Coyote in the fells

It's now officially winter swimming! I did 1/4 mile yesterday and 1/4 mile today. I've really set my sites on doing the 200 meter at the winter swim festival, and am working hard at the acclimatizing.  I do the practice swims race style with just a swim suit, cap, goggles and ear plugs. I go into the water to my waist (which I have to walk into at the Mystic, but will just be a few steps on race day) and then I just go for it and swim! The first lap is really hard because the water is so cold on my face, but after about a lap it's just my hands that are cold. Then, the next few laps feel great - my whole body feels like it's burning, and I think I could do a half mile. But soon my hands start feeling icy, and my pulse point shoot off almost electric current. Zingy! And then I decide that 1/4 mile is just fine. Today it took about 13 minutes and the water was about 41-42. Last weekend I also did swims on Friday and Saturday, and dipping during the week. Of course, on race day it's going to be about 10 degrees colder in the water - wonder how that will go?

I'm officially on staycation for 10 days! Today was day 1, and I did parkour, went for brunch, went for my swim, and hung out on the couch. I did some cleaning at home as well - trying to go through things and throw/give away things I don't need.

Last week I went for a walk in the fells - I did a little bit different route because I wanted to check out Writes pond, which is another place we've talked about swimming. While walking over there I saw a coyote! My first big wildlife sighting in the fells - it was a good one. The coyote was pretty big and beautiful. It was trotting along - it looked at me and I looked at it and we were like 'sup? And then it trotted off, unfortunately in the direction I was going. I made some noise as I was walking, and I didn't see it again, though I did hear some noises coming from that area later on.

(Too) Long Swims

I swam two days in a row at the lake - both about 43 degrees in the water, and it was a little much. Yesterday I swam a whole kilometer! According to my fitbit I was in the water for about 35 minutes, which I can say for sure is too long. Today I went a half mile in about 26 minutes, and that was much better. I went with different friends for the two days, and they had very different experiences.

Yesterday I definitely pushed it to the max. I really wanted to see if I could do a full kilometer, and I did. But it was a Bad Idea. After I got out of the water I felt a little bit sick, and was just way too cold. It was really hard to get changed, and I was shivering so hard on the drive home I had to pull over for a bit. Then I drove saying "brrr brrr" and couldn't stop vocalizing. I got home and got in a warm shower for about 20 minutes before I felt warm again. When I got home I took my temperature and it was 96.3, which is above hypothermia, but below a normal temp for me. The crazy thing was I felt good when I was swimming! I knew it was going to be cold when I got out, but while I was going I felt tingly and warm, and I was even able to focus on my stroke for a bunch of the swim. 

I was there with my crazy beast of a swim friend who did 3/4 of a mile and barely had an after drop. He ran around on the beach a little, and was done shivering before he got home. He's going to do an ice mile this year for sure. And, the 200 at the winter swim fest.

Today I decided that I was not doing a kilometer again, and I would shoot for a half mile. I was feeling cold and choking on water a little more than I usually do, and was thinking about getting out at 8 laps instead of 12, but the friend I went with hadn't been swimming a lot and she was doing 12 (which is a half mile), so I decided to stick it out and do the half mile as well. I felt good in the water again, and the sun even came out from behind clouds towards the end which was nice. And the afterdrop was again pretty brutal. 

When I got out of the water my friend was looking a little funky, and she said she was feeling funny. There wasn't much I could do to help until I got my swimsuit off, put on my new heated vest (thanks black Friday - love the new vest!) and some pants. I tried to put on my heated socks, but I couldn't get them on, so I threw them in my bag for when I was a little dryer. I went up to the parking lot and my friends car, where she told me she would be, and she was feeling really sick. She opened her window and was like "I think I need to call 911", which was not good. I called and told them we were swimming and an ambulance (and a fire truck and a police car) came. Fortunately by that time she was feeling a little better. I was shivering uncontrollably, and once they arrived got all my layers on, including my zip up sweatshirt and socks. She decided she didn't need to go in to the hospital, thankfully. The paramedic was really nice, fortunately, and was like "I'll give you my work schedule, if you all could keep your swimming to days I'm off, that would be great." We sat in her car with the heat blasting on full for about 45 minutes, by which time she was totally better, and I had stopped shivering. We were soon laughing about it. It is her birthday today, and I joked that I got her a paramedic with a big mustache for a present. But I sure am relieved to have had that outcome.

Lessons learned:

1. Don't try to keep up with anyone but you. It's not worth the after drop effects. They can be scary.
2. The hardest part is after the swim. Stop before you think you have to.
3. Make sure to do longer swims with a buddy. No exceptions. 
4. Bring my phone to the beach for longer swims and leave it in my dryrobe pocket. I had my phone today and was so glad I did because I didn't have to go fishing around in my car for it.
5. If I could swim faster it would be easier to swim a half mile.
6. Winter swimming really is hard core!

Half mile at 43 degrees

Today the water is down to 43 degrees, which is significantly colder than 50! A group of us met at the beach for a swim at 1. It was cold and a little windy, with enough cloud cover that you couldn't really see the sun. It wasn't a bad weather day precisely, but it wasn't a good one either. We all procrastinated for a little bit before getting into the water before finally agreeing it was time to get in.

Once in, we decided to shoot for 200 meters - the longest winter swim festival distance. I really want to do the 200 this year! I put my face in and repeated my mantra "breathe through it" over and over as I did the first lap. By the end of the first lap, my breathing was in fact fine, and my face didn't feel that cold. I did my 200, and thought that I could do a quarter mile, which isn't that much further. At the quarter mile point I decided that a third of a mile was doable, and then at that point, I decided to go for a half mile, which is what I wound up doing. By the end, my hands and feet felt like they were incased in blocks of ice. I got out and was so stumbly, and it took me a couple minutes to realize that I couldn't get my swim suit off because my bouy was still belted around my waist. So, the brain wasn't working that well.

On thanksgiving we also did a half mile - that one was actually much easier for me. The water was about 45-46 I think, but there was sun and no wind.

Getting into hot water and out of my swimsuit fast is so key. In addition, I bought a new heated fleece for myself for black friday, and that is massively helpful. I put it on next to my skin, and then cover it with a zip up fleece. Still, the after drop today was brutal! We stayed on the beach for a good half hour dancing to warm up. 

One thing that I started doing that I think helps (or maybe it doesn't, but I'm going to continue doing it) is I pulled my swim cap down to just above my eyebrows. I think that keeps my neanderthal ridge a tiny bit warmer. I also got a new swim suit because my current one is starting to look a little sad, and because I need 2 for the winter festival. I think the new one is a tiny bit thicker, not like neoprene, but maybe just a little compression to it. Which might also give me a little boost.

The L street visit was a lot of fun. We got into the ocean, bobbed around for like 10 minutes, sat in the sauna, and then went back in for 5 minutes, and just alternated swim, sauna/steam room for 5 dips, ending with the cold. I don't think the sauna was that hot, but it could just be the cold in between... 

Slush Mile #2

This whole cold water thing is such an addiction! I had some free time this afternoon and the sun was out and weather was supposed to be around 60 (which it was), so I met some friends at the lake. The guy who I swam the last slush mile with was like "want to try it again?" and weirdly I did. And, so we swam a second slush mile. The temp again was around 50, but the air was definitely warmer. It took me 55 minutes, which is pretty much the same as the time it took for the charles river swim.

We got to the lake around 1:10, unpacked our gear and got ready for post swim. The water didn't seem that cold when I headed in, and I appreciated how much the air temperature makes a difference - I went for a dip last night and could barely get myself to put my face in the water. But, with the sun out and the warm (ish) air I was actually able to get fully in with little problem.

