Swimming is like riding a bike. Sort of.

I haven't been to the pool in three weeks. I didn't even realize it had been that long, but I knew I'd missed getting there during the holidays.  So I made today a rest day from running -- for no real reason than I needed to get a bridal shower gift at the mall, which is right by the pool!

I wondered if I'd remember how to swim.  I wondered how long I'd go.  I've been swimming about once a week through the past several months, but after so many weeks away from the pool, I wasn't sure how comfortable I'd be. 

40 laps.  2000 yards.  37 minutes and 29 seconds of consecutive freestyle swimming.  Not bad! 

Turns out, it's just like riding a bike.  Step away for a bit, and you can get right back into it.  I got into the pool, stayed comfortable, and just kept going.  For a while, there was an older guy in the lane next to me who was breaststroking up and freestyling back.  Without outright racing him, I used him as motivation for a a bit.  Pick up the pace!  Beat him back to the wall!   I barely knew what lap I was on because my goggles started fogging up a bit.  Eventually, I got hungry and stopped.  Good, solid swim. 

When I logged this on my runningahead.com log,  I realized I've been swimming pretty consistent paces.  The last 2000yd swim I did was all the way back in August.  37:38.  Two weeks before that, another 2000yd swim, 37:30.  Interesting. 

I know that if I actually did workouts and swam more, I'd get better.  I like to just get in the pool and swim straight, consecutive laps.  Sometimes I swim some laps fast, some slow, sometimes I take a short break, sometimes, like today, I don't.  But I never do a "real" workout.  I do know I've gotten better over the years, though.  I think back to my first sprint triathlon:


LBI Triathlon, September 2007



I had no idea what I was doing.  I was awful in the swim, and I was slow.  But it was exciting, and I've developed an attraction to swimming.  I like getting in the pool and losing myself in laps.  I like feeling like I've done a workout on a day when I give my legs a rest from running.  I may never become a great swimmer, but I like having swimming in my life.

Have you done anything lately that you haven't done in a while?

I wasn't expecting that!

I woke up this morning to this:

Snow!  Which I wasn't expecting at all!  Kind of beautiful, even though I had no idea it was supposed to snow, and I don't usually like snowy, icy roads in my life.

I knew it was icy when I watched these runners have a hard time with their footing:

Despite that, I headed out to meet my sister for some miles.  We quickly had to change the plan, because it was really icy and slippery.  We realized the stretch of road in front of my development was actually pretty clear, so back and forth we went.  It's about a half mile from end to end, so it took a few loops, but I ended up with 5 slow, easy miles in some crisp, fresh air. 

As the day went on, the sun came out and temps warmed up and the snow melted and the streets cleared pretty quickly. 

And then the second thing happened that I wasn't expecting. 

I was meeting a guy for coffee.  For a first date.  I got showered and spiffy and got there on time.  And looked around.  And waited.  And he never showed up.  So I got hot chocolate and sat outside in the warming sun and he still never showed up. 

I wasn't expecting that. 

So I headed home and sat on my porch for a bit to enjoy the end of what turned out to be a beautiful weather day.  Can't beat waking up to some snow and having it all melted by the end of the day! 

Anything happen to you lately that you weren't expecting? 

Cold Wind! Gloves!

We've had a cold, blustery few days recently.  The temperature has been in the 30's, but the wind chill in the 20's.  I realize this isn't that cold, but my hands get cold really easily, so for me, this blustery wind has meant I needed to dig out the warm gloves. 

Saucony's Ulti-Mitt

I love these gloves for several reasons, in no particular order:

• They are gloves, but you can pull the mitten shield out of that little pocket on the back of the hand and that shield makes all the difference in the wind. 
• There are slits in the index fingers and thumbs that allow you to use your phone or whatever (I don't carry my phone when I run, but if I did, this would be important). 
• A little clip by the wrist holds the two gloves together when I wash them or throw them in the drawer -- no more losing one!
• The wrist coverage is longer than my other gloves without being too long.  Just right.
• They came with a blinky light!   I forgot to put it in the picture, but it recharges with a USB, and it clips onto a slit on the glove or you can put it on your shirt or wherever! 

I have basic knit gloves for my sort-of cold days, but these Saucony glove/mittens have become my new best friend on the colder, windy days we've been having!

What keeps you warm on your runs? 

Working Out My Day

Some days, like today, I'm so tired when I get home from work that all I want to do is put comfy clothes on and crash. It's days like today - right now, actually - that I have to dig deep to get out the door for my run. I want to run.  I want to breathe in the crisp, fresh air and soak up the bright sunshine. But I'm so sleepy.

What do I do?  Sometimes I plan ahead and run before work, but since I have to go to work so early, and I'm powered by the sun, I don't run before work much since it's dark out at that time. Sometimes I take a quick power nap before heading out. And sometimes I picture somewhere like this

Copper Mountain, CO

and think about running there, rather than around my own town again. Or I picture running a different route that I haven't done in a while.

Generally, working out isn't something I struggle to work into my day. Most days, I figure out when I'll run, or bike, or swim, or go to yoga. Then I set the rest of the day around that. Most days, the working out part isn't something I have a hard time working out.

 But some days, the getting out there takes a little extra push.

 Ok...  I'm going now, I'm going...


  Is working out part of your day, or something you have to work out?

Keep Moving!

                                            I'm still not readjusted to this EARLY wake up time

I mean, really, I was only on Winter Break for a week+, but I got super good at sleeping in (till 7!).  The past two mornings have been tough.  I was so off kilter yesterday that I forgot to take my water bottle to work.  I also didn't have my spare in my desk -- AGH!-- so I had to take a whole bunch of trips to the office all day long to refill my cup at the water cooler.  Annoying. No good stories heard while there. 

So, to keep me moving today, I loaded up on the coffee (ok, it's really half-caff  --  full caffeine makes me too jittery at work), and I made sure I had my water bottle.

And, unlike yesterday, I didn't feel like I needed a nap by second period. 

Ok, that happened around 4th period today. 

But after work (school) I had my fun job to go to, so that carried me through the afternoon.  I headed to the running store right after school and was greeted with these fun new shoes:

The Brooks Pure Drift

These are the zero drop, minimal shoe from my favorite running shoe company.  I generally run in the Ravenna.  I'm not a zero-drop runner, but these shoes were pretty comfortable to wear while walking around during work today!  And the brilliant blue color was super cool.  My feet looked happy, and that helped to keep me moving until we closed tonight. 

Other than my situps and pushups this morning, today was a rest day.  I definitely didn't rest, though -- it was a day that started at 5:15 and kept me moving with work until after 7pm! 

What keeps you moving through your long days? 

Om

One of the things I let slide after breaking my elbow was my yoga practice.  I really couldn't even do a solid push up until late August, but by the fall I kept thinking I need to get back to yoga.  I went to a community class at the yoga studio last week, and tonight I returned to the class my favorite instructor teaches. 

The room was about 95* and within minutes I was sweating.  A sharp contrast from my run this afternoon in the 30* cold outside, but I love it.  I love the meditative practice of vinyasa flow power yoga.  I love pushing myself and my body to stretch and strengthen in a way that I couldn't do on my own.  I love the feeling of working hard and dripping with sweat.  I love the peace of shavasana.  And this time of year, I love the invigorating wash of cold air as I step out of the hot studio after a fantastic class. 

I still need to work on the strength in my left arm, but yoga makes me better...  so I bought a new class card and I'm back in the practice.

Oh - and I got some delicious Kiwi frozen yogurt for dinner on the way home.  What?  It's non-fat, no sugar added vanilla, loaded with lots of strawberries and blueberries on top!  Healthy dinner!  (Yes, and a couple blocks of chocolate chip cookie dough.  Dessert!)

Namaste...



What brings you peace each day?

A New Year

I rang in the new year in the city with some good friends and some good bubbly. 

After some last-day-of-vacation-sleeping-in (I got really good at sleeping until 7am -- that 5:30 alarm clock is going to get tossed across the room tomorrow morning!) I threw on my ipod and set out for an easy run around town.  I lost my thoughts in the music and the crisp air and ended up with 8.5 miles.  It was fantastic.

I won't set any resolutions, but I'm hoping this year holds some new experiences and even some new people to better my world.  I'm going to try to find ways to better myself in the process.

What's one thing you look forward to in 2013?