank. The water is deep and I feel so much more bouyant, even though it is also cooler than the shallow end. I kept up just fine and as usual, felt grrreeeat afterwards.

That was last week.

This week the pool was set p for a long course - 50 yard lanes. Nice! I think I could swim that all evening - at my slow ass pace however. That was not to be, though.

We did several technique drills - on the back, rotations, onteh side left leading, on the side right leading, on the side left leading face in, same for right, underswitches.....I kinda like these drills. They remind me of how to trust the natural rotation of my body and help me regain my balance. Of course I get about a gallon of water up my nose as some point or another but these generally are not the "drowning drills" that we used to do when I took the JackRabbit class last year.

Then, we split into two groups and did sets - 6 sets of 100's. we used two lanes for this. I moved over into the next lane only because the first one had about eight people in it already, and there was only two so far in the next. The instructor said "I don't know that you belong here, but we will see". OK - I was gonna move right back over after that, but decided to see what happened.

Wow. I had on my zoomers - but about half the lane did - and I kept up! for all of teh 100's! Of course I was challenged and out of breath, but wow - what a workout! All the instructor said was "Nice" which was cool - in all reality after the fourth set I was done, but I didn't stop or slow down much. I expected her to tell me I was losing my stroke or something, as when I get tired I tend to flail but I tried to remain conscious of my stroke throughout.

When we were done (Thank you Lord!) my ankles were somewhat sore from the fins. I took them off and did a slow 100 to cool down which was blessedly sweet, I felt like a manatee.

I am only going 1x week now, as Thursdays are taken up with other things. I should try to get to the gym at least once a week to supplement it - either that or put up with the dirty old men at Parks and Rec and do my Saturday mornings there again. The last Saturday I was there, I knocked out 1.5 miles. I was also asked out on a date by a 70 year old.

(sigh)

Inspiration for the long haul

I spend an inordinate amount of time mooning over all things tri- mostly gear and toys, but also race reports, other folks blogs, etc. It is all so addicting!


A site I recently joined, GOTRIBAL, is promoted by a professional triathlete and women's world record holder, Chrissie Wellington. She is supposedto be hot stuff - well, she holds the record and only startedracing tri a few years ago. Nice.


Over last weekend I remembered that it was time for Kona - the granddaddy of triathlons, an Ironman event held in Hawaii. I found the website and got a live feed and athlete tracker, and checked in. In only knew two pro names, one of the being Chrissies. I saw that her name was not in the top 10 afterthe swim, and forgot about the race for a few hours.




I came back many hours later and found that she was notonly in the top 10 on the bike, she was leading the women's race! Wow, just...wow. I kept checking in every few hours and had the ultimate honor of watching the last 20 minutes of her race, which moved me to tears.





This woman had a big smile on her face the entire time. She broke a world record in the process. When she won, she did not run across the finish line - she laid down and rolled, in honor of John Blais, Warrior Poet. She cried, hugged her parents, thankedthe crowd, and stayed after for a loooong time to congratulate athletes crossing the finish line - AFTER WINNING A 140 MILE RACE!



Man, me sweating and moping over my nothing miles, and she grinning and encouraging others after 140. What a way to have your perspective adjusted - in a number of ways! A few minutes of viewing, a lifetime of inspiration. I looked her up, and found that she is not just an amazing athlete but a socially aware individual who practices the divine concept of Paying It Forward ( I really really like her, now!)

so that leads me into crystallizing some stuff I have been thinking about lately....



I'm going to HTFU. As much as I can. And I do this because I love it, so why not let it show that I am having fun and enjoying myself even when sweating blood?

I am looking for ways to inspire others to participate too. Haven't figured that out, but I will start by trying to set a positive example.

Make racing mean something - for a cause. OK, I know about Team in Training. But there are other causes that are near and dear to my heart as I have loved ones who deal with daily challenges , and then other personal interests I have that I would love to support.

so my short list is

The Reeves Foundation




Autism Speaks


Women for Women

Heifer International

Why NOT make a difference? I already donate to these organizations, but maybe there is a way to raise awareness and get even more resources directed towards importantcauses - even in a small way. Oh, and smile while doing it.

