PirateGirl's Group - FULL (Page 2)

That's so cool, Cathy! I can understand that, as part of the reason I'm doing IMAZ in '07 is because I turn 30 in early Feb. I figure, what better way to welcome in a new decade? But an IM at 50 is truly outstanding!

Congratulations! Wow...I wanna swim like that!

So does anyone have any training plans for this weekend? One last workout before the big holiday madness?

I'm going on a 2hr ride with some friends from my tri club and their friends to the airplane boneyard on the airforce base. I'm not with the military, so it's a rare chance to ride on base. I guess they have an 11 mile road that goes straight through that won't have any cars on it, so some folks in the group are going to do a time trial. I'm just going to ride at my pace and check out the planes.

The "out of the saddle" intervals must get interesting on a recumbant.

Yes, I am bored with swimming so I've ordered the water proof kit for my iPod, that will be a start :-). Really, though, i am full of anxiety with the pool. I'm actually a good swimmer. I don't have a lot of endurance but I have good form. OWS scares me silly and sharing lanes with strangers at the gym is impossible for me to get over. Because of the latter, I usually do my swim workout at night when very few people are there. Since my horrible OWS in November and the evening temperatures down to the 30's in my neck of the woods, I just can't get out there. I think finding a swim buddy may be the only thing thta works this winter. I feel like an idiot admitting my anxiety, but there it is. I'd almost rather quit my commitment to myself and everyone that has donated to my fund then get out there and SWIM! Running, I have learned to love and cycling I always enjoyed.

That's what is getting me through this winter and keeping me swimming. The past 2 winters I would always quit swimming, or only swim a little, and by the time it got warmer and I started hitting the pool again in late January, I had lost all of my endurance. This year I joined Master's, and boy has it helped. They are even holding a workout on Christmas day! At first I didn't know anyone there, and it was really awkward. But then some ladies from my tri club showed up, and they are the same speed as me. We are the slow group, so the coach always has to adjust the workouts for us. But we know what days to expect each other to show up, and if one doesn't show, we hound them about it the following workout. These last few weeks it has been in the high 30's/low 40's and the pool heater isn't working too well (it should be warmer than it is) but I'm still going out there and swimming. There's no way I would have done that last year or the year before.

Whenever I feel like ditching the workout, I think about my key race and then think about bad swims I've had in the past and how I don't want that to happen in my big race coming up. So I tell myself: "You wanna be an Ironman? This is what it takes!" I've told myself that a few times lately.

Anyways, I hope your desire to swim returns. You may just be burned out from it and need a break. But not too long of a break.

We had to join US Masters Swimming (USMS) for $38 per year for the insurance. I'm part of AZ Ford Aquatics and it's $40 per month. I used to think that was a lot (my community pool is $50 for a year-round pass) but now I'm getting more instruction and help. Plus, I'm more likely to go 3x per week to get my $40 worth. I think the monthly fees vary from group to group. Ours is held at a university pool, and they have 3 workouts per day and Saturday workouts available. So that may be why this group's fee is higher.

Don't worry too much about meeting a new group. What worked for me was being overly cheery and outgoing, introducing myself to my lane partners and such. Pretty soon you become one of the "regulars." Or you could bring a friend along and join together, and that way you'll know at least one other person.