Poor Buddy Bones

Thursday ended my last day of regular classes at work for this semester. What lies ahead is the chaos of exam week. Then I think I will be off a little, but I am not sure. I did a very short run, 2.25 miles, and then went to DSU. Things are not sounding well there either. The Mad Swimming Scientist is talking about the pool being closed for several weeks during the break. Are you kidding me? I guess I will have to get my wetsuit and go to the pond if I want to maintain even a modicum of swim fitness.

Last night my muscles felt a lot better in the water. I got 1,300 in before we started the main set. This time I warmed up and my muscles relaxed and felt ready to go. We did 8 X 200 with a floating fast 50 in the first four. We rested :20 after each. Coach gave us the option of repeating that pattern for the next four or start with a fast 50 and add a 50 on each rep until we finished with a full 200 all out. I chose the more difficult option and was rewarded with some heavy breathing and hard heat beating, but my muscles felt good. What a difference a day makes. Tuesdays swim and Wednesday's weights tuned up my upper body muscles. I swear, I can get results in a single swim practice. Running is just not like that. After the 200s, I swam an easy 200 while my teammates finished up. Then it was 50 swim/50 back kick until we did 400. We did this with fins which means I got my butt handed to me. After that we did a hard 200 with fins. As usual, I go from dominator to dominated when fins are involved. That was the end of practice, and I cooled down with an easy 550 with small paddles. Total: 4,200 yards.

Me 'n Buddy Bones had big ideas for today, Friday, but they had to be cancelled. I'll spare you the details, and yes I am groaning a little. It it just the one day of the week that I often get to play as long as I want to. I still remember the joy I had when I was in the first grade and Mom dropped me off at Rob White's house and said I could play for an hour. An hour! The freedom and joy I felt that day as the world's greatest mom drove away leaving me free for an hour was addicting. An hour, a whole hour! I have been trying to recapture, recreate that feeling ever since. Sometimes I get it, and I always cherish it when it happens like a newborn baby that needs feeding and hugging and protecting. It is precious and should be defended, fought for at all costs. I sometimes get this freedom and joy when I do a long, long run or swim or bike ride, and don't have to worry about the time, to get back and take care of some sort of business. Me 'n Buddy Bones got it twice recently. It was super. But not today.