a workout buddy

well, i really like having a friend to work out with. today i went to langley and spent the afternoon with kara. we went to the pool and swam laps and then after dinner we went for a hard core walk. it was great. all these hours of working out alone in abbotsford...not as nice as having a partner in crime.

here's a picture that kara took of me swimming today. like my cap?
now after reading that nice paragraph above, i'm sure you're wondering, "swam laps? tell me more." i will. with the long version. the long version starts a few days ago when i was swimming in the shulba pool. the long version starts with discovering really how poor a swimmer i am. the long version starts with the comment i made to my dad yesterday about swimming: "see, when i put my face under water, i can't help but breathe in through my nose." needless to say, this quote results in laughter. i am just not a good swimmer. i thought that 400m wouldn't be that bad. it WILL be that bad. HOWEVER...with all these negative vibes getting me panic-y over the past couple days, i went to the pool at walnut grove with kara. she'd said on the phone, "i could coach you." i didn't think i needed coaching...i just have to stop breathing in underwater. (it's harder than it sounds. i swallowed a LOT of water today) what i learned today is that, it's great to have someone watch you and give you their perspective because she was able to explain the weird breathing thing! she did coach me. it's all about how i bring my head up out of the water to take breaths. i'll spare you the details because i'm already feeling the details spilling over into paragraphs and paragraphs of post. in conclusion, it seems that i need to work more on my breathing and how i come up to take a breath after every few strokes that will make the overall swimming a lot better. despite being totally wiped out after an hour of swimming, i feel like i am going to get better faster now that i know what i know about my crazy bad swimming habits. no wonder i never made it past maroon.

when i got home, i checked my email and i'd gotten my regular update from Women's Health and guess what one of their articles said...uhh...i'll tell you since i can't tell if you're guessing or not. it said, quote, "Water provides 12 to 14 percent more resistance than air, so swimming has the potential to blow your current dry-land routine out of the water when it comes to cardio conditioning and total-body _toning (not to mention the decreased risk of injuries because of water's buoyancy)." doesn't that make you feel good when you come home from swimming?