I'm a swimmer. Who knew?

Note, I didn't say I was a good swimmer, but after swimming 2 miles in one session on Saturday, I think I now officially qualify.

I was recently reading an interview with a local triathlete who was a first-time Kona qualifier this year.  The interviewer asked the predictable question - "which sport is your favorite?" - to which she replied, "swimming."  I had a most shocking reaction.  I agreed with her!  I started swimming begrudgingly in July of 2010 to keep myself from gaining 20 pounds while fighting a knee injury.  It wasn't too long ago that I was uttering sentences like "I won't ever do a triathlon because of the swim."  I didn't enjoy swimming, I thought it was kind of dumb, and most of all I was intimidated by the washing-machine experience in triathlon swims.  In three short years, not only has swimming opened up the world of triathlon to me, it has become my favorite leg.

1. It doesn't hurt.  Unlike cycling and running, I never get out of the pool in pain.  Tired, yes...hurting, no.  No impact, no joint pressure, just smooth motion.

2.  The solitude.  There is no music, no talking, no scenery, and unless you go to Washington & Lee on a weeknight, very few people.  It is just me and my thoughts.  As a true introvert, this is how I recharge my batteries.  I problem solve, I make to-do lists, I talk to myself...heck, I've even had a good cry while swimming.

3.  The technique.  Yes, of course, fitness matters in all sports.  But technique matters in swimming...a lot.  Much of my time in the pool I spend completely focused on my form.  Am I swimming straight?  Where are my hands going?  Is my weight balanced?  Am I pulling strong?  Let's ignore the fact that I may be doing lots of things wrong, but I like seeing noticeable improvements when I implement tips from experienced swimmers.

4.  Garmin free. Yes, there is the fancy new Garmin that tracks your distance and pace while swimming...but even if you have one (I don't) are you really going to stop and look at it?  And in a race, you don't know what's happening until you get out of the water.  You can stay focused on what you are doing.  Love that.

5.  Provides the only workouts in which I can legitimately keep up with Greg.

Debbie Downer that I am, there are still things I don't like about swimming.  Those are:

1.  Pool locker rooms.  A side of humanity I have spent a lifetime avoiding.

2.  Sharing lanes.  Hate it when this happens.  Splitting a lane I will do when necessary but swimming in circles with two + swimmers...really, is there anything worse?  To avoid this I generally go to the worst pools at the worst hours.  George Mason on a weekend is the exception -- beautiful pool and rarely crowded.

3.  Bathing suits in winter.  If I have any tan left it is the faint lines of my cycling shorts. 

4.  Water in my ears.  My coworkers who walk past my office after I've done a pre-work morning swim must think I am nuts...jumping around aggressively on one leg.

5.  Kick drills.  They take too long.

Overall, the pros clearly outweigh the cons.  So if you aren't doing a tri because of the swim...give it a go.  You might surprise yourself.

Reader Poll

Time for you to weigh in.  As a result of the bad behavior of one member of our household whose name I will protect, we have had to replace the brand new carpet in our basement just three months after moving in.  Good times, good *(#!@ times.  There was a silver lining to this as we have replaced the carpet with more basement-friendly, durable, water resistant vinyl flooring.  I'm happy to report it looks fantastic, and will be the perfect surface for our sweaty trainer sessions all winter.  With the old carpet we cut out a smaller area and had it re-bound for the TV area.  So readers, I ask you:

There is no place....

Those are the words that are the beginning to my alma mater's fight song.  I was reminded of them as Jen and I stood in a parking lot tailgating with my friends before the Nebraska football game this weekend.  As I think back about the weekend, I am reminded of how much those words ring true. 

Fall is my favorite season, great time to be out running or riding with cooler temps and the changing colors of the leaves.  Another reason I love fall is college football and espeically my beloved Nebraska Cornhuskers.  My youth is filled with memories of listening to the game on the radio while we cut firewood on some farmer's property or attending games in person with my parents.  I have been lucky to see some of the greatest plays in Nebraska football history at Memorial Stadium including the 1978 upset of OU.  Little did I know I would be there for history in the making this last weekend when Jen and I traveled back to my home state (where N stands for knowledge and sheep are nervous) to attend the Northwestern game and spend time with my friends Jim and Peg.   My Huskers beat Jen's Wildcats with a last second hail mary touchdown catch but the real joy of the day was spending time with Jen and my good friends.



