Swim Swam Swum

Must be able to swim 36 laps of the pool in a row -- no clinging to side of pool gasping -- to do triathlon. Or else consider wearing a flotation device, causing self horror and shame. Like when you were the last kid on the block with training wheels. (Note: this never happened to me, I learned to ride a bike without them.) Or if you had to wear headgear to school. (That really did happen but not often.)

So in the pool I was accustomed to doing a few laps, then kicking a lap or two with a kickboard, etc. But yesterday I did 18 laps stopping only to drink a little water or de-fog my hateful goggles. I'm starting to think this Can Be Done. Ideally should swim another 10 or 12 laps in the pool to accomodate for open water conditions, so I will be working on 48 laps. Gaah!

Ran in park tonight. Uneventful. Feet are not happy with running but it's okay, they're not killing me, and oddly enough it gets better the farther I run in any given session -- they start out really sore and by the time I'm done they are down to a dull roar. Before I got orthotics they hurt much worse than this all the time, such that I would get home from work and not eat dinner because it meant getting up and walking into the kitchen. So I can take it.

Ran in park on Weds. too, which was eventful in that I took Hope, the smaller and more nervous of our two slothful hounds. She would bite if provoked, so I feel good about taking her when I'm alone out in the wooded park. Anyway Julianna reminded me at the last minute to take some bags for dog (dude!). So I took one. Yeah, I needed three. And I had one. Which I tied into a knot after the first squat on the way to the park. So imagine my delight when she did it again, in the street -- in the center of an intersection, no less -- and I had to untie the knot and scoop up yet more poop without getting any on my hands. I was even further delighted to find the park has no trash can. So I left it under a tree at the entrance to the park, and forgot to retrieve it on the way out because I was all preoccupied with running in public.

She did it one more time in the actual park, for good measure I suppose, but it was a tiny amount and off the path so I let it lie, having no bag handy.

I did fetch the offending bag home today, it was still where I had left it and none the worse for its 48 hours alone. I want to be a good dog-owner citizen, to make up for the fact that I use Wee Wee Pads in front of the litterbox...