Dave's Thoughts of the Day: March 3rd

I did it!!!

When 2013 started, I made a vow to break 38 seconds in the 50 yard short course freestyle swim.   Yesterday, I did it!!  You know what?  I didn't put too much thought into it... I swam my swim.  Two races before this one, the 50y fly and the 50y backstroke were 2-3 seconds than my previous best in each.  Right out of the box, I knew I had a good shot at it. 

So at the Caltech Pentathalon Meet yesterday, a meet I didn't even commit to until the night before... I literally decided to do the meet only hours before it started.. it was a slow weekend and the rain was about to clear up here in Los Angeles.   Even though I thought I was out of shape and potentially rusty, I decided to do it.

At this meet, I summoned the improvements I've made in my stroke over the last two years.. it has improved a good deal.  I knew my butterfly was better than ever, because I made some stroke changes that were a big difference.   More than any meet before it, my stroke with each of yesterday's races felt *natural.*  I wasn't trying too hard.

I felt good out there!  Didn't know I had it in me!!   Some of my colleagues from swim, not many, were also at Caltech, and they did great too!   Amazing swims by the others.  There's actually a meet coming around March 20th, the UCLA meet and I look forward to repeating the speed of yesterday's "show."  Do the dance!

Officially, the 50 fly was timed at 42.71 seconds, a personal best.   To put it in perspective, 3 years ago, when I did my first swim meet at CalTech, the 50 fly was done at 58 seconds, and back *then* thought I went way faster than I expected.   The butterfly has come a very long way.

The 50 free was timed at 36.61 seconds... it was everything I hoped it would be, and more.  I had a good feeling I'd get 37 seconds... but sub 37 is a pleasant surprise!   Freestyle is always going to be the fastest swim for most people so improving upon it can only be incremental... this might be the best two year improvement on my freestyle time I've ever seen.   My first ever freestyle race was completed in about 39.01 seconds... getting to nearly 35 seconds on a 50 in 3 years makes me feel quite good.

Now to the other things...

I know EVERYBODY watches the Oscars, but year after year I choose not to watch them, except to turn it on at the end to see who won best picture.  Every time I do this, I feel like I take a temporary trip to another planet.    It's like reality doesn't exist for the next 4 to 7 hours.   Well this year, it might have felt even more so.

I don't think he cares that I didn't go but Coach said I was invited to Nick's Oscars party.. (probably as "add on guy" since our friend Nick didn't send me an invitation individually).  I said I couldn't make it as I'm not a big Oscars guy.   I was tired anyway from the swim meet, and how.   As we approached 3:30 pm yesterday I went to lie down for a while... suddenly I'm in a deep slumber, get up momentarily to take a leak, and wake up for good at 7:57pm.  A four and a half hour nap!!!!

Can you believe this??   Then I ranted about the Oscars on twitter, only to delete the tweets a little later.   The common meme about the Oscars show is that its self indulgent, and unfortunately it was exactly as I perceived it once I turned it on... some song and dance, Ellen slurping other actors and actresses, people patting themselves on the back as if they cured cancer.  I had enough so I turned the TV back off... I did, as mentioned, put it back on to see who won.   "12 Years a Slave" was the winner.

Coach loves movies and is a huge fan of the Oscars, so it's just one thing the two of us have never seen eye to eye on.  I am not a big movie guy so I let it go.  Speaking of "Let it Go..."  did that song win best song last night?   "Frozen" killed it at the box office.

So... between that, all the twitter buzz and the next 15 hours that follow, I'm going to feel like I've been banned from the USA.   Oscars this Oscars that... this must be what a non-sports fan feels like during Super Bowl weekend.   


I suppose the last few paragraphs show a little irony in me celebrating my personal achievement while putting down those who celebrate their achievements in film... I had not considered that.   BUT... I stand by my sentiments on the Oscars...

Going back to the swim, I'm really glad I did that swim... I still think I'm a little out of shape.   I'm not sure if some of the weight I have is muscle mass, because if I was as heavy as the scale at the locker room said, I feel like I'd have a HUGE boiler right now.   I don't really have that sagging boiler as one might expect.  In fact, on Sunday, I took a good look and I thought I looked pretty good!   After all my swims, I went to another medical style manual scale in the CalTech locker room and weighed myself.  I think I lost three pounds from where I was 4 days ago.  Do the dance again!


My Dad asked me to watch a documentary entitled "Hungry for Change" which as a feature that revealed a lot of things about the food industry.  One thing I felt it didn't do enough of was emphasize the need for exercise.  You'd be surprised how much of an improvement you can have by exercising more each day, or at least on 3 or 4 days out of the week.   When I started Masters Swimming, I swam at least 3 times a week without fail (this doesnt happen anymore HAHA, but I still can get 2-3 times a week).  Anyway, in those days, just those 3 swims produced some dramatic weight loss and muscle gain.  It was a great time to be alive!   Good nutrition is a big factor in good health too, and I think the tips from the documentary were really really helpful.

It was as simple as this:  less processed foods, try to avoid manufactured sugars (glucose and corn syrup), and definitely stay out of diet sodas.  Lastly, eat way more vegetables and fruit.  I do all right with the fruit, but the veggies are an area I've long been lacking in.  They likewise emphasized green vegetable.  Something about the "green" in them makes them extra good... more nutrients, vitamins, and fiber to cleanse the body.   They were big on juicing too... I don't know if I will go so far as to start juicing, but it's an interesting idea.

This might be the greatest putt I've ever seen: http://www.golfchannel.com/media/creamer-wins-10th-lpga-title-dramatic-fashion/

On a different subject, Coach is meeting up w/ Nick and going to Spring Training this week.... now THAT is something we both find very interesting and exciting!

I unfortunately didn't think ahead and plan to get time off for that week.   Terrible job by me.  It would have been a fun, and cheap, adventure.  I'll have to come up with some other ideas for the remainder of the week.

You know I mentioned this a year ago, but the buffet at Talking Stick Casino in Arizona is just amazing.   That alone gives me reason to go out there.  Maybe I could go and find something *like* that here in LA.    It's fun to think about.

Ah you know what, this may do the trick:  Fogo de Chao.   The meat quality there beats anything at any Vegas style buffet doncha think?  

Ah que sera sera... more reason to save up the pennies to return to vegas, because it has it all... and I tell you the Wicked Spoon buffet at the Cosmopolitan had *it* all...  even their beef culotte slices were so good, almost as good as prime rib.

I wonder if their dinner buffet DOES prime rib....   I salivate to even think about it.   I'll sit on that for a moment... have a great Monday!