So tough guy attitude firmly in place - and a snorkel. Keep in mind that I slept in a little this morning and so the gym had plenty of people in it when I got there. Regardless of having a girlfriend, no guy wants to look like a dork in front of tons of hot women. My gym's pool is dead center in the gym with clear glass all around. Pretty much a fish tank for everyones amusement. So here I am - goggles, snorkel, pull-buoy, and snorkel. Sweet.
I am convinced that I am going to swim for miles effortlessly. I had told myself that breathing was all I needed to be an awesome swimmer, and the snorkel would fix all that. Man!!! What a wake-up call. So I take off and I am breathing like a champion and swimming right along and then...what's this??? I get tired. I have only gone 50 meters or so and I am tired. My body is sagging way down in the water and my heart rate is still high. I stop. I learn that I can only do 50 meters at a time before having to stop and catch my breath. WTF?
I am seriously concerned about being able to build the endurance by race time. Never mind that my form sucks and I can't breathe without a snorkel. How can my fitness be so high in other activities and I not be able to swim? It really is giving me some humility. This might be the hardest challenge I have ever faced as a civilian. I have always done activities that I was already good at before.
As for running, I got my first running injury. My left calf is hurting. It is my achilles. It isn't crazy bad, but I am going to rest it and ice it to heal up fast. It is hard to miss workouts with the team, but I know this is the right thing to do.
I got my bike fit done today. $375. This is going to be a crazy expensive journey. I am going to bet that I will spend more on equipment and training than I raise in funds (no funds from donations are used for me in any way). I am hoping this fit will help me prevent injuries and be able to train longer and harder.
On a different note: I got my first donation today from Jo Gruzka. This is especially meaningful because I met Jo when I first moved to CA. We were really close friends, but I haven't been keeping in touch like I should have. Jo is a Polish immigrant who is far less financially endowed than most of my other friends and yet she still jumped at the opportunity to donate to a good cause. I had heard that you would learn a lot about people and would be surprised by their generosity during this journey, and so far that seems to be true.
Lastly, I got a message from a very old friend that was also a friend of Matt's. Popeye let me know about some resources to fundraise from. I am going to ask my friends to share some favorite stories about Matt, mostly R rated I am sure, for anyones enjoyment that might be reading this blog.
