Monday, April 30, 2007
oops
I just want to say that the calamari tacos I had for dinner seemed like a good idea. Now...not so much.
Bumper Swimming
The Bike
The good news is that I finally got to introduce my self to my bike on Sunday afternoon. How well did it go? Let me put it this way… If I were to rate my ride on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being “It was quite obvious that I was born to ride” and 1 being “Daddy please put training wheels back on this thing” I was a solid 5. Maybe a 5.1.
As it was, I didn’t really expect much.
I don’t even have the OK from my sports doc to do anything outside of the pool yet. I just couldn’t waste such a gloriously beautiful spring day. The ride really wasn’t intended to be anything other than a, “Hi, I’m your owner. I’m gonna ride you a lot this summer.” I only took it around the block.
Four miles. 20 minutes. Not long enough to do anything other than remember how to balance and shift a few gears. My two youngest children thought it was pretty cool though. They cheered as I spun around the cul-de-sac. Heck, my three year old has never even seen me ride a bike before. That should tell you everything you need to know.
________________________________________________
The Swim
Is there any sort of protocol or etiquette or swimming out of your lane and bashing into the guy in the lane next to you? Is that something that you just ignore? I only ask because the “gentleman” in the lane next to me was either a) drunk b) dizzy c) drunk AND dizzy d) Lord of the pool and not obligated to stick to a lane. I suspect it was C. I have no doubt he would have answered D.
Here’s what happened: I had just made the turn and was on my way back when this guy slammed into/swam over the top of me. I know I’ll have to expect contact during an actual race. It was completely unexpected this morning. I waited at the end of the pool and when he swam up I thought he would stop and say something. He made his turn and just kept swimming. I watched him zigzag between lanes 6.5 and 7.5 as he swam another length. I just shook my head and continued my workout.
I saw him in the locker room. My exact words to him were, “What was up with that?”
“With what?” he asked.
“The contact during our swim,” I replied.
“Oh,” he said, “That happens sometimes.”
IT DOES?!
I wanted to say, “Dude, it’s not bumper cars out there. Please be careful because I’m not that great of a swimmer and it’s hard enough for me to get from one of the pool and back without having to watch out for you.”
I didn’t though.
In all I swam 700 today. I warmed up with 100 kick and cooled down with 200 more kick with fins. Not good. Not great. But, it’s a huge improvement from where I started. Next week I plan to test myself to see how much I’ve improved.
The good news is that I finally got to introduce my self to my bike on Sunday afternoon. How well did it go? Let me put it this way… If I were to rate my ride on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being “It was quite obvious that I was born to ride” and 1 being “Daddy please put training wheels back on this thing” I was a solid 5. Maybe a 5.1.
As it was, I didn’t really expect much.
I don’t even have the OK from my sports doc to do anything outside of the pool yet. I just couldn’t waste such a gloriously beautiful spring day. The ride really wasn’t intended to be anything other than a, “Hi, I’m your owner. I’m gonna ride you a lot this summer.” I only took it around the block.
Four miles. 20 minutes. Not long enough to do anything other than remember how to balance and shift a few gears. My two youngest children thought it was pretty cool though. They cheered as I spun around the cul-de-sac. Heck, my three year old has never even seen me ride a bike before. That should tell you everything you need to know.
________________________________________________
The Swim
Is there any sort of protocol or etiquette or swimming out of your lane and bashing into the guy in the lane next to you? Is that something that you just ignore? I only ask because the “gentleman” in the lane next to me was either a) drunk b) dizzy c) drunk AND dizzy d) Lord of the pool and not obligated to stick to a lane. I suspect it was C. I have no doubt he would have answered D.
Here’s what happened: I had just made the turn and was on my way back when this guy slammed into/swam over the top of me. I know I’ll have to expect contact during an actual race. It was completely unexpected this morning. I waited at the end of the pool and when he swam up I thought he would stop and say something. He made his turn and just kept swimming. I watched him zigzag between lanes 6.5 and 7.5 as he swam another length. I just shook my head and continued my workout.
I saw him in the locker room. My exact words to him were, “What was up with that?”
“With what?” he asked.
“The contact during our swim,” I replied.
“Oh,” he said, “That happens sometimes.”
