Totally and completely immersed in summer!

Annnnnd it’s August. What the hell! When did this happen? I’m convinced July didn’t really exist. There was a wrinkle in time and it went from June to August. Alas, Summer, you have once again flown by too quickly. In spite of that fact, I have been making the most of my last days of this most glorious season. It has been a banner break for me. I’ve been working on healing, training, and oodles of other fun including travel, the launch of a friend’s new publication (of which I am Managing Editor), and most recently, a complete overhaul in my swimming technique. Here’s the Summer of Glory lowdown.

Ohio Multisport Magazine

Ohio Multisport is the online and quarterly published magazine my friend (and GGR president) started this summer. I was honored when she brought me on board as managing editor. I have greatly missed working in the world of publication. On August 6th, OM was officially launched. The print edition will be out shortly, and I couldn’t be any more excited. We have had a great amount of positive feedback, and I look forward to  the endless possibilities this publication holds. You don’t have to be an Ohioan to appreciate the magazine. Though we do feature race/event listings for the Buckeye State, we also include articles on triathlon, cycling, running, injury prevention, wellness, nutrition, and so much more. Check us out at www.ohmultisport.com and stay tuned for the September issue.

Grunt Girl Racing

My GGs!

We have had a tremendously successful season. Just last week we held our 4th annual Shatter the Silence trail race in which we donate 50% of the race proceeds to the Rape Crisis Center of Summit and Medina Counties. We had our biggest turnout yet, thanks in part to Stacy, our team president, being interviewed on local news program Fox 8. Angela Campos, one of the station’s meteorologists, conducted the interview and even showed up to run the race. We were honored to have her there and thankful for your helping us to bring attention to this often ignored issue. We have big plans for our 5th annual next year and I can’t wait to see them come to fruition.

Travel

I’ve been so fortunate to be able to travel in my life, and this summer’s travels were no less amazing than any of my past trips. I of course made my way to two of my favorite places: Michigan and Massachusetts. Mark and I had a beautiful beach vacation on the shores of Lake Michigan. We visited Douglas Beach, Holland Beach (where we climbed a massive sand dune the size of a mountain), and Oval Beach. It was hard to believe these beaches were lakefront and not oceanfront. Though the water was cool, it was clear, clean, and stunning. We made our way to New Jersey a couple of weeks later for the wedding of friends Ruchi and Tim, and this past week I whiled away the hours with my mom in the most magical place on Earth: Walden Pond.

Mom and me

For years she has heard me speak dreamily of the colonial homes, the rich American history, the outstanding food, and of course, the pond. We started the week with a day on Boston. This was my first time flying in (there was not way my mother could handle an 11 hour drive…nor could I have handled her not handling it), so we flew in early and made a day of it. I love Boston. Though the traffic is miserable and the drivers are, well, not pleasant, everyone not behind the wheel of a car is friendly and helpful. We hoofed it around to most of the more popular historical sites, and we visited the famous New England Aquarium.

So many sharks! It’s glorious!

I faced my fear of penguins (Don’t you judge me!) and put my mom through a bit of torture as I made her sit through the IMAX 3D documentary Great White. It. Was. AWESOME. The rest of the week was spent showing my mom around the always perfect Concord. We visited just about every museum and historical site we could pack into three days, and we managed lots of pond beach time as well. The weather was lovely (Thank you, Thoreau!) and I even managed to squeeze in some Total Immersion swim practice in my favorite body of water.

 

Total Immersion Swimming

Making my TI coaches proud as I perform a perfect triangle while swimming in the magical waters of Walden Pond.

Speaking of Total Immersion, last weekend I completed a two-day clinic in which I “immersed” myself in a new swimming form and philosophy. Not only was it enlightening, it was 100% effective. My swimming has been completely revolutionized, and for the better. Heck, since I’m starting out a new and better runner this summer, I might as well add swimming to the list. My friend and swim coach Leah Nyikes, owner of Liquid Lifestyles Swimming, invited me to the clinic, and boy do I ever owe her one for it. I couldn’t possibly cover all of the details of the method and philosophy in this already much too lengthy blog, but what I can say is that anyone looking to improve their swimming technique should definitely look into TI.

Dry land practice for the “flick” kick

Everyone at the TI clinic was super, students and coaches alike!

I feel 100 times more confident about going into Big Shoulders in three weeks than I could have ever dreamed of feeling. I do advise that you truly keep an open mind to some of the techniques, and it’s important to keep in mind that changing your form can be a little stressful at first. There were definite moments when I became frustrated with myself, and I had flashbacks to when I first tried to learn how to swim just 5 years ago. However, one week later and three more times in the pool since, I already feel the “neurological memory” solidifying.

Hip Recovery

Several months ago, leg raises were the bane of my existence. Now they are practically effortless.

Oh yeah…I had surgery eight months ago. It’s easy to forget when you feel as great as I do! At first it felt a little weird not going to physical therapy every week, but since my last visit a few weeks ago, I have been managing a weekly plan for all of my training, including the suggested amount of strength training and running. I’ve been building up my increments; I’m now running three-minute increments five times. Bonus points: I can’t remember the last time I was sore after running. When I first started back into it, I had to ice and take ibuprofen after every run. Now I just use the foam roller for about 10 minutes afterwards and I feel right as rain. I’m keeping my fingers, toes, and eyes crossed that when I go in for a monthly checkup with Steve this coming Wednesday that he tells me I can start running outside. In my opinion, fall is the best running weather here in Ohio – what little fall we have – and I am itching to hit the pavement and the trails. Ugh…did I just say “fall”? Summer, you elusive tart, you!

The Summer of the Story – review

I finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and I loved it. I am so very happy my student recommended it to me; she was absolutely correct in assuming I would enjoy it. I highly encourage anyone to pick if it up if he/she has any love of murder mysteries, precocious and sassy protagonists, 1950 Britain, stamps, wonderful writing, and/or good stories.

I’ve had to amend my list a bit since I got a bit behind. I’m currently rereading The Scarlet Letter in preparation for the school year, and that will be followed by Breaking Night for the same purpose. However, I hope to jump back into the list once I’m prepared for the start of the 2013-2014 school year.

Though August if halfway over and school begins soon, I’m not ready to say goodbye to this amazing summer. We’ve had a good run, this season and I…but it’s not over yet.