Turns out the college swimmer can see everything

Go me! three days of swimming this week! And a full mile this morning. Turns out DC can see what I'm doing in the water. She is super nice, the first morning I actually showed up at the pool she shouts, 'good morn-ning!' in acknowledgement of my finally making it there (very funny), and is all around encouraging. Today in the locker room post swim she commented, "you are looking better in the water already." at first I was mortified that she had even noticed - yes, yes, I am seriously silly in worrying about looking so bad in the water, but then smiled from the inside out - that's right, I am a swimmer now. You can call me the early morning swim lady. ...and then my friend Jen sent me a message of encouragement about my biking, but started with, 'wait, let's pause and acknowledge your swimming this week!!' during the week she had also sent a message saying, 'you are going to crush the swims this year.' she's a rock star.

We Have Lift Off!

Hooray, woot, woot. Who is the wo-man? That's me, that's right, I swam two mornings last week and two already this week! Exciting!! This morning I even swam a whole mile! yeah meeee, yeah meee, yeah .... well, I'm not particularly speedy. on Wednesday morning Sandy from the Gym, let's call her DC for default coach, swam in the lane next to me. She is my same age. She was doing the paddleboard kicking drill while I was swimming free style, no drill lap and she goes almost as fast as me kicking only as I do all out swimming. wow, I was really embarrassed. 'put she was a college swimmer, don't forget she was a college swimmer' soothes my ego a little, but in reality, my actual kicking drills must be done when she is doing a different drill and doesn't notice.

Swimmers, start your engines -- or at least think about it

tomorrow - good grief, that's the bane of my swimming existence, that tomorrow word. Last post's "tomorrow" didn't happen, so I told my brother to call me in the mornings to make sure I'm up since he's up anyway. The next morning I text him before he can call me and say, "I'm up. enjoy your day" ...and then I went back to bed. he he he. What a lazy butt I am! Next day I decide I really need to just start on a Monday. Monday came and went and Sandy my weekly check-in asked about my swimming .... uh, yeah, I'm working my way up to that. Right now I'm getting my brain into the mindset after year's of refusing to swim before noon, or tomorrow. The next morning I did get up early, but I didn't get in the car as I am baby-stepping my way to getting up early AND getting up early to swim. Next day I finally get up, get in the car, and drive to swimming - but it's already 6:40, really, is there any point in getting into the water now? I think not. The plus, I can finally visualize where I will swim, how to walk through the halls, and where the locker room is located. Ok, I'm ready to get to it ... next week.

Excuses, Excuses

First all my excuses for not swimming more. The pool at the college where I stared trying to go regularly is closed to all adults for the summer - what! I just paid for a year's worth of access and did not tell me no pool all summer. What am I supposed to do? Oh, there is that lake thing - uh no, what if a boat runs me over, what if I drown. It's too cold. I hate the dirty factor of swimming in a lake (or ocean for that matter). Ok, that's a good excuse, but then find a different indoor pool. The Y has a pool, go check into that. .....checked it out. Nope. I am told that over the summer, kids arrive at 7 am and the last ones don't leave until 8 pm and during that time, "they have the run of the place." this even means the kids bringing their scooters to the Y and using the racquetball courts as scooter riding boxes. PLUS, if there are kids there all day every day other than that little morning window, that's a lot of pee in the pool. This means I would be $40 a month, plus a $60 joining fee for a little window and lots of pee. I have heard that it is good for the skin, but another great excuse not to swim! The gym sort of near my place has a pool, checked that out. Over the phone the manager told me there is a special with only two days left - no joining fee! I go for a tour the next day and the sales guy knows nothing about this special, unless I do the corporate rate - but I already told manager and you that I work for myself these days. hmmmm, and the corporate rate is $38 per month v. the non-corporate rate of $19. double hmmm. Next day that manager calls to ask if I have been to the gym to see a sales person yet. Why yes, yes I have, and the gym and nice facilities, even though the pool was a little too heavy on chemicals and temp, it was clean, but the one problem - sales guy knew nothing of this no joining fee. Manager than gets the hem ha tone of voice, uh yeah, that uh wasn't a special, it is the corporate rate. SHADDDDDD-DDYYYYYY. while I really need to swim, pool that may be problematic because of super chemicals, other direction than work, and shadddy mcgrady. no way. this is a great reason not to swim here. The school just blocks from my work has open swim from 6-7 am. ugh, that means I would have to get up at 5:15 to drive the 30 minutes to the pool, that's just too darn early. dude, how are you going to do a couple ironmans this year if you don't swim and you know you are not going to embrace any of the other swim options. sigh. tomorrow, tomorrow I will get up early and start tomorrow.

Swim lessons?

Finally, after all these years of very bad swims, and being DQed from races because of swim times, I decided a swim lesson would be a good idea. I learned how to swim by taking two weeks of lessons in second grade (I remember so well the smell of the pool and the high schooler who was the teacher teaching me how to do the prone glide). We never got beyond the prone glide, this back float stroke that is kind of like a frog move, and holding onto the side of the pool to kick. the point of the class was to be sure we all knew how to swim well enough to not drown. I have not drowned yet, but I always fear it will happen. So I saw this little advert for a swim clinic at the Y. I was so excited at that first lesson because they identified issues with my stroke that were easy fixes and I thought would equal instant speed. It didn't. Rats. I guess that means I really need to just get going to the gym regularly. While everyone will tell you swimming is about technique, the reality, swimming is like the other two disciplines - you don't get better by avoiding it. Double rats. I. must. start. swimming. regularly. next week

and so it goes

and that's just how my 2013 season went - just like my blog posts, not so well. I did do a lot of open water swimming in Boerne Lake to get ready, but the work situation was dreadful with the commute and the soul killing, and then, the most crucial time for IM prep - the month before, government furlough happened and I had to work an extra day per week, plus 14 hour days, and they cancelled my leave for the race in advance just in case the furlough wasn't over. I was not mentally strong enough to keep IM my priority, and then the person that I thought was my local support got all jealous and wouldn't tell me where the lodgings were then purposefully pulled a prank in the water to increase my fear of the water, my IM ended in the water. But I learned a lot on what I need to be successful, what kind of person some people are, how fabulous others are, and 2014 is the reset. First big race - Ironman Wisconsin! yes, being a big failure in 2013 didn't deter me, I can do much better than I did in 2013 with life, work, location getting me down. I'm super excited for this year as it will culminate with Arizona, and great people there to cheer me on. so excited about 2014. I have started it out with taking a swim clinic. first class a major stroke issue defect fixed! at least average swim time, here I come.

Buzzards and Minimalist Shoes

people often ask what do I think about when I am out running for even an hour (never mind the 4 hour plus bike rides). I think about all kinds of things, from the guy I met once sending me shirtless selfies (come on man, you are too old for that at 46 - besides, not even Clooney looks hot in a close up of his abs anymore), to how much I miss having a pool and how good for the soul it is to be able to come home from a hot ride or run and do a flip of the diving board into the pool and float, even if just for 4 minutes, it is sheer bliss. I also wonder things like, hmm, I wonder how I get up to the neighborhood with that house overlooking the road, to, ack! look at those buzzards beside the road. They are really close to where I am going to ride. Do buzzards attack? What if I get too close to them, will they see it as a sign of aggression? Oh the things contemplated on a long bike ride.