Waterblogged

Well, yesterday the news was just shocking, and today I'm saying goodbye to a big part of my childhood: Michael Jackson. I can't get enough of the stories about what people of our generation remember from their adolescence related to MJ, so leave a story if you still have energy after that brutal fin workout this morning, please. *warmup: 500 straight: 5 free, one kick, 4 free, one kick, 3 free, one kick, 2 free, one kick, and of course one and one. add fins for: *200 done as 50 dolphin on back, 50 flutter on back rotating *100 strong free *50 floaty backstroke (unless you are behind Lanshin, when nothing with fins is "floaty") repeat 3x *200 done as 50 kick with head out of water, 50 kick on side, 50 arms out of water, 50 kick on side *100 easy breaststroke with dolphin kick *50 strong butterfly repeat 3x RELAYS!

Just back from Hilton Head and boy does it feel good to get in cool water again. This is the gorgeous pool I swim in there, and I LOVE it more than anything, but I always feel pretty fast when I return from 84 degree water to home. Yesterday's workout: *warmup: 4 x 175's with one length stroke *100 kick scull in IM order, 4 x 25's fly, 200 strong free *100 kick scull in IM order, 4 x 25's back, 200 strong IM *100 kick scull in IM order, 4 x 25's breast, 200 strong free *100 kick scull in IM order, 4 x 25's free, 200 strong IM *2 x 100's free strong, 100 IM relaxed *2 x 100's free relaxed, 100 IM strong

Today and yesterday: good solid mid to long distance freestyle. And boy did I need it. It's been a stressful few days, culminating yesterday with real live hate mail in my physical mailbox that claimed my writing is mean-spirited and an egregious display of bragging about my children (at least they didn't mention swimming - THAT would have made me upset). It was anonymous of course, but signed "Tired of Mean People". It made me feel sick and dirty to get it - no one likes to be told that they are making others feel bad, and I'm shocked to hear that I have, though I know that is the danger of this blogging thing. Yuck. I would also like to say to the author of that letter though that I, too, am tired of mean people. What I do with mean people is, I swim them out of my system: Today: *warmup: 400 free, 4 x 75's free descending add paddles for: *2 x 100's then a 500 free *2 x 100's then a 400 free *2 x 100's then a 300 free *4 x 200's free with d...

Yup, Thank God It's Friday. But no part of me this morning was thinking Thank God It's Fins. Still, fins it was. *warmup: 6 x 125 free with last length dolphin kick add fins for: *50 fly with only three strokes per length, 100 fast kick, 50 dolphin kick, 100 fast swim repeat three times *100 (3 underwater dolphin kicks), 50 back with dolphin kick, 100 (4 UW dolphin kicks), 50 back with dolphin kick, 100 (5 UW dolphin kicks) repeat twice *2 x 25's sprint, 50 recovery repeat four times

It didn't really dawn on me why I never feel nervous about open water swim starts, until my BFF commented on how crowded she feels during them - being used, as she is, to swimming alone. WELL, frankly? I've found that swimming during morning workout with 5-8 people per lane during a long pull set is wayyyyyy more dangerous than open water swim starts, and it explains why I don't feel out of my comfort zone at all when doing them. This morning some lame lane one person (totally kidding - I'm sure it was my fault, I'm just speed-jealous), cracked the back of my hand perfectly atop a vein where there ain't much skin or blubber to cushion the blow, with the slicing edge of their paddle. It hurt enough for me to throw the F bomb underwater (anyone hear it?) and by the time I had retrieved my paddle and got to the side I already had a half a golf ball sized lump. "Holy Guacamole!" Dr. Lanshin said as she pulled in to finish the swim. "Now THAT'S not...