Is that the...sun?

Well, it has certainly been a lllooooonnnggg winter. Today, it's supposed to be sunny and in the 70's. Can I truly allow myself to believe that it's over? I'm not sure how much longer I can deal with rain and cold. I literally think to myself, "I can't take this anymore." And so now, the sun is shining, and I am a happy girl.

I've been home with my son for the past two days. Poor thing. He's sick with a stomach virus. I was talking to a friend yesterday about how your strength and tolerance changes when you become a parent. He was saying that his stomach gets so queasy that if someone gets sick, he'd start puking right alongside them! I used to be that way. And now...not so much.

On Wednesday night, I heard a strange sound coming from my son's stomach. In the time it took for me to ask, "Willie, are you ok?" Bleeech. All over my pillow and all over me. I wasn't even phased. I sat up, grabbed the trash can, and rubbed his back while he finished. Meanwhile, my husband turns on the light and starts laughing at me...covered in puke.

Um, do you think you could grab me a TOWEL or something?????

So I threw in a load of laundry at 2:30 am, we all switched over to Willie's bed, and went back to sleep. Well, they went back to sleep. I layed in bed for an hour waiting to see if he'd get sick again. So at 3:30 am, I got up and went to the basement to throw the sheets in the dryer and put the next load on. I climbed back in bed and the next thing I knew, my alarm was going off for me to get up and go swimming.

Uh, no. Not today.

I slept until 6:30 am and woke my husband up for work. Thank God for internal alarm clocks.

I spent yesterday sitting on my arse....working on an IEP from home. My bottom was numb by the afternoon! Then I finally got up and started moving around. Willie spent the day watching movies from the couch and napping. He's still not feeling better....he got sick again last night on his bed. So it was down to the washing machine again! I'm so hopeful that he turns a corner today.

Yesterday was the first day I haven't exercised since the last Tuesday in February. I actually think that's a good thing, because I was becoming a bit obsessed. I gave myself permission to take the day off and followed through with it. It was really good for my body to take a break. I needed it. And I was still down a pound this morning. 156 pounds.

My next event is the Frederick Running Festival with Melissa, Kara, and Laura on May 3. We are running the marathon on a relay team. I'll need to run 6 or 7 miles for my part. I'm excited to do this, and I've been working hard on the treadmill to be prepared for it.

Oh! I almost forgot! I wanted to share a HUGE milestone with you. Since I started swimming again, I've really been struggling with swimming the freestyle for a long distance. I am a 3-stroke swimmer, so I alternate breathing to my right and left side, which theoretically gives me ample oxygen during my workout. But I could only go up and back (50 m) before I'd have to stop and rest at the wall, gasping for breath.

So most of my workouts have consisted of interval training. 50 meter breaststroke, 50 meter freestyle or 25 meter breaststroke, 25 meter freestyle. Then I gradually worked up to swimming 100 meters using freestyle, but that was about all I could handle before I was GASPING to catch my breath.

I even Googled "breathing techniques" to try to fix what I was doing wrong. I learned that the breath to the side cannot be used for both exhale and inhale of air....it's not enough time to get a good breath. My problem was that I was concentrating on going fast that I held my breath while I swam until it was time for my next breath that I was just grabbing for air instead of taking a deeper breath.

So last Monday, I decided that I was ready for my next swimming challenge. I decided to slow down (I was swimming 50 meters in 55 sec--Which is considered a moderate pace, but it sure felt vigorous to me!) and concentrate on my breathing.

On Monday, I swam 5 breastroke, 5 freestyle, 5 sidestroke, 5 backstroke (OK!)
On Tuesday, I swam 5 breastroke, 5 freestyle, 5 breastroke, 7 freestyle (Here we go!)
On Wednesday, I swam 5 breastroke, 5 freestyle, 5 breastroke, 10 freestyle (You're doing it!)
Off on Thursday
Tody I swam 5 breastroke, 5 freestyle, 5 breastroke, 15 freestyle (Woot! Woot!)

I cannot tell you how ecstatic I feel, and I am so very proud of myself. I actually believe that I may be able to work up to swimming freestyle for the entire 1/2 mile swim in the Pinchot Sprint Triathlon in June. I NEVER thought that would happen. And I mean NEVER. I had convinced myself that I was a sprint swimmer and would NEVER be able to swim longer distances.

Never say Never.