Getting colder here as the Christmas miasma settles in

Today was a bit slower getting started. Even after the massage my neck and shoulders have been tight, so I put some Tiger Balm on them last night and that seems to have helped.

Slow and easy warm up ending up being 1.5 K in 28:30. Kick and pull and arm drill. Lots of all that. Cool down with back stroke and a really easy front kick with board. That took about 5 minutes to go 50 m, but it's a really good shoulder stretch. No water run, not enough time. No fireworks, no nothing. I had the lane to myself the whole time, 1.25 hrs.

As I was getting out, another couple were getting in. They swim with fins. I saw them one day earlier this week; I was sharing a lane with one of them. Suffice to say that I passed him even though I think he was going all out front crawl. (Is it still front crawl if you're wearing fins? Or is it a kick drill?) At least that's what his breathing at the end of every couple of hundred metres indicates to me.

From there to my ART/chiro. Let's just say there was some discomfort there, and I ended up icing my leg and knee for a while when I got home. Amelia the cat doesn't really know what to think about ice packs.

Later was 3x100 crunches, and 9 mostly pretty good pushups in addtion to my leg exercises. 30 minutes.

Yoga had a brutal pose. I think it's called Monkey pose, or something like that. Balance on one knee, put foot out in front on a sock or something on the smooth floor (not the mat). Then hands to the floor, and slowly straighten that leg out, toes up, pushing it forward. Then (if you aren't screaming) slide even further forward so your groin comes closer to the floor. Hips stay square so the legs are going out fore and aft. Splits is another way to put it. Ouch. Next week is our last class of the session, and we get to pick our pose. I chose feet up the wall or shoulder stand. Those are my happy place.

Richard, send me an email when you get back into town and you deal with whatever fires are on your desk.

GQH, I'd be delighted to talk about this semi-retired lifestyle. One of my co-worker's goal in life was this - "I want to schedule my work life the way most people schedule their vacations." That seems like a noble goal to me. I'm still working out the bugs.