IT DOES?!
I wanted to say, “Dude, it’s not bumper cars out there. Please be careful because I’m not that great of a swimmer and it’s hard enough for me to get from one of the pool and back without having to watch out for you.”
I didn’t though.
In all I swam 700 today. I warmed up with 100 kick and cooled down with 200 more kick with fins. Not good. Not great. But, it’s a huge improvement from where I started. Next week I plan to test myself to see how much I’ve improved.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Running NOT Running
I accomplished negative fitness today. It was that bad. This was a very busy Saturday. My wife, Amy, worked last night. That means that I played taxi cab all bleepin' day...sigh.
Two dance classes in the morning.
One t-ball practice right after lunch.
Another dance class in the afternoon. (What the heck is blocking?)
A birthday party.
I know, it could have been worse. It was a beautiful day. But, I didn't even get to mow the lawn, pull weeds, or whack weeds (weed whack?) I just drove kids around in the family van. (It's hard to look cool with four kids in the van.) [OK. You're right. It's hard to look cool in a van.]
Mother Nature is supposed to deliver another gorgeous day tomorrow. I'm hoping that I can get out on the bike for a short ride and try out my new pull-ups...er, shorts. Cross your fingers for me.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
How about the Red Wings! How about those Pistons!
Two dance classes in the morning.
One t-ball practice right after lunch.
Another dance class in the afternoon. (What the heck is blocking?)
A birthday party.
I know, it could have been worse. It was a beautiful day. But, I didn't even get to mow the lawn, pull weeds, or whack weeds (weed whack?) I just drove kids around in the family van. (It's hard to look cool with four kids in the van.) [OK. You're right. It's hard to look cool in a van.]
Mother Nature is supposed to deliver another gorgeous day tomorrow. I'm hoping that I can get out on the bike for a short ride and try out my new pull-ups...er, shorts. Cross your fingers for me.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
How about the Red Wings! How about those Pistons!
Friday, April 27, 2007
Pull-ups or Cycling shorts?
Is this OK? Can I post more than once in a single day? I can? Are you sure? Well, if you say so. I don't want to look over eager...
This evening I bought my very first pair of cycling shorts and cycling gloves. Much like an excited little boy freshly arrived from the mall with goodies purchased using birthday money I scampered up to my bedroom to try on my new shorts. Then I paraded around the house in them.
My three year old daughter is very good at providing me with doses of reality. She looked at my new cycling shorts and immediately asked me why I'm wearing pull-ups. She knows all about pull-ups. Pull-ups, for the uninitiated, are those wonderfully absorbent pseudo-underpants that potty training children wear. As a relatively recent wearer of pull-ups it's safe to call her an expert on pull-ups. So when she asked her innocent question my wife and oldest daughter immediately burst into laughter. That quickly ended my masculine parade.
I'll show them. I'm gonna wear them to bed.
Hey. Anybody know anything about bike helmets?
This evening I bought my very first pair of cycling shorts and cycling gloves. Much like an excited little boy freshly arrived from the mall with goodies purchased using birthday money I scampered up to my bedroom to try on my new shorts. Then I paraded around the house in them.
My three year old daughter is very good at providing me with doses of reality. She looked at my new cycling shorts and immediately asked me why I'm wearing pull-ups. She knows all about pull-ups. Pull-ups, for the uninitiated, are those wonderfully absorbent pseudo-underpants that potty training children wear. As a relatively recent wearer of pull-ups it's safe to call her an expert on pull-ups. So when she asked her innocent question my wife and oldest daughter immediately burst into laughter. That quickly ended my masculine parade.
I'll show them. I'm gonna wear them to bed.
Hey. Anybody know anything about bike helmets?
Wings 0 - Sharks 2
I didn’t count my laps today. I only had a limited amount of time so I just filled that time with kicking a couple of laps, swimming a few nice and easy laps, and (Are you Sitting down?) a couple of sprints. That’s right. I said sprints.
SPRINTS
You know what?
It’s fun to go fast.
______________________________
Stupid Red Wings. It’s only the first game. Still, I have the feeling that their season ends in San Jose.
______________________________
There’s a man that I see in the pool at least four days a week. He only does the backstroke. I’ve often wondered why his stroke seemed so awkward. Today I found out.
