10,000 yards complete!

Swim-A-Poolooza 2011 is in the books! That's right, yesterday, 36 swimmers did laps for 3 hours and 30 minutes, some completing 10,000 yards, some doing 7,500 yards and others doing 5,000 yards. It didn't matter your distance, we were all there challenging ourselves.

We had music, food, friends and lots of laughs. I'm sure there are more than a few sore shoulders and arms right now, but lots of milestones were met yesterday, many people not believing they could swim such a distance - all at one time - and on a set interval.

So, swimmers, take a few days off from the pool, you've earned it! And your arms and shoulders will thank you.

But be on the lookout for another Swim-A-Poolooza this year - in the summer - in an outdoor pool. I've had lots of requests on doing this event more than once a year, so if we can get the pool time and we can get the participants, I will make this happen.

Swim A Poolooza

100 x 100 x 100

Yep, I said it. 100 yards 100 times every 100 seconds. In other words hundred hundreds on the 1:40. It happens every year. It's happening tomorrow. And I'm in. I'm always in. What better way to spend a Sunday morning? We have food, drinks, music, but most of all...FUN!

Yes, you get pruny. Yes, it seems monotonous. Yes, it gets a little tiring. Yes, you wonder WHY the heck you signed up to do this in the first place. Yes, you want to quit. More than once. But when it's all over, it feels good. It's a CHALLENGE. Not many people can say they've done this. And maybe they don't want to. But it's similar to Ironman in that you have to be a special kind of person to even attempt to do something that seems so crazy. You want to see what you're capable of. You want to push your limits. You want to find out just how tough you are. And when you finish - it makes it all worth it. And that's what makes us do this year after year after year.

On deck will be plenty of samples of Tri Swim shampoo, conditioner, Foggle, body lotion and body wash. I mean, after that much time (3:45 hours) in the pool, the chlorine is embedded in your skin. And hair. With Tri Swim - you don't have to go around smelling like chlorine all day.

Are you up for the challenge? Put it on your calendar - last Sunday in January 2012

30 Minutes!

Dear Toe - please stop hurting now, it's been too long!

So I went for my first run in - um, I think about 10-12 weeks. It was a pleasant little run. Nice and slow, just about 25 minutes. I stopped and walked a couple times. Does the toe hurt? YES. But this is a different kind of hurt now. Like it's stiff or something. The hardest part is that I found myself compensating by trying to run on the outside of my foot so I could stay off the toe.

That was last week.

And the only one who could possibly be more upset with my lack of running recently is my adorable beast of a dog.

Before the injury, I ran with him for just some shorter runs around the neighborhood. He was still much too little and not conditioned enough to put in any more than a few miles. So I thought, "Great, I'm starting running over again, he can start with me."

I let him out in the yard to take care of his business and went to get dressed. I came back, called him, and he starts playing games. He gets close enough to the door just ALMOST enough for me to catch him. When I go to reach out to him, he runs away. Clever. So, because I am smarter, I get a treat. I try enticing him to come in the house to get the treat, but the beast knows this means he will stay in the house. No deal.

So I grab the leash and walk around to the gate so he could see we'd be going for a run. I open the gate and he runs to the back of the yard. No leash for him. Now I'm ticked and running out of time. So I figure, "OK, well, let him watch me run away and then next time I come to get him with the leash, he'll remember we used to go run together." I throw the leash down near the garage door and start to head out.

His big block head is facing my direction and his ears are up. I turn around, figuring I'll only be gone for 20 minutes or so, he'll be fine in the yard. I run a couple houses down and I hear 2 thuds. With the third thud, I hear the gate swing open and 4 puppy paws running down my driveway and out onto the street to follow me. CRAP! He doesn't come when called and now I'm scared he's going to get hit by a car or run away for ever. I left the leash at the house.

What to do? The only thing I could think of - run like a fool back into the back yard. Whaddya know, the little guy follows me right into the back yard. I am relived, but now I have no time to run. Oh, and I need to fix the gate.

New Year, New Strategy

You can imagine how depressed I'd be after spending 6 weeks without running and another 6 in a boot only to find out I was told I need ANOTHER 6 weeks in the boot. I mean, seriously, I've had friends who have had foot surgery come back faster than this. I don't get it - I don't feel like I even had a real injury! And with the boot means not just no running, but there are a lot of things I've had to completely stop: stair climbing, cross country skiing, push ups, lunches, plyometrics....need I go on?

So what is there to do? Aside from a lot of time on the bike and one-legged flip turns in the pool, I've now focused on changing the diet up a bit. I am now working on the Paleo diet - well, I'm trying! I cannot believe how wierd it is to not have bread, rice, pasta, bagels, etc. And I don't think I've eaten this much meat since I even started this sport. I actually bought a WHOLE chicken the other day. It almost makes me gag thinking about it. But we'll see how this goes - I'm game to try anything once. The real test will be to see what happens to my power numbers on the bike. Last time I made a drastic change to my eating habits, I just about lost all power on the bike. This was when I went RAW for an entire 4 months. I figured 4 months was enough time to decide if that was the right diet for me. It wasn't.

So Paleo it is - for how long, who knows? I'm trying new recipes and learning what to order when I actually go out to eat. Paleo is like the "caveman" diet. Wait, caveman didn't have First Endurance? OK, I guess I'm not going to be 100% on Paleo - there are some things I just need to have! I mean, have you tried the Wild Berry yet??