Incremental progress is still progress
Last night on the bus I broke ground on a better idea for my current lyrics project, and I like it much better. I still need to massage the transition from what appears to be intimate romantic love to universal love, but imagery helps. Yaaay!
I also swam yesterday. I felt my whole body start to grump at me, especially my nondominant arm, when I passed 1000 yds, but I gently persevered and managed to swim a 1600 (just shy of a mile) before deciding I should probably call it a day. A lot of it was assisted (pulls with paddles, kicks with fins), though I did plenty of unassisted whole strokes plus a 200 of unassisted breaststroke kick, which is something I will be sure to include on future swims. It's really the only kick that's lateral, so it works both adductors and abductors. And while free and fly kick do all sorts of wonderful things pretty much from the scapulae down, my legs are loving the extra attention. My endurance is still pretty poor (it is only my second swim in years, after all), but through a combination of stying hydrated, shortened sets, resting between sets, and the undeniable pleasure of moving efficiently through water, I hope to keep increasing overall and set distance.
It's a blessing and a curse that my body remembers my competitive swimming days so well, because the minute I hit the water, my stroke technique comes back, BUT having muscle memory without having the needed muscle mass is a recipe for muscle pain and/or injury. My body says, "Yay! Water! Let's warm up with a hard 400 free! YEE HAW!" but I have to tell it "Whoa, nelly! Remember how much it sucked when you strained your coracobracilais and couldn't swim for weeks? So do your easy 100 free and thank your poor old muscles by resting before moving on to the next set, 'kay?"
One positive thing I will say about the June Gloom: it's perfect weather for swimming! The pool is heated to about 80 degrees, so if you start getting overheated, all you have to do is stand up to cool off. Plus, swimming in the evening doesn't require sunscreen,and you get a lane (or the whole pool) to yourself! And unlike ocean swimming, visibility isn't markedly worse when it isn't sunny. And in my condo complex, evening lap swim is the time that lots of people walk their doggos, so I get to see them and their people walking by and get to be delighted by their adorable doggo selves.
After my swim, I came home to find Mr. 42 making my favorite dinner (spag bol) which also happens to be a fantastic post-exercise meal. Also a great post-platelet donation meal, which was good because that was one the things Mr. 42 did yesterday. I won't be able to donate for a couple more months due to getting dental implants and bone grafts last summer, but I look forward to being eligible once more so that my O-negativity can go out and do the universe some good. After dinner, we caught the end of Jeopardy, after which Mr. 42 turned on his new favorite junky TV show, American Ninja Warrior, which I watched with him whlist snuggling the doggos. It's a delightfully positive show, TBH, although I don't know that I want to make a weekly habit of watching it for two hours once a week. Still, there are worse things. Like, he would argue, my junky TV shows :D
I have not yet hit my productivity at work today, but I am hopeful it may strike soon. And if not... *shrugs*
I'm stopping by the Persian market near my place on my way home from work for goodies for tonight's choir potluck, then walking the girls and heading down to Point Loma. Normally, it's a bit of a crunch to walk the doggos and get food before choir, but since food will be waiting for me down there, I can give the girls a good walk and ample opportunity to bark at crows and attempt to dislocate my shoulder(s) lunging after cats hiding under bushes. I love those doggos but oh man they can yank when they set their minds and their short lil' legs to it.
Smooches to All!
Mun42
I also swam yesterday. I felt my whole body start to grump at me, especially my nondominant arm, when I passed 1000 yds, but I gently persevered and managed to swim a 1600 (just shy of a mile) before deciding I should probably call it a day. A lot of it was assisted (pulls with paddles, kicks with fins), though I did plenty of unassisted whole strokes plus a 200 of unassisted breaststroke kick, which is something I will be sure to include on future swims. It's really the only kick that's lateral, so it works both adductors and abductors. And while free and fly kick do all sorts of wonderful things pretty much from the scapulae down, my legs are loving the extra attention. My endurance is still pretty poor (it is only my second swim in years, after all), but through a combination of stying hydrated, shortened sets, resting between sets, and the undeniable pleasure of moving efficiently through water, I hope to keep increasing overall and set distance.
It's a blessing and a curse that my body remembers my competitive swimming days so well, because the minute I hit the water, my stroke technique comes back, BUT having muscle memory without having the needed muscle mass is a recipe for muscle pain and/or injury. My body says, "Yay! Water! Let's warm up with a hard 400 free! YEE HAW!" but I have to tell it "Whoa, nelly! Remember how much it sucked when you strained your coracobracilais and couldn't swim for weeks? So do your easy 100 free and thank your poor old muscles by resting before moving on to the next set, 'kay?"
One positive thing I will say about the June Gloom: it's perfect weather for swimming! The pool is heated to about 80 degrees, so if you start getting overheated, all you have to do is stand up to cool off. Plus, swimming in the evening doesn't require sunscreen,and you get a lane (or the whole pool) to yourself! And unlike ocean swimming, visibility isn't markedly worse when it isn't sunny. And in my condo complex, evening lap swim is the time that lots of people walk their doggos, so I get to see them and their people walking by and get to be delighted by their adorable doggo selves.
After my swim, I came home to find Mr. 42 making my favorite dinner (spag bol) which also happens to be a fantastic post-exercise meal. Also a great post-platelet donation meal, which was good because that was one the things Mr. 42 did yesterday. I won't be able to donate for a couple more months due to getting dental implants and bone grafts last summer, but I look forward to being eligible once more so that my O-negativity can go out and do the universe some good. After dinner, we caught the end of Jeopardy, after which Mr. 42 turned on his new favorite junky TV show, American Ninja Warrior, which I watched with him whlist snuggling the doggos. It's a delightfully positive show, TBH, although I don't know that I want to make a weekly habit of watching it for two hours once a week. Still, there are worse things. Like, he would argue, my junky TV shows :D
I have not yet hit my productivity at work today, but I am hopeful it may strike soon. And if not... *shrugs*
I'm stopping by the Persian market near my place on my way home from work for goodies for tonight's choir potluck, then walking the girls and heading down to Point Loma. Normally, it's a bit of a crunch to walk the doggos and get food before choir, but since food will be waiting for me down there, I can give the girls a good walk and ample opportunity to bark at crows and attempt to dislocate my shoulder(s) lunging after cats hiding under bushes. I love those doggos but oh man they can yank when they set their minds and their short lil' legs to it.
Smooches to All!
Mun42