Waterblogged

So I wrote this latest post on SV Moms Blog for this morning and I'm now realizing that maybe the thing is, I'm most at home in the pool so as lots of folks are house-proud and into renovating their homes, I'm real into exactly how the pool looks and feels. Maybe. One thing's for sure, I talk about the temperature of the water to an extent that has got to be annoying for any non-swimmer and also some actual swimmers. Today the pool felt perfect. Yesterday, not so much. *warmup: 175, 150, 125, 100, 75, 50, 25 with last length of each done breast stroke *4 x 50's: breast kick, breast swim, fast free, DPS free repeat 4 times *4 x 150's free with 2 triple pull downs and one length breast kick *4 x 100's same way *100 fast free, 75 recovery, 50 breast kick, 25 underwater, 100 fast free

I have to swim to keep up with my two hoopster boys and the long hours of sports I am forced to play throughout the days. Here's a cute pic of the never-cold kids on the outdoor court with their tank tops on. Meanwhile, I'm still in a parka and Uggs and a sweater to continue defrosting from a morning swim. I am now so exhausted (at 3pm) that I can't remember this morning's workout, but I will say it involved pulling and some limited breathing.

After Xmas Eve's 75 x 100's we like light on the arms, so today's kicking sets were welcome. *warmup: (I missed the instruction but I think it was 3 x 250's) add fins for: *2 x 500's done as: 50 7 count, 100 one arm, 150 3 count, 200 free *2 x 500's done as: 50 fast, 100 7 count, 50 limited breathing, 150 right arm, left arm, 3 count, 50 fast and limited breathing, 100 backstroke *1 x 500's done as: 25 fast, 25 7 count, 25 fast, 50 right arm, 25 fast, 75 left arm, 25 fast, 100 3 count, 25 fast, 125 backstroke

I love fried potatoes. Merge them with sour cream and I can't stop downing them. This is why I love Hanukkah, which started last night. What I don't like is the constant smell of grease in the entire house for eight straight days as a result of cooking them (and that's even if you only cook them on the first night). Swimming is 100% necessary during this eating season. Thank goodness for Tim and his ever-interesting workouts! *warmup: 300, 200 stroke to free, 100 kick, 50 *25 scull, 50 streamline kick, 75 stroke, 100 fast free repeat 3x *100 scull/kick, 2 x 75's IM, 50 slow motion free, 2 x 25's fast free repeat 3x *2x100's fast free

It was cold out this morning but the perfection of the workout took care of my reluctance to be wet and in a bathing suit in 32 degree weather. Long uninterrupted (almost) free. Ahhh. 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100 follow each distance with a strong 50 of free work in a 200 IM and a 200 kick somewhere along the way

Today: great circuit workout. Thank you Tim for all the work you do to get us a fun, non-mundane workout. I wish I could take some of the $1000 my son's school spent on frosting and give you a big white sugary (monetary) bonus, because YOU deserve it. *warmup: 500 free *rest of time: circuits including breast kick, dolphin kick, fly, 25's sprint, 50's hard free, and lots of other fun stuff for five minutes each.

Duh, right? But what non-swimmers don't get is that it feels so GOOD to swim in the rain. The water is warm, the air is cold and the drops are like little gooey splats of inspiration tiptoeing along your bare back as you grind through the lonnnnng free set your coach has thrust upon you. Or at least that's how it was for me. And, rain on your back and warm water on your buoyed tummy feel especially good after you have fallen flat on your ass in a swimsuit before dawn, in front of the entire team. Yes, this morning, after slipping on a leaf while quickly attempting to change directions to listen to the warm-up uncharacteristically being explained under the awning, I fell. It didn't hurt but it wasn't pretty. Nothing sexy about a thirty-something year old mom in a black skull swim cap and red striped Christmas suit splayed on the slippery deck. Anyhoo. The workout: 1000, 800, 600, 400, 300, 200, 100, 75, 50, 25. yup.

Today's workout certainly worked off some of the icing I ingested while helping my kids build these gingerbread mansions. Thank goodness for swimming. *warm up: 3 x 250 *4 x 25's dolphin kick, 4 x 25's fly *4 x 50s' flutter kick, 4 x 50's free repeat with 3's, 2's and 1's (easier said than done) *200 fly with varying breaks at each 25 *4 x 50's fast free

I slept through workout this morning, but at least I woke up with a new niece! It is SO much less painful to get your sibling and his wife to birth a baby for you than to have one yourself. And I get to get right back in the pool tomorrow. Works for me.

Well, my sister-in-law is, and I consider her babies my babies too since she is having the girls for my brother, and I have taken care of the boys. Now that they live down the street in Los Altos, I'm pretty much set with my two boys and two girls-big family. It's nice to have a second set of parents to raise the girls. I'm so clueless when it comes to drama and girlie things - it's probably best that I spend the majority of my time playing tackle football rather than dress up. I think they'll name the baby Sophia, so here is a run-down of "Sophia's Swim" this morning. *warmup: 400 free, 100 back, 100 breast, 100 free, 100 IM add fins for: *5 x 100's kick *200, 225, 250 free on the 3M repeat twice *100, 125, 150 free on the 1:30 repeat twice warm down

It's cold this morning, but at least it isn't sub-40, about to snow, and just before I'm about to start a 5 mile turkey trot as was the case last Saturday in this photo. Jersey trot. Whoohooo! So today we did a lot of "sprint" fist free and sculling, which to me feels a lot like attempting to have sex on a loosely filled water bed. To attempt to sprint while removing the very things that push the water past you and create speed (your palms) is just not efficient, not quickly satisfying. But, I have faith in Tim of course...that these exercises are making me a stronger performer. In the pool of course. *warm up: 3 x 300's free with last 50 of each stroke *25 underwater streamline, 50 fast *2 x 25's kick and scull, 50 fast *3 x 25's half length fist free fast, half length backwards scull, 50 sprint Repeat 3 times *50 fast while doing these four things: a deck-out, a sommersault, a bottom touch (yes, I asked Gary if I could simply touch his), and a stroke...

Still on the East Coast. Here is a light dusting of snow that we treated like real Californians - went out and tested it with bare feet. I just cannot wait to get back to the pool!