Things I Learned While Swimming Open Water Swims

I've been a swimmer for as long as I can remember.  My mom put me into swim lessons at an early age.  She hadn't been very comfortable in the water and wanted to ensure that her children were.  Eventually my sister and I joined a summer swim league in New Jersey and then when we moved back to Colorado our neighbors introduced us to year-round swimming.

So, we became swimmers.  It has become part of my identity and I even considered myself a swimmer when I took a hiatus from the year-round team in middle school.  In high school I lived and breathed the pool.  I was on the summer swim league, year-round team and high school team.  Then my first job was a lifeguard at the Parker Recreation Center, eventually I started teaching swim lessons and then my senior year I started coaching the summer swim league.

But, I hadn't participated in an open water swim until I was almost 30.  I did a few swims at the My Way or the Tri Way, I participated in the swim-run-swim.  Then, I moved to Seattle and really started participating in open water swims.  There are a variety of swims available, inlcuding the Green Lake Open Water Swim (GLOWS, what a fun acronym!), Emerald City, Fat Salmon and Park to Park Swim.

During all the swims I have picked up some valuable lessons:
1) You don't need to wear a wetsuit.  Although others will look at you like you are crazy.  I have never worn a wetsuit, mostly because I didn't want to shell out the money or deal with peeling it off.  However, I have heard that wetsuits do help with your buoyance and keep in mind I haven't participated in any swims with extremely cold water temperatures.
2) Wear the proper equipment.  Caps will keep your head warmer and cut down on drag.  Goggles will help you see better.  I also consider my road id to be an important piece of equipment.  If something were to happen to me in the water there is no identification on to help rescuers (I actually consider this important for all athletic events or trainings that I participate in).
3) If you are intimidated by the stories about getting hit or kicked look for swims that start in deep water.  If you start in deep water then everyone already has some space around them from treading water and there is less collisions.  The swims that involve the most bumps are those when you run into the water, at least in my experience.
4)  If you are doing a race where you start out on land and then run into the water prepare mentally for the shock of the water.  I have found that the water always feels colder than I expected.  Once you run into the water stay calm, take deep breaths and know that you can always breath with your head out of water or flip onto your back if needed.
5) Most the other swimmers are swimming in the middle.  It is okay to move over to one side or the other or to drop back so you can swim your race.  Better to be a bit back or to the side in the beginning and swim with a good stroke, than in the middle, but not swimming efficiently.
6) Train with sighting.  If you do most of your swimming in the pool then you don't need to sight for the finish line or to stay straight.  Unfortunately, this is a big part of open water swims.  There are two reasons to practice sighting.  One, this will build up your muscles.  My neck is always sore after my open water swims, the more you practice the less sore you will be the next day.  Two, swimming while sighting drops your hips and can effect your breathing so you want to practice this before you are actually racing.
7) I breath bilaterally, on both sides.  This is definitely helpful because you can see those around you better and you don't have to sight as much.  The less often you breath the faster you will be, but more importantly breathing on every odd stroke will allow you to even out your stroke and swim straighter.  If you are new to breathing bilaterally you can start out with the pattern of breathing twice on one side, stroking for three strokes and then breathing twice on the other side.  I actually tend to breath this pattern while extending the amount of strokes between the breathing.
8) Swim as far as you can at the finish.  It is much easier to swim through deep water than to run.  Also, the water can be an amplifier, so stopping to stand up and then not reaching the bottom will slow down your finish.  I swim until I am unable to complete my pull correctly and my fingers are scraping against the bottom.  I have actually passed a few other swimmers at the finish using this technique.
9) Have fun!

Hearts

My theme for this Valentine's Day was hearts.  I didn't start out planning it that way, but there are so many cute heart ideas and recipes on Pinterest I got wrapped up.  I painted my nails with hearts, made heart cookies, heart cinnamon rolls and heart egg in toast.  I also had planned on making heart shaped bacon, but my breakfast plans were making me frustrated and I decided to let that one go, more on that later.

On Valentine's Day I made these cookies.  I found the idea on Celebrating Everyday Life with Jennifer Carroll.  I loved her photos, however I wanted to make cookies from scratch.  I followed this recipe from Made to be a Momma and they were delicious!

