No matter I’ve been working out 6 days a week. No matter that I completed the 100 pushup challenge, the 200 squat challenge, and have finished 4 weeks of couch to 5k training.

When I hit the water, my body let me know it’s been a long time since I’d seriously swum. I managed 500 yards in 20 or so minutes. I think I swim too fast for me to be able to sustain my pace in freestyle. I did most of my laps on my back. I decided not to beat myself up about it this time. It must have been about a year since I’d done any lap swimming.

But I’ll be back. Sooner, rather than later. Is it me, or is swimming the most strenuous sport out there?

The children earn a lunch out when they get 100% in all their subjects all week. My 11 and 9 year olds earned a 100% week last week, and they invited the 3 y/o to join them. Yesterday was the lunch day.
The little children always choose McDonald’s.

Do you understand the restraint it takes to go to McDonald’s and order those stupid grilled chicken snack wraps, and no fries?

I used to substitute a smoothie and or a frappe for the fries, but I nixed those yesterday.

The 9 year old invited the 3 year old, because she likes to play with happy meal toys with a partner. The 7 year old, who earned the most 100% weeks last year is having a dry spell in the 2nd grade, so she couldn’t invite him.

The 3 y/o was tickled pink to get to hang out with the big girls.

There was something different about those Happy Meals. First of all, do the fries look tiny in those little cardboard boxes, or is it me?

Secondly, each Happy Meal also came with a bag of apples. The children tasted their apples, but didn’t want them. I ate them, glad to have something with my wraps.

And I thought, McDonald’s would make a fortune if they sold those apples to women. How less torturous a trip to the Golden Arches while dieting?

I mean, I tried their salad, and it was a minefield for my South Beach (diet) days, not to mention less than fresh.

But the apples? Crisp and tasty, despite the fact that they’re peeled.
So here’s my adult Happy Meal: 2 grilled chicken snack wraps ( I prefer the chipotle barbecue sauce, though I suspect it’s evil), a medium-large bag of apples, (with peel) and a bottle of water. You get your lunch and dessert all together, and you haven’t jeopardized your diet too much. Are you listening, Mickey Dee’s?

Natalie Coughlin had another great day as well. Here’s the day 2 scoreboard.

I was on pins and needles to find out how he did. I found out that Jones and other American swimmers participated in an International Swim Meeting in Bolzano, Italy.

Then I read this mysterious tweet: “It’s coming around 48.9 after heavy lift yesterday … I’ll take it…#beatenup”

Here’s the rest of the story, as I found on Swimming World

Italy’s Marco Orsi won the men’s 100 free in 48.92, while USA’s Cullen Jones finished second in 48.95. Italy’s Federico Bocchia earned third in 48.95.

Good for Cullen! I’ll be on the lookout for his other performances at this meet over the weekend.

Here’s a deleted scene from a very moving episode of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. The young lady in the clip, LaRhonda, had recently lost 160 pounds, but she still weighed 270 + pounds at the time of the race. Inspiring!

I should have said I need to have a lake house.

One of my daughters just had a slumber party at her friend’s house, which just happens to be surrounded by lake. The house is completely lit up with light reflecting off the lake. The children jump on a big trampoline with the lake as a constant backdrop.

There’s a swing that’s hung just so you can swing over the lake. Not to mention the dock, now invitingly set up with a table and chairs. And their swimming hole, and they have boats.

*sigh*

With all that water around, I wouldn’t rest until all the children were drown proofed, it goes without saying.

After I picked up my daughter, I had to run to the store. I ran into one of our pastors, and we talked about how wonderful it would be to live on a lake some day. I personally would prefer to live on the lake for a month or two in the summer. I can leave the cold in the winter.

But if it was in a hot climate…

Until then, I plan to waterproof those babies.

I got some support for my belief watching A&E’s show, Heavy.

I know I’ve shared my mother’s story here and at my personal blog.

I used to watch Richard Simmons and sob, wishing my mother would participate. Now that she’s gone, I obsess over shows like Heavy and The Biggest Loser, desperately wishing they could have saved her.