I spent a lot of my swim time focusing on my stroke - trying to reach out longer and be solid with the pull phase. I also worked on trying not to drop my arms. It's funny how fast the time goes when I'm doing these swims. For the first bit it seemed like time was going slowly. And, a little over half way through my left pinky started to get a little claw handed, and I was worried I was going to have to get out. I decided to keep an eye on it, and if it progressed past the pinky I would get out. But it never did. 

At about the 3/4 point a bunch of other swimmers had assembled, and they all came in - it was fun to see everyone joining us in the water in a big group and for all of us to swim together. 

As I finished they all congratulated me and the friend who I swam with said that we'd been in the water for 57 minutes, and he was going to shoot for a full hour. I decided I could stay in the water for 3 more minutes, though I kept my face and hands out - maybe that's a little cheating?

When I got out I was definitely a little stumbly and it wasn't easy to walk in a straight line on the beach. I ended up doing my best penguin imitation, bobbing up the beach to my stuff. It was a little difficult to get changed and my water was too hot to stand in - when I finally got my swim suit off I threw it in the bucket to cool the water off. Now that I'm swimming without booties and have a new, expensive water jug, I have to figure out the temperatures better (for reference, I filled the water jug with boiling water on Tuesday night and left it in the car overnight and the next day, and it was still a little warm when I went swimming Wednesday night! And, it was in the low 30's over night). It took a little doing to dry off and get dressed, and then I had to run because I had a zoom meeting with my boss. (My swim buddy is in tech and he wrote himself a little program so that his computer looks like he's still working - awesome!)

I made it home with about 3 minutes to spare. The after drop hit me in the car and I had a good shiver, and I was so cold through my entire meeting! Nonetheless, another success! I'm pretty tired now and really want to snack, but I'm trying to hold off. I think it's a big energy expenditure. 

Tomorrow a group of us are going to L Street where the Brownies swim. I'm really excited about it because they have a new bathhouse with a sauna and steam room so we can alternate between dipping and heating.

Slush Mile

One of the merfolk decided he wanted to swim a mile in cold water - there's an official swim that's called an Ice Mile, which is done in water at or below 5 c (41 f) wearing just a swim suit, cap and goggles. That's hard core! He decided that trying it in a little bit warmer weather would be a better idea, and he dubbed it the "slush mile". Today was the day! The water was about 50 f, the sun was out, and there was pretty much no wind - perfect weather. He had a bunch of safety features set up including someone in a wetsuit swimming along with him, a warm emergency car, tea, cookies, a cheering section, music, etc. And, a bunch of us came to cheer him on and swim a little bit with him.

He was going to do a longer swim across the lake with a kayaker, but then decided it was better to stay close to shore. There are two signs that are 75 yards apart, which worked well because he just needed to do 24 laps between them. I joined the swimmers to do a little jaunt too. The cold was hard on my hands and feet, but the worst was my face at the start. Once I had gone about 3 or 4 laps, though, my face numbed up nicely, and I was fine to swim. I spent some time doing mental math - I hit 6 laps and that was 1/4 of the way, and then 8 laps was 1/3 and then at 10 I was like "just two more laps and I'll be half way."

As I was swimming, I felt really good! My arms were cold, but in this kind of interesting power-numb way. I've been going swimming after work in the dark, which is extra dark, so the sun made everything feel so nice. By 10 I knew that I could do the mile too, and so that's what I did! It took me about 55 minutes. The last lap or two I was starting to get a little bit of a claw hand on my left hand, which I knew wasn't a good thing. But, it was still functioning and I was so close I just finished it up. When I got out of the water everyone was cheering for me, and helped me with my dryrobe and water for my feet. Which was a good thing because I was a little stumbly. 

I would definitely do more long swims like that - probably on the weekend so I can go during daylight. I liked the longer duration because I could get really into the zone. It didn't feel like it took an hour - more like 20 minutes or so! Obviously the time/distance would need to get shorter as the water gets colder... And it would be nice if I learned to swim faster so I could do the distance in less time...

All and all, a nice accomplishment!

51.4 degrees

The water this evening was down to 51.4 degrees. It's definitely colder, but I was still able to swim to the slide and back without gloves or booties. The hardest part is putting my face in the water - it takes a little longer for it to get numb because you have to take it out. A few days ago I noticed how many bruises I have from climbing onto the dock, and yet I just keep adding more :)

One of the guys from the Merfolk has gotten pretty hard core, and it's inspiring me. He's planning to swim a mile tomorrow in just a little speedo and goggles. I'm starting to think about if I could do the 200 meter swim at the Winter Swim Festival. I timed myself on Tuesday at the end of swim class and it took me about 5 minutes. Of course, that's with walls to push off of, but there kind of are at the swim fest. And, I was a little tired from class. I'm going to keep trying not to use gloves and booties, and see if it might be possible.

I found a new pair of goggles on ebay that fit! Horray! I will have to keep scouring the interwebs for them - I hate leaky goggles.

54

Winter is coming - we were at the lake yesterday and the water was down to 54.7, which is still warm enough to swim to the slide and be able to climb onto the dock and slide down it, but just barely - my fingers were a little numb and it was hard to climb out (it's often hard to climb out since I have no upper body strength, but even harder, I mean). After the swim I was really glad I had some tea!

I lost my favorite goggles going down the slide a few weeks ago, which is sad - I keep buying new ones, but they all leak. I did 23 and me recently and it said I am more Neanderthal than 51% of the population that has done the test, so maybe it's my Neanderthal brow??  Anyhow, I had to stop a couple times because my goggles were leaking. Sigh.

Overnight Backpacking in the Carters

For the long weekend in October I really wanted to do a nice hike and see some fall foliage. There are a few mountains out by the Carters that I hadn't done yet, and wanted to - Imp Face being the primary one, just because I like the name. I also have been wanting to do Mt. Hight which is in the same area. Looking at a map, I realized I could go up the Imp trail, go over North Carter to the Imp campground, camp for the night, and then hike over the Carters on a long ridgeline to Hight, coming down Carter Dome and 19 Mile Brook, which has switchbacks! And, that's what I did! It was a good adventure, with some definite Type 2 Fun in the mix.

Because I was backpacking and camping, I didn't need to get up super early. Which was good, because once again I couldn't sleep the night before. I got up around 8, left at 8:30, and set out on my hike at exactly noon. At the bottom of the trail I was met by a couple who said that the creek was so high that they couldn't cross and had turned back - it had rained all day the day before. Ominous. Then, as I was getting close to the crossing, another couple coming down told me the same thing. I got a little nervous that my backpacking trip was going to be .7 miles in and then .7 out. When I got to the creek, though, it wasn't that bad. I did have to spend a little time planning, and I undid the clips on my backpack so if I did fall in I could shake it off. I was really grateful for my hiking poles. And my gortex boots. There was one spot where it wasn't that graceful, but I made it across, and headed up.

I had spent some time looking at the maps, and so I knew that the hike to the first viewpoint, Imp Ledges, was going to be pretty intense. It was just a saunter to the creek, but after that it definitely went uphill. I was so glad when I got to the ledge where I could relax, enjoy the view, and eat (cheese, tomato and avocado on a sour dough pita that I got at the farmer's market.) I guess the Imp is seen as a part of the cliff below the ledges - I didn't see it because they were steep and I got the willies just looking at them, no way I was going to look over the ledge, or hike back down for a view. Anyhow, after a little break I had to move on - it was already after 2, I had 4 miles to go, and it gets dark at 6:30 ish. 

