kayak4water Member

Ha. Sore rickety right shoulder in the morning. A little dry land warm-up. Into the water for the usual session. The ache melts away. If only I could sleep under water and have all the support those expensive mattresses CLAIM to provide! Bumped the top of my head at the end of a backstroke lap while lost in its rhythm. :<)

I swam in my hometown pool which they keep at a temperature that suits me better than any other. The county pools in Las Vegas are great, but maybe just a little bit warm. 35 to 40 minutes of all four strokes, including drills. Then out. As I walked past the lifeguards, one of them remarked,"your butterfly looks really…

Late morning after two hour bus ride from the airport last pm. Two cups of coffee. Early dinner of pizza on my 200 gm crust. In the pool at 730 pm. Tried to work on breathing on backstroke and forgetting>>> out of breath after 50 yd. The stroke itself felt more natural--my hand entry more effectively transitioned to the…

Yup, 42 minutes with a somewhat inauspicious beginning in light of having aggravated a herniated disc, after hacking at tennis balls yesterday. Took an NSAID last pm, stretched a lot woke up, drank a cup of V8, stretched some more, drove to the pool, suited up, stretched again (!), jumped in and swam! I fretted needlessly…

I swam too long (time) today and not long enough (streamlining). Fifty six minutes going to & fro--and some twenty more catching my breath between warm-up, drills, full stroke etc. What I know about swimming--it's all hit & miss guessing. Today's fun: closed fist freestyle, one armed backstroke, full breaststroke & working…

Bright frikkin' lights, rear and front!

After planting daffodil bulbs, the lap pool. The temperature in the Aberdeen, WA "Y" felt good, Goldilocks good. The swimming thing: good freestyle but still 18 strokes per length. Down to 16 on some 25s, but it felt slower. Best not to think about it-just swim and enjoy the ride. Backstroke: still felt sloppy and unsure.…

I swam. I felt like a barge going through cold molasses with only one blade on the prop. Eighteen strokes per length of freestyle. No power! Streamlined? Couldn't really tell--nobody to watch and say. Fuggedaboudit. Move on to backstroke and fly. Better but I still wanna bolt an eye to a drone and see what I look like.…

The leaves have more than half fallen in Western Washington and mornings urge the Mercury near freezing. A four mile walk heats the core but neglects the gloved digits. Happily, the "y" pool has a hot tub to draw warmth to the nail beds. My watch reset yesterday to factory defaults (old watch with an old battery) and slept…

Awwww, they fixed the pool heater! Result: warmer & more people in the pool, but not to excess. In the last 30 min of pool hours, most folks have left the pool: my choice of lanes! And I can do butterfly without fear of someone whacking my hand with their teeth ☺️ 036 min today. Trying to keep my feet kicking in a smaller…

Today, the lifeguards reported the pool temperature to be 75 degrees F, right after I stuck my toe in and said, "I think it's warmer than yesterday." I had a wonderful 42 minutes. No cramps. No overheating. I need someone to critique. I didn't often feel long and fast today. Do you ever freestyle with closed fists? I did…

I got out of the hot tub feeling cozy warm, stretched some and stuck my toe in the lap pool. Hmm, a bit cool. I jumped in. Yes! Very cool! My choice of four lanes. I drank far less water than usual, and never felt overheated. I hope no one corrects the pool temp. Basic stroke technique after a dry week. So much fun

Did not swim today nor for days, due to a small bike accident that scraped off some skin--that needs to scab over first. I did get in a few more (careful) miles on the bike. The rain begins again tomorrow and the bike needs a little lube job. Maybe swim tomorrow.

