Swim Miami 2010

"Party in the city where the heat is on

All night on the beach till the break of dawn
Welcome to Miami (Bienvenido Miami)"
~Will Smith

As I am writing this post, I am looking out the window at the "Snowpocalypse of 2010". We are expecting a total of 20-30 inches of snow when the storm passes (not for another 10 hours or so) and all I can think of is the warm sand between my toes. About 3 weeks ago Ry and I were discussing which races he was looking into for the 2010 season. There was the Muddy Buddy and The Warrior Dash but, this year I really wanted to do an open water swim. I have researched swims the past few years and always found an excuse to avoid it. I "googled" open water swims this year and a 10k in Miami popped up. My first thought "SWEET MIAMI!!!" The idea of racing over 6 miles didn't cross my mind for another 30 seconds. My second thought "I might die". Luckily they also have a 5k and a 1 mile swim. I am pretty confidant that I could finish a 5k right now without training but it would definitely be a struggle!

As usual, I was really excited for about 5 minutes and then the typical excuses started to take over: It is expensive, I don't want to take off work and am I really going to train for this race? Ry saw the light starting to fade, shoved the credit card in my face, and told me to register NOW. So, I tried not to think too hard and I registered. What a rush! Right after I received the confirmation that I was registered I was so excited again (and extremely nervous)!

Now, when I told Ry there is a 1 mile swim it was his turn to get excited. He has finished an Olympic distance triathlon which starts off with a 1 mile swim. Sweet! A race for him too! We love anything we can do together and this is definitely a challenge for both of us! We decided we will leave a few days early and stay a day or two after the race to make a mini vacation out of it.

Once both of us were registered I started thinking of a training program for myself. Ryan has been working out nonstop since I have met him so, I am not too worried about his workout plan. I, on the other hand, haven't worked out in way too long! We had about 3 months from the date that I signed up and I needed to start swimming ASAP.

This is where fate took over. I was getting ready to leave swim practice the following day (I am a swim coach for 12-18 year old kids) and one of my swimmers came up to me and told me she got a part in her school musical and she can't come to Mon/Wed practices. She then asked if I could write her a swim practice so she can come in the mornings before school. "It's a BINGO!!!" I decided right there that I would come in and swim with her. This was the motivation I needed! It was a great idea... until the following morning when I woke up for our first practice. It was rough waking up and even harder to jump in the pool at 5:30 am but a great feeling when I finished (and yes, I am still faster than the 12 year old... DOUBLE BINGO!!!).

We are about 2 and a half months out from race day and both of us have been training consistently. My goal is to swim faster than 1.5 hours and Ry's goal is to finish before I do. Can't wait!!!

I Plunged!

Well, I didn't plunge but Ryan did! I stayed inside a nice heated 84 degree pool, watching the snow fall while Ryan was out in the snow plunging into the Chesapeake Bay. You might think he is a little crazy but then so are the other 10,000 plungers! This past Saturday Ryan raised a ton of money for the Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge. This year over $3 million dollars was raised by all of the plungers and the proceeds go towards Maryland Special Olympics.

Ry is probably somewhere near the Krav Maga Maryland sign

Now, if you are from Maryland you know Saturday was cold. I don't think cold is the right word... freezing, bitter, arctic even... but not just cold. The weathermen couldn't seem to figure out what was going to happen on Saturday. The forecast went from 1-2 inches all the way up to 6 inches of snow within just a few hours! I think the high was 18 degrees and the water temperature was a whopping 34 degrees. With the windchill it felt as if it was anywhere from -5 to 5 degrees... burrrrr! Plus, once he was out of the water he had a hard time finding his towel because all the snow covered it up!

I know this is a small picture, but that is Ryan (the guy on the right w/o a shirt), in the water in just his swim trunks

Yes, it was freezing, snowing and miserable but, it was all for a great cause! And when he finally arrived home, Foxxy and I were waiting with a warm blanket, hot chocolate and a movie to sleep through.

"Pumped"

Word of the Day: Pumped - when the muscles become hard from extended physical exertion makes it difficult to hold the rock

What does it feel like? Having Popeye's forearms AFTER he eats his spinach and no, it is not a comfortable feeling. Especially when you are 30+ feet in the air, hanging onto a tiny little peg on the wall to keep you from falling. Yup, Ry and I went rock climbing.

We both had a day off (which hasn't happened in a very long time) so, we decided to go on a date. A few years ago we had talked about going rock climbing at a local gym Earth Treks but nothing ever really came of it (and honestly I was just fine with this because as I get older, my fear of heights increases). For some reason Ry thought rock climbing would be the perfect date for us. He had a little convincing to do but, eventually I was on board.

We started our morning off with brunch at Pussers, which has the most amazing view of the bay, and then we headed over to the gym to go rock climbing. Once we found the gym (after circling the area a few times b/c Ry "remembered how to get there") we paid for 3 climbs each and a pair of rental shoes. We had to change and wait for an employee to belay for us. Now the girl that came over to belay us was maybe 5'2 and 100 lbs soaking wet. She was in charge and making sure we didn't fall off the wall. It is amazing the little pulley system that makes that possible!

It was pretty crowded so we stopped at the first open spot on the wall. Ry went first b/c my palms were already sweating just thinking about climbing. Once he was securely attached to the girl and the wall he started his trek. He hit a couple spots where he needed a little help on where to go but, other than that he made it up perfectly! I had the camera in my hands but I was way too nervous to pull it out and start taking pictures. He came down very smoothly and then it was my turn. Crap. I was securely attached to the girl and the wall (I watched her like a hawk) and I started my venture up the wall. The first few pegs weren't too bad and before I knew it I was half way up the wall. Then... I looked down. I froze. Ry was playing with the camera so he didn't see me at first looking for some encouraging words. Eventually, he looked up and started to talk me through it. The girl was trying to help the whole time but, I just met her and she looked like she was 12. Yes, she had over 5 years of climbing experience and has worked there almost 2 years but at that time... she was no one to me. So, after I defrosted a little bit and listened to Ry, I was back on my way up. My palms sweating even more, knees shaking, and my arms were getting tired. I made it slowly about 3/4ths of the way up before I decided it was time to come down. I was flat out scared.

That was as high as I got on my first climb... the top was 44 feet high

Off to the second climb. Ry and I picked two different climbs. His was still about 44 feet high and mine was probably 30 feet high (I needed to build my confidence). Once again, he was attached and ready to go. The second climb was a little harder than the first and he was pretty tired. He almost made it to the top but, he was "pumped". I did get some pics of this climb though

I told you she was little

On his way up the second climb

My second climb... much easier than the first

And off to our third and final climb. Ry and I did almost the same climb. Mine was a little easier than his but it was the same height. It is still pretty scary at the top but we both made it all the way up this time!

Almost to the top!

Made it!

We had a great time and we definitely learned how far we can push ourselves. It isn't your typical dinner and movies kind of date but, rock climbing as a date definitely fits us! Next time we are going to take an intro class so we can learn how to belay for each other.

We both have a day off again this weekend but, I don't think our date will be as exciting as this one. We have a date with our closet. It is a little out of control .