Then Friday night I made cinnamon rolls ready for when Big B headed out to work on Saturday, since he leaves much earlier than I wake up.  I found the recipe for the heart cinnamon rolls here, but be warned I actually ended up coping and pasting the recipe on to a word document.  The original web page kept changing to an american food recipes page, very annoying!  Instead of starting from scratch you can always buy Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls and just roll them from each side and then pinching the bottom to form the heart shape.

Later on Saturday I painted my nails.  I got some advice from #16 on these Nail Hacks from Buzz Feed.  They didn't turn out exactly like the hearts on Buzz Feed, but I still thought they were cute.  And I was pretty proud of the heart on my right hand, since I am not an ambidextrous person.

Right ring finger

Left ring finger

Lastly on Sunday I made some egg in toast and bacon. We have a gas stove in our kitchen, which has been a new experience. I love the fact that the stove warms up very quickly, but it tends to burn out when I turn down the heat.  Because of this I ended up burning a sandwich and then I couldn't get the second sandwich to toast.  I eventually made the sandwich, cutting out the heart and then toasting it in our George Foreman.  This didn't work out as well as I had hoped and ended up a bit squished, but at least they toasted without burning.  Then I cooked the egg in my heart cookie cutter on the stove and then placed the cooked egg inside of the sandwich when everything was done.  Although it didn't turn out as well they did on Reclaiming Provinvial, they were tasty, but not worth photographing.

Mars

I originally started fostering Mars around October 2002.  I had only recently started fostering and she was my second or third foster group, sometimes I fostered more than one kitten depending if they came in as a litter or not.  Mars was my first "feral" foster.  I place feral in apostrophes because most of my feral fosters were just under-socialized, not necessarily feral.  She definitely started a trend because I rarely fostered any other type of cat, I had found my niche.  Plus, when you foster ferals like I did, in your only bathroom, then they pretty much stay out of your way until they are ready to go back to the shelter and get adopted.  Unlike other kittens who are all over you while you try to use the bathroom in any capacity.

Mars and another kitten I fostered, about a year after I adopted her.

I learned a lot while fostering Mars.  I had never fostered a kitten so scared and Mars was definitely fearful, although I have since fostered other kittens who were much worse off.  I had some things to learn and even lost her while visiting a friend, she somehow wedged herself under his Kegerator.  I didn't know you needed to keep a scared cat in a smaller, and open, area until they have gotten used to them.  I also learned that it was easier to wait on naming the kittens until they were older, this way you would know their individual personalities, and it helped me stay a bit more detached.  I originally didn't name Mars because another staff member had dibs on her and wanted to name her Madelyn, a name that didn't seem to match her.  I also had always thought that I couldn't ever own a cat with Haley, she has pretty high prey drive.  But Mars is sometimes too smart for her own good and snuck out of the bathroom, meeting Haley.  Luckily Mars isn't a typical cat and just laid down like a submissive dog and Haley treated her as such.

As time went on Mars started to grow on me more and more.  She is a snuggle bug, she doesn't necessarily like being carried around, but the second you sit down she is ready to be on your lap.  Mars is also a bit naughty, I seem to be attracted to animals that are a bit too smart and stubborn for their own good.  Big B says, "like dog/cat, like owner."  But, I am allergic to cats and Mars bothered those allergies more than the average cat.  The original interested party decided they weren't ready for another cat and I had a dilemma.  I asked around trying to find Mars a home with someone I knew and trusted, to no avail.  Then right before it was time to take her back to the shelter my allergies stopped acting up and I decided to adopt her!  In the meantime my roommate had been calling her Mars, he thought she looked like Biere de Mars, and being the smarty that she is, the name stuck.

Mars showing off that big brain of hers.  Check out the awesome carpet in one of the places I have lived.  And it was in the kitchen, who puts carpet in the kitchen?  

Mars has been quite the character since the move.  As I mentioned above she is sometimes too smart, and stubborn.  The two things she has been especially stubborn about over the last two months have been 1) getting into the food in the kitchen and 2) sitting on my lap.  Luckily she hasn't been too naughty about scratching up the carpet.  We put her favorite scratching post next to her bed and I think this has helped immensely.  Scratching up the carpet was one of her naughtiest habits in Seattle, as everyone who came to my Ladies Christmas Party a few years ago can collaborate.

Mars decided there was enough room on my lap between me and the laptop, even if she had to hold on tight.