Jen jumped on the Husker bandwagon this weekend

Some highlights from our weekend included some fantastic cocktails at the Boiler Room in Omaha on Friday evening and one of the best vesper martini's I have ever had.  The spicy bloody mary Jim whipped up for us for pre-game with slim jim's were pretty tasty as well.  Like breakfast in a glass.

Jen and I managed to get in our training too.  Peg led us on an eight mile run around Zorinsky Lake on Saturday, beautiful clear morning and the leaves were in full splendor

Brotherhood and Hamms

Jim provided the beer and the food for our pre-game tailgate including Schlitz, Hamms, and Dean's French Onion Dip.  It was great to spend time with my good friend and fraternity brother Tom Olson (aka Lisco).  He must be good luck because I was with him when Nebraska beat Missouri on a last minute touchdown catch in 1997.



Leftover french onion dip

The icing on the cake for our day was seeing the results from the Florida Ironman and our own Coach T crushing the race.  If I fail at this Ironman thing, I can't blame it on my coach.

So yes, there really is no place like Nebraska, where the boys are squarest and the girls are the fairest, dear old Nebraska U.  GBR!





 





Injuries

I have been training and racing since I was in 7th grade at Adams Junior High School.  That was back when I thought four times around the track was "long distance" running and injuries were confined to shin splints and blisters from ill fitting shoes.  Now as I approach the mid-century mark and prepare for my first Ironman, I spend more time thinking about potential injuries and the impact that would have on my training and racing.  The potential for serious injuries has really struck home with me over the last year, and espeically during the last month with the serious injury of a fellow mountain biker and Xterra athlete.

Since I began training with Coach T I have been fortunate to avoid any serious injuries, the worst being some sciatic nerve pain that kept me from sitting down for long periods of time and some mionr ankle sprains from train running.  While I have been avoiding the injury and accident bug, my training partner Jen has not been as lucky.  

The first "bite" from the injury bug happened last May while Jen and I were out on a training ride on the W&OD.  Jen suffered a nasty spill right in front of me after a gust of wind pushed her into the chain link fence on a pedestrian bridge.  Nothing ever prepares you for seeing someone bounce their head off the pavement in front of you, especially when it is your partner.  I remember rushing over to her laying on the pavement and stopping myself from dropping some expletive like, "holy $&#%, that was an ugly spill".  Instead of some massive injury, I saw those brown eyes start to tear up and the crack in her helmet but besides a few scrapes nothing looked too serious.  We were still miles from our car and of course I choose that day to leave my cell phone behind.  Fortunately we were near Green Lizard Bike Shop in Herndon, they made Jen comfortable and tended to her bike while I rode back to the car.  After speeding back to the shop and loading our bikes, our next stop was the nearest hospital in Reston and a visit to the ER.  Fortunately for us it was a slow day in the ER and Jen was admitted right away.  What started out as a quick check to ensure Jen was okay started to turn into something more.  Questions from nurses, doctors, MRI techs followed by the nurse prepping Jen for potential surgery.  This all turns out to be SOP but I admit I was getting a little worried with the direction of the day.  Next up, they began prepping Jen for her first of two MRIs.  The MRI revealed some small bleeding on the brain from the head trauma so the doctor's kept her overnight for observation.  Jen was cleared to leave in the morning and suffered some residual headaches for a few months but no long term damage thank goodness.  The injury kept her from her half-ironman in Raleigh but it clearly did not slow her down at Timberman.

It is my head that hurts

Fast forward to the  weekend before last and Jen and I are on the second leg of a three hour brick and enjoying our run around Burke Lake.  Burke Lake is a nice little park with a dirt path running around the perimeter of the lake.  There is nothing technical about the trail but for some reason, I have twisted more ankles on this trail than anyplace else around here.  As we are nearing the halfway mark of our run, Jen clips the edge of a rock sticking out of the ground and goes flying arse over tea kettle.  (I am beginning to think Jen will do anything to get out of a long brick).  She hit the deck pretty hard but thankfully only suffered some scrapes and bruises on one leg.

So what do I takeaway from all of this?  First Jen is one tough cookie both physically and mentally, pardon the pun.  I know she is mentally stronger than me on race day but I am really proud of how she perseveres through adversity when it comes to training and injuries.  Second, be prepared for these things.  Wearing a road ID is a good start but carry a cell phone (not just for you but in case you need to call for assistance for someone else) and keep a first aid kit in your car.

Here's hoping for an injury free season as we continue on our road to Zurich.