@postaday 185; #postaday2011.
I guess I’m a mature athlete. I’m certainly an amateur athlete. But deep inside I’m an immature athlete, someone who will work hard at having fun.
I’ve been a water baby for as long as I can remember. At Riverdel Swim Club in Riverside, N.J., my mom would walk backwards as her kids would desperately swim toward her, and she’d dunk us until we stopped crying. It was effective, but I’d probably get arrested for pulling that kind of crap on my kids. Times change. As a result, I’m fairly waterproof, and I’ve seen to it that my daughters are as well (without tough-love swimming lessons). They’ll go into the Atlantic Ocean if it’s sub-60 degrees, and they don’t need Hawaiian sunshine to have fun soaking wet.
I am not completely quitting on my elliptical training at 24-Hour Fitness Hawaii Kai, but I do enjoy the luxury of waking as late as 4:30 a.m. for work instead of 3:20! I went swimming last night instead of the gym because the girls had been home all day. I did it for them. I did it so they’d not have an entire day in front of their computers.
This weekend I’ll be meeting with my friend Margie Davis for a swim in Waikiki where the Na Wahine Festival is holding its events. Margie is a seasoned triathlete, and I’m eager to spend some time with her and learn some tricks. Margie teaches at Koko Head, and she and my mother-in-law became good friends when Kid1 started kindergarten in her class. Even after Kid2 moved on, my mother-in-law stayed to help Margie.
When I have aspirations, when I am inspired, when I have a goal, my internal engines are motivated and I have a positive outlook on life. When I accomplish a goal, I give myself a couple of days to savor it. But then I look for something new to try. I enjoy achieving the personal bests such pursuits allow. And although John (and probably others) would say I’m very competitive, I compete mostly with myself.
Lavagal 
inez knew a lady in Austin who swam at Deep Eddy pool every day in the summer. the pool is fed by a spring. the water is the coldest i’ve ever felt.. the lady was 83. swimming is an activity that can quickly put you in the zone, and you can’t snap your Achilles’ tendon or get the door prize int the bike lane. so happy phosphor trails to you, until we meet again.
a workout routine that allows for more sleep has to be a good thing. variety, between the pool or ocean, the road — on your red rocket — and the gym, is good, too. you can only go on sheer force of will on a monotonous, butt-crack-of-dawn regimen for so long before you burn out. pardon my buzzword, but here’s to sustainability.