I watched him get out of the pool. He used the handicapped lift because both of his legs are missing below his knees.
Have I complained lately that swimming is hard? Please point me back to this post if I ever try to say that I cannot do something. We humans are completely unaware of things we are capable of if we’re just willing to put in the time and effort.
God bless that man.
______________________________
A long way gone; Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
by Ishmael Beah
This is a beautifully written book. The author narrates his experiences before, during, and after his rescue and escape from the civil war in Sierra Leone with haunting and gut wrenching detail. Beah recounts the abject horror of civil war and assaults the reader with stark accounts of the reality we North Americans are spared. You won’t find any of this on the nightly news. I highly recommend that you read this book.
SPRINTS
You know what?
It’s fun to go fast.
______________________________
Stupid Red Wings. It’s only the first game. Still, I have the feeling that their season ends in San Jose.
______________________________
There’s a man that I see in the pool at least four days a week. He only does the backstroke. I’ve often wondered why his stroke seemed so awkward. Today I found out.
I watched him get out of the pool. He used the handicapped lift because both of his legs are missing below his knees.
Have I complained lately that swimming is hard? Please point me back to this post if I ever try to say that I cannot do something. We humans are completely unaware of things we are capable of if we’re just willing to put in the time and effort.
God bless that man.
______________________________
A long way gone; Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
by Ishmael Beah
This is a beautifully written book. The author narrates his experiences before, during, and after his rescue and escape from the civil war in Sierra Leone with haunting and gut wrenching detail. Beah recounts the abject horror of civil war and assaults the reader with stark accounts of the reality we North Americans are spared. You won’t find any of this on the nightly news. I highly recommend that you read this book.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Moving On
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another...
The absolute worst part of my daily swim is the frigid walk from the shower, across the pool deck to where the fins and kickboards are stored, then back again to find an open lane. I hate being cold and wet like that. It's the worst.
Today, as I shivered past, the lifeguard looked away from the pool and said good morning. As I was padding my way back again, I noticed that the pool was evenly divided with about half the swimmers on one end being obviously good swimmers and the other end contained a single guy who was splashing and floundering his way back and forth. I decided to join the flounderer since I consider myself to be one. I mentioned this to the lifeguard and she laughed. I also thanked her for not laughing at me yesterday. She laughed again. (That's the thing with us fat guys. When we have our shirts off in public - we better be funny.)
A friend of mine swims quite well and she suggested I actually warm up before beginning my actual workout. Taking her advice I set off on a "quick" 50 with the kickboard. I swear I was moving so slowly that it seemed like I was actually motionless in the water. Once I began my swim I was able to get in the groove a bit faster than usual. Huh? Who would have guessed!
I swam 650 and finished with 350 of kick with fins. It was not a bad workout today. I'm finding that I can actually relax more and more in the water now. I can "talk" myself into relaxing when I start to tense up. I can tell when I'm moving through the water with more or less effort. I think that's improvement.
After I climbed out of the pool and was heading toward the locker room the lifeguard piped up with, "I expect to see you on the other side of the pool tomorrow." We both laughed as I walked past. Later it occured to me that she was either trying to be funny, give me a compliment, give me a funny compliment, or she was trying to entice me into running away with her.
(For the record, I'm desperately in love with my wife and the lifeguard is half my age. In this situation my wife would ask me, "What would you do with a 19 year old if you caught one?" She has a point. I didn't know what to do with a 19 year old when I was 19.)
Anyway, it was a pretty good day in the pool. Onward and upward.
The absolute worst part of my daily swim is the frigid walk from the shower, across the pool deck to where the fins and kickboards are stored, then back again to find an open lane. I hate being cold and wet like that. It's the worst.
Today, as I shivered past, the lifeguard looked away from the pool and said good morning. As I was padding my way back again, I noticed that the pool was evenly divided with about half the swimmers on one end being obviously good swimmers and the other end contained a single guy who was splashing and floundering his way back and forth. I decided to join the flounderer since I consider myself to be one. I mentioned this to the lifeguard and she laughed. I also thanked her for not laughing at me yesterday. She laughed again. (That's the thing with us fat guys. When we have our shirts off in public - we better be funny.)
