Playing Tennis
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: Notre Dame vs Purdue
Topic: Tennis
A few hours ago I played tennis with my sister and I can tell I am already in better shape even after just a week of swimming and weights. I didn't get tired as easily and I noticed that I was hitting the ball better. Of course, the balls were really flat so that could explain why I was hitting better but even so, I was surprised that I'm already in better shape after such a short period of time. Always nice to have some immediate gratification. :)

Today's Workout
Mood:  hungry
Topic: Workouts
Friday 10/01/04
800 Free - warmup
10 x 200 free (alternate 2 x 200 sprint/200 slow)
Fastest Sprint: 3:32
200 breast
500 kick

Wow, I was actually surprised to finish my workout today because I just was not up for it. I was really feeling lacking in energy plus my appetite had totally disappeared even though I'd hardly eaten since breakfast. I am pretty proud of myself for finishing a difficult workout. Today was a round of 200's free and instead of alternating sprints and slow, I did two sprints and one slow. It wasn't pleasan't, but I did it.

Stupid Gits
Mood:  don't ask
I ordered a pizza and chicken wings over an hour ago and got nothing, not even a phone call. So I called Pizza Hut and apparently people are placing orders with my phone number and address 3-5 times a day, and no one ever answers ... so they refuse to deliver to my apartment now. The only way they would place my order was if I agreed to go down to the restaurant and pick it up, which is impossible because it was 11:30pm at the time and I don't have a car. Arrrrrrgh. So needless to say I'm a bit pissed off because no one bothered to tell me that when I called Pizza Hut to place my order.

Twenty minutes ago I called up Domino's with the same order. So we shall see whether or not they show up. (sigh) Assuming they follow through, it'll be just after midnight when I get my order. Not quite what I planned on since I was hoping to be in bed by midnight but oh well. It's a Friday night after all so I'm going to try not to be too hard on myself.

I've really got to stop ordering pizza so much. This is the third time this week. Not only is it expensive, I also want to drop some weight to help my swimming, 15 pounds to be exact.

Great News
Mood:  lazy
Fortunately my check for the swim meet has been rerun through the bank and cleared. So now I'm officially in the swim meet. I'm so excited!! Didn't swim today, just stayed home watching TV all day long and being lazy and slept the day away hahaha.

Random Thoughts About Swimming & Training & Stuff
Now Playing: Dawson's Creek rerun on TV
Topic: Swimming Thoughts
I've forgotten what it feels like to be in training for something. It's been so long! It's so strange how I go to the pool feeling totally unmotivated (such as yesterday) and once I finish my swim workout I feel like i can conquer the world and I can do anything. It's just amazing what happens. I don't know what it is. Once I finish a workout I feel like I have truly accomplished something.

Also, being in training for something makes me feel like I have a purpose, so to speak. I haven't had anything to aim for since I was a teenager so between then and now it's been really hard to stay motivated to do anything. Yeah, the Olympics is a long shot but at least there are swim meets for me to compete in and for now that is enough for me. It'd be nice to make the Olympics, but at the ripe old age of 28 I am obviously not counting on it.

I am one of those people who can't just go out and exercise just because it's good for me. I'm one of those who needs some sort of motivation to stay in shape. It used to be running until recently. My asthma seems to be interfering with my running (something with the climate here), so during the Olympics I got the motivation to start swimming again.

I've always loved swimming because i love being in the water so much. I think I must have been a fish in another lifetime. My mom had me in the water as soon as I was old enough to float. My first home was at Lake Quivira, Kansas so being by a lake, it was only natural that everyone knew how to swim. So after I was born my mom started me out with the mother/infant swim lessons where the mom and the kid are both participating ... and i went on from there. My mom says I always loved being in the water even as a baby. No surprise there since I still love being in the water even if I'm not doing anything, whether it's a lake, swimming pool, ocean, or being on a boat.

Yesterday's workout
Now Playing: rain outside my windows
Topic: Workouts
Wednesday 9/29
800 free
4 x 100 I.M. order
4 x 400 free
200 back
500 kick

Wow, first time I've ever swam 100 fly in my entire life, believe it or not. It sucked but I did it. Someday I'd like to be able to swim the 100 fly at a meet.

Not sure if I'll be able to go to the meet on October 10th. I just got my bank statement yesterday and my check bounced. (sigh) I'm praying that they will try to run my check through the bank again, or that perhaps they will accept late payment. This will be my first meet since high school and I'm just dying to go! The meet is in Evergreen, a small town that I haven't ever been to so I've been really looking forward to a fun road trip too. Couldn't hurt to try to call or email them, right?

First three workouts
Topic: Workouts
Friday 9/24
800 warmup
10 x 200 free fast/slow (3:35/3:55)
500 kick
300 swim
Total: 3600 yards

Monday 9/27
800 warmup
10 x 200 I.M./free (4:10/3:45)
500 kick
300 breast
Total: 3600 yards

Tuesday 9/28
800 warmup
4 x 500 free (9:31, 9:13, 9:14, 9:07)
500 kick
200 back
Total: 3500 yards

I'm actually quite proud of myself. I obviously have a long way to go time-wise but these are the longest workouts I've done since high school. Since then I've been doing 2000 yard workouts. So far the increase in yards hasn't affected me and amazingly enough, I haven't been getting unusually tired during my workouts. So I'd say things are going pretty well

Mood:  hungry
Now Playing: "Diminished" - R.E.M.
No swimming or any other form of major exercise today. Went to the park this afternoon and played badminton with my sister just for fun. This time around I am trying to keep things fun, unlike what I did during high school and college.

Everything I did in high school and college was all about times, what everyone else thought of me, getting revenge because my parents kept trying to steer me away from sports because they thought I couldn't be successful, what my competitors were doing, and trying to be thin. I'd always get burned out because of it and I really want to get away from it. I want to stay in this mind frame of doing it for myself instead of worrying about external pressures from my parents or other people who are going to tell me I'm insane for wanting to try for the Olympic Trials in 2008. Maybe it's not possible, but that's not the point. I want to find out what will happen if I actually TRY for a goal that I have for myself instead of performing well to make other people happy or to get back at my parents for putting down my sports activities in high school.

Tomorrow I will be at the pool from 6:30am - 8:00am. Then I will go to the weight room tomorrow afternoon. On Friday I found out it was just too difficult to swim a 3500 yard workout and then hit the weight room immediately after that. I'm planning on hitting the weight room three days a week ideally, but at least twice.

It's official
Mood:  chillin'
I am making it official now. I'm officially in training for the 2008 Olympic swimteam. I am not telling my family and friends at the moment that I'm aiming for the Olympics since I know they'll just tell me I'm crazy and try to talk me out of it. Now I am officially insane.

The whole thought of taking on such a thing is pretty overwhelming and I don't even know how much chance I have. It's been so long since I've competed. October 10th will be my first swim meet since high school although I've kept swimming since then. I don't know what to expect, so this should be interesting to say the least. I've always done significantly better in meets than in practice, so this meet will give me a good idea of where I am and how much I've got to improve.

I'll be training for the 200M, 400M, and 800M freestyle and maybe the 200M I.M. also. I'm starting with once a day 3500-4000 yard workouts five days a week and once I get used to swimming five days a week, I'll start gradually doing twice a day workouts.