The hardest part of the hike was actually going down from the top of North Carter to the campground. The trail basically just went straight down for the first half mile. The rock was wet and my pack was about 25 pounds, so it was slow going. I finally got to the campground at about 6:30. I was so nervous about finding a tent platform - since I had carried my tent all the way there, I really wanted to use it, and not sleep in the shelter. As I walked around the campsite, I realized I had worried for nothing. I didn't see another person there! I later realized there was one other person in the shelter, but that was it - just the two of us. I chose a platform and hurried to get my tent set up before dark, which sadly was not as easy as it should have been. The shock cord in my tent had lost all its spring and so it was impossible to get the poles to stay together. Eventually I just decided to cut it (I used my pocket knife from my emergency kit for cutting - so glad I had it!) When I finally got the tent up it was dark and I was hungry.

I brought my jetboil this time and cooked some freeze dried mac and cheese that wasn't that good. Since I was the only one around I just used the bear box to cook on, and then I sat on it as well to eat. There were a lot of trees, but through them I could see so many stars - it was beautiful! I admired them for a bit, and then I was like "it's 7:30, now what?" Unfortunately the wind was picking up and it was getting pretty cold out, so I headed to my tent and put on all my layers - long underware, hiking tights, frog togg pants, ninja hoody, tshirt, big puff, wool buff from Iceland, two pairs of wool socks, gloves, hoods from my ninja hoodie and puff, and then I got into my sleeping bag liner and bag, and I still wasn't warm! I think the biggest issues were my tent being kind of thin and my sleeping pad not being insulating enough. I wished I had brought my kindle, and had to settle for sticking my phone in my hood and listening to audible. It wasn't the most comfortable night, but still I got more sleep than I had the night before.

I woke up on Monday at 6 am, ready to hit the trail. Of course, when you are camping it's never that easy. I had to filter water, make breakfast, break down my gear, pack up, and delayer. It was about 8 by the time I left - I have no idea why it takes so long, but it does. As I headed out, I thought I saw clouds below me, and as I got to a viewpoint I realized that it was undercast - so amazing!

I was nervous about hiking back up to North Carter, since the down hill had been so difficult the night before, but it was fine. Definitely easier to go up than down. It did take me 2 hours to go the 2 miles to the top. I took a break there, had a snack, and assessed my food situation. I had packed well in terms of food for the other meals, but I didn't really pack much of a lunch - I had some bobo's pop tarts, a power bar, and 3 stoofwaffles. Not smart. The walk across the ridgeline was lovely - I went over Middle and South Carter - both 4000 footers. I was happy to see the Zeta pass, though. Once there I had to decide about Mt. Hight. It was my goal to hike it, and if I didn't do it that would be the third time I was at the Zeta pass, wanting to do Hight, but not doing it. On the other hand, I wasn't setting any speed records, and it was already around 1. I knew timing-wise I would be happier if I just hiked out and went home. In the end, I decided to do the mountain - it was only .8 mile away! The hike up Hight wasn't that bad, and I was so glad I did it! The view was the best all day - 360 degrees and I could admire how far I had walked, see Mt Washington, look at the foliage, and it felt like I could touch the clouds. I only had a short rest while I admired the view and ate almost all the rest of my food.

The hike out was the worst part of the trip. The extra weight on my back really pushed my feet forward in my boots, and my big toes were killing me! My knees were a little sore too. It was funny because I didn't really feel the extra weight on my back too much - I felt like it was fine, but man my toes were hurting. I still tried to make the best of it - it was a beautiful day, the trees were changing, I worked on trying to be steady on my feet and keep a decent pace down the mountain. About a mile before the end I stopped at a viewpoint and ate the last stoofwaffle. Even though it wasn't that big, and I didn't have that far left to hike, I was so glad I stopped. I got a burst of energy from all the sugar, and walked the rest of the way with new vigor. 

I was so happy when I hit the road finally, but the one thing that was sad was that I had a long road walk to get back to my car. I usually do the road walk at the start, but this time I wasn't 100% sure I would come back the way I planned, and it would be a huge bummer to have to do it twice! I started out walking, and feeling a little sorry for myself. After about a half mile a car stopped, and I was like "I hope they are going to offer me a ride. And I hope they aren't crazy murderers." It was two women, and they were stopping to offer me a ride! And, they had a PUPPY in the back seat. Best. Ride. Ever. I was so grateful to them - they go on my list of strangers to be thankful for, with the nice Indian family and the girl in the supermarket in Iceland. 

All and all, a good hike. A few things I did well:

• Brought enough layers knowing that it was going to be cold
• Used everything in my backpack, except a few of the emergency things
• Hit all the spots I wanted to

Things to remember for the next backpacking trip:

• Set up the tent before I go and make sure it's all in good order. Shock cords will need replacing.
• Figure out something for my feet so that I don't have such toe issues
• Make sure I have food for every meal - don't expect that snacks will be a meal
• Bring my kindle - I was really wishing for it

This was definitely not the fastest hike, but I was carrying a full backpack:

New cat food

Obviously not about back packing, but I am trying my cat on a new food that's specially formulated for IBD and allergies. The vet said that if she has allergies she should stop puking and being cranky pretty much right away, but if it's IBD it may take a couple months. Fortunately she seems to like the food, because she isn't supposed to have any treats during the trial period. Which is not to her liking. She can have a little pumpkin - it's fortunate that it's October, since it's everywhere. So, we will see how she's doing in the beginning of December.  

Back to the Dryrobe

Cold water season is officially under way. Today I went to a merfolk dinner party, that was a lot of fun, and then after a group of us went to the lake. The water was about 62 according to the fish momiter. We swam from the dock to the boat club and went down their slide. After, I jumped off the platform, which seemed a little less scary than it has other times. They were having a party at the club - probably the end of season thing, but we it sounded like they were having a lot of fun and wouldn't notice us. A couple leaving did see us, but they didn't do anything about it. Super fun!

I finally decided to bite the bullet and try hot yoga with my favorite yoga teacher, since she stopped teaching at the old place at the end of June, and I feel like crap when I don't get my yoga fix. I went on Friday, and it was a success! It was more "pretty warm" yoga - I was sweating, but not dripping sweat in a disgusting way. It was nice to get the week out of my body, and I just like doing yoga in a studio with other people so much more than at home. Friday after work isn't a bad time for it, and I can probably go to the lake right after. So, I'm gonna stick with it. It felt so good to be back in her class! 

Crystal Lake

I went swimming in a new spot today - Crystal Lake. I've known about the lake for a while, but it seemed really complicated to park, and like swimming was just for residents of the town, and you had to pay. But, it turns out that all ends after Labor Day - today parking was abundant and free! And the lake was nice - small and cute, but the water was clear and it was easy to access and a nice stop on the way home from work.

One of my swim friends posted in messenger that she was going to go there. I had been planning for Walden, but I thought "why not try it?" It's not exactly on the way home from work, but it's only 20 minutes from work, and could be a good location for when sunset is earlier and I can't park at Walden. There is a town beach, but the parking gate was open, there was no charge to park, and it was pretty empty. I asked someone there and he said he's never seen the gate locked. From the lot it was a short walk to the very small beach. 

The lake itself is about a quarter of a mile across in the longest direction, and about .75 mile if you were to swim around the edges. Today I swam across the widest part and back, for about a .5 mile swim. It took about 25 minutes, so maybe I'm getting a little faster? I practiced reaching forward with my hand before the stroke, and making a paddle with my arm.

The water was about 66 degrees, and it felt really cold when we got in. So funny to think that will seem warm in the spring! We chatted and did breast stroke for a little bit, but then I really wanted to get some more fast paced swimming in. We both really liked the lake, and plan to go back! 

Crawl Stroke Refinement

I'm finally feeling better after two weeks of COVID and recovery. That was one tough virus for sure, it's nice to be feeling human again! Today I had my first swim lesson of a new session, and it was again really good! There were two new instructors (new to me), both of whom were really great. We started by swimming 4 lengths of the pool as a warm up, and then they divided us into two groups, and I was with the more advanced group! Then we spent the rest of the class doing drills, all of which I could spend a lot of time on, so I want to remember them.

