Everybody into the pool!

Wow, right at this moment, there is a storm blowing right outside my office window. It's so dark, the streetlights are on, and the rain is coming down so heavy that I can't see across the parking lot. Until a few seconds ago, the trees were bent over with the force of the wind. Suddenly, they aren't blowing anymore, so the storm front must be through. It's still very dark, though.

The title of today's entry has two meanings. First, I did my workout in the swimming pool yesterday evening instead of on the bike. Cheryl was on the exercise bike and I didn't feel like waiting for it, plus I was already in my swimming suit, having just returned from a day at the lake. I started out just swimming a couple of laps of assorted strokes, just loosening up. Then, I did my intervals. I started with a three lengths of breast stroke, and then three lengths of crawl (or freestyle, if you prefer) at moderate intensity and then two laps of crawl flat out as fast as I could swim. Then I did a lap of backstroke and did the whole thing over again. I finished right at 21 minutes and then swam for another 12 or so. I don't think I burned as many calories as I would have on the bike, but it was nice to try something different for a change.

The other meaning has to do with me registering for the MS150 bike tour. A friend of mine challenged me to do it with him after he saw my Body for Life web site and read all the info about what I was doing and why. I'm a little concerned about the commitment and the fact that I really don't have time to train for it like I would like to. On the other hand, one of the precepts of Body for Life is to give something of what you've gained back to the community in some way. I guess this is a start for me. I have other things I want to do with my new fitness and lifestyle, but this is immediate and measurable, and I can't very well duck out of it now. I'll have a fundraising page set up for the bike tour in a day or two. I'll publish the address then.

One final note. Cheryl and I were at a friend's lake house this past weekend and, as I headed off to be a spotter in the ski boat, I was encouraged to leave my shirt off by my wife and the other women in the group. Hmmm....I guess I must look okay.