Waterblogged

Okay people, Tim has sufficiently pumped us all up for the Blue v. Gold meet tomorrow morning...and I think I will have my kids paint their faces blue for support of MY team. Kidding. But I think Tim should paint his face half blue and half gold just so we can be sure he's unbiased and isn't unfairly helping Gold (after all, Sheeper begins with S). As always with these meets, I'm already nervous I won't get enough of a workout, so I'll be there at 6 to do my normal thang. Also I have to leave by 7:30 because I have a hair hilight appointment. Priorities. I'm hoping I can help Blue out enough in those 45 minutes to earn my keep. Go Blue! Today's general workout: *warmup: some free, some back (i was late) *75 free, slow medium fast by 25; 50 stroke with last 12 yds fast; 25 kick with first 12 yds fast repeat 4 times *50 stroke with last 12 yds fast; 25 kick with first 12 yds fast repeat 4 times *25 kick with first 12 yds fast repeat 4 times add fins for: *200 ...

Well, Haim posted this article by Tim in a comment to a previous post, but I've decided it deserves a full posting (followed by a workout of course). Today's workout: *warmup: 4 x 175's free *8 x 25's kick split the pool between the Blue Team (last names A-L) and Gold Team (last names M-Z who have decided to be cocky as all hell and create a tagline: "Blue is a color. Gold is our attitude.") Pshaw! Go Big Blue. Anyhoo... Race to see which side finishes first Team Blue: 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 with paddles Team Gold: 500, 400, 300, 200, 100 with paddles Winner: Blue Easy 250 with stroke Race between teams again Lane 1-3 Swimmers: 4 x 100's Lane 4-6 Swimmers: 3 x 100's Winner: Gold (of course, it was just a small set at the end. The Gold folks are able to "attitude" their way through something like that). Did I mention I'm a last name starts with A-L person?

Today I swam at noon (because those dang caterpillars were being sprayed for at 6AM), and though I was initially grumpy about it, I loved it. The sun was out and the circuits were a blast. Thanks Tim for mixing it up this month - I think it's been a year at least since I was at a workout with circuits and deck-work and I WANT MORE (except I can do without the water polo head up swimming with a ball. My nose hurts.)

It seems like everyone I know is sick right now, with Spring just starting to kick us in the pants. What up with that? The weekend was 80+ degrees and yet my family is stuck in the heart of Winter colds. I lost my voice and now have a sore throat, my kid has a sinus infection (though that can be explained by allergic build-up), and everything I have planned (including my swim right this very minute) is getting put on hold due to one or another person's illness. Well, here's hoping YOU are not one of the sick ones and you're out there swimming!

My mom is (still) always worried I'll exhaust myself swimming or break a leg playing soccer. In the end it's always something typically innocuous that gets me. Saturday night I must have slept wrong because Sunday I couldn't turn my head too well. It hurt, but I still played my soccer game. That can't have helped, but still, really Mom, it was the sleeping that injured me. Monday morning I hit the chiropractor's office and let me tell you... THIS GUY (Dr. Bek) is the bomb. He cracked things I didn't know I owned, and the result was a whole lot more perceived space between my bones. That is good. I took one day (yesterday) off from swimming and felt great today in the pool...until the breast stroke turn work cropped up. At that point I decided quick neck work wasn't in the cards. *warm up: 150 free, 50 breast repeat 3 x *4 x 50's working on push off wall followed by 4 x 25's (drill then fast) *3 x 100's quick followed by same 4 x 25's *2 x 20...

Yin and Yang. Yesterday and Today. I am now fully body balanced and ready to rest tomorrow. *warm up: 600 with 6 lengths of stroke *2 x 600 done as: 150 steady, 50 stroke, 200 strong, 50 stroke, 150 steady *800 done as: 50 strong, 75 mix, 100 strong, 75 mix, 200 strong, 75 mix, 100 strong, 75 mix, 50 strong 75 mix = 25 back, 25 breast, 25 scull *9 x 100's: 2 steady then 1 strong, three times 10 seconds rest between 100's

Today. Is. Good for the legs. And...drumroll please...the toenail has finally come off all the way so I was able to wear the fins without pain. Or, without toenail pain. Not without workout pain. "Kicking uphill" is not exactly my idea of fun. *warmup: 250 free, 3 x 50's done as kick, one arm, fast repeat 2 times add fins for: *5 x 100's followed by a 300: 100's done as 1) one leg kick, 2) legs crossed kick, 3) board out in front of you so you can barely move forward and you are kicking into a wall of water, or "uphill" kick, 4) one leg again with "dead" leg out of water this time, 5) fast kick. 300 quick with only 12 strokes per length. *3 x 200's with fins. In each 200 do the following twice: touch 4 blue lines in a row underwate and do four butterfly strokes *fast 100

As we approached the pool deck, I said to Nancy, "I heard today will be 100% breast." The look on her face was pure disappointment. "April Fool's Day!" I said. Quick, easy way to make someone real happy at 5:45 in the morning as well as get my one April 1st "trick" out of the way early. *warm up: 300 free, 200 free to stroke by 25, 100 kick *3 x 150, 3 x 125, 3 x 100, 3 x 75: first swim of each 3 is fast 50 free, second is 50 fly to free, third is 50 kick *3 x 125, 3 x 100, 3 x 75: something like the first description up there but I'm forgetting exactly what we did *3 x 75, 2 x 50, 1 x 25 sliding fast 50 free for 75's, fast 25 fly for 50's, last 25 kick