Pretty Day in Chicago

[Sorry for the hiatus.  Been a busy week and a half.  I am trying to ramp up the training and it is totally cutting into the blogging time.  I plan to catch up a little over the weekend.  Lots of good stuff next week.]

Day off today...
Woke up this morning and went to my masters swim practice. At practice on Monday night, they told me I probably needed to start working out with the level 1 group.  Yep, I graduated from the guppies. I am trying to go to three practices a week plus my Saturday lesson, but I just couldn't get my lazy butt out of bed on Wednesday, thus only two practices this week. 

Fridays are sprint days, so Fitz had us doing repeat 100s today.  After the warmup, we did 4 100s on the 2 minute.  I held them pretty well, but was spent after the fourth.  Then we did a 100 non freestyle for a rest, then 2 more 100s on the 2:15.  Rinse, wash, repeat twice more.  All in all we swam some 2100 yards.  Pretty good for me.  

For fun, let's compare my workout with one my buddy Chuck did this week.  As I have mentioned before, Charlie is swimming the English Channel this August, and his workouts are just plain silly.

Today I swam 1920 meters (thanks to Google for the yards to meters conversation tool).  Chuck's workout on Tuesday was 12,000m!  SIX TIMES as far as I swam!  He warmed up doing a mile (1600m) in 23 minutes, then he knocked out another 10k worth (that is 6 more miles), THEN he decided he wanted to do some 100 repeats at the end. Today I am proud of myself for swimming 10 100s and trying to do them in 1:40 each.  Chuck was doing them in 1:10, AFTER he swam 11,000m (or seven miles).  

Most of you don't realize how insane this is, but imagine me without arms... because that is what would happen if I tried to that... and it would take me 3 days.  

Moral of the story, Chuck is a stud.  We will have to interview him for the blog and catch up with his training later this summer.  He is planning for the swim in late August.

Back to My Day

After practice met my brother-in-law Kevin for a quick 4.5 mile jog along the lake. It is sunny and high 60s here in Chicago today. You couldn't have painted a nicer scene than was on display along the lake today.

After the run, quick shower, picked up my favorite quick breakfast at the bagel shop, and I am hammering out a little work before I walk the four blocks to Murphy's Bleachers for a pregame meeting with the sister, Kevin, and the WND Gal (not to mention about 15 of our friends). Today our good friends are doing the national anthem at Wrigley, so we have had this game on the books for a while.

Thus I have a pretty good day planned. Fun times in the sun, with family and friends, drinking Old Style, and watching Cubs put up their 7th win vs the Bucs.

Did I mention I am watching my cleaning lady take care of business now? I just wish I knew what she and her sister were talking about [Polish.]

Go Cubs.

Swimming

2100 Yards, Sneaky Repeat 100s

Running

4.4 Miles, 36:26, 8:17 Miles