First we worked with the kickboard and just kicked. I think I don't kick from my glutes enough, and I keep my legs a little too stiff in an effort to use the entire leg. Then, we used the pool bouys that go between your legs so you don't need to kick and can focus on just your arms. That's hard. Next, we did the drill where you are on one side, with your arm in front and your legs kicking. That's really hard, and then you swim back with the other arm in front. It works on kicking and body position. 

After that, we catch up hands, several times. The instructor said that my left hand was dipping and not reaching forward, which was surprising to me since I've been focused on my right hand so much. I guess the left hand needs some love too! It's in, forward and then stroke - really reaching to get more distance forward. Then we did the same thing but focused on exit from the water and making sure to do the full stroke. After, we used the pool bouys again and focused on not crossing our bodies with our arms so we could get more power.

Then he had us practice back stroke kicking, and I really didn't get much power and was super slow. Then, we did the same drill where you are on one side, with your arm in front and your legs kicking, but on your back. He said that by working on back stroke you improve front stroke - I feel like you could do that by working on front stroke, but he seemed to know what he was talking about, so I guess I will practice it.

We finished with a couple laps just to pull it all together. Of course, you can't work on everything at once, but I would like to do these drills some when I practice. And, I think continuing to focus on the entry into the water and stretching forward is a good exercise for me, as well as getting the full stroke and making sure to get all the way back.

Tomorrow I have to go back to work in person. Sigh, not excited about that. But, it's good to feel better again.

Icelandic Adventures

In addition to hiking the Laugavegur Trail, I went to Silfra where I snorkled between two techtonic plates, went to a public pool with a hot tub and cold plunge, went to the Blue Lagoon, and then I wound up sleeping on the floor of the Keflavik airport. I also used a scooter to go from the natural history museum to a cafe, with questionable results.

Snorkling in Silfra was definitely Type 2 Fun - they put you in warm overalls and a dry suit, and then rubber band your neck and wrists really tight. Then you wait in line for about 20 minutes to get in the water. It's really hot while you are waiting, but the water is really cold - around 37 degrees. Sadly, as I got into the water I could feel my left arm leaking - it was like a chilly blast leaking up my arm and then down to my body. With all the cold weather swimming, I was at least able to deal with it, but we were in the water for about 30 minutes, which is a long time with that level of cold! All the equipment that they gave me was too big, so my mask leaked too. Besides these rather large issues, the snorkling was amazing - the water was so clear and it was really cool looking at the rocks and such. Definitely a touristy thing, and expensive, not sure I would recommend it. After I went to a gyser and a pretty water fall in the "golden circle." 

My one Reykjavik day I walked to a public pool and alternated between the hot tub and cold plunge. It was amazing! I started and ended with the hot tub. The first time I went into the cold plunge, I stayed in for less than a minute - I thought I was losing my cold water mojo, but then each subsequent time I was able to stay in longer, until I got to about 4 minutes for the last plunge. After I walked back to my hotel and took a nap, I was so tired!

On my last day I went to the Blue Lagoon, which was also amazing and very touristy. I stayed in until my fingers were like prunes, got out and ate, and then went back for another 30 minutes or so. It was super windy by the end of the time I was there, and when I picked up my bag the woman said that it was going to get worse. Which it did. I went from the Blue Lagoon to the airport, where I actually checked a bag because #1 I had a lot of liquids, #2 I had some rocks and #3 it was free. About an hour before my flight was to leave, they started cancelling everything, and then they just cancelled it all and announced that we should go pick up our bags and they would bus us to hotels. If I hadn't checked my bag I could have just gotten in line, but as it was I had to wait for my bag and then I waited in line for over two hours. 

Just as I was getting close it turned out that they were out of hotels, or busses couldn't run any more or something, so we had to stay at the airport. I was in much better shape than most of the people because I had my sleeping bag, inflatable pillow and down puff, so I was able to make myself a little bit comfortable in a corner. But, at 4 am someone woke me up, saying "this is an airport, not a hotel." No shit, buddy. That was the worst moment of the vacation. I went and stood in line and rechecked my bag, got a coffee and chocolate croissant, and decided to go back to the city to the museum of natural history (which was really good). I got to the museum about an hour before it was to open - I was kind of hoping that there would be someplace covered to sit, but there wasn't, and it was still stormy and rainy. So, I hopped on one of the local scooters to go get some more coffee. Scooting is so fun, it immediately improved my mood, but unfortunately I didn't realize that you need an internet connection to get the scooter to start. After my coffee, I couldn't get the stupid thing going, and I pushed it a couple blocks to a shopping center (this was the other worst part of the trip). I asked someone in the pharmacy about wi-fi and she was so mean, and then I went into a supermarket, and this girl who was unpacking boxes let me connect through her phone and get the scooter running again! She will remain in my happy thoughts, along with the family from India who gave me a ride when I had to hitchhike in NH.

Anyhow, I finally arrived home, feeling completely exhausted. The next day I did laundry, but otherwise was so fatigued that I didn't really leave the sofa, and the next day I was exhausted as well. On Tuesday, when I was meant to "go" back to work (ie work from home) I felt even worse, and so I did a COVID test and it was positive. Boo - my first time with COVID! TBH, I feel pretty crappy, I've had a fever and I'm congested and really achy. But, now I'm on my couch with my cats, so I feel pretty lucky that I can just chill.

Iceland and the Laugavegur Trail

During the last week of August I went to Iceland and hiked the Laugavegur trail from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk. I also went to a public pool that had a hot tub and ice plunge, swam between two techtonic plates in the Silfra fischer at Thingvellir and slept on the floor of the Keflevik Airport. It was a good adventure!

Getting over there was kind of tight because I started my vacation with a Bruce Springsteen concert on Thursday night (amazing - they put on a SHOW). Friday I flew to Iceland and stayed the night in an AirBNB that was close to the Cathedral pick up. Pick up was at 7 am and I was a little nervous about that because that's 3 am East Coast time, but with not sleeping much after the Springsteen concert, and the flight and all, I was fine. I got to the pick up spot and was all excited because there were a bunch of hikers who were around my vintage and didn't look like super hikers who were all going with my same company. But then I learned they were sleeping in the huts, not camping, and were in a different group. Sigh. 

Anyhow, we got to Landmannalauger and did a warm up hike up Blahnukur Volcano. Apparently the guide company does this as a test hike to make sure that everyone will be able to make it - I was a little offended at that idea when I heard about it on FB, but having done the hike I see why. I didn't think that Blahnukur was that hard - it was a million switchbacks and a lot of wind - I was breathing hard for sure, but it wasn't so difficult. There were two people in the other group, though, that struggled like crazy with the hike, and I think their tour guide pursuaded them to go back to Reykjavik. Anyhow, the hike was really increadible, with views of geothermal activity, these crazy mountains, and on a former volcano. The wind was really strong and there was a drop to the side so that if you slipped it wouldn't be good. It's usually a loop hike, but the guide decided we would go down the way we came up because it was super muddy on the loop. There is a hot spring right by the hut, and I spent like an hour in it, until my fingers were like prunes and I had to get out. After we stayed the night, and the camping group was able to sleep in the huts because they weren't full (the hut was really nice, but the beds were one long bunk that slept 8 in very close quarters. TBH, I didn't love it.)

