Saturday Morning Fever

People used to say things to me like, Wow, you swim so beautifully. You're so smooth in the water. It's like you have wheels underneath you. I wish I could swim like you.

This morning, someone (whose opinion I respect) said, Wow, you sure are a classic swimmer. You swim like we did in the 80s. What??

This is good feedback, though a little painful. Do I really look like a dying spider out there? Yes, I did learn the basics of competitive swimming with Tears for Fears and Huey Lewis and the News ON TAPE blaring on the boombox at the side of the pool. That said, I spent 1996-1999 under the guidance of the uncomparable coach Mike Bemis who taught me to swim downhill, point my tummy button to the side of the pool with every stroke, and rotate. Have I lost it? Maybe. I am slowing down slightly as I concentrate on biking and running, but still have plenty of speed on women who learned to swim fast 10 years later than I did!


Dear Tom came through with what has become the weekly sauna pep talk with some good thoughts on rotating as a unit and keeping my hips and shoulders aligned. Dear Tim chimed in with "you have such a strong kick, your arms can't keep up. You should glide more." I'll take that and run with it.


This week was fair. I am struggling to keep my eye on the ball with respect to tri training because I am doing so little of it. I am starting to ask myself that dangerous question, "Am I really still a triathlete?" which is not a great place to be. Another few weeks of this and I'm going to have to learn to cook or something.


Thursday I had an acupuncture treatment to my knee and I have to say it feels better (credit the treatment, perhaps, and the ongoing rest) than it has.

Also on Thursday I managed to tweak my tricep muscle somehow at work. I can swim, but I can't turn the steering wheel or move it much laterally. Advil helps.


And finally (also on Thursday), Mike and I celebrated the 21st anniversary of our first date.


Karin's comment: Now I've loved you for more of my life than I haven't.


Mike's comment: Good thing our relationship is old enough to drink legally.


The photo is of our first date, the Kappa Sigma VD (Valentine's Dance) on Feb 12, 1988. The other person in the photo is Chris Thayer, my childhood friend Mike's fraternity brother.

Now that's what the 80s look like!