I can swim! ! I can swim! !

I can swim! !

Took me long enough, but finally, after twenty some odd years--I can swim! !

See, the trick is to keep your legs straight and kick kick kick.

I never believed kicking with your legs actually helped much in propeling you through water, until that is, I say until that is, today.

Looking back, it's really no wonder why I was having such a difficult time getting myself from one side of the pool to the other--I was doing it all wrong!

First of all, I was keeping my head above water so I could breathe. This causes the part of your body below the torso to sink like an anchor.

Secondly, I was bending my legs while kicking in broad strokes and just splashing around water.

Lastly, I was flailing my arms and slapping the surface of the water instead of carving into the water and pulling myself forward with cupped palms.

I don't claim to have the most desirable form on the continent just yet, however, there was definitely significant improvement. Now, I'm just excited to practice getting everything into synchronization so I can swim, kick, and breathe in a rhythem.

Yeah mon, feel the runnin' rhythem of the marathon mon--133 Days till the LV marathon, yeah mon !

It's Conclusive

My ankle is jammed, like jelly between two slices of bread.

No running
No biking
No gauntlet
No elliptical
No stairs
No walking (whenever possible)
No weight lifting (except for seated upper body exercises)

Until my next ankle exam Sunday.

Basically, all I can do is swim, unless that starts to hurt my ankle . . .then no swimming.

Rest--rest is good.

I am however sticking to my nutrition plan simply because I like it. It's healthy, it's nutritious, and it's filling, what else could a guy ask for.

Plus, I'm now quite the gormet--thanks to my cooking savvy aunt--and I enjoy preparing my own meals just like everything else I find enjoyable throughout the day.

134 Days left . . .

Results Pending

Today, I sought professional counsel on my alleged ankle injury. The results were as they say, non-conclusive, which means basically--more trips to the doctor's office.

Meanwhile, I'm doing quite a bit of crosstraining and keeping aligned with my weight training regimen. Hopefully, this will turn out to be something miniscule and I'll be back on track within a week or so. I'm sleeping with an icepack as it reduces the inflamation so I'm ready to go in the mornings.

All in all, this is an encouraging experience cause' it causes you to take a step back and renew and re-evaluate your commitment to something that is meaningful to you. Like they say:

No pain, no gain

Perhaps this is just what I need to push through when the going get's tough.

Speaking of encouragement . . .my cuz Dustin has also been training for the marathon (135 Days left . . . ) and it seems he's progressing marvelously. Currently, he's at seven miles and it sounds like he's got the right mindset for running eight.

You know, it's funny doing something treacherous . . . I mean, you're crossing a chasm, and no matter how much you want your dream, your goal, or whatever lofty aspirations you've set for yourself--you have to recognize the steps between where you are now and where you want to be if you sincerely desire to get there.

But who really knows, you know . . . we'll see.