And so it begins...

Well...I've decided to keep an online journal of my upcoming swim around Key West this June 2007. I'm new to this blogging thing...so we'll see how it goes! My plan is to invite you...my friends and family...to view this blog to see how things are progressing for the big day! This may turn out to be a total waste of time...(the blogging, not the swimming) and if that happens...I'll obviously quit doing this!

I made the decision to compete in the 31st annual swim around Key West after talking with an andrenaline junkie friend of mine, Jon. Several months ago we were at a Tampa Bay Hash House Harriers event (my drinking club with a running problem) and Jon asked if I'd consider doing the swim. Being that I'd already had a few beers in me...I thought it was a GREAT idea! Several months later, the discussion re-surfaced (again, over a few beers) and I decided it was time to sink or swim!

I researched the Key West swim, located some Masters swimming clubs (basically, once you're out of high school/college swimming...adults can join a Masters Swim Club to continue swimming either for the heck of it, to compete in swim meets or to compete in Tris), and I set a start date for training (which was August 21, 2007 exactly 300 days until "GO Time!")

All or most of you probably got my initial email titled "Maybe I'm Crazy"...where I announced my plans to complete the Key West Swim! I received so many wonderful, funny and endearing comments back from friends and family that I decided it would be nice to have a place where I can save future comments and where I can share the struggles and triumphs of my training and progress along the way.

So...voila! Here we are at The Diary of a Mad Swimmer, Volume One, 297 Days left till the Big Swim! Being that the Masters Club I decided to practice with swims on Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturdays...I plan to work out Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Sunday...with one of those days being...a day of REST! I can do just about anything I want for a work-out as long as there is some element of cardio and endurance involved.

So...I ran (kinda :>) 2 miles on Monday with my trusty (and neurotic) dog, Patrick. He has no idea why we picked up the pace from a nice leisurely walk to a semi-moderate jog but he was more than happy to keep me moving...once he gets started he doesn't like to slow down* (see below for the only exception to this rule!) The hard part of running with Patrick is he has forward momentum already going if we spot his nemesis, the Squirrel! Which means he bolts for whatever TREE the squirrel has scampered up and I have to stop him from dragging me headlong into said TREE! He also is prone to SUDDEN STOPS*...if a tree or bush or leaf or sign post is to his liking. It's the doggie equivelent of wind sprints!

Tuesday I went to my very first swim practice since October of 1989!! I was relegated to the outer lane or as my new swim Coach "Dave" (NO, not MY Dave...are YOU crazy??) called it "The Spa Lane". For the record, in swimming or track...the middle lanes are the fastest...outer lanes slowest...that would be me right now!

Coach Lutz (my high school coach) would have been screaming from the pool deck! I managed a half-assed flip-turn most of the time, breathed off the wall almost immediately (a HUGE No No!) and had to remind myself to keep kicking! (good news...no flip turns required in the ocean!!) Practice is supposed to run from 6:30 to 8 pm. We swam warm-up, completed some kicking and pulling drills and were just getting into "Six 50 yd rolling IM's on the 50" (don't ask!) when the lifeguards blew their whistle and cleared the pool for lightning! Once lightning is spotted you're out of the pool for 30 minutes until the all clear is given...which would have put as at the end of practice. So the workout was cut short! I'll admit...I wasn't terribly disappointed that my first session ended 45 minutes early! My arms were screaming and I had broken a sweat IN the water during the warmup!

Which brings us to today! I'll be kayaking tonight with Dave and Jon. We went last Wednesday and entered the water near downtown Tampa, circled around Harbour Island and came back to our entry point. We were out for just under 2 hours...but it's a great workout and also very serene. The last two times we've been out I've seen dolphins...which always makes the trip for me!

This first blog is pretty long. I promise they won't all be this long...and they won't be everyday or about every single workout! I hope you enjoy my ramblings and feel free to post comments along the way!

Cheers,
Dianne