A new day

Well for all who have followed me, I am now on a new quest.  I am planning on riding across the country, and I decided that I should really start training for it. 

I started out going to Colorado to get some "hill" training.  I was so proud I rode some monster hill (at least they were for me), but when I got back, I - well I don't know what I did, but I couldn't swim and I couldn't ride. 

So much for getting ready starting first of September.  Six months to get in shape - Yikes.  Now I only have five months.  Double yikes!!!

So I am starting out again.  October 1st.  I went for a bike ride and I picked the flattest ride I could find.  Hmm.  It would have been really easy if I didn't have to ride back into a headwind.  Though it wasn't as bad as it has been (about 10 knots - I know I know that is barely a breeze but for me it was more like a gale)  but I was glad when it was done.  Let's see - hill - wind- hill - wind.  It is a toss up.

But the worse part of it was the minute I got on the bike I had to go to the bathroom.  Okay fine I started in a park so they have bathrooms in the park, but - like - not what I would call clean.  But the good news is India taught me how to use bathrooms not up to my five star standards.  Which I think will do me good on this upcoming trip. 

Tomorrow another ride (hmm - hill or wind) I will let you know. 

The Emperor has new clothes

I swim in a "swim dress" because I have very flabby thighs and I am vain.  So I decided that it was going to be Bakar today, and I grabbed a suit hanging up.  I didn't think much about it, but I did think it did look a little faded.

I put it on and thought to myself, boy this hangs low.  It came to mid thigh, but I didn't think anything about it.  I can swim in this puppy mid thigh or not.

So in the water I got.  Half way through my warm up it felt like maybe it was more then mid thigh, maybe it was more of a maxi dress then a mini dress.  But I decided to keep swimming because well it was drag.  Make a person strong.

But as I swam more, it seemed to get lighter rather then heavier.  Yikes, I thought to myself, my dress is coming off leaving only the suit (yes there is a suit under the dress) on.  I kept stopping to see if I still had the dress part on.  It seemed to be still hanging on, but maybe by just a thread.  But then I felt alot of cloth but not a lot of weight.  I was confused, but by now I decided maybe swimming today was not the what I really wanted to do.

I got out of the pool and the dress was still on, but yes it was hanging down almost to my ankles.  So I grabbed my towel and went to the shower room.  As I passed the mirror I saw that I had no back.  The dress had separated from the back so all the dress was in front - to my ankles.

Oh well.  That suit did its job up to the end.  But from here on out - I am going to be checking those dresses!!!

Swim/Bike/Walk

I am seeking the perfect balance - well sort of.  I struggle daily with food, and sometimes I just fail.  So to make the failures less I try and balance it with - exercise.  But I am not exercising to eat.  Not really.  I am exercising to be the best.  The best bike rider the best swimmer and the fastest walker.  In the world - well no.  But a girl can dream.

My motto has always been if you didn't win then you lost.  I mean winning is everything - everything.  Being the fastest swimmer in a small pond is much better then being the slowest swimmer in a large pond.  But sometimes you have to lose, sometimes you just have to migrate to those larger ponds.

LZ worked my little (or large) butt off today.  I know when I have workouts with her that it is going to hurt.  I dread Tuesdays and Thursdays mornings.  I can't seem to be able to keep up, be as fast as she wants.  She will say we will do these on the 2:30 and I will not get done until 2:32, and then I feel I failed her.  And sometimes I think I just won't try.  If I just don't try on the first one, then she won't know I not trying on all the others.  But it isn't in me to do that.  If she tells me to go 80% I try and go 80% even though I know that she is going to have me do the last one at 100%, and I won't be able to keep that pace up.  So when I do 80% and keep doing it, by the time she asks for 100% I can't do the 80% time.

But I keep trying, I keep getting in the pool and keep thinking  I am too exhausted and just want to stop.  But then I think I just have to do this for half an hour.  That is it.  Half an hour of pain.  Every Tuesday and Thursday.  Yet I wouldn't give up my Tuesday and Thursday for anything.  

Changing title of blog

I didn't have enough adventures in swimming to keep the post going, so instead I am searching for good or bad - John Galt...

John Galt Speech

For twelve years, you have been asking: Who is John Galt? This is John Galt speaking. I am the man who loves his life.

Swimming in the great outdoors

So I have been swimming now for about a month and a half, and I have been doing it in an outdoor pool. 

That is great, except for the fact that I am old and I forget to put sunscreen on, so I look like a raccoon, or something like that.

I have a tan line where my cap comes to, and of course my goggles keep my eyes protected from that horrible sun, but the rest of my face looks like a dang chocolate chip cookie.  For those of you who are young and smart cover up your skin because sun damage does more then give you spots it gives you a dang mustache.

I looked in the mirror when I was up in Bellingham and I saw that I had a mustache, but I was a little surprised since I have relatively little hair on my lip.  So I went to the beauty salon and asked what they could do about it.  Maybe bleach the hair, no that wouldn't work because there is very little there to bleach.  Then she (the beautician) finally broke down and told me it was discoloration of my skin and when I tanned I tanned darker on my lip then the rest of my face.  What?  Isn't a tan suppose to make you look better?  Instead it gave me a mustache.  Ted must love me - right?

Anyway I am trying to decide what I am going to do about my mottled face.  Maybe just put suntan lotion on.  How long does it take for a tan to go away anyway?  Hey how many people do you know who Don't want a tan?