Live and Laugh

Laughing will keep you young and I truly believe that.  My dear friend and mentor, Fernando, told me something, "It takes as much energy to be angry as it does to be happy."  Why not choose the later?   I was looking through old picture books that my mom has kept over the years and I noticed something in the photos that struck a cord. Most of the photos that she took of me, my brother and sister, we are laughing. I think my mom  loved to carry her camera around and take pictures of whenever she saw us playing or carrying on. There are pictures of us dancing around a tree in the yard. Opening Christmas presents, playing in the pool, having a birthday party, having a picnic in the backyard while the dog sits with us, and walking along a trail during a family vacation. It seems as if almost every photo, except for the ones where we might be crying because we didn't get our way, paints a picture of that perfect childhood growing up. I have so much to be thankful for. 

As I browse through the photos and see my little sister, who is no longer with us, I get sad, and wish I knew why and what happened.  It will always be a mystery to be and many times I think that I could have done something, like been there for her or TALK to her!  It is painful, and even easy to bury that pain of missing her. As I continue on with my merry day, I smile when I think of her knowing that she is looking down on me and protecting me from harms way. Especially those times when I have crashed on my bike to the extent that it is a miracle I am still walking around! Thank you Kathleen!  I hope to see her face in my dreams, but not as of yet.  Her birthday is this month.

This weeks swim training for Tuesday - Labor Day
Thursday I tried to get in a lunch time swim and managed 20 minutes in the FGCU pool. It was a 15 commute from my office, and with an hour lunch that was all I had time for. It was better than nothing. 

Tuesday - LCM at FGCU
400 swim
300 pull
200 kick
6 x 50 kick (fast /ez with snorkel)
Main
6 x 100 @ 1:45
200 pull @ 3:15
4 x 100 @ 1:40
200 pull
2 x 100 @ 1:35
200 pull
1 x 100 @ 1:30
200 cool

Wednesday - SCY w/ GCST
500 loose
5 x 100  breath 3,5,7,9
Main - 3xs
4 x 75 @ 1:10
2 x 50 @ 1'
4 x 25 kick fast @ :40
1 x 100 ez
Pull
6 x 200 @ 3' descend
100 cool

Freaky Fast Friday with T2NM, SCY
Special treat to have coach Paul Yetter coaching us!
Warm
1  x 400
1 x 200 kick
1 x 200 pull
Breath Control w/ Pull Gear
8 x 75 @ 1:20 odds breath every 5th, evens breathe every 6th. 

Speed Play
8 x 50 @ 1:10
5 strokes no breath free (fast), then easy free to 25 wall, second 25 build to sprint.

Walls Work
4 x 75 @ 1:20
No breath (2strokes in, 1 stroke out) OR (1 in, 2 out) on all lengths

Swim Down 4 x 50 free/back w/ under H2O turns.

Saturday, FGCU, LCM with a folks from GCST
500 Warm
Pre Set 2xs
2 x 100
6 x 50
4 x 150 
Main
200 
3 x 100 (pull)
200 swim
3 x 100 (pull)
400 drills, kick.
100 cool

Sunday - Vanderbilt Ocean Swim 
2 miles to and from La Playa.

Labor Day with GCST, SCY
500 Loose
6 x 150 @ 2:45 (free/stroke/free, IM order)
Main
(I kicked this set, but you can swim it)
1 x 200
2 x 150
4 x 100
Pull
1 x 200
2 x 150
4 x100
Main #2
10 x 25 kick @ :40
10 x 25 swim fast @ :30
100 cool

Happy Laps!

Great news - I am going to lead a Master's swim group in N. Ft. Myers at the N. Ft. Myers Community Pool under the Gulf Coast Florida Swim Team.  This area needs an AM swim practice for masters and now is the time!  Yeah!  Once the paperwork is completed we can schedule the first practice. We will probably start out with M/W/F and go from there.