Waterblogged

I love Halloween. Long continuous freestyle, costumes, and then counting your candy in a pantless, sugar induced stupor. What could be better?

Becky Lavelle lives down the road in Los Gatos. She was an alternate on the 2008 Beijing Olympics Tri Team, and in 2007 she lost her twin sister and nephew to perinatal mood disorder, and has started an amazing organization called Jenny's Light . I wrote a post about it on SV Moms yesterday, and I wanted to post it here because we have so many swimmers who are new moms or about to give birth. Thank goodness we have the swimming to relieve some of the stress :) but sometimes that simply isn't enough... workout: *warmup: 6x150's free with last lap fly *75 dolphin kick (25 back, 25 side, 25 belly) *75 fly, free, fly repeat 6 times (total of 12 75's). first two of 6 rounds without fins, last 4 of 6 with fins *4 x 25's with one swimmer sprinting finless free, other swimmer chasing with fins/fly 4 seconds behind *100 easy *50 fly/breast repeat 4 times switching chaser each time.

One of my dearest friends did a gorgeous and well-run triathlon this past weekend in Marin. But, he had a near-death experience while attempting to round a buoy in a seriously strong current. So many of us do open water swims, with these buoys that are the size of Volkswagon buses. (I think race directors should make certain that there is a kayak by each buoy now, knowing what can happen). My friend's story was a good reminder for me to avoid getting stuck near a buoy (as I usually cut that turn super close to minimize my swim time), as well as to appreciate how dangerous the races we do are, in general, and to always be physically prepared when I go into a race. My friend is in top physical shape, does Ironman races and all that crazy stuff lots of y'all do :). I am so thankful he is in such great shape: he needed it to save himself yesterday. I'm sharing his story below because I think it is an eye opener for all of us open water swimmers! *** As I approached the 2nd buoy

I am on a desperate search to find the sneaky person who somehow keeps flipping off the pool heater at night. I will hunt them down and hold them in a large bucket of ice for one full hour if I can find them. Let's hope I don't. The chilly workout today included: *warmup: 200 free, 2 x 25's choice repeat 3x *50 kick, 25 catch-up, 25 scull, 1 x 100 free fast broken at 25 *50 kick, 25 catch-up, 25 scull, 2 x 100 free fast broken at 25 *50 kick, 25 catch-up, 25 scull, 3 x 100 free fast broken at 25 *25 no breather, 50 float, 25 feet first scull, 2 x 100's fast broken at 25 repeat 2x *3 x 100's free

On Sunday I ran a half marathon with my two best friends (so of course today was a fin day). I highly recommend the Nike race (and racing with your two best friends). I was shocked to find myself actually getting teary eyed with sentimentality as we all set off to jog through the most gorgeous course I've ever run. The tears had nothing to do with the joy of running (I suck), and a lot to do with the happy-sad feeling of seeing all the athletes with "In memory of" signs - tributes to kids and other loved ones who had died of cancer (the cure for which the race benefited), with feeling heart-sick for them and joyful for myself...for the luck and happiness I have with my own two healthy kiddos and these two dear friends I've had for twenty-five years. I am so very, very lucky. today's workout. *warmup with 2 x 150's and 4 x 75's free add fins for: 2 x 100's kick, 4 x 50's fast kick 4 x 300's with fins. quick swims, long rest 6 x 50's free wit

This morning when I got out of the shower my watchdogs (those that had exited the shower before me) alerted me that some random lap swimmer had perused my swim basket and filled up her own plastic shampoo container with MY coconut milk shampoo! Far from making me angry, this has been making me laugh all morning. I am constantly surprised by the ballsy things people do/think they have the right to do. At a certain point it just becomes funny. Like when someone shops your personal toiletry bucket for shampoo then helps themselves to copious quantities of it in front of a whole gang of fellow swimmers. Hilarious. I guess it's only funny because my shampoo is so damn cheap. And because I was high from the awesome workout: *warmup: 6 x 100's free *100, 200, 300, 400, 400, 300, 200, 100: descend up then down *3 x 200's free descending Shampoo thief or no, that was a feel-good workout.

Today is Yom Kippur and I am fasting, except of course, for my Borrone coffee after swim practice (some sacrifices are simply barbaric and going without my Americano is one of them). This whole fasting (and frankly, whole religious practice) thing has just never really spiritually gelled for me (let's be honest, I'm not sure there is a God), but I do like Yom Kippur "fasting" if for no other reason then for a sort of "Juice Fast Cleansing" sort of a day. And of course, I think it's always good to go without food for a day to remind ourselves of what so many people do not have. (Also the five or so bagels loaded with cream cheese and lox at the end of the day don't taste bad). Back to the swimming: *warmup: 400 free, 2 x 100's stroke and kick big set with paddles: *800 done with 200 repeating pattern of 50's (3 count, limited breathing, build and fast) *2 x 100's quick *600 *2 x 100's quick *400 *2 x 100's quick remove paddles for:

*warmup: 250 free, 150 free to stroke *200 free fast, 4 x 25's breast, 100 IM mellow *200 free mellow, 4 x 25's fly, 100 IM fast *200 free fast, 4 x 25's back mellow, 100 IM fast *4 x 100's IM: fast to easy, easy to fast, all easy, all fast *4 x 100's free: fast to easy, easy to fast, all easy, all fast *4 x 25's to finish

This movement is sweeping the nation. Go Tim ! There's an effort to elect an unknown random person as President... and it's someone we know! Watch this online video about the surprising new nominee: