2013, Day 1

Happy New Year Indeed! If this is the way 2013 is going to go, bring it on. I started the day with some of the brave Aquaducks, turning out to swim the "year in 50's". Up this year: 113 x 50 on the :45. Even though I am (obviously!) getting older every year, this workout has actually been getting easier to do. Since this year I've been managing to swim 3 - 4 times a week, it was a piece of cake. I even managed to throw some back, breast, and butterfly in there and still make the interval.

And special bonus: this is the first year my Ironhubby has turned out to do the workout. Wow, this Ironman training has been awesome for him and his swimming has gotten strong in a short amount of time. He's the buff dude, 5th from the left (among a legion of buff dudes and gals. Have to say, we look pretty darned amazing for a group that probably averages around 50 in age!) And yes, that's my festive red shimmery holiday suit, I picked it up from SwimOutlet.com especially for December and New Years, though I may break it out for Valentines Day as well.

Afterwards can only be described as heaven on earth - the absolute best homemade Cinnamon rolls (courtesy of one wonderful Aqua-spouse) and a soak in the hot tub. Then Starbucks with my hubby (our special post-swim time every week).

When we got  home, it was beautiful outside. I got to walk the dogs in the glorious sunshine - a real treat in Oregon's oft-rainy winter.

We've been re-arranging my son's lair...er, den...., er... room, trying to organize all of his games, computers, cables, monitors, game controllers, etc. And today we found this terrific entertainment center at a thrift store and got it moved in and installed. $30 - a real deal! And look - lo, the floor around him is clear! And walkable! It is indeed a miracle. If this keeps up, we may finally get him fully moved into this room, leaving his old room to be repurposed as a guest bedroom and family entertainment room. Suh-weet!

Topping off the evening, my wonderful hubby baked some lasagna, and we had a  nice family dinner together. Best of all, he made two more lasagnas which are residing in the freezer for another cold winter's night when we need some culinary good cheer.  We talked about what a great holiday it's been, and what everyone's plans for the new year are.

So Day 1 of 2013 finds me blessed with family, good food, great friends, good health, and goals to work toward. It just doesn't get better than that.

Wishing you all a wonderfully happy new year!

This One Goes To Eleven

Happy 2011 everyone! I went to bed last night dreaming of cinnamon rolls. Know why? No, not because I'm swearing off of flour and sugar and all that nasty stuff in just two days (ulp!), but because one of our Master's swimmers is married to this woman who bakes the best cinnamon rolls on the face of the earth. No, really. The Best. And he brings them to our annual New Year's swim, for those hardy swimmers who complete the challenge need an enticing reward at the end to soothe their tired bodies and replenish the massive amounts of carbohydrates burned.

For it was the day of the annual "Year in Fifties" workout. This year in honor of 2011, it was 111 Fifties, on the :45 interval. Yes, on the interval. Whooboy. That interval starts off not feeling too awful tough, but by about the ninetieth fifty, it's feeling like you only get a few seconds to breathe and you're off again. Unluckily, I got stuck in the swim order behind a guy I'm going to start calling "Don the Knife" because he's built about like a knife blade and he has the draft of one as well. So although I only led every 3rd set of 10 fifties, it felt like I might as well have been leading all of them. Luckily, at about lap number ninety, a point where felt like my arms were going to turn into wet noodles and stop working, I got to go behind Dave the Tidal Wave, a swimmer so fast and so mighty that I felt like I was back in California body surfing and all I had to do was wave my hands around in the water a bit and move my feet and there I was back at the wall again. That got me through the last couple of sets and on into the hot tub where I was handed the Best Cinnamon Roll in the World Today.

And thus started the year of 2011. I hope your year has started as happily as mine, looking forward to a wonderful trip around the sun.

Another Year, Another Fifty, Another Trip Around the Sun

Another great big fast ride around the sun has come to pass, and to mark the journey I once again set off to the pool on New Year's morning to swim the ritual "year in 50's". Thankfully not 2009 of them, but we did 109 this morning, leaving on an interval of :45. Each of us on this planet is engaged in the business of getting older, something we don't really think much about for a decade or two or three, but as an athlete edging toward the mid-40s, it eventually strikes you that at some point you will cease getting faster and stronger and start getting slower and weaker. As each milestone or race comes along, you wonder not only whether or not you can achieve a PR, but whether its your last one.

So its with not only joy but a small sigh of relief that I note that I felt strong, really strong as we pumped out those fifties this morning. Our Master's coach has been working us steadily from an average 3800 yard workout up into the 4600 range, so this year's New Year's workout didn't feel near as tough as it has in years past. With six of us in the lane, each of us took turns leading ten of them, with a couple of us taking more than one set. I took three sets including the last one and felt faster with each one, bringing in those last 9 fifties in :38 apiece.

I'm hoping that bodes well for this year's season of triathlons, assorted running and swimming races, karate, and other sports. Since 2008's season was beset with injuries at the start, and a schedule of other commitments that limited me to two tris and a running relay, I'm really looking forward to a healthier more intense 2009 season.

This is my hoped-for events for 2009, all subject to time and money, health, luck and fate...

March - 4-week time trial series (bike)
April - Albany Sprint Tri
May - Eugene Half Marathon
July - Hagg Lake Olympic Tri
July - Cascade Lakes Relay (running)
August - Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim
or
- City of Portland Oly Triathlon
September - Black Hills HIM

Oh, and in March I test for my brown belt (karate) so I'll start my year+ of training for black belt. That may suck up most of next year's tri season, so I hope I get to do some good races this year.

Wishing you all a wonderful, fast, and fun New Year!