In the second episode of Heavy, I watched a young woman learn to swim for the first time at the age of 28, and weighing over 280 pounds. She had started out doing water aerobics, but once she learned to swim, her weight loss accelerated, and it gave her such hope.

Her partner in weight loss was not allowed in the pool at first because of an open sore on his leg. He was so happy when finally allowed into the pool. The 500+ pound man already knew how to swim, and he also accelerated his weight loss once he started swimming.

There is hope for the morbidly obese. Swimming is a lot gentler on their joints than land exercising. Don’t ever give up. There are family members and friends who would miss you so much if you lose the fight.

By far, the hardest struggle is psychological. After going through the grueling obstacle course, the rangers in training roll through muddy water. Then they crawl while rolling through the freezing muddy water. (The air temperature is 56 degrees and falling). After rolling through the cold water for a while, the men must do monkey bars with wet hands over the water. Then they jump back in the water and crawl through the mud.

The next day, on 3 hours sleep and one meal over the course of 24 hours, students must climb to a 50 foot high balance beam, walk to an obstacle, crawl to a rope line, touch a tab, drop into the freezing cold water, and swim 25 yards to a finish line.

A ranger must lead others through some of the most hostile environments on earth. They must show no fear.

Cold water swim test. Swim 25 yards in the cold water, fully dressed. Some of the black people on this particular episode couldn’t survive the cut. the cold water and full gear plus lack of swim skills disqualified some recruits.

The lesson here? Get your swim training before, during or after your military training. Lack of swim skills could stand between you and your dream–even if you dream to be part of an elite land based military unit, like the Army Rangers.

“Relax! Don’t let the pool beat you”, the staff sergeant cries.

After 2 hours in the pool, each man must swim thirty yards underwater without breaking the surface. As each marine surfaces, he must show that he is in control and lucid. Run til you puke, swim til you can’t swim anymore. Failure to complete the full 30 yards means they must repeat until they complete the task.

Shallow water blackouts occur during extreme training.

I watched Captain Washington, a black marine, finish his second attempt of swimming the 30 yards underwater, touch the wall, and then hyperventilate, and black out.

After proving themselves in the pool, the men move to the ocean.

Day 2: Amphibious phase: The gear gets much heavier–ca 90 pounds. 2 mile hike to the beach, then hell in the Pacific Ocean.

First lesson when attacking from the sea. If they can’t see you, then they can’t shoot you. They must first camouflage themselves by rolling in the sand, then they run into the ocean for training.

Day 3: Zodiac: A lot of paddling, and a lot of carrying a boat. Paddle 200 yards to buoy number 1, then 300 yards to buoy number 2, then they flip the zodiac over and carry the boat back to the start, then they repeat until they’ve completed 5 rounds. Then they hit land, and have 3 mile boat carry. An empty Zodiac weighs 300 pounds, not to mention a boat with sand and undrained water and oars.

As the winners rest, the last 3 teams get to do pushups.

Day 30: The longest day: Surviving in the Pacific Ocean. A marine must be able to swim 2000 yards in the ocean with full gear. Their packs give them buoyancy in the water. The marines must make it to the buoys in 60 minutes. Six 2 man teams failed; they could not break the surf. The failing teams will get a retry the following week. Captain Washington made the cut.

Week 12: Only 36 of the original 65 who started the course remain. They have just 24 hours to complete the course. They will get no sleep; it is the closest thing to combat they can get.

At 9 PM, all hell breaks loose. Instructors assault the perimeter, and flank the area with tear gas. The marines don’t have gas masks, and must fight the urge to run. Leave your position, and you fail the course on your last day. Attacks continue throughout the night, for 10 hours straight. At dawn, they have a job to do.

The marines attack the enemy base, then must hike 3 miles back to base carrying 200 pound dummies, and other marines designated as wounded. But there’s one big roadblock: tear gas. The instinct to quit overwhelms every man. If they can’t figure out a way to get through it, they will not succeed.

Despite overwhelming physical tests, mental endurance is what is tested above all else. All of the final 36, including two black men, survived 12 weeks of brutal training.