319 days left.

I have 3 hundred an 19 days left which means I have completed 45 days of training. 45 goes into 365 eight point one one one one one (you get it) times. Ack! I really need to make more progress! As of right now I do not feel 1 eighth of the way to being a triathlete. I am in big trouble because I don’t think I have even begun the hard part. In October I will begin swimming on a regular basis. I have seen the lake and tried to imagine myself swimming across and back, hmmm not so successful with that imaginary trip. Can’t get pictures of Shark Week out of my mind. I know there are no sharks in Goss Lake but there could be an overly aggressive malevolent lake trout who might decide to taste human. If I was swimming and one of those innocently (or malevolently) touching me I will freak me out and scream like a school girl. Will they let you swim with a club? Maybe a harpoon would be easier. How about a laser beam attached to my head?

I did read my swimming book “Total Immersion” and I began training in the hotel pool last week. This consisted of really simple drills to get my “water balance” which means get the hips/legs to naturally rise up by pressing down on the sternum. I know it may not seem like a lot but it is hard. In addition to that I have to learn to breathe as I roll on my side. So far this usually involves learning to breathe with a mouth half full of water. Remind me not to practice in the kiddy pool. Despite my inexperience and struggling form I did manage to swim about 20 yards 12 times. I had to rest between each time but it is a start. Learning to swim is a serious blow to the pride and ego. What am I saying this entire experience is a serious blow to the pride and ego. It is not as if I am looking real good when I run either. Maybe I need to get to know some baseball players and get a hold of those steroids they take. I know your all saying they have bad side effects of “huge mood swings and uncontrollable anger over absolutely nothing” but hell I quit smoking cold turkey so that is nothing new to me or my wife.
Seriously after I win the Triathlon 5 minutes ahead of everyone, all hopped up and HULK like then I will deny using the steroids several dozen times until I fail a drug test or two at which time I will beg publicly for forgiveness. Then in the next several photo opps I will work at looking real sad and humble. All the while denying I am a role model but collecting huge amounts of cash to appear for 5 minutes at a sports card show primarily attended by kids. Of course I will do a couple commercials for the united way and say no to drugs. But as my baseball example points out, the usual drugs would be bad because they are drugs but sniffing glue is not “technically classified” a drug so it is okay. Baseball the great American pastime. A juiced up ballgame played by juiced up little boys who claim to be exploited by greedy owners but then exploit the advertisers with huge endorsement deals who in turn exploit the kids by charging $75.00 dollars for a jersey of their favorite player. Yeah A Rod just be honest and call yourself A Hole. That way when my kids see you as an example they can properly categorize it. Today’s baseball stars have taught today’s kids to lie and deny until your caught red handed. That’s the integrity of Baseball and that’s why Professional baseball is LAME.

Whew that was rant! Serious example of my hate ray gone wild.
Seriously that needed to get out. Who wants to carry that sort of crap around in their head. Not me, it weighs a lot and it drags me down. I gotta work on staying positive and upbeat so the thoughts in my head will be “light as a feather”. This way I will be faster in the pool, on the bike and on the road.

No need to focus on the things I can not change. Better to let all that go. Stop wailing about being “right” and just be at peace. “There is nothing to fix here.”


“Free your mind and the rest will follow”

I think I will end each of these with a musical quote that moves me at the moment or just helps me have a movement:)