The truly crazy LOCO swim

SWIM 2:00 and 5150 yards, broken into am and pm!

Blame it all on the pumpkin. I tried re-introducing pumpkin last night, only half a cup, but it didn't go well. I can also blame the fact that DH is out of town and I got a lonely Blerch mentality. Then blame the dog, then ...  haha, so many EXCUSES!

I got to the pool around 9am with the plan of doing a 5K swim. All was going great, the pool was crazy busy with kids and bobbers everywhere. Only one lap lane, but only at the most 3 of us sharing it. When I started I was sharing with a woman who would swim the deep end then run the shallow. Not sure about that, but whatever.

All great until the 2nd 500 coming back down the loco. I pushed off the wall for lap 59.5 and CRAMP! OUCH! A left calf cramp even though I was pulling. I reached the wall to end the 500 and the cramps continued, now including the right calf, the right foot, OUCH!! More stretching just meant more cramps.

I've cramped before in long swims, and in races, so I knew I had to keep going. The next set was a 100 choice. I made it through that with more cramps, every push, stretch, or stand induced it. The next set was a 300, I can do this even if I have to PULL the entire damned thing!

The first 300 was a H-M-S set and partway in (I think in the last half of the H 100) the lifeguard signaled to get out. Someone had puked in the pool! NOW WHAT?! I decided to run my errand to work then return to finish the set. The lap counter said 65 laps. Since I came out of the pool at the shallow end, I was really at 65.5.

Went to work, to the first grocery stop, had a lunch of an orange, some olives, and some feta and ricotta cheeses. Not the best, but it would work. Back to the Y. I almost missed the sign on the door about the pool being CLOSED because no lifeguard. Ugh. I figure I'll run a few more errands, then call the Y to check the status, as the sign didn't indicate if this was for the day or for the next few hours.

Two more grocery errands, then I call. The pool is closed for the day. By now it's almost 2pm, plenty of time to run to the SoCo YMCA and what luck I'm already on Grand Ave. I boogie on down there, fuzzbrained and tired now planning to finish a 103 lap 5150 session. Heck, why not a 6K with that mid-break recovery time. Yeah, right.

I'd debated starting at the shallow end of the pool to keep the count even, but didn't do it. I was swimming crooked, sloppy, and unfocused. At one point I heard a woman yelling at someone, turns out it's not a problem but rather her way of teaching some kids how to swim. What?! I keep going, eager to finish as I'd promised myself some time in the hot tub once done. Funny thing is, once done my counter said 40 laps?! Not 3.4.5+3? So did I swim 105 laps? Or did I screw up the lap counter earlier? Doesn't matter, I'm counting it as 103 laps, as 5-1-5-0 really sums up the day.

The hot tub was HOT, almost burning, and I sat there maybe 20 mins with a black 1000-yard stare on my face. Not thinking, not moving, not anything. Which was almost a problem when one of my fellow hot tubbers started to climb out and I realized he was wearing white, unlined shorts. Thankfully, he didn't turn around!

I enjoyed the whirlpool vortex a bit, let the jets hit my back and arms, wondered if I ever wanted to get out or not...

Blerch started the day, Blerch kinda ended it, but he didn't ruin it. The swim is done.