The neighbors you meet living in the country

Sitting here on the steps of Quest field thinking I have10 days of training left.
Maybe 8 or so more workouts with nothing to intense scheduled. It is so close now and seems sort of unreal. Hard to believe only one more weekend before I put all my hard work to the test and see what I am capable of.
I watch a couple people walk the steps and remember when I used to do that same walking. I think this week and next I need to be vigilant and go to sleep on time so my body is well rested.


Yesterday I was impressed after Kathy and Amanda described the 40+ mile hill ride in the 80+ degree heat we were having. They pretty much rode every challenging hill on the south island except Swede Hill Road. As always the South Whidbey Iron Mommas set the bar high. Turns out they are not so good with cutting things. The rule should be for any S.W.I.M. member about to do an event, No sharp objects.



I headed out to get a brick of my own in. Today would be a run and a swim because I did a 20 mile ride early Friday morning. I prefer exercising in the morning instead of later in the day. O well some days you don’t get to choose and you just have to follow Whinny the Pooh’s advice, and “make the best of it”. I headed into the woods and ran my 5 mile trail loop but it went slowly today probably because of the heat. The trails felt familiar and welcoming like old friends on a Sunday afternoon. It was a nice run even though my plantar wart was hurting some. I froze it a couple days ago so hopefully it is dead and this discomfort is just the pain of that freezing. It was a constant irritant and annoyance on the entire bike ride on Friday. I may taper off my running over these last 10 days so I give my body more chance to heal that part before the big day. At this level of discomfort it would not hamper me but it would take some of the enjoyment out of it.



Finishing the run I headed over to Goss Lake for a quick swim and whoa I was not ready for the collection of “critters” at the lake. Usually there are not too many people and they appear to be relatively normal. Not this time, this time it was like a Jerry Springer show covering the public beach, whispers of “You don’t know me” and “whateva I do what I want” floating in the air. AS I changed into my wetsuit I was looking around trying to find the banjo player. She found me, darn it darn it darn it. I have this automatic tracking that tends to pull the looniest critters out a crowd right to me. I hate it and I have no way to control it or turn it off. So this "critter" (I am borrowing this term from Jason H.) comes at me from the water, half crawfish half the lady from throw momma from the train and wants to know if I am going to swim under water with my wetsuit. I squint into the sun so I don’t have to see her 3 toothy smile and I try to be polite telling her I am just swimming across the lake. Her smart brother-husband proves how he was born to be comic by first telling me “I don’t need a wet suit”. (Oh really I just thought these 45 other people and the sweat all over my body (I had just completed a 5 mile run) in the lake were tricking me). Then in case I missed that funny he tries again by asking if I am going to “swim down to the glacier in the bottom”. What am I supposed to respond with? I have done it again I have inexplicably drawn the crazy people out of the crowd and to myself in some strange way making them want to interact with me. My wetsuit sticks on my legs. Please God why on this beach of 45 people do I have these two wanting me as their new best friend in the 6 minutes it takes me to put on my suit. “Hey I once swimmed the lake in overalls and a t shirt” my little Umpa mud-guppy says. Finally I get the legs up. I think her cross eyed brother-husband is distracted trying to catch mosquitoes on his tongue. “Yeah for fidee bucks! It was hard but I did it”. One arm in, “See that house over there with the pointy top”. I swear to God I am not making this up these are her conversational pieces verbatim. Second arm in, almost free.

“I swimmed from there to here in overalls and a t-shirt for fifty bucks. And it was worth it.” I was very very frightened of hearing next ”I’d do anything for 50 bucks.” I wish I was faster and already in the middle of the lake. Finally I zipped up and slipped my goggles on and swam straight out as fast as I could squeezing my eyes shut for the first 50 yards so I didn’t see any “dooky” I expect would have come from her.
I don’t have anything against crazy people or critters lower on the evolutionary ladder like “carnies” except what I think is a healthy fear/respect for them. I like them when they are OVER THERE, under sedation or in a cage. Someone should convince them they have special talents and they could go on the road putting on shows of their special talents. The ones without any real talent could paint their faces to look silly and see how many of their friend could fit in a really small car or phone booth. This is why you should trust your instincts and realize your childhood fear of clowns is a healthy fear.

So collect them all and put them in one place with a bright movable banner and they could move from town to town sharing their “special talents” with everyone. Someone already did this and his name was Barnam and Bailey. Please encourage him to do it again when you see him next.
I am somehow drawing these freaks to me. I don’t know how or why but remember growing up there was always one friend who got caught. For me and my friends that was Johnny, he always was the one who got caught. Me I guess I am the one who gets the crazies. In some strange chemical way I manage to get the attention of the mentally unstable or evolutionally challenged whenever I am within some invisible proximity.
Free at last I relished this swim and thought about not returning but it was a long walk half way around the lake and I had already done my run for the day. The swim turned out to be a very productive swim. I did notice my right shoulder (actually both but the right more) stiff and it was hard to determine if it was the suit not on all the way. This morning it is clear it was my shoulder.

I swam the 2/3 of a mile and felt glad the swim is the first event because while it was refreshing to get into the lake after the run it was also more difficult.