A friend of mine swims quite well and she suggested I actually warm up before beginning my actual workout. Taking her advice I set off on a "quick" 50 with the kickboard. I swear I was moving so slowly that it seemed like I was actually motionless in the water. Once I began my swim I was able to get in the groove a bit faster than usual. Huh? Who would have guessed!
I swam 650 and finished with 350 of kick with fins. It was not a bad workout today. I'm finding that I can actually relax more and more in the water now. I can "talk" myself into relaxing when I start to tense up. I can tell when I'm moving through the water with more or less effort. I think that's improvement.
After I climbed out of the pool and was heading toward the locker room the lifeguard piped up with, "I expect to see you on the other side of the pool tomorrow." We both laughed as I walked past. Later it occured to me that she was either trying to be funny, give me a compliment, give me a funny compliment, or she was trying to entice me into running away with her.
(For the record, I'm desperately in love with my wife and the lifeguard is half my age. In this situation my wife would ask me, "What would you do with a 19 year old if you caught one?" She has a point. I didn't know what to do with a 19 year old when I was 19.)
Anyway, it was a pretty good day in the pool. Onward and upward.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
11 Things
1. I’m the oldest of five children. My youngest sibling is 16 years younger than me.
2. During my senior football season I scored three touchdowns on interception returns…in the same game.
3. I’ve never really cared for my first name.
4. My favorite flavor of ice cream is “Chubby Hubby” by Ben & Jerry.
5. I’m a very shy person.
6. I spent most of 5th grade with tape on my glasses because I kept breaking them.
7. I played “King Not So Charming Anymore” in the 6th grade spring musical. It was the lead role.
8. I always root for the underdog.
9. Menial and repetitive tasks bore me very quickly.
10. If I could get paid to read books and write/talk about them I would.
11. I get accused of not smiling very often.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My swim today was pretty OK. I swam 650 yards and did 350 with fins and a kickboard. It was uneventful. There's really not too much to say about my swim today. The line is still at the bottom of the pool.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I mowed my lawn yesterday. This is a big deal BECAUSE...I felt no pain in my leg. NONE. ZERO. ZIP. ZILCH. I haven't had even the slightest twinge this morning either. I'm taking that as a huge sign that my leg is just about ready to hit the road again. And, since I always wait for medical clearance and follow doctor's orders, I'll wait with anticipation to get the green light after my next bone scan.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Quote
"What we have is based upon moment to moment choices of what we do. In each of those moments, we choose. We either take risk and move toward what we want, or we play it safe and choose comfort. Most of the people, most of the time, choose comfort. In the end, people either have excuses or experiences; reasons or results; buts or brilliance. They either have what they wanted or they have a detailed list of all the rational reasons why not."- Anonymous
2. During my senior football season I scored three touchdowns on interception returns…in the same game.
3. I’ve never really cared for my first name.
4. My favorite flavor of ice cream is “Chubby Hubby” by Ben & Jerry.
5. I’m a very shy person.
6. I spent most of 5th grade with tape on my glasses because I kept breaking them.
7. I played “King Not So Charming Anymore” in the 6th grade spring musical. It was the lead role.
8. I always root for the underdog.
9. Menial and repetitive tasks bore me very quickly.
10. If I could get paid to read books and write/talk about them I would.
11. I get accused of not smiling very often.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My swim today was pretty OK. I swam 650 yards and did 350 with fins and a kickboard. It was uneventful. There's really not too much to say about my swim today. The line is still at the bottom of the pool.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I mowed my lawn yesterday. This is a big deal BECAUSE...I felt no pain in my leg. NONE. ZERO. ZIP. ZILCH. I haven't had even the slightest twinge this morning either. I'm taking that as a huge sign that my leg is just about ready to hit the road again. And, since I always wait for medical clearance and follow doctor's orders, I'll wait with anticipation to get the green light after my next bone scan.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Quote
"What we have is based upon moment to moment choices of what we do. In each of those moments, we choose. We either take risk and move toward what we want, or we play it safe and choose comfort. Most of the people, most of the time, choose comfort. In the end, people either have excuses or experiences; reasons or results; buts or brilliance. They either have what they wanted or they have a detailed list of all the rational reasons why not."- Anonymous
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