The next day we started on our Laugavegur hike. The first day we were hiking 15 miles with about 3000 feet of elevation gain, so it was the biggest day. I had really built it up in my head as a Big Thing, and it was hard, but not too hard. I was kind of nervous about how fast the group would hike, but to my very happy surprise, we went at a pace that was a little faster than I normally would have, but nothing I couldn't keep up with - in fact I was part of the front pack! The hike took us through a lava field, up a mountain to the highlands, and to an ice cave and geothermal rivers. The scenery was amazing, and every time we went up or down there were switchbacks! We carried two sandwiches for lunch - I had a cheese sandwich and a Icelandic PB and fluff, which were delicious!

At lunch time we got to the first hut which was amazing. The tour company doesn't like to stay there, and I can see why. We had perfect weather, but still it was kind of cold and windy - with bad weather it would be freezing! It was amazing eating lunch there, though, just relaxing and enjoying the scenery. My feet were a little tired, but I felt good to do the second half. After the hut the hike was across a flat plain, but there were ravines that we had to go up and down, some of which were really steep and muddy. The day ended with about 1500 descent over less than a mile, which is pretty downhill. Again, though, there were switchbacks the whole way down, and not a ton of rocks, and I was so excited about how managable the trail was that I just did my fastest and by the end I was running down the trail and got far ahead of everyone. After, a couple people said they were inspired by how joyful I looked flying down the mountain, with my poles over my head - one woman said that I was "mountain goating it." The white mountains are great prep for other hiking.

We stayed the next night at Alftavatn Lake, where we did get to camp. Setting up the tents was a little crazy, because they were all different and difficult to put up. I have to confess, I was excited to have a little personal space to introvert and relax. For dinner the veg food was fake duck in powdered asperigus soup, which was so disgusting I could barely make myself eat it. There was also lots of bread and butter, and I chowed on that. It rained during the night, but inside the tent was dry.

The next day was the "easiest" of the hike. I found it to be the hardest for some reason - probably because it was the "easiest" but it wasn't exactly easy. We had a couple river crossings that we waded through (we had one on day 2 as well) and the guide told us to look forward, not at the water, and take our time, which worked really well. We hiked though a long lava field with no trees, and when I had to pee I just ducked behind a rock and kind of exposed myself. Iceland felt huge, and I felt really small. There were a few in the group who were struggling, and so the guide told the rest of us to go ahead. My feet were killing me, so I took off as fast as I could to get to the campground and take off my boots. When I got there, it was georgous! There was more fake meat for dinner, I made myself a grilled cheese instead. 

For the last day, we had to leave really early because the bus was going to pick us up in Þórsmörk at 3 pm, and we had 9 miles to hike. The tour guide decided to send the slowest hikers off early, and the faster ones would do cleanup and the dishes, and catch up. I kind of liked the idea of a leasurly morning hike, and asked if I could go too, but the guide said no, I needed to help with the dishes. At first I was pissed, but then I was so happy because he considered me to be one of the stronger hikers! When does that happen? The last day of hiking was so pretty - with lots of moss and colors, and then ending in a "forest" with some really resiliant trees. One of the hikers hurt his knee and so we were able to hike our own hike for most of the day, and I was way out front. There were some beautiful gorges with sketchy bridges to cross, and a huge glacier. At the end, though, I was so happy to stop hiking! My feet were killing me, and my calves were really tight. We sat in Þórsmörk for about an hour, enjoying the scenery, and then the bus came and we had to head back to the city. All and all, a really nice hike, I'm so glad I went!

I got alltrails to work again - I had to close all the other apps on my phone, and it was fine. Split times were way faster than usual, that's for sure!

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 2:

Day 4:

Bondcliff

The hike I'm doing in Iceland has one day that's 14.9 miles with 2952 ish feet of elevation gain, which is pretty strenuous! I decided I should try doing a similar hike to get my body ready for it, and to show myself that I can do it. I decided on Bondcliff because I remember it being so nice, but I didn't stay there for long because of the bugs, and I thought it would be nice to go back. Which it was!

Bondcliff is broken into four 4.4 mile sections - 4.4 miles on a flat, former rail trail, 4.4 miles up the mountain, and then returning with the same - 4.4 miles down and 4.4 miles back, for a total of 17.6 miles - I had to park about .3 miles away from the parking lot, so that added another .6 miles - though it was on pretty flat road. So, it was about 3 miles longer than the hike I will do, and there was over 3086 feet of elevation gain (Bond Cliff is 3086 feet higher than the trailhead, but there is always some up and down on the trail, so it was probably a little more elevation gain.) So, that's higher than the Iceland trail. Also, all the elevation gain in Iceland is at the start, on fresh legs, as opposed to in the middle. So, I'm feeling pretty good about the whole thing.

I was pretty nervous about the hike, because it is pretty long, and so I didn't sleep well the night before. It became a lot of lying awake worrying about lying awake. The plan was to get up at 6 am and get to the mountain by 8:30, since it's such a long hike. When my alarm went off at 6 am, I thought I would hit the snooze for 10 minutes and then get up. But, somehow I turned the alarm off, and got the best two hours of sleep from 6 am - 8 am. Sigh. When I woke up, I was so upset with myself, and spent some time trying to decide if I should go or not. I really wanted to get in the long hike, but there are others closer by which I thought I could do instead - for example the blue hills. But then I thought that if I did the blue hills I would want to turn back before mile 8.8, and the drive to get there can often take an hour, even though it's closer to home, so I decided to just go for it, with a hard turn around that got me out of the woods before dark (I didn't turn around at the hard turn around, of course.)

I have a new book that I'm listening to so the drive up went pretty fast. I had to stop once for a bathroom break, but I left at 8:30 ish and arrived at the trail at 10:30 ish. By the time I headed out, it was about 10:40, and I knew I was pushing it on daylight. On the other hand, the start and end is on a rail trail which I had hiked in the dark before (when doing Owls Head), so I wasn't too concerned.

I booked it up the flat trail as fast as I could, walking less then 20 minute miles for the first 3 miles, and then around a 20 minute mile for the next 1.4, so it didn't take me too long to get to the uphill parts. From there I slowed down to my regular hiking pace. The trail was pretty muddy, but not too difficult at first. At a certain point there is a huge flight of stairs, and that marks the real ascent. It took me an hour and a half from there to get to the top. At that point it was 3:30 and I was so hungry. I had a banana with peanut butter before I left home, 3 hard boiled eggs on the road and some trader joes pb&j ball, but that wasn't enough. I was dragging by the top, and so happy to eat!

As I was getting closer to the top, I was a little weak, and asked some people who were coming down if I was close. They said "no!" which no one ever does, but the thing is that I was close - I was about 20 minutes from the top. I thought about turning around, because it was 3 and that was meant to be my turn around, but then I looked at the map on alltrails, and decided that it wasn't that far, and I'm so glad that I went to the top! As I was going the last little bit, it was really busy with people leaving the top - all the smart people who didn't hit their snooze bars, and when I finally made it, I had the place to myself! That never happens, but I was up there for about 30 minutes and saw 2 people. 

The view from Bondcliff is amazing! I could see to Washington, and over to Franconia, and just mountains everywhere! It was a little buggy again, so I found a spot with a breeze, and sat and ate a cheese, tomato and avocado sandwich.  It was so good! I ate and admired the view for about 30 minutes, but then I knew I had to go because it was almost 4, I had 8.8 miles to go, and the sun goes down around 7:40 these days. I knew it was going to be tight, and actually I was low on water, so I knew I was going to have to stop and filter. 

The hike down wasn't too bad - much of the trail is steady uphill, but not crazy, and in many places there aren't even rocks on the trail, so the downhill had a lot of easy-to-navigate spots. It took me an hour and a half to get down the long stairs and to the more gradual downhill. The next part, to the old railtrail seemed long - I think it was because I knew I was going to have to finish in the dark. A guy passed me and was all "do you have enough food and water? You won't get out until 9:30." Which was nice of him to be caring and make sure I was ok, but also I had done the calculations in my head, and I was thinking about 8:30 for the trailhead (and I was right.) He kind of through me for a bit, though, and I think that made things seem longer. 

