Day Seven - "Off Season"

A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.
~Author Unknown

One truly negative thing about being a parent and getting older is that you children grow older as well. Now don’t get me wrong the best pleasures in life are watching your children develop academically, emotionally & spiritually. With these growths though is the one part that we hold dearly, the lost of innocents. The main goal in Sarah and my life is to instill values and respect in our girls. Material processions and the “want factor” is a battle we are constantly barraged with especially when, “my friends have one, why can’t I” attitude. However, as they grow and mature, the material issues take a back seat to the moral values that will engulf them on a daily basis in the form of peer pressure from friends, TV, Internet, sex, drugs, booze, how they should look, the right thing to do and the thing their friends are doing. Sarah and I believe in rooting our children but allowing them to spread their wings and have your children develop friendships with children from the same moral upbringing. When our children are surrounded by good people that respect family values and life over material possessions and instant gratification, I know I will be able to go to sleep with less worries.

I went to bed feeling uneasy about a TV show we watched, Lie to Me, last night. The story had to do with girls wanting to fit in and doing anything to make that happen. Of course, three of the items I mention above were part of the “fitting in”. I went into Grace’s room, as I always do before bed, told her that she is the most important thing in my life and I am there for her no matter what. No long speeches, no “don’t do this or that”, just support.

Woke at 4:50AM. Coach Mike is going to start to incorporate form and technique into the workouts. I think this is a good idea for all. The group is done with triathlons for the season and most of us are gearing up the running sessions for half and full marathons. Form and techniques would benefit all of us during the Fall and Winter while allowing us to keep our fitness levels maintained.

I arrived at the pool excessively early. No one was on deck upon my arrival. I plopped down on the bench with my feet up and my head on my swim bag and thought about what I was going to accomplished today. With the beginning of a new month at work, there is always month end reporting and financial analysis of my teams’ progress and expenses. This will be the focus of the day, but first, I set a target on working on extensions in the water and becoming more efficient in my stroke.

The workout: 4,550M

400 Warm-up
300 Drills
Main Set
Only rest is the interval
200M at 3:20
2 X 150M at…forgot the interval
4 X 100M at 1:50
6 X 50M at :50
10 X 25M at :25
200M at 3:20
Form
2 ( 4 X 50M) Stroke reduction - :20 rest
Take 1 stroke off each 50M
Strength
10 pushups on the deck’s edge after each rep or 50M and 25M’s which was 200 pushups
6 X 50M at 1:10
10 X 25 at :40
4 X 50M at 1:10
150 Kick
100 Warm Down

All I can say is, H-U-N-G-R-Y! I get extremely famished after knocking sets out like this. I hit every interval with time to spare. Good workout.

One last note on the swim. "Please, please, please, when you get tired after a few sets focus on your stroke. I know I am not the only one being pummeled in the pool by swimmers with a sweeping left or right hand. After 10 times having my knuckles fisted it starts to hurt. We can only hug the lane line so much before we are on top of it. Look where you are in the water and who is coming up on you and don't hit us." Thank you for your time.

Headed off to work to start the month end process and analysis. I guzzled my chocolate milk, scoffed down a banana and polished off an apple on the way to the office.

After the 200 pushups not sure if I will hit the gym for weights at lunch, but I may need to get out of here for a while after crunching numbers.

I welcome the day’s end when the stress of my work life is over and the real important aspects of life take over, like joy of my children’s faces upon my arrival at home. Moreover, it does not cost a cent.