It's a drag being injured. I fear nobody at the Capilano Eagles running club will remember me if I were to show up at a Tuesday evening workout. Friends are out running Western States 100, doing Ironman tris, ramping up for the Knee Knacker and I'm surfing the Internet looking for a silver bullet for my bum knees so I can get back on the trails. I guess it's divine retribution for my misspent youth?
One potentially good bad habit that I've picked up on is swimming. Now, I will whine in another post some rainy day about how I can't swim in an indoor pool, but for now, Kitsilano Pool is open and I'm happy as a clam.
If you've never been to Kits Pool, you're missing out. It's 137m long, or roughly 8 laps per kilometer. Partially salt water. Heated. Right next to the ocean so you can look at the north shore mountains while you swim.
Anyway, my buddy Jon Husband dragged me out for a few laps last week. It was great to be in the water, but quite sad to see how far I had sunk (ha, ha) by not swimming since Kits Pool closed last fall. I managed to struggle through 1K with my pull buoys and slept very well that night.
Jon, by the way, kicked my ass. This is rather shameful, because he's older than me and 
about twice my size. When he whooped me last year, I gave him the nickname "whale shark." When I saw him a couple months ago, he was looking a bit porky, so I figured I'd teach him a lesson this year. I later learned that he's been doing from 16-40 lengths a day just about every day since Kits Pool opened in late May!
With age, my killer competitive instinct has mellowed somewhat. While gloating over a cool one as I massaged my aching shoulders, the whale shark initiated the trash talk. I can certainly take being beaten by a better man, but I won't be able to live with myself if the whale shark schools me for a second year in a row. So I fell for his trap.
"3K Jackson. For bragging rights", he opened. In the heated debate that followed, Husband raised a km. We flushed out the details of the bet: Sometime around Labor Day. Has to be in Kits Pool. Cheerleaders are welcome...
Our friends Angus and Shay were howling as the we took turns describing how badly we would punish each other. What's faster than a whale shark? A mako shark. That's what I'll be! Finally, I raised a km. And there, at 5K, the challenge sits: 40 laps of Kits Pool.
I figure I've got 8 weeks to get off the water wings and pull buoys. Looks like I'll have to find a new wetsuit, because it's been so long since I've worn mine that the neoprene will likely rip. (I didn't hear any rule that banned a wetsuit?)
Today I got wind of my nemesis doing 60 lengths on Sunday. If the rumor is true, even if he did do them in sets of 20 with a snooze and a bag of IV inbetween them, I'm concerned. No way I can get that distance in.
Got any suggestions for stroke improvement or endurance swimming? Please share them here!
Comments
The Whale Shark ...
Yeah!
My bro-in-law actually swam with this group of whale sharks yesterday!! I am going fishing with him on Thursday and am keeping my fingers crossed that they will still be out there and that we might see them!
Lolly, web: songs about whales.
Whale Shark vs. the Mako Shark - Psychological Profiles
I have challenged the whale shark to share his fears online, but all he does is spout taunting words. I get the impression the whale shark fears the cunning mako.
Here is some more information on whale shark and mako sharks. Notice the big mouth on the whale shark!
Whale Shark vs. the Mako Shark - Mano a Mano
Last week, I lost my gear. (See below.) I managed to find an old bathing suit and got some new hand paddles. The whale shark spiffed me another pair of goggles and a swim cap. Back in business!
Yesterday I went swimming with the whale shark. The brute looked well tanned and fit... just like anyone would if he was double training at the pool every day (as he claims to be.) Straight up, I began to think I was going to going to get my ass kicked on this 5K bet!
The first few laps went surprisingly well. The mako shark went stroke for stroke with the whale shark for the first time this year for 500m. Was the whale shark toying with me? What kind of ruse could this be... or was he just plain hung over?
I put on the new hand paddles. Actually, they are neoprene gloves that have webbing between the fingers. They felt good! The mako shark surged ahead of the whale shark. Something wasn't right...but the feeling of victory was short lived as the whale shark pulled ahead toward the end of the first kilometer. The mako shark tucked in behind the whale shark to ponder strategy while benefiting from the powerful draft.
Whale Shark vs. the Mako Shark - Conspiracy Theory
I went swimming last week and got so cold I had to go to a coffee shop to get warm. After a large coffee and a couple of hot samosas, I was still not burning on all cylinders and in my haste to get into the car and put the heater on, I left my swim bag in the coffee shop.
Dho! The knapsack was fairly plain, but it had everything relative to swimming I own in it: Wet bathing suit, towel that smells like mold, sun protection stuff, hand paddles, 4 pair of nice goggles, a sentimental Ironman Canada swim cap, 3 old speedos that you could practically see through, bla, bla, bla. I didn't notice it gone for 2 days, but when I did, I panicked trying to remember where I last saw it. As you can well appreciate, I was very happy to get an affirmation when I called the coffee shop.
Here's where the mysterious part comes in. Coffee shop says they had it, but couldn't find ID, so gave it to one of the staff to take over to Kits Pool. Kits Pool has no knapsack. Whazzup? Where's my swim bag?
Having read a few murder mysteries in my day, I put on my Inspector Clouseau hat and tried to figure out where the bag went missing. (Oh yeah, I'd just bought $37 worth of pool coupons, too, so this was a serious crime investigation!) I figured I needed to identify who the staff person at the coffee shop was and who was on staff at the pool at the time the bag went missing. When did the knapsack go missing? Who saw it last?
The person on the phone at the coffee shop was getting gnarly when I asked too many probing questions. Why was that? "Busy," she said as she started a lecture about it being my fault for not paying attention to my gear. I socially engineered the name of the staffer and the time her shift ended. OK, who was on duty at the pool at 6:00 pm on Thursday? A personal visit and interview with the 2 pool attendants revealed that the bag was not turned in. Testimony corroborated.
So, was the guilty party the coffee shop or was it the whale shark somehow trying to upset my highly-focused training ritual? The whale shark is cunning, but would he go to the trouble of scooping my gear (he'd given me the nice goggles, by the way)?
The mystery continues as I head down to the pool in my underwear. The whale shark must be beaten!
Vancouver Open Water Swim Association
If you're in the Vancouver, BC area and aren't afraid of slimy monsters that live in deep water, here's a good link for some good swimming events:
http://www.vowsa.bc.ca/