I finally got to the railtrail part and knew I had a long but easy walk. The last 2.6 miles are especially flat and easy, though there are still some of the train trestles on the path - I did a little trail running even - I ran for 50 steps and then stopped and walked - I figured this would get me closer before it got dark. One of the bridges is out, so there was a (easy) stream crossing that I wanted to do before dark (and I did). The last 45 minutes or so the trail was getting darker and darker, and I probably hiked in the dark for about 30 minutes - I thought about using my headlamp, but actually didn't even need it. I got to the trailhead at 8:30 and to my car about 10 minutes later. By this point my feet were killing me and I was so sweaty and muddy, so I drove to the parking lot (yes, .3 miles, but I drove) where I was able to clean up a little in the bathrooms. I was starving again by this point, and stopped - first I tried to get pizza but the place was closing, and then for ice cream. I got a black raspberry oreo ice cream, and the woman gave me 2 scoops because that was the end of the container. It was sooo sooo good!

It was about 11:15 by the time I got home due to stopping at the rest area in Concord, plus ice cream eating time. I was so sore, but really happy about the day.  For some reason All Trails hasn't been working well - it turns off every time I look at it, and even though I was in airplane mode my battery drained super fast - I wound up having to turn my phone off and on to save battery, and not really recording my hike. IDK what's happening with that - it's happened all three of my training hikes. I feel like I might want to look for another program since my membership expires this week.

I did once again fill up my bladder with 2 liters of water and was glad that I did because I was almost out by the time that I got to the top (though there were a ton of water crossings and streams to fill up from). I regret that I didn't have more food to eat while walking to the summit - I think it would have been much more pleasant if I wasn't starving. And, of course, the whole not sleeping/oversleeping thing was a bummer. But, otherwise, I was pretty happy with the hike and feel good about being able to do the Iceland one!

Mini Trampoline at the Lake

After my hike I was tired and had a little exercise hangover, but I was definitely less sore than after flume. I went to parkour the next morning, and it was all jumping. It killed me! My legs were tired and jumping was not what I wanted to do, but I tried my best.

Later, I went to the lake with some friends. I did a short swim which was really nice, and after we sat on the dock chatting. We watched the clouds move in, and then watched the rain move across the lake until it came to us. Most everyone left, but it looked like the rain was going to move off, and it did. After the rain, three guys arrived with a mini trampoline which they put at the end of the dock and used to jump into the water. It looked so fun, we asked if we could try too, and they were happy to let us.

At first I was really nervous about it because the dock was wet and slippery, and I felt like things could go wrong. After a few jumps I started to feel better about it, but still wasn't up for diving. I did a dive off the edge of the dock to remind myself that it isn't hard. And then I just went for it and dived, and it was so fun. After a couple dives I noticed I was sort of rotating, so I tried a front flip! I was a little short on the rotation and landed on my back (ouch!). I tried one more time and got a little further, but not quite around. 

At some point the state police came, and we were so surprised that they didn't tell us to leave. We saw the guy on his radio, and assumed that the college police would come kick us off the dock, but they didn't. It was such a fun way to end the weekend! Eventually it started pouring again, and we left. 

Little Haystack, Lincoln and Lafayette

I did this loop once before on my birthday, when I turned 50, and decided to do it again today. This is an amazing hike, but also challenging - it's 8.6 miles and it goes over 3 4000 footers, with 3845 feet of elevation gain. There are amazing waterfalls, views and one of the huts on the trail. And, because of how amazing it is (and the fact that it's a 2 hr drive from Boston) it's really busy! Well worth it, 2 thumbs up, loved it! 

I woke up at 6:30 am and was out of the house before 7. I realize that I often run out of energy on these big hikes, so I decided to have a bigger breakfast, which turned out to be really helpful. Because the trail is so popular, the parking lot fills early, and by the time I got there at around 9 they had people parking at the ski slope and taking a shuttle. It wasn't my preference, but it was fine - I barely waited on the trip to the mountain, and on the way back I waited about 10 minutes - which seemed like forever when I was pooped, but really wasn't that bad.

The hike starts out slow and relaxing, following a brook with a bunch of waterfalls - it was so pretty and not too difficult. There were a ton of people, but I reminded myself people are friends, not foes, and just stepped off the path to let anyone faster than me pass. And, I chatted with some very nice people and admired the waterfalls. The last time I went up I didn't go to the little offshoot to shining rock because it looked like it was downhill, but this time I decided I was there and a little hungry, so I went. It did go down a lot, and then I had to go back up, of course, but I was glad I took the little detour. I think it was the only solo nature time I got. Plus it was a really nice view and a cool rock. I ate a stuphenwaffel, which was delicious!

Getting up to the top of Little Haystack was hard, but didn't seem that hard - I got to the top and thought "that wasn't so bad" and I sat and had a small snack and admired the amazing view. It took about 3 hours to get up there, once again, though I had stopped at shining rock. Of course, getting to the top of Little Haystack isn't the finish - there is still almost 900 feet of elevation gain, and the toughest climbing on the hike. 

I sat and enjoyed the view for about 15 minutes and then was ready to move on. The ridgeline is definitely one of the best in the White Mountains - it's such a special place. In particular, the first part of the ridgeline is just amazing - there aren't rocks in the path, it's not too strenuous and so you can look around at the scenery. There was a naturalist up there (making sure that people stayed on the path) and he pointed out some flowers that were doing well, and a brand new avalanche slide. There's also a part where the trail dips into some fir trees, and the smell was like christmas (I mean, it is for those of us who aren't Jewish), I think it took a little over an hour to get to Lafayette - it's 1.7 miles and I really relaxed, enjoyed the view, and sauntered. One little note - the first peak that you see is Lincoln - you have to go over that before you can see Lafayette.

I decided to keep going at Lincoln and sit on Lafayette to eat my sandwich. Even though I knew it would be super crowded (which it was), I kind of wanted to walk and enjoy the ridgeline, and to get to the summit. It was like 2 when I got to Lafayette, and I was so hungry! I sat on a rock, enjoyed the view, and ate a cheese, avocado and tomato sandwich (which was delicious) and an orange. 

The way down is full of rocks - there was a lot of rock hopping and steep areas. It took a while to get to the hut, where I was excited to be able to fill my water without having to filter. The hut smelled delicious, like brownies. They were in the oven, baking. One of the Croo said they would be done in 10 minutes, so I decided to wait, but when the ten minutes passed they were poking at them like they weren't done, and I was ready to go. So, no cookies for me. 

It's pretty steep going for the first bit on the way down. There were a few spots where I scootched on my butt. I definitely didn't rush on the rocky parts, but as the path got clearer I went faster. I was about a mile and a half from the finish when I met up with this group of 4 - we were going a similar speed, except one woman from the group was moving slower. I passed the group, but then this one woman was hiking right behind me, something that I hate. I sped up a bit, but she was still right there, so I stopped to let her pass, and then she stopped too. It was at the part of the hike when I was cranky anyhow, and it was so annoying - I finally had to tell the group that I was stopping to let them pass, and the woman was all weird about it, which made me crankier.

By the time I finished I was pretty tired and sad to have to wait for a bus, but it did just take about 10 minutes. There was no way I was going to walk. My new boots were much better - I put in a second insole and they fit perfectly now! When I look at my splits, it wasn't my fastest hike for sure. I think I wondered around the hut for a bit, which added a little time, but really not that much. Anyhow, it's a classic and I was so happy to do it - it will probably be a while before I do it again because of the crowds.

