Category Archives: re-invention
Triwomen rule
Last night I attended my first Triwomen meeting. I am really going to do a triathlon and these ladies are going to hold my hand through the whole thing. I have a long way to go to get ready but they assure me that it is doable. There were young women there and seasoned women like myself. They were small and petite and my size too (LOL!) and what they all had in common was the desire that I have, to do this. Stay tuned!
I Go To Sleep Thinking About My Freestyle Stroke
I actually go to sleep thinking about my freestyle stroke. I still don’t have the best stroke but I have visions of a much faster and certainly better stroke. I am going to my first swim clinic with Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen next Saturday and I couldn’t be more excited. My coach is great and has taught me a lot and I figure that anything I learn from the clinic will enhance what he has taught me. Execution and thought are not always in sync and there is so much to remember. Well anyway when I think about swimming, I’m not thinking about anything else. My journey continues.
TriWomen hear I come!
September is a ways off but to compete in my first sprint triathlon (The Danskin) I have to begin training now. So far people are either very supportive or they snicker when I tell them my plans. It’s okay the only thing that can stop me is my mind and I’m working on that now. The “quiet riot” in my head got the best of me at first today and I stopped short of swimming fifty yards. Then I thought, not long ago I couldn’t do 25 yards without gasping for air. I have adequate air but I can still talk myself out of success real fast. So every day I continue to work on it. Yesterday my friend Roz sent an email about the 2013 kickoff of the TriWomen group in Scotch Plains – Fanwood, NJ. Wow the commitment is real. I believe that I can do this step by step. Borrowed a bike. Scared to get on it though. Sure I can walk the run (knee issues you know) but the open water still freaks me out. But darn it, I’m gonna do it. Stay tuned!
Wow! I Did It!!!
Today only Tony and I were at the pool. This time of year is rough and everybody can’t make it every day. Anyway I told him what Corey suggested to increase my freestyle distance and proceeded to show him. I made it down the pool turned around and headed to the second line. After a couple of times Tony said see how far you can go. Well I did a bit more than the second line but that was it. So he said can you get a song in your head and sing it to yourself. I said yes. So he said okay we’re going to swim a lap slowly and you concentrate on the song in your head. Turn at the end and just see how far you can come. So we did and I made it about 3/4 ‘s of the way back before I felt like I was out of breath. Next Tony said okay swim slowly and when you turn just keep singing. Well I’ll be darned. Two laps, 50 yds. done!!! We talked for a while and I said I have to leave and Tony said okay let’s do two more laps. I did it a second time. I love my team & coach!!!
Is It All In My Head????
Today at the pool Corey (our coach) got in the water with us. There were only a few of us so he could spend time looking at our strokes and making suggestions. So I have talked about my lack of stamina and how I do 25 yards freestyle but half way back I start gasping for air. So Corey asked me a series of questions. Do my arms hurt? No. My legs? No. How often do I take a breath? Every four strokes. I told him I am not sure I am out of breath but I start having difficulty maintaining my rhythm about half way back. He thought about it for a minute and he said ” do your lap and when you get to the end of the pool turn around and swim back to the first line”. Do that until you are comfortable and then go to the second line etc. until you are back at the other side. The man is brilliant. I believe that the problem is psychological and we will see. I have a plan for tomorrow. Yeah!
Best coach on the East Coast
How Many Yards in a 1/2 Mile?
880 yards, rounding up 36 laps of my practice pool. This is important to me because I intend to do the Danskin triathlon in September. Thirty-six laps omg. Right now I am sputtering on two laps wearing my zoomers. Well I just have to keep trying. The last few days I have begun to count my strokes (thanks Yelena) and for the first time I am making a lap without freaking out and thinking that I’m out of air (cause I’m not) So I believe that I will be able to swim more than a half mile by September. We’ll talk about the open water freak out later.
I Am Not A Groupie By Nature
After the Girl Scouts, I can’t remember having the desire to join a group. Didn’t pledge a sorority in college much to the disappointment of some, no ladies clubs (not me) bridge or other. So you get the picture. Anyway at this phase of my life I find myself affiliated with three groups that I couldn’t do without. My Bergen Crafters (they are as crazy as I am about crochet and my knitting love is gaining on some of them), my newest Brick City MasterSwim (they make me see possibilities I hadn’t considered) and my Willing Hearts Weight Watchers group ( cause they feel my pain and my victory). So here’s to groups!
A Flexible Agenda
I’m a creature of habit and don’t do well with sudden change. When I met my husband and realized that being extremely punctual wasn’t important to him I thought, Hmm this is going to be a real problem. Early on in our relationship he suggested that when we got where we were going would be the right time. What heretic nonsense. It didn’t take long for me to see that he was right. So after that lesson, I began to explore the idea that sometimes stuff happens and we have to go with the flow as they say or we end up unhappy and worse.
The inability to be flexible for someone like me can cause all sorts of problem. Loosen up and make some plan B’s in case plan A doesn’t work out. I promise you it won’t lead to your death.
I was planning to go to the pool this morning. By the time I was ready to leave storms of near biblical proportion (2012!!!!!!!) were bearing down on my corner of New Jersey and after much gnashing of teeth I decided to skip the pool. Okay so what now. Generally I would spend an hour wondering if I made the right decision and lamenting the loss of my workout. Instead I changed my clothes and went to CURVES and did my hour workout. Guess what I felt good and if the weather permits, I’ll be at the pool tomorrow! Life goes on.
Accomplishments
Today I received my 50lb. weight loss disc from my Weight Watchers leader. I was and am still pumped. Must keep the momentum!
Fifty Pounds and Counting!
Conquer the Pool
Not sure what day this is but I must say that the water is addicting. For the first time I did one lap (25 yds) freestyle without the flippers on! I was tired but I got there. I am concentrating on this stroke and take all the advice I can get from Coach and swimmers. Don’t want to get bad habits I can’t break later. While the group practiced their flip turns, I tried to flip. Hmm, water up the nose, not a full flip but I tried. Some of the team did a 4 mile bike ride before the pool. Good grief, these people are determined to get me physically fit. What next?
First Steps the Hardest 