Swimmin' in the Fast Lane

I was running late this morning. I didn't get to the pool until 6:05. (I mean, really, how can that be late?) Anyway, "my lane" had five people in it and six would have been too many. Coach T said, "you can swim in that lane." The lane he was speaking of was the "fast lane". And, when I say fast, I mean f-a-s-t. I think it takes them seven strokes to get across the pool. *heavy sigh* I jumped in, put on my zoomers, and said, "I'll try and stay out of the way." I managed to stay out of way, barely. It was good for me. I need to work on a longer more powerful stroke if I ever want to make it to the "fast lane."

Today's workout:

• 12 x 25 - :30, :30, :20
• 6 x 100 kick - 2:00
• 10 x 100 swim or pull - 1:30 (1:30!)
• 12 x 50 IM order
• 10 x 50 kick

. . . or something like that

Overdue Updates . . .

Two of my few followers recently complained that I haven't updated my blog in awhile. So, get comfy this may take awhile . . .

Running, or maybe not . . .
Those aches and pains I was whining about? Yeah, as I was sitting in my chair icing my left foot, right knee, and lower back I thought maybe I'm not cut out for running. I saw my doctor about my back he said, "you kind of sprained your back." Kinda? Is that a medical term? Then he asked me to stop running to let my back heal and try again when I've lost more weight. No more running? Twist my arm . . . ouch! Not that hard. I'm a little disappointed because I was doing something I didn't ever think I would do. So, back to walking fast.

Swimming
Now that my back is feeling better and I'm not pulling the entire workout, I can get back to pushing myself. Between being sick and the pool closure, I've slowed down. :-( Not to mention that there are two swimmers who are pregnant and they are still faster than me. They should be pretty big by next month, so maybe I can pass them in February. Okay, I'm blathering, now. Here was Saturday's workout. Saturday at 6am in the rain:

• 300 warm up
• 12 x 25 on :30, :30, :20
• 10 x 50 kick
• 16 x 100 - IM order: 25 non-free, 75 free; 50 non-free, 50 free; 75 non-free, 25 free; 100 non-free.
• some kicking
• some pulling
• 100 warm down.

Cycling
Not much of a change. Still on my heavy hybrid. I've been obsessively looking at bikes online. Serious shopping should begin in February. Today I went on (an eventually) fun ride with some of the Mermaids the this morning. It started off pretty cold and windy but we warmed up quickly. It is so great that we are getting together to do some training. Everyone is talking about some killer goals for this season.

AquaBike
Yep, I'm doing it. I'm registered for the 1/2 AquaBike at Vineman on August 1, 2009. 1.2 mile swim followed by a 56 mile bike ride. Swim *snap* no problem. 56 miles on the bike? What am I thinking? How long is that going to take? Forever? Okay, I know I can do it. But I think I'm going to be pretty tired when I'm done. Really tired. And, my butt will hurt.

Well, I think that is all. I know, a lot of reporting. I'll try to be a little more introspective next time. ;-)

Aches and Pains . . .

Just as I'm attempting to conquer my distaste for running and increase my time and distance what happens? Aches and pains. Hello, body? I'm trying to do something good for you and you get all cranky. My knees have been a little achy. Last night while playing with the dog, the plantar fasciitis in my left foot started acting up. Then today while doing some much needed laundry and cleaning my lower back started to hurt.

WTF?

I don't have time for this. I have a training schedule to stick to. I have plans!

sigh

Time to get religious about the orthodics, ice, exercises, and ibuprofen. That's all for now!

More running than walking . . .

Yes, that right, I typed the dreaded "r" word. For some unknown reason I decided that I could do a 10K. Why? Whose bright idea was this? Oh, right, mine. Why don't I think these things through. A 10K is 6.2 miles. 6.2 miles! sigh.

So, now that I've told people that I'm doing it and talked people into doing the 5K, I should really start training.

This morning, for the first time, I ran more than I walked. Here was the routine:

• 5 min warm up
• run 1:30, walk 1:30
• run 3:00, walk 2:00 (was supposed to be 3:00, but I felt ready after 2)
• run 1:30, walk 1:30
• run 3:00, walk 2:00
• run 1:30, walk 1:30
• run 3:30
• 10 min warm down

Woot! (Wait, is that excitement about running?) My goal for the 10K is to run 5:00 and walk 2:00. Based on this morning, I think it is possible. Prepare yourself, there will be a lot of running talk until March 22nd.

But as always, I'd rather be swimming.

Happy, Healthy 2009!

Yes, I know, it's been a month since I posted. Nothing much happened activity-wise in December. Between work (my first exhibit Home Front opened), a cold, and the holidays eating well and getting exercise took a back seat. I did o.k. with exercise because Jemma does need a walk every day after all, but I had to stop running due to coughing. But it is a new year, my cold is gone, and the exhibit is open!

To start off the new year I'm doing a 30 day fruits and vegetable challenge. The goal is to eat at least five fruits and veggies a day. So far, so good.

Goals for 2009:

1. Lose an average of 1 lb a week.

2. Gradually work up to jogging for 5 minutes.

3. Swim faster. I don't really have a way to quantify this goal. Thanks to the comments I will change this to: Swim multiple 100's on the 1:30.

4. Get a "real" bike and ride faster.

Events for 2009:

3/22 - Mermaid Run, 10K: jog for 5 minutes, walk for ? minutes.
4/26 - Big Sur Marathon (no, not the marathon): 5K with Dad.
5/17 - Morgan Hill Sprint Triathlon: with a "real" bike.
7/26 - Catfish Crawl 2.4 miles
9/13 - Catfish Crawl ?
9/27 - Mermaid Triathlon Santa Cruz: I intend to crush last year's time.