Pond Cove 5K

The race that almost wasn't. I had pretty much decided to bail on Friday as I had only run one time in the last month and before that only one other time in the last 5 years. So much for training.

Yet how can I say no to a wide eyed snuggily cute 4 year old who tells me at 7:15am, "Mommy you should do it". Well of course I should. Of course I would. Somehow. Not sure how.

So I ate a banana, drank a large glass of water, kissed the hub and headed out. Car didn't start. Was this a bad omen?
After summoning said hub. it magically started. Okay game back on.

Once there I wasn't a wisp nervous. Why should I be right?
Saw lots of swimming friends Michelle, Carrie, Jen, Claire, Stacey and Katie among them.

Really not much to report on the race. It was sunny no clouds and just a beautiful day. Why not run a 5K? And I am happy to say I did, without even walking once. 11-minute first mile and heck if I know what the other splits were. This was such a small race there were no other pace clocks. I tried to keep the same pace through mile 2 and part of mile 3 but saved a burst of speed for the end (there was a mini heartbreak hill there). It felt good to sprint up the hill and the last .1 or .2 to the finish line.

Now I know I am 5K ready for my triathlon in July!

Final time: 33:51 (don't laugh)

Summer is finally here

And I am taking advantage of every day. I enjoyed two great swims at Crystal Lake this weekend and am so glad I decided to brave it on Friday. You see almost all my friends told me I was a fool that of course it would be way too cold. Jim warned me I'd have to save up pee and let it all out in the lake to keep warm. Thankfully Ange and Liz were willing to forge ahead. It was a balmy 61 in the lake on Friday and coming off the high of 88 on Friday in Portland it was just glorious. Ange and I swam stroke for stroke which is such a rare treat it made my day just outstanding. There is nothing like being able to exactly keep pace with someone -- especially without all those pesky flipturns getting in the way. Today was not too sunny but the lake was still warm and calm. I had a bit of a tougher swim with Cheryl ahead of me and John just on my toes, but that is good for training I think. Two miles (or thereabouts) both days. If it wasn't at the crack of dawn both days I would have yelled across the lake "Wahooooo ... SUMMER IS HERE!" (Don't say it Mary, I know I am a dork). Cheryl promised to send me a picture so I'll post it when I get it.

Bowdoin Spring Meet report

Very different from Harvard overall, but the same enthusiasm, breadth of talent and span of ages. Which of course is why I love Masters. So in the 500 (which I swam for the first time in 22 years or something ridiculous like that) we had folks going 5:02, 6:02, 7:32 and 9:48 .. none of us younger than 40. Wow! And the 7:32 I should mention was a national record for women 75-79. At this rate there will be no records I can possibly break by the time I reach that age. The meet total had about 25 people, only 2 heats per event and was over in less than 2 hours. Since I swam 4 events that made for very little rest between events.

First up the 500. Out in a 1:05 back in a 1:14 (ouch!) ..... lost the middle splits but they were too slow! ..... back for the last 100 in a 1:10, which I was proud of. At least I saved a little of my sprinting spirit for the end. Unfortunately not close to my goal of under 6:00, but on the good side I very accurately seeded myself exactly at my final time, 6:10. At least I know myself.

My times in the other events are kind of laughable because I had about 5 or 6 minutes rest in between events. Not even time to warm down. Next up the 200 back (2:42), then 200 IM (not even sure of my time it came and went so fast 2:40 something) -- I really got killed on the breaststroke leg. I went out in a 32 for the fly, came back in a 36 back and died in the breast 52! and then brought it home in a 36 -- what does that add up to? Then I was chatting away and almost missed the 50 breast. This was especially humorous as I swam next to Son who took off like a rocket and went a 30.5 (a PR for him). Ahem.... I sashayed my way in at a 42. Time for the breaststroke clinic. Sign me up.

Anyways I accomplished at least one goal for the season that I set way back. Swim the 500. Check!

A milestone

8 x 100 on 1:20
1:13, 1:15, 1:16, 1:16, 1:16, 1:18, 1:20, 1:23

I made 7 so that felt good. Next season I'm going for 10!

Today
105 x 25
Worked a lot on my streamline and push-off. I played around with some rapid small butterfly kicking off the way. I could almost get half way down the pool.

And in case you missed the big story.... Maine Masters Mike Ross set 5 National records at the Zone Championships at GMU. Way to go Mike!

from the site..."Ross' times in the 50 and 100 backstrokes were the fastest times swum in United States Masters Swimming history. Ross was an NCAA All-American and part of the wining 200 medley relays for Princeton in 1989 and 1990."

Spaniard comes close to 100 fly WR

Rafael Munoz Perez came within .06 seconds of Ian Crocker's WR in the 100 fly at the French Long Course National Championships last week. Munoz Perez is the WR holder in the 50 fly (22.43).