The hiatus has been too long. And my body knew it.

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?

I’ve been dreaming about swimming again, so I will probably have another back to the pool post very soon. Until then, here’s a cross post about dieting from my personal blog.

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?

It took some searching, but Cullen finished 2nd again, this time in the 50 free. His time, 22.20 was slightly behind the leader, Marco Orsi of Italy, who had a time of 22.06.

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

Cullen is tweeting again. First he said he was headed to Italy. Then he said he didn’t know what he was swimming, except for 100 IM.

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 once told my husband if we got a pool, I’d never get dressed in the summer. He told me I had a pool in my future.

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.