Flume Slide and Liberty

It's been forever since I hiked Flume and Liberty, and now I remember why. It's hard! I decided to go all in on my hiking training, though, and decided that the loop would be a good practice hike, which it definitely was. I got up early - about 6:15 and was out the door by 6:45. I had to stop once on the way up, but made it there by 8:45 (one thing that's nice is that it's a straight shot up Rt 93 - only 2 hours! One of the shorter drives. 

I was hiking by 9, and thought I would make a 9-5 day of it, but it took me way longer. The first part was very nice, I did a gentle saunter and really enjoyed the first few miles, because I knew it was going to get harder. And it did. At first it was a gentle uphill, I definitely knew I was going up, but nothing killer. It took me about 2 hrs and 20 min to get to the slide part, and that's when things got real. At first it was just some rocks, but then I got to the slab. I forgot how much slab there was! So so much. This time it was all wet - which I kind of knew was going to happen because it rained yesterday. But, I didn't really think about how much I would slip on the rock and how sketchy it would be. (Hint, I slipped a lot, and it was really sketchy). I also forgot that when you finally get to the top of the slabby bits, you still have to go up an insane amount of steep, rocky trail. It was brutal. I could feel my heart pounding for some of the climbing, and had to stop and let it slow down before starting again. (Might need to do more aerobic?)

Once I got to the top, there was this really nice lookout with a great view, which I went and sat at, and ate a half a cheese sandwich on sourdough, and admired the mountains. I had a lot more to go, so I soon left to summit Flume - the hard parts done, it wasn't too bad. I sat on Flume for about 5 minutes, but I remembered that the view from Liberty is more 360, and decided to go over there for the second half of my sandwich and an orange. 

It was a long way down and then a long way up on the ridgeline, so, not like one of those awesome ridgelines. I was pretty excited to get to the top and be done with climbing up - also the view was amazing and it was so nice up there. I spent a while sitting up top, admiring the view, and eating. I people watched as others came up, and took some people's photos for them. Finally it was time to head back down.

It's a pretty steep downhill on this one. I started doing pretty well with trusting my feet and using parkour. I felt pretty good about it! After a while, though, I was so tired of going down that things got slower. I also had to stop at Liberty Spring because, even though I put 2 liters of water in my bladder, I was out of water. The hike down seemed pretty long and brutal. A couple times I accidentally turned off all trails, which was a bummer because I don't have the full stats for the hike. But, I can say that it was slow. 

At the end, I felt tired and sore, but my meniscus feels fine, which is good news. I wore my new hiking boots which were mostly perfect, but unfortunately I think they are a little loose - my feet were moving around in them on the downhill, and I have some "hot spots" that aren't quite blisters. I'm going to try insoles. I love that the new boots are fully waterproof - there were a few times that I was crossing a stream and the stepping stone was a couple inches under water, but I just used it anyhow, and it was no problem! Here are my incomplete statistics - really slow on the super uphill bit!

Full Moon Swim

Last night was the first full moon of August - we will have a blue moon this month! To celebrate the Merfolk had a moonlight swim, which was awesome. We met at the lake at 9 pm (about 20 of us!) and were in the water by 9:30. Someone brought glow sticks and we all made bracelets and necklaces.  We had to swim a little ways out before we could see the moon, but when we did, it was SO bright. It was amazing! Everyone treaded water and watched, and then someone started howling, and everyone joined in. I love full moon swims.

Today I rode a blue bike to the Y in Charlestown, did the elliptical for 20 minutes and lifted some weights, and then biked home. It was a good workout. It's actually really nice out finally - it was 74 and not humid, no signs of rain. So exciting to be outside and not dying from the heat. On the way to the gym, I saw an outdoor yoga class that looked good - I'll have to look it up and see if I can figure out how to join.

I'm on a big exercise kick because I decided that instead of hiking the Pemi loop on my vacation, I'm going to hike the Laugavegur Trail in Iceland! It's a little spur of the moment, but why not? I'm super excited about it, but also a little nervous because it's 34 mile and considered moderate to challenging. I will be headed to the White Mountains for some training for sure!

Blue Bike to the Airport and Swim Lesson #3

Last week I went to Maryland/Washington DC to meet my new niece, who of course is adorable.  I spent 3 days visiting, feeding and entertaining. I also read an entire book and cooked on the last day (because she's only 8 weeks old, and sleeps a lot). Because I only went for 3 days, I bought the cheapest seat on jetblue, which only allows you to bring a personal item that goes under the seat. Terrific way to travel! No worries about luggage. Also, since I just had one bag, I realized that I could blue bike to the airport, which just sounded like such a fun adventure. So, that's what I did.

To get to the airport, I left at 7 am on Sunday. The roads were pretty quiet, without much traffic, and it wasn't too hot out. I took a route through Everett, Chelsea, and East Boston, and left the bike at the airport subway stop, where I caught a shuttle to the airport. It's not the prettiest ride, but there were bike lanes for most of it, and it never felt unsafe. The only downer was that the bike that I got had a loose seat, and it kept slipping down so I was riding all bunched up. Fortunately I was able to switch if for a new bike in East Boston. On the way home, it was later in the day and hotter, plus more traffic, and I didn't want to take that same route. So, instead, I took the bus to a water taxi to the aquarium, and then a blue bike home from there. It was a much nicer ride, though a few sketchy spots in the city. All and all, a good adventure and way to stay away from the tunnel traffic.

Thursday was my third swim lesson, and it was another good one. We worked on some swim drills for endurance, including doing sprints,  and then we learned the basics of flip turns. We did a few drills - first we swam 4 50-meters x 3, with a 10 second rest between each one. Then we did 6 25-meter swims, trying to sprint. Then, we did 4 25-meter swims only taking half our usual breaths. Finally, we did 12 25-meter swims trying to sprint for the first 6 strokes on the first 6, and 4 strokes on the second 6. We took 10 second rests between each lap. After, we were all tired, and started to learn flip turns. I did that when I took private lessons long ago at the Y, but this time I was much more successful. He had us swim to the wall, take 2 strokes after the T at the bottom of the pool and then do a somersault and try to push off the wall. I only swallowed water once, and a few times I got in the general vicinity of doing a turn, though one time I wound up in the next lane by accident. Plenty of work to do on that, but not impossible.

I checked the registration for the second half of summer, and I was able to get a spot in the stroke refinement class, which is a level below the one I'm in now! I was super excited about it, because I want to keep taking lessons. It's a little funny to be going down a level, but whatever, I have a lot to learn so I think it will be helpful.

MIT Swim Lesson #2

Today we talked about breathing and arm movement. It was really good!

First, breathing. It's fine to breathe on just one side, bilateral breathing isn't necessary. Which is good, because I seem to have given up on it. However, breathing on just one side doesn't mean that you don't rotate your body in both directions! You still have to rotate. In terms of taking a breath, as one arm is back and the other is forward, your body rotates and you turn your neck, and take in water. I think that's pretty much what I do, though I'm pretty sure I slack on the rotation on the non-breathing side. You don't have to take a big, gasping breath, nor do you have to completely empty your lungs breathing out. It's just breathing, like you usually do when exercising, but some of it is under water.

There are four important positions of the arm that give you speed when swimming. First, when your arm goes into the water you don't just plop it there. It dives into the water, like a bird going after a fish. But a bird that goes in at an angle, not straight down. When you are shooting your arm into the water, you move forward. Then, after you have reached as far as possible, you bend your hand and make it into a paddle. Keeping your elbow up you pull it back. Some S shape stuff happens in the pull. At the end of the stroke, you flick your hand up to get that last bit of a pull. It's not really a flick, but that's kind of what it seemed like. Then, in the recovery you lead with your elbow so that you are ready to shoot your arm in again. 

