Loving the Lake

This morning I went with my friend E2 to the lake. It's not just any lake, it's THE lake, which really represents an experience more than just a swim. The hostess, Pam, is called the CEO, and for good reason. She has been organizing a large group of swimmers at her lake house for years, and they swim April to November, rain or shine, wetsuit or no-wetsuit. Many years ago I was "sponsored" (meaning I came with a regular) and remembered it being fun, but I never went back. On our way over to the lake this morning I was tutored about the basic rules: a) If you use flippers or toys, you must announce this to the group; b) faster swimmers start last and zig-zag so that everyone finishes together, and c) no pookies in the hot tub. Makes sense. What I learned, though, is that the most important rule is not to take yourself too seriously and to give as much as you take. They are - as we say in New England - a wicked fun group. They are also great swimmers, which makes it even more fun. We did about 3500 yards, I am guessing.

Ocean's Twelve

Nearly everyone in the metro Boston area was at MIT Masters this morning, including a number of guests and drop-ins. At one point I counted twelve people in our lane - twelve! That is insanity and thankfully coach Bill gave us a short-type workout so we were not climbing all over each other. If we were in a 25 yard pool, I am not sure how we would have done it.  Nonetheless, people are enjoying the last few weeks of long course.

400 warmup
6 x 50’s Count Strokes Free :60
3 x 100’s kicking on :20r                           
6 x 100’s on :20r                       
 1-2:  25 fist drill – 25 choice swim
 3-4:  25 fingertip drag drill – 25 choice swim
 5-6:  25 1arm drill – 25 choice swim
2 times thru:
100 free on 1:40        
100 fast free on 1:25
2 x 50 ez  on 1:10          
4 times thru:
150 fast free on 2:15
50 free on 1:10                         
*2 x 50 breast    
* Next round back
* Next round fly
* Last round choice

Strongly Worded Letter

There is both an art and a science to an effective strongly worded letter (SWL), whether it be to your congressperson, a retailer, or the plumber that cracked a big pipe in your house. One has to convey a sense of neutrality about a situation and be able to connect emotionally, all the while being firm and clear about what you expect as a resolution. Those who take the tactic of whining or being angry rarely succeed in the strongly worded letter. Sarcasm also does not work. Why do I care? I have to write a SWL to someone (yet to be identified) about the sudden notification we received this morning about long course ending in two weeks. Yes - you heard me - no more 50 meter pool this summer. Now to some people this is no big deal, but to those of us who are distance swimmers who planned our races and training around the 50 meter pool, it is a big deal and I am mad. So mad that I am unsure if I can write this strongly worded letter in my current state of mind, because I think it's baloney. I need to count to 10 and then hit pen to paper. Stay tuned.

Nice distance day today!

200 Going:  50 stroke – 50 free
200 Going:  25 drill – 25 free
100 Going:  50 stroke – 50 free
100 Going:  25 drill – 25 free

6 x 50 kicking

TWICE THRU:
300 Free Pull Hypoxic by 50:  3, 9, 5, 7 for 200 5:00
3 x 100 free descend on 1:30
1 x 600 free long swim on 10:00
1 x 100 ez on 2:30

Where Everybody Knows Your Name?

I went to Starbucks this morning after swim practice, something I don't do often because I also have a mortgage. Anyway, I am fourth in line and the barista greets the first person - "Good morning, Ken! Chai latte today?" Ken smiles and says yes. She then move on to the second person "Mary how are you? Toasted bagel and two pump grande cappuccino for you?" and to the third - "Joe you are late today!" which elicits laughs and excuses from Joe in a shared special moment between two close friends. Then to me. She looks at me with a look that says "who the hell are you, and what do you want?". I stammer my order, not realizing that when you order an ice coffee you have to tell them if you want sugar, fake sugar, extra ice, the whole works. I was petrified. I also glanced at those behind me in line and swear I was getting looks, if you know what I mean. It was then and there that I realized how good the coffee is at my office. How is this related to swimming, you ask? It is not, but it was distance day today and we swam distance!

