Waterblogged

Saw this ecard and had to post it. Of course it does not apply to us; Speedos are only bad on the beach in Greece. They are just fine surrounding me at the pool in the early morning. *warmup: 6 x 125's free with last lap breast *2 x 25's kick free then breast 2 x 50's sprint free then breast 75 breast with max underwater pulldowns 125 free Repeat 4x *100 free with 4/3/2/1 breast pulldowns at each wall 75 breast with flutter kick 50 max streamline 3 x 25's sprint Repeat 2x

I've been done with work for about three days and I've already heard this at least thirty times. I get it: people think I'll be bored because I've been running so fast for so long with work. But it tickles me every time I hear it anyway. Bored? I've got a schedule, people. I'm leaping over new hurdles, like getting through the hundreds of books on my reading list, and trying to write more myself. I'm trying out new things. I haven't cleaned or organized my house since having children ten years ago. I have no idea what it's like to meet a friend for coffee in the middle of the morning. I could, if I wanted to, actually think about buying my first piece of furniture or learning to cook something more exciting than spaghetti and meatballs. I don't want to, but still, I could and probably will (I did buy some new sheets yesterday and tonight I'm going to whip up chicken chow mein for my first time). And there is never enough time for all the work...

So I'm dog sitting Nancy's dog Mugsy and he is ADORABLE! Even, as I learned when I woke up for swimming this morning at 5AM, when he has vomited in multiple places around the house (on the carpet). Seriously, if you still want to keep the dog after cleaning that up, you know you need to get a dog of your own. So I think we will. *warmup: 400 free, 4 x 75's stroke, 4 x 50's kick, 4 x 100's free descending *3 x 50's strong on the 3 minute interval (so this was really 3 x 200's) *4 x 25's strong with 3 minutes rest between them (so 4 x 25's then a 200) repeat 3x *8 x 25's strong on the 45 second interval

Nothing inspires me more than seeing swimmers older than I am kicking butt. All you twenty-somethings can do this uber workout thing, of course. You're young. But as we get older, it gets harder, and we all worry about how long we'll be going strong. 58 is nothing of course - Leslie has some serious gaming left to do - and given this article I expect to see her in the pool for 30 more years at least. Way to go Leslie and all you Menlo Mavens! Speaking of going strong, or maybe of slowing down in my own case, today's workout was ROUGH, especially following Lanshin. I never ever ever break the set and rest, but today I did. You got me Lanshin. *warmup: 9 x 100's most free with every 3rd one IM add fins for: *700, 600, 500 first, middle and last lap done as underwater or fly *150, 200, 250, 300 first and last 50 kick, rest hard remove fins for: *fast 100 IM *easy 100 free collapse in shower.

Well, it's my first day as a SAHM and I got to spend it on a board call. Hm. It can only go up from here. The day did start out great though, with a good hard work out led by Jana! Jana, I THINK I'm spelling your name right, and I'm psyched we will get to see you every Tuesday morning from here on out! warmup: 400 free, 200 kick to free, 200 IM main set: 4 x 50's free descending 200 free strong 200 IM recovery (*note: if you ask me, a 200 IM inherently cannot be termed as "recovery") *Repeat 3x last set: 200 IM, 150 IM minus fly, 100 IM minus fly and back, 50 IM free part only

I'm going to have more swim time. Sure, lots of it will be at noon, but there are worse things than a tan back as we head into Summer. (I have secured, however, a promise of four early morning swims a week even though I will no longer be going into an office right after. Phew.) Today is my last day at Juice in the City, and it is bittersweet. I think I'll have plenty to say about that as time goes on and the lengths let my thoughts process more completely, but today was a short breast stroke day and anyone who knows me knows that none of the below were my ideal "processing sets". So, on to a long free day for more thoughts. *warmup: 400 free, 300 free to breast, 200 free, 100 breast *6 x 25's half length fist sprint, free to breast *4 x 25's full length sprint, free to breast *2 x 50's free and breast sprints *300 easy Repeat 3x

I've been waiting my whole life for a nail polish that does not come off in the water, and have been long perplexed over the fact that my toenail polish stays on for months while a single swim demolishes a professionally or personally applied manicure equally abruptly. I don't get it. (And yes I've heard of Gel or Shellac polish, but that still requires a massive spa commitment. I need quick polish I can do myself!). I've found the solution and it...is...funky. As you can see. These babies are called "nail dress" and they are STICKERS. That's right - they cost about $6 for 18 of them (you get the toes too) and supposedly they stay on for 10 days. When you're done, you just peel 'em off. I don't know about 10 days yet, but I did test them this morning in the pool and they survived! You can get them at any CVS or drug store. This brand is called Kiss but Sally Hansen makes them too. What the nails survived this morning: *400, 300, 200, 100 *Four...

I'm still confused about what I did in today's workout. I have never seen half the lanes do the entire set wrong before, but there is always a first. All I know is that we did a ton of kicking, and I'm not a fan of kicking. Still a great workout, as always Tim! But seriously, I can't write it down even though I did it. There are just some sets that I can't wrap my brain around, and this is one of them. So if you're following these workouts and using them for your own swims, just go out there and KICK today. Enjoy!

Today I was particularly reminded of one of my...issues. I don't trust anyone with a personalized license plate. Okay, I do: my dad has one and he's the most trustworthy guy I know. But I definitely question forging a new friendship with someone that has one. I can't avoid it; those plates give me pause. They scream at me on the road - I am forced to drive behind them, brake around them, figure out their codes or feel cheated. Each day, whenever I see one, I feel wondrous. I wonder what I could possibly want to broadcast to everyone badly enough to take the time to order something that says "I*heart*MYKDS" or "FNWAGON", or, as my dad's vanity plate sports, his ham radio handle. I know you probably have one, and I'm offending you, and I'm sorry (you too Dad). But if we can't air our pet peeves then the real troubles come out. And that's a bad thing sometimes. *warmup: 250 free, 2 x 75s IM repeat 2x add fins for: *3 x 50's kick, 200...

Spent the weekend in San Jose watching lots of soccer then racing to my own first soccer game of the season. Yes, I am sore. And no, today's workout didn't help! *warmup: 225 free, 25 fly repeat 3x *main set: 100 kick/scull, 1 x 50 fast free, 8 x 25s fly 100 kick/scull, 2 x 50 fast free, 6 x 25s fly 100 kick/scull, 3 x 50 fast free, 4 x 25s fly 100 kick/scull, 4 x 50 fast free, 2 x 25s fly *end set: 4 x 25's free, 1 x 25 fly 3 x 25's free, 2 x 25 fly 2 x 25's free, 3 x 25 fly 1 x 25's free, 4 x 25 fly

Today I wanted to pass along Tim's words about Heidi. See below. Beautifully said, Tim! *** Heidi Renner has passed, and we miss her. This past Saturday as the final members of our team were leaving the pool after a morning full of lively, refreshing swimming...Heidi took her final breaths. Heidi's time with Menlo Masters was nothing short of remarkable. She embodied a true teammate, embraced the sport she so loved and scattered her genuine joy for life throughout the team for well over a decade. Heidi spent most of her life bypassing sports because she did not feel she was capable nor was she worthy of such pursuits. Her first stroke at the age of 8, set up this way of thinking. Through the loving hard work of her family she fought back to live a healthy, super-productive life, and was encouraged by her sister late in life to try swimming. Swimming ignited Heidi's spirit and it was the place in her life where she felt the most graceful. Her absolute joy with the sport, her...