Asthma Swimming

Triathlon training is in full swing! That means lots of training swims in the lake. For those of you who may not be familiar with the Great Northwest, let me remind you that lake water is COLD in May around here. That fact makes a wetsuit required for swimming outdoors.

My buddy Tina and I have done a couple training swims at Blue Lake to make sure we can swim the distance in the wetsuit in a number of conditions. First we swam in pouring rain and 50 degree temps. Yesterday we swam in beautiful sunshine and near 70 degree temps.

I have to admit that I don't enjoy swimming in lake water. I always come out smelling like duck poop. So not attractive! I will continue to do it though because it's good training.

Yesterday's swim was supposed to be much better than our first one because the weather was beautiful. However, I didn't count on having an asthma attack in the middle of the lake. The scary thing is that I didn't even have my inhalers with me on the shore! That's a very dangerous oversight to make.

The ironic part is that my friend Kelly just wrote a series of blogs about asthma (http://ridebikesdrinkcoffee.blogspot.com/) as it relates to cycling. I commented on several of them. We discussed how important it is to ALWAYS have your meds with you and how having an "asthma action plan" makes your life so much better. I thought of this yesterday when I was in the middle of the lake struggling to breathe and knowing my meds were a good 20-30 minute drive back to my house. I felt like such a hypocrite!

Thankfully I made it home and am breathing fine again. Lesson learned... for now. I can tell you that won't happen again anytime soon!

Testing, One, Two, Three...

I have four weeks (from yesterday) until the triathlon. That means it's time to really get down and dirty with the training. I've been training for months, but I've never done a bike ride AND a swim or run on the same day. In the next couple weeks I'll be getting the fancy loaner bike from my Dad and I'll be able to combine all three events!

Until then, I still have lots of other ways to train. Take today for instance. My buddy Tina and I decided today was the day we were going to test out our new wetsuits. IN. THE. LAKE. Yes, that's right folks! We went swimming outside, on a 50 degree day, in the pouring rain.

It went well. At least, as well as could be expected. It was cold of course, but the wetsuits did their job and kept us from getting too cold. It took me a couple minutes to catch my breath, but once I did, the swimming went better than I thought it would. We only swam about half of what we'll be doing on race day, but it was only our first time out on the lake. We'll be going back at least once a week until race weekend.

I definately need to work on getting out of a wet wetsuit quickly. I'm not sure how that's going to happen. It's hard enough getting in and out of when it's not wet and sticky. I also need to get over my fear of swimming in open bodies of water where I can't see the bottom. I don't like not knowing what's in the water with me... *shudders* Next time I should swim with my whole head in the water as well. This time the cold was a shock and I didn't want my whole head wet and make it worse.

WHEW! I must have gone crazy!

Drafting Is AWESOME!

I don't know if I've mentioned on my blog that I'm training for a triathlon. Well I am. It's pretty hard core too. I've taken adult swim lessons because my swimming skills leave something to be desired. And I've been taking pretty long (well, for me) bike rides - 20+ miles, to add to my running "skills".

Thankfully, I have a daddy who is WAY into cycling. You see, cycling really isn't my favorite sport. (Sorry Kelly) I enjoy leisurely rides with the family as long as there aren't any hills, but when you start talking about climbing hills and racing I get freaked out.

A couple weeks ago I asked my Dad if he could take me on a bike ride and give me tips on my technique. I remember most of the stuff he taught me when I was young, but racing is a completely different monster. He was all kinds of excited about taking me out for a ride, so we set a date.

I knew going into it that he was probably going to kick my butt. He has a fancy road bike and I have a crappy "Target Special" mountain bike. (He's promised to fix up one of his road bikes for me to use in the race, but it's not ready yet.) He also has YEARS of racing/riding experience on me. He was racing bikes when I was born for crying out loud!

It was a fun ride and I learned a lot. He taught me about keeping a "cadence". Having a good steady rhythm is important on long rides. He also taught me how to draft. Let me tell you... drafting is AWESOME!!!

We rode out to Gresham and had the wind at our back the whole way out. Then we turned around and I felt like I was riding up a hill even though the trail was completely flat. Headwinds are horrible and I fell about 100 yards behind Daddy. That's when he showed me that if I could stay about a foot behind his rear tire and to the left a tad I'd be able to keep up with him much easier.

*insert angels singing here*

I couldn't believe the difference! Drafting is scary... sort of like extreme tailgating, but it totally rocks. He said you have to really trust the person you're following. Unfortunately it's illegal in the triathlon. You can be disqualified for drafting! It's a good skill to have though.

It was fun to learn from my Dad and I look forward to riding with him again sometime. (Hopefully with a better bike.)

"You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown"

I haven't written a blog in a month! It's not for lack of subjects to write about. In fact, I've tried to sit down and write several times, but everything I write seems to come out awful. I've been really busy too, which doesn't help. And on top of all of that, I'm dealing with several personal and very emotional issues right now that it's hard to sift through my mind and find things that are appropriate to write about. I think I've found a subject though and I even have pics to go with it! YEA! Here goes...

I was asked to play in the pit orchestra for North Clackamas Christian School's production of "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown". I'd never seen the show or even heard the music, but I know from first hand experience that playing in a pit orchestra is really awesome! (I know, I know, my inner band geek is showing... tuck it back in.) I gladly said yes and dusted off my flute and took it to the "wood shed" for some good practice time.

This show is actually quite good and if you've never seen it, I highly recommend it. The music is great and the show is pretty funny on the whole.



Today I feel like Charlie Brown...

"Oh how could there possibly be one small person as thoroughly, totally, utterly blah as me."

It seems like everything I've done or said lately is all wrong. You know how you have times when you feel like the world is against you? Yeah, that's been me lately. But...

"You have the distinction to be no one else but the singlular, remarkable, unique Charlie Brown!"

AND...

"You're a good man, Charlie Brown! You're the kind of reminder we need. You have humility, nobility and a sense of honor that is very rare indeed!"


While I may feel like a failure, I know that on the whole I'm a good person. (I can hear my mother saying something about the total depravity of man right about now... but you get my point.) I try my hardest in most areas and for the most part I do a pretty good job at the tasks I am put to. Like Charlie Brown, I just have to get over my own complexes. And yes, there are many! ; )

Playing in the "pit" was a great experience for me, especially since I've not had many opportunities to play lately. (If you need a flute player, for ANYTHING, give me a call!) I will miss the music and the wonderful people I worked with. I look forward to the possibility of more experiences just like this one!
















Everyone knows you can't play in a pit orchestra without a Slurpee and a lava lamp!