300 warmup
2 x 50 kick
100 stroke
100 free
2 x 50 drill
100 stroke
100 free
2 x 50 free
800 swim, negative split
3 x 400 on 6:20 - third 100 is always fast
100 easy
400 going 50 stroke/50 free IM order
6 x 50: 1-3 on :50, 4-6 on :60
3 x 100 on 1:45

LOVE that Clean Water!

E2, me, BB, and Dr. Bob

It was a pretty special day today in Boston as a record number of swimmers took part in the 5th Charles River one-mile swim. Thanks to the efforts of Ulla Hester, Frans Lawaetz and their team at the Charles River Swimming Club this has become an annual event that attracts swimmers from all over the region. The water quality was excellent, something that could not be said in the 1940's when the river was last open to the public to swim. We received word today that the Department of Conservation and Recreation has approved a public swim for later this summer! While the Standells "Dirty Water" is still one of my favorite songs, I find myself singing it and then reminding everyone around me that it's meaning is a thing of the past, though the overall sentiment remains as strong as ever: I love Boston.

Great to be with so many of my friends, old and new, in the swimming community today - especially my peeps from MIT! 

Lesson Learned

I got trapped in an elevator at work yesterday, and now all my colleagues know it because it was on the campus police blotter. Yet rather than receiving expressions of sympathy for having to endure being entrapped, most of the responses have been something like this: "What was Katie doing in an elevator? Doesn't she swim an hour in the morning? Shouldn't she be taking the stairs"? So much for empathy. I have provided endless seconds of fodder for my colleagues and frankly I deserve it. But I will have you know that there are legitimate reasons why a person would use an elevator: they are injured, they may be carrying a large load, or the top floor bathroom was unavailable and with only a minute until my meeting I knew that there was a bathroom in the basement and thought I would just zip down and back up. See? Totally legitimate. But lesson learned: take the stairs, and always take your phone to the bathroom.

200 free going 50 drill - 50 swim
200 stroke going 50 drill - 50 swim
3 x 100 going 50 stroke -- 50 free
1 x 600 going:
1st 200:  pull hypox: 9, 3, 7, 3
2nd 200: swim focus on technique (pick something)
3rd 200:  pull again... faster pace
2 x 200 im with legal turns :30r
1 x 400 free swim make 3rd 100 fast
4 x 100 IM or stroke on 1:50
1 x 400 free swim  negative split
9 x 50 choice
1-3 on :55
4-6 on : 45
7-9 on 1:05

Knowing when it's time to retire

I had to retire my favorite swimsuit this morning, the one from the 2012 Olympics which had a fun pattern made up of all things London (see photo from catalog).  E2 was there to bear witness to the parting as we thanked the suit for its service and sent it to its final resting place (which is probably and somewhat ironically a barge in the middle of the ocean somewhere). It's good to know when the time is right to say goodbye to a suit and to make the choice on your own rather than to have an unfortunate incident force you to retire it. Put bluntly, when people on deck either point and laugh or shield their children from you as you walk by, it is time to retire the suit. And while you are a good friend when you can gently tell your lanemate that a new suit is necessary, another approach is to send a note to your whole lane and say "hey - I am putting in a suit order - who is game"? My day got started a wee bit late today, but I climbed in a rec lane and swam most of the workout (what I did is below - I missed about 800 yards). It's amazing how many meters you can fit in when you don't chat at the wall.

500 swim
Twice thru:
1 x 100 Going:  25 drill – 25 free
1 x 100 Going:  25 drill – 25 stroke
1 x 200 Going:  1st 100:  Think technique
              2nd 100:  Free build
Once thru:
4  x 200 descend on 3:15
6  x 50 going 25 free sprint – 25 ez on :60
4  x 100 descend on 1:40
4  x 150 pull hypoxic on 2:30                             
2  x 100  ascend on 1:40