A Morning In The Life

Everything starts to look gosh darned rosey when my coffee is poured.

Blue Balls

Yes this is the term that describes why more than one boyfriend broke up with me in High School. It's also a good way to describe how I felt this morning when I got to the pool.

In all my years of swimming I have never arrived to hear the coach say "We can't get in. The chemicals are off. It's just not safe."

I know this happens, I just thought it quite possibly would never happen to me. And on a Saturday at 6am for G-d's sake!

After a rare outing last night with red wine and lasagna I managed to answer my 5:30am alarm this morning, chew down my favorite pre-workout discovery of late (this actually tastes good and gets me through a swim feeling like I've already had two cups of coffee minus that post liquid need to pee), rip myself off the computer after only five minutes of checking the Maya's Mom site, and get to the pool. All this only to be turned away with extreme workout consummation frustration!

I took a deep breath and tried to see it as a blessing. Here are the things that went through my mind:

"I can get a coffee now instead of in an hour."
"I can sit in my car in my driveway and sleep so no one in my family knows I'm actually available to help with surely-by-now-awake children."
"Crap. What I really need to do is go to Safeway and buy more milk."

I went to Safeway. But it wasn't unpleasant. I love the early pre-dawn morning, and this one here in CA is glorius. Not a cloud in the sky and the day promises to be 75 degrees and sunny, just like yesterday (it's FEBRUARY by the way. This is why we pay millions to live in houses with 1.5 bedrooms and no yard).

The shopping center was dark but the muzak was just starting to come on in the center speakers and the floor sweepers in Safeway were putting away their gear. I got to shop nearly alone in a place that is usually so packed I can't keep track of my two unruly boys who attack each aisle as if they were all filled with baby crack (for some reason even the boxes of cat food have to be taken out to feel and disorganize. We don't have a cat and the food isn't appealing. This is all just part of the toddler pull-down-and-wreak-havoc response to all retail experiences I guess).

I saw a fellow teammate, a mom of four grown kids who is twice my age and swims twice as many yards a week as I do, in one of the aisles of Safeway, shopping with the same swimsexual frustration look in her eyes.

"Same idea," I said.

"Hey there," she said. "It was bound to happen someday. Good to get the shopping done at least."

"Yup. Gotta get some milk home to the waking kids."

"Ha," she said. "I'm going back to sleep after this."

"F you too," I said. We laughed. The day began.

4K Hangover Day

Step One: Get up when alarm goes off even though thick fog of Valentine's Day chocolate fondue hangover shouts "STAY IN BED".

Step Two: Gather things together for work in 4.5 minutes in order to arrive at practice on time (chocolate fondue plus red wine made outfit prep for this morning impossible last night).

Step Three: After arriving late regardless of speedy prep at home, do workout:

*1000 free (I missed the explanation and just swam the damn thing straight)

Add Paddles for:

*2 x 300 free on the 1:30 base
*6 x 100 free on the 1:25
*2 x 200 free on the 1:30 base
*6 x 100 free on the 1:20

*4 x 50 free on the 55, 50, 45, 40. repeat twice.

*1 x 400 free with every fourth length backstroke.

~4000 yards

Step Four: Pat self on back for getting chocolate logged butt to workout.

2 Can Morning

Ah, it's nice to be back after a three day hiatus from swimming and the long drives to and from LA (not to mention the bouts of vomiting from my little guy).

All three of my alarms (my two sons and my watch) were weak (or kind to me) this morning and I slept a bit more than usual but got to the pool fifteen minutes late. Luckily I don't have any meetings today and I was able to leisurely finish the workout and then keep going to make up what I missed (and then a bit). To top off the indulgent morning I got to use my favorite new product for the first time after my shower. This stuff smells like the curly cued little lemon zest they put on your cocktail at high end bars, and it makes you feel like butter. But back to the workout...