Right after dinner, into the pool. I didn't cramp, not did I feel slow-- just having a good time. Focus: arm orientation following hand entry during freestyle. Flutter kicking from the hips. Ten minutes of backstroke--drills & full stroke. Hand orientation and core rotation. Ten minutes of drills and full stroke for…

Into the water, swam back and forth a few times, got out of breath and got out of the water. A good day at the office. Home to make pizza, fat crust. 320 grams of flour, 1 tsp yeast, 1 tsp salt and 257 grams of bread flour. Knead 5 min, rise 90 min, roll out and rest 30 min. Prebake 5 min at 400. Add toppings and bake 15…

I did 48 minutes, trying to ignore the swimmers in the next lanes. That competitive part of me told me, "catch and pass him/her!" The cognitive part said, "no, dude, you came to swim better than yourself, not faster than John Doe. Focus!" Failed at kicking on my back and balancing my water bottle on my forehead. I did it…

Two swims in nine days. I'll take it. Oddest arrangement in the pool at the Bonsor Recreational Complex in Burnaby, BC: take a six lane pool and put in three lane lines to create four fat lanes, but it eases passing slower swimmers. And you can swim butterfly, too. I'm back in more familiar waters in Washington State,where…

Today's workout: Moving a ceiling fan from the shopping cart to my car trunk. That, after an hour in the pool, progressing from a C- to a C+ backstroker with some coaching help. Also in that hour, a few minutes of levity trying to kick and stroke with a quarter full cup of water on my forehead

Six weeks! Then I can't complain about our pool closing for Labor Day weekend plus two days and my hour drive to the next closest pool (and Trader Joe's!) Today's swim: backstroke only with the high school coach helping me go from a C- to a C+ swimmer. The workout thrashed me, but I enjoyed it, especially trying to kick…

33 minutes. Ten minutes of freestyle, thirteen minutes of backstroke, 8 minutes of fly and 2 minutes cool down. Then a bike ride on a gorgeous August day. Cheers!

Welcome back to the pool!

40 minutes. A little of all strokes, mostly freestyle and backstroke but also a good chunk of time working on fly. I could just swim freestyle for 40 minutes, but I enjoy discovering the little ways I could swim all four strokes a little bit better. Different strokes for different folks. (No pun intended)

Worked up a sweat picking berries in the hot sun. 🚿 Then to the pool! Did a few kick laps, hoping my feet were tight. Why haven't we evolved to be able to leave one eye out to watch ourselves swim? Did some freestyle. Worked on staying long and relaxing the hands for entry. Hoping I'd remember to rotate one of these weeks.…

25 minutes going slowly and mindfully I have much to get right every time I swim. Gotta love the details!

40 minutes! It felt like returning to the womb after 5 days dry (*x* for showers 🙃). Saturday and Sunday, during much of the Seattle to Portland bike ride, I metered my breathing to mimic butterfly breathing: kick the hands in, kick the hands out, suck in a big breath and repeat! Cheers!

Swimming was always a struggle for me up to even now. Having a coach dole out tips every Monday brings an appreciation of the sport I'd never have on my own. I've been told hundreds of times to rotate more--I might finally be doing that, a little. Thanks, Coach! Today's drills: I focused on rotation. On my own: some fly…

A fine 40 minutes of this, that and the other. Backstroke is the current labor of love. Between trying to look at the ceiling directly above my head, a narrow kick, rotating more than my usual timid amount & keeping the elbows from dropping, I've forgotten to breathe often! We raced our six seat outrigger canoe Saturday.…

Swam Thursday afternoon. Was getting muscle cramps again beginning about 10 days ago. I brought diet tonic water back into my routine--half a cup a few times a day. The smart people say no studies support its use for muscle cramps, but it seems to be working. Even if it's just a placebo effect, It's worth $0.99 a bottle. I…

School's out! The pool's open! Cleaning up my freestyle hand entry. I need help with everything, though my backstroke clearly begs it. I have a terribly ineffective flutter kick. I like to look forward too early when flying--it slows me down. I want a better flip turn. All that is why I keep on keeping on. :<)

All the county pools are closed this weekend. Rode my bike an hour. We ate dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. Not huge amounts of food, just tastefully prepared dishes, cauliflower crusted pies.