Catch Up Drill

Eek. It has been an awfully long time since I've been here.

I am committed to reserving this space for racing and training related musings (more or less) so when Mike and I spent the last week of July in Washington DC and my focus shifted to other things, so did my blogging habit, I guess.

The trip was great. I didn't train at all while we were there, though I think we walked 5-8 miles per day, which was a good thing and a bad thing. Good, because those many steps brought us to new experiences and knowledge; bad, because all of that foot travel threw my knee back to about April from a recovery standpoint. I have not run since before we left, and am back on the ice and ibu train. I ran into Dr. O'Kane in the Blockbuster parking lot the other day (as I was trying to get the chocolate cupcake icing off the butt of my jeans, nice) and we decided I should pay him another visit soon.

Since returning, I've had some memorable swims. The "religious experience" point to point with Kelly, Jim, Liz, Tatyana and Mike from Madrona to Madison on a gray Sunday. The chilly cove swim with dear Rob who gave up his speed for my safety Thursday morning and stayed with me stroke for icy stroke for nearly an hour. Rob, if you are reading this, I have a Starbucks card with your name on it. Thank you.

I am still loving the wetsuit-freedom, though the lake has dialed its temperature down since July. The weather is warming up and no doubt the lake will follow over the next week or so. I still hope to make it through Labor Day without suiting up except to compete.

Today was the 25th anniversary Emerald City Open Water swim. This event brings together top swimmers from around the area, including lots of kids. I have been thinking lately about my open water habit and wondering how long my friends and I will sustain it. Will we still love it when we're 50? When we're 60? My pod ranges from mid 30s to mid 50s...it was great to see the next generation of open water swimmers hit the beach today.

I finished a surprising third. Surprising, because (shame on me) I really thought I had a shot at winning the thing. I swam a :27 flat, which is my slowest time ever on that mile course, even though I felt strong throughout the race and hammered past a woman who swims for Whitman College in the last 100 yards (old age and treachery makes me the second loser).

Just checked the ceramic hardware from ECOs past and noted a :26.08 written on the mug from 1997 and a :25.33 for 1998. I didn't record my times for 2000 and 2004, but they must have been OK, because I have the mugs to prove a decent performance. Measuring open water distances is a fairly inexact science, I know, but when I stood up as the clock flipped to :27 I thought WTF??? It was still a fantastic morning with friends in and out of the water, but the clock was a downer.

Tomorrow is the Danskin. I felt like such a poser racking my bike with the elites today knowing I am going to walk the run. I'm sure the pink power will get me through; the Danskin is always my favorite day.