In the past she would much rather sit on Big B's lap than my own.  Maybe it is because his lap is bigger, or that he tends to move around a little less when we are sitting down (usually in the evening), or that he is usually warmer than me.  But something in Virginia has made my lap much more inviting.

I finally convinced Mars to take a nap beside me so I could get up and down with a bit more ease.

What a silly cat!  Definitely makes me feel loved, but I wish she wasn't so insistent sometimes.  It makes it hard to get motivated to get off the couch when you move your nice warm cat and she crawls right back on before you can even stand up.

I thought this would be a favorite spot for her, but this is the only time I've seen her get up in the window.  Maybe she'll like it more when it isn't so cold next to the glass.

Making Shredded Chicken

It is amazing what new information and tips you can learn on the internet.

I would love to have this Crockpot. 

Since moving to Virginia I have been using our Crock-pot more often than I did in Seattle.  Part of this is due to the fact that I was away from home far too long for the slow cooker, it cooks slowly, but not slow enough.  Although I guess this wouldn't be a problem with a programmable Crock-pot.  I also have been using the slow cooker more due to our schedules.  We attend a few cycling classes that get done at 7:30 pm and then Big B goes to bed early since he has to get up around 4:30 am.  With the Crock-pot we get home from class and the food is ready versus the minimum 30 minutes it would take for me to cook a recipe on the stove or in the oven.

You can check out my Pinterest if you are interested in some slow cooker recipes, I have tried most of them and will delete the pin if the recipe isn't up to snuff.

A lot of my recipes involve shredding the chicken after it is done cooking.  In the past I had always used two forks and shredded it with a scraping motion.  But with the lovely internet I have found a much easier way.  While searching for the fastest way to cook chicken, more about this below, I came upon this article!  Who knew you could use a mixer to shred your chicken?!?  Plus, you don't need an expensive or powerful mixer to shred the chicken, I use a mixer similar to the one pictured.  Seriously, it takes about 1/4 the time to shred that chicken up, awesome!

In case you were curious I was originally looking up the fastest way to make shredded chicken, obviously the slow cooker was not the winner, for a recipe that we had decided to make last minute.  I found that the fastest way to cook chicken is on the grill, a George Foreman will work.  However, the resulting chicken isn't always the best to shred.  The second fastest way to cook chicken is to bake it in the oven.

 Here is an example of how well it turned out.  Pineapple Chicken Verde with brown rice.

My Top 10 Running Items

Running does not come easily to me.  Because of this I do everything I can to make running easier, or to help my body recover faster.  Below are the 10 items that I have found that make running a bit easier for me.

1. Nathan Intensity Vest Click here to see my review.

2.  Nuun.  During my swimming years I drank a lot of gatorade and because of this I'm really not a fan of it any more.  Luckily there have been many developments in different options for drinks that will replace your electrolytes.  Nuun is my favorite, plus it contains no sugar and has less calories than a lot of other options out there.

3. Lululemon Ta Ta Tamer  This is by far the best bra I have ever owned.  It keeps everything in place without any smooshing.  Plus I can wear it all day, if necessary, and my shoulders don't start hurting.


4.   iPhone  This link is my take on running with my iPhone, I also talk about #5.


5.  Earphones

6.  Wright socks.  These socks have a double layer to prevent friction and blisters.  Unfortunately, I didn't discover these socks until after I had run my half marathon.  I had blisters throughout my training and then during the actual run I developed more.  I tried a couple different things that helped Band-aid Brand Adhesive Bandages Activ-Flex or Spenco 2nd Skin Squares covered with Moleskin.  The Band-Aids for Blisters helped a lot if worn after the run, but really couldn't hold up to all the friction during the runs.  The 2nd skin with moleskin helped a bit more during the run and the 2nd skin feels fantastic on top of blisters, but they only protected the blister for some of the run.  So far I haven't developed any blisters with Wright socks and they are thin, so you don't notice the extra layer.


7.  GU Energy Labs Gel were my favorite thing to consume while on runs.  I'm the type of person who needs about 2 hours to digest before any physical activity.  However, I also noticed that after about an hour on a run I could really use some calories.  I had heard gels were the way to go for people like me, but I was a bit worried about cramps.  Luckily I was participating with West Seattle Runner in a couch to half-marathon and they have a wide expanse of knowledge.  They suggested trying gels, or whatever other food you want to try, towards the end of a shorter run.  That way if you have any gastrointestinal issues you will not be far away from home.  They also recommended drinking at least 4 ounces of water with any food you intake during a run.  I had success with most of the gels I tried, but I liked GU's taste and consistency the most.