Thanks, Chrissie!

Swimming with the Fishies

They call it Master's Swimming because they work you like a slave!

Don't get me wrong - I am so happy to have found it and joined. I am sure it's good training and that it will pay off big time. It sure is cheaper than the Jack Rabbit classes and meets twice a week instead of once.

But; really. This type of self flagellation....this manifestation of hair shirts....takes some getting used to, and hours of sleep to get over.

I was very sleepy this week. I think it was coming off of the anxiety aboutthe tri , plus the change of temperature. It's pretty chilly in the mornings, and crisp - perfect running weather. Ah, but no - I have taken the week off to sleep a wee bit later in the morning. The 5 am stuff gets played out with me after 6-8 months or so! But I did rush out after work to go to Masters.

I LOVE the water....lakes, oceans, beaches especially, ponds, pools, fishtanks, showers...dosen't matter. During long cold winters I dream repeatedly about swimming, the beach, the ocean. It's my psyche longing for what it loves. However, in swimming I am sloooowwww....I think everyone swims faster than me. I think I love being in the water so much that part of my brain gets distracted. Yeah, thats the ticket - I love the water so much my brain gets distracted.


I am the slowest person in the slow group, LOL. I a trying to soak up the instruction however and even I know I am swimming SO much better. Once in awhile they bump me into the next lane to drill with the faster group that just drills (no instruction) and I can do that just fine - I am just the slower swimmer. Whatever, really. I could sleep for a day afterwards, however.Getting up the next morning is always more of a challenge.

Today I suited up and went to my local parks and rec to swim - I probably did a little over a mile. If my cap and goggles are not giving me a hard time (miraculously today they were NOT) I can swim and swim non stop for about an hour, which I did today. It felt soooooo good. I came home and did 30 minutes on the trainer, and TRIED to run a little on the treadmill, but only got a mile in. My head was really hurting: a combination of sinuses and post pool head, I think.

I have a 5k next week, I am really looking forward to it. I a not concerned about the time at all, this will be a fun run for me. The run traces the path of a Brooklyn firefighter who, when he heard about theWorld Trade Center being attacked, put on his gear and ran from Brooklyn to Manhattan (the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel was closed to traffic by then). He and his entire squad passed that day. The run benefits an important foundation and has a zillion people that participate - its is called the Tunnel to Towers run.

I Am Woman, Hear Me Cough

what a week, huh?

Monday slams us with a foot of snow, I stayed home.

Tuesday I had the pleasure of running a day long meeting with one eye functioning - like literally, I thought I had pink eye or something. it was awful.

Wednesday it didn't clear up much, but I really wasn't feeling that great either so I knew there was more to it...

Thursday I did spinning class with a raging fire in my throat. Ugh. Work was very incomfortable - echinacea, c, zinc, and bathroom every 20 minutes. I left work early to try and relax at home, except I could hardly breathe or relax.

Friday was better only because things had broken up, but I don't like coughing in front of or around people. So it was a day of perpetual motion - always going to cough or pee.

Needless to say when I am not feeling well is when people want to get IN my face, talk incessantly, hold some hellacious meeting about...oh, I don't know, toenail lint...BS like that.

So much for my first week of training.

This morning I did spin class with El Preggo. I wonder when she is due, I avoid looking at her because it makes me want to pee. She gets props for knowing the words to Biz Markies "Just A Friend"(YES, that was a slow climb song) and MiJac's Pretty Young Thing(repeat after me say "na-na na -na!"). I managed to get on the treadmill immediately after and do two miles. I'm still stuffy but amazingly when I go to exercise I have no difficulty breathing at all.

It is suppossed to be 60 tomorrow....if I can peel my azz out of bed I will get up early and drive to the beach for a run; it has been awhile. Maybe someone can consult the oracle to divine when I will get back in the pool, as it is beyond me to fathom at this point. It has been so long I am actually building a phobia about it!

It's a beautiful day today, its 60 and sunny although there is still snow in the garden. I'm gonna celebrate by taking a nap. Yay me!