That's a lot of things to practice. I really liked having the teacher talk through exactly what you are supposed to do - I don't think I've had that talk for a long time. Pieces came together and I connected dots and all that good stuff. 

One thing that I realized is that I've been so focused on my right arm not going down, but actually the arm is an extension of my body, so if I focus on getting my body in the right position, the arm will follow. I'm sad that the woman who has been teaching is going on vacation. She's really good. There is this guy who's "coteaching" though he doesn't actually get to say much, but he will teach the last two classes. He seems nice. Hopefully he will teach us some drills.

At the end of class we did sprints racing each other back and forth. In my group of four, I was always last, but not by too much. After class I swam 50 meters again, and it took me a minute and nine seconds, which is 7 seconds faster than last week. But that was after doing a bunch of sprints. 

After swimming I went to Shakespeare in the Park with the Merfolk. We had a nice picnic and this year was MacBeth - it was really good!

MIT Swim Lessons

I had my first of four swim lessons at MIT today, and it was so good! Way better than the expensive private swim lessons that I took. The instructor just talked about front crawl, and she walked us through the form as if we knew nothing. Which, in my case, wasn't that far from the truth.

First, you want to be as long as possible to go through the water. So you want your arms in front of you, or at least one arm in front of you at all times. Second, you want to be compact, so your arms are basically coming together at the top, so they are more compact. Next, we worked on kicking, which was really hard. We pushed off the wall and practiced using a kickboard and just moving by kicking (turns out that I was using a kickboard all wrong! You grab it at the top, not the bottom. Who knew?). It was really slow going and hard. It make me realize that I need to practice kicking more to build up my kick muscles. The thing about kicking, of course, is that you aren't really propelling yourself through kicking, you are just keeping your body flat on the water. So, you want to do small kicks from the hips, with your knees straight and your feet pointed and then flexing.

Next, we worked on body position, and keeping your body straight and on top of the water instead of with your feet going down. There are four things to focus on to keep you flat on top of the water:

#1 - Kicking, which we already discussed and know is hard

#2 - Looking straight down to the bottom of the pool or lake. A little easier in a pool where you can see the markings on the bottom, but I do know which way is down, and can try to look there.

#3 - Engage your core - it always comes back to the core, doesn't it?

#4 - Push your shoulders and chest down a little so your feet come up a bit. I found this to be the hardest and most abstract while swimming.

Anyhow, it's all about swimming efficiently, and being flat on the water helps you to do that. I'm going to try to practice two times this week. I also ordered swim fins, because she said that they help your kicking form. Also, they are fun and help you swim faster.

Speaking of swimming faster, they have a clock running at the pool, so I was able to time myself. The pool is 50 meters long and it took me a minute and 16 seconds. I only have 4 lessons, but might try to take another session. We will see if I can get that time down.

I broke down and bought ear buds, but only because they were 30% off for prime day. Looking forward to wearing them for lifting!

Weight lifting

A couple weeks ago, after dancing and a day of parkour, I noticed that my right knee was really clicky and difficult to bend. It was also pretty sore. I went to the urgent care, and the doctor there said that it's probably my meniscus and I should rest it and not do anything that hurts. Which is more or less what I've done - no jumping, no pivoting, swimming and biking. It's feeling a lot better, but still is like "hey, I'm not fine." Which is to say, I didn't go hiking for July 4 weekend, but I did go to the fireworks on the Charles, and they were amazing! 

Anyhow, I've been thinking for a while that I should get back into weight lifting, because it's so good for you. I listened to this podcast recently, and a 74 year old woman said that she does 1000 burpees 2x a week - she doesn't do the push up, but still it takes almost 3 hours. If she can do that, I can go to the Y and lift 2x a week!

So, that's what I've been trying to do. I started this week - I warmed up with stationary biking/the elliptical for 20 minutes and then used the machines. Today it was so hot, I was sweating like a pig, but I still managed 20 minutes on the elliptical, then I did all the leg machines. I'm going to have to find an app that gives workouts and isn't $200 a month. Or, look at my old crossfit gym and do a couple of their workouts.

I promised myself airbuds if I can keep doing this for a timeframe - maybe 2x a week until the end of the summer?  

Dancing in the Streets

Today I went to a big dance event in Central Square. The street was closed for a couple blocks, there was a DJ and everyone was dancing! Being a city person, I want to take advantage of these things, but I don't always - just a reminder to me that sometimes I do, and it was a lot of fun.

The music was really loud, there were so so so many people, a woman was walking around on stilts with these great wings, this kid climbed a flag pole, a homeless couple was getting it on, two men were squeezing each other's bums, someone climbed on top of the bus stop and the police made them come down. I had ramen and my friends had falafel. Summer in the city is the best!  

Holt Trail up Cardigan

We got today off - a free Monday to go hiking! I was thinking about a bunch of different hikes including Monadnock, Lafayette, Flume and Cardigan. In the end I decided on Cardigan because the weather was a little iffy and I had done Monadnock last year. Mostly glad I went with Cardigan.

I left at like 7, knowing that it's only 2 hours to get there, and that it's not the longest hike. I did want to do the Holt Trail again, just because of the climb-y ness of it. I'm glad that I did! I looked at my previous posting and saw that there were three climb-y parts, but somehow I forgot to mention that the trail is a gradual uphill until you get to the climbing parts, and then it's very slabby and really uphill. It was really fun, even though a little of the rock was wet.

For some reason I needed to take a picture of the sign, even though I have it in the last post :) From the sign, it's a bit of a walk along a really pretty brook, with some nice waterfalls. It's uphill, with a few harder spots, but nothing killer. Then, I got to the crack climb that guy practically climbed over me on the last time - it was super fun! I did it a different way this time, and enjoyed it a lot more. After that was a lot of uphill, some boulders to climb over, and slab. Then the second big climbing bit - this time it was wet, but still fine. A couple times I had to pause to find my footing. Then, more uphill and slab. 

I remember the third climbing bit being the hardest last time. Which is probably why, when I got off route, I didn't look that hard for it - I could see the top and I remembered that the sketchy bit was close to the top, so I just bush whacked. Not the best idea, on a somewhat wet, rocky area, but I made it up! There was one spot in particular where I had to climb a boulder that was about 6 feet, a little wet, and not the greatest holds. And, it was kind of a no-fail zone because if I slipped it was like 20 feet down with no real holds. After that one, there was one other sketchy spot. I made it, though, obviously. I tried to take a picture, but not sure you can really tell how steep it was from the pic. Anyhow, note to self, next time just do the sketchy bit!

At the top I took a nice rest, and ate a pb&j on a bagel - I made the jam myself from raspberries in my garden, and it was delicious! I had an orange too, also so good. And, I looked at Lafayette and the 4000 footers over in that direction, and was glad that I didn't do them, since they were in the clouds.

After Cardigan I went to Firescrew - really nice ridgeline, and then down to the lodge where I cleaned up a little and used a nice, civilized bathroom. The lodge is at the end of a long and hilly dirt road in the middle of nowhere, which is important because when I was leaving I found this:

That is the only bridge out, with a giant truck sitting off the road in the mud. >sigh< You can see from the picture, they got it really wedged in. I waited for about an hour on the road, but it was stressing me out, so I finally went back to the lodge and sat around for about 45 more minutes until they got it moved. So I thought I would beat rush hour traffic, but I didn't completely. Still, the drive home was fine. I stopped and got an egg salad sandwich, just for nostalgia. 

I used my new backpack and I really liked it! It's made for women, and I like how the straps are a little less over my chest. Also, it was nice to be able to just tuck away my poles when going up the steep bits. Sad to not use my old friend the pack, but it is requiring duct tape, so it's felt the love.