All done with fins

2 x 600
25 fly kick on back, 25 flutter kick on back, 50 two arm back, 100 regular back. stop for 5 seconds. 50 fly kick on side, 50 flutter kick on side, 100 fist free, 200 regular free. Wait for last person and repeat!

3 x 600
first 600: broken at the 150. first 150 easy back, second 150 strong back, third 150 easy free, fourth 150 strong free.
second 600: broken at the 200. first 200 strong back, second 200 easy free, third 200 strong free.
third 600: broken at the 300. first 300 back, second 300 free.

1 x 1000
regular free, every fourth length flutter kick on back.
---
4000 yards (2 cans!)

Will Swim For Food

This month is February, for most people.

For me and my swim team, it's Can-Do February.

This is a Menlo Masters "thing." This thing was originally started because Coach Tim firmly believes that one can change and improve one's swimming, and of course overall fitness, with about 5-7 hours of swimming per week. This translates to about 100,000 yards for the month. Yah. I'll say. That's a lot of swimming (and I love it!).

Over the years this aerobic training has evolved into an “event.” Tim added the 100,000 and 50,000 yard club for motivation. It's amazing how much allure being able to say "Yah, I'm part of that club" can have. Swimmers are fans of clubs.

Then Tim added something even more inspiring than the promise of bragging rights: swimming for a cause. These days, for every 2000 yards each of us swims, we donate a can of food. In past years the team has donated up to 3000 cans at the end of the month. This year is the first year Menlo Masters as an organization will be matching the canned food donations from the individual swimmers. The beneficiary of this food will be the Senior Center in East Menlo Park.

I'm going to Disneyland later this week, so today I logged 4500 yards. I'm going to post the workout in case there are any solo swimmers out there that want some good sets:

*4 x 200 warmup free
*3 x 500 moderate free pulling with paddles
*1 x 500 build free (by 100)
easy 100
*1 x 300 build free (by 100)
easy 100
*4 x 200 warmdown free

Eat, Sleep, Swim

Some people don't understand why I get up at 5:15 am to jump in and swim for an hour before the sun is up. For me it's as natural as eating and sleeping, but that's because I'm used to it and I love every minute of it (much like I love every bit of eating and sleeping!). I couldn't/wouldn't do it if I didn't. I also have to give big kudos to my coach Tim Sheeper for being the kind of guy you want to show up and perform for. Yes, he's hot hot hot and thus serves as early morning eye candy for many of us, but he also has a certain uber coachy, fun, inspirational something that makes you want to "do good" for him. It takes me back to high school--all that drive to succeed in sports, and I thank him for that.

One of my greatest wishes is that all of my dear friends would swim too. I just can't get over the idea that every one of them would gain as much mojo and good energy from it as I do. I know that's not correct--those that run long distance probably feel the same way and I'll be damned if I'm going to run more than five miles at a time on a casual basis (and every mile is painful for me).

I guess I just belong in the water. There's something about being buoyant and largely submerged for an hour first thing in the morning that does much more than work my muscles. Somehow, it works my soul. I flow, things around me and in my mind are fluid. I think about the set I'm swimming, what length I'm on and how much rest I'll get when I touch the wall, and where the big hand should be on the time clock when I push off again. These technical thoughts mix together lap by lap with work ideas, inspirations for kids activities, large psychological and political issues, and just plain noodling about the meaning of life and how I feel about my own life. When a thought gets too heavy, I'm pulled back into the set and I concentrate on my stroke. Lengthen. Rotate. Recovery. And then the set is over and I can banter sarcastically with my lane mates.

Swimming is a workout for me yes, but largely it's a watery meditation, and I can no more live without it than without food or rest. On the days I don't swim I feel "off". I work on not feeling that way, because I can't, with two small children and a husband that needs to get to work as well, swim every day. But it's hard to feel right without my swim. It kick starts my day like nothing else.

And that's not all. It's been such a wonderful family activity - swim races and events - where my kids get to see me compete (and yes, lose gracefully).

I owe so very much more than my good cardiovascular system, to swimming and everyone I swim with in the mornings.