8.  My knees are not a fan of running, so I ice them.  Body Glove Deluxe Ice Pack Knee and Elbow Wrap is one of my favorite ice packs because I can take it anywhere and don't need a freezer, all you need is a few ice cubes and water.  I would take this to work with me on days I ran before I headed home.  That way I could throw the cubes and water in before I left work and had an ice pack ready for me after the run, and then I would ice my knee as I drove home.
I also like this ice pack, Thermipaq Hot Cold Pack,because it isn't as cold as other packs, but it stays cooler longer, so I usually can ice both knees with the same pack.  You can also use it as a heat pack, although I don't use that feature.

9.  A Massage Stick is great to have about the day after a long run when your muscles start to become sore.  I especially like it for my calves and shoulders.


10.  Women's Performance Compression Run Sock are also great after a run or on an airplane.  My feet have a tendency to swell up, so anything that will help prevent it is key in my book!

Running with My iPhone

I have always liked to run with music.  The beat helps me push myself and then I also can't hear myself panting.  (If you want to know more about how the beats can help you check out Melanie's post on Lifehacker.)  Before I had a smart phone I would run with an mp3 or iPod.  Once I finally upgraded to a smartphone I had a HTC Incredible.  I liked the Incredible, but couldn't play very much of my iTune library from the phone and my memory was very small.

But I loved the added apps I could use to track my runs.  My favorite app is Nike +, but I have tried Edomondo, RunKeeper and MapMyRun.  I like Nike + for a couple of reasons.  One, I found their GPS to be the most accurate when I would drive the same route.  Two, I love that you can set goals and see your total miles that day, month, year or lifetime.  Add on the fact that you can play your music through the app, set goals during your run for distance or time (I use this a lot when running with Big B since we are different speeds.  If we are going a 30 minute run I can set that goal and run until it tells me I'm halfway and then turn around and head back.)  Also, if you you like the social aspect you can post your run on Facebook and get cheers during your run.

So, I would run with my iPod and my phone.  But, soon I just didn't have enough hands, see the dilemma from my Nathan Intensity Race Vest review, and I stopped running with my phone.  I have a FitBit (more on that some other time), so I wasn't too upset about my runs being tracked, but running in Seattle doesn't always feel the safest and I wasn't a big fan of being out of touch from 911.  So when my Incredible started missing texts and calls I already had decided my next phone would be an iPhone.
My iPhone holds all my music, not to mention all the music apps available, plus I can use my Nike + and call 911 if necessary.

When I run with my iPhone I either use JayBird BlueBuds X Sport Bluetooth Headphones or Yurbuds Ironman Inspire Woman earphones (pictured).  I picked these two particular pairs because they are water, and sweat, resistant, but most importantly because I could connect with Siri while running.  That way if I needed to call 911 I could push a button and tell Siri to call without missing a step.
The JayBirds are wireless too, so I used them a bit more than the Yurbuds.  I would place my phone in the a pocket, race belt or pack and then I could just focus on running.  The Yurbuds allow ambient noise, which is especially important if you are running on a road instead of a path.

Nathan Intensity Race Vest Review

When I first started training for the half marathon last year I quickly discovered that I needed something with a bit more space.  At first I tried a FuelBelt and the belt was okay, but it bounced around more than I would like.  And then on one of our first longer runs I lost a gel along the course, I really could have used that gel.  Then Tim, the owner of West Seattle Runner, wore the Nathan Intensity Race Vest to a run.  We started talking and I quickly decided that the Nathan pack might be the answer for me and I bought one that day.  The next long run I wore the race vest and never looked back!
There are numerous advantages to the vest and in my opinion only one disadvantage.  Some pros are that it doesn't bounce and it is easier to drink from than bottles, which unfortunately meant I know longer had the excuse to stop to get a drink. It holds my phone, inhaler and some gels all in the front pocket.  The back pockets have room for whatever other items you may need on the run, along the run, or after your run is complete.  As I mentioned there is one disadvantage, it makes me feel like I appear to be a more serious distance runner than I am.