Paradise Lost

I went to the pond Thursday, broke the zipper on my wetsuit, and froze out in record time making it only .82 miles before tapping out like a cold-water-sissy. To make matters worse, just as I was climbing out, two huge diesel fish trucks drove up along with a pickup loaded with workers from the fish farm. They asked me what I was doing, and I managed to convince them that I was checking the pond for bull sharks. Really. I've gotten to where I tell terrific lies, and I really must repent. Bull sharks do in fact frequent fresh water and have been found in the Mississippi River as far north as Indiana. Since some of these ponds where I swim border the Quiver River, I convinced the farm workers that these athletic sharks could possibly jump the pond levees during periods of  high water.

Paradise Lost

That's the good news. The bad news is they were there to deliver 28,000 more fish to my favorite pond. Dang it! Now I am in search of a new swimming hole.

To back up, Monday I did a little 2.2 mile shuffle, and Tuesday I ran 2.33 and went to DSU where I swam

1,400
8 X 50
800 breathing 9, 7, 5, 3 by 25s
2 X 400 same breathing pattern
8 X 100 @ 2:30 breathing
1,600 back kick/swim with fins
Total: 5,600 meters.

Wednesday I had a meeting on campus in Moorhead so I planned a visit to one of my old haunts. Back in 2007 when I did my first marathon swim, I trained at a pond near Moorhead on Nobile Fish Farm. I went back for the first time in years and swam 1.24 miles. Amazingly the water temp was 59 degrees, several degrees higher than the air temp had been in days. That's what sunshine does to fish ponds.

Thursday I planned a double so although I got only 1319.38 meters at the pond, there was still DSU that night where I did

1,900
8 X 50
400 pull
4 X 50 from middle of pool
300 pull
4 X 50 from middle
200 pull
4 X 50 from middle
100 pull
4 X 50 from middle. Then on my own I swan
1,800 straight with small paddles for a total of 5,700 at the pool plus the pond = 7,019.38 meters. Yeehaa!