Happy New Year 2012

Good Health has no holidays

-unknown

I do not know where I heard this quote, but it is so true. It may be a holiday, and many revelers  may be sleeping-in or convalescing,  but I will continue my exercise regiment this New Years Day morning.
Coach John Grzeszczak of Hammerhead Aquatics outlined the swim practice for us today.....

Warm-up: 400 yards swim, 200 kick

50 yards x 16 times.

Main Set:

25 yard drill

125 yards fast

25  yard drill

75 yards fast

25 yard drill

25 Fast with and overkick

This last set, is in 7 minutes and repeated 4 times.
50 cool down...

Michael and I spent New Years Eve at a wonderful house party with friends from Maine and New England. Perfect weather, great food and an entertaining fireworks completed the calendar year for 2011.

Instead of making "resolutions" and broken promises to myself, I decided I will continue to treat my body well. Continue to exercise and exercise my mind. Take time for rest and relaxation. Take time to "smell the roses" and enjoy the little gifts that life gives us on a daily basis. Because good health, is good wealth.

There is so much beauty everyday to explore and enjoy; so get out and SMELL some roses!

.

Swimming with Hammherheads......

Warm up!
300 yards swim
300 yards pull down ( with "Pull/Pool Buoy").

Ok,  first drill 12 x 50 yard 'pull' swims ( with pool buoy) in 1 minute 10 second intervals. Every third 25 yard breathing every fifth stroke!

Now the workout starts! ( 1650 yards or one pool  mile. completed in 26.08 minutes) 66 laps

Swim 500 yards rest 20 seconds,
Swim 400 yards, rest 20 seconds
Swim 300 yards, rest 20 seconds,
Swim 200 yards, rest 20 seconds,
Swim 100 yards, rest 10 seconds,
Swim 50 yards, rest 10 seconds, (Coach yelling "ALL OUT")
Swim 50 yards, rest 10 seconds,
Swim 50 yards, and now your done!

As a child growing up in the city of Somerville MA, my dad took me to swimming lessons in the winter time. In the summer I was sent to overnight camp in New Hampshire or Maine. It was at camp where I had more lessons and my love for swimming grew. One year, the coach at camp was an Olympic swimmer from 1968 Summer games! ( I thought that was really cool!).I played water polo at College for three years, and I played in a summer league in Bermuda in 1982.

Now that I spend winters in Florida, I swim with the Hammerhead Aquatics Masters Swim Club. This internationally recognized club/team has some great members, and a nationally ranked coach, John Grzeszczak. When going to practice,  I never know what to expect for drills or workouts. Coach John will push us in different directions: sometimes we will focus on speed, agility, or stroke. Working out  in a speedo  in south Florida during the winter, too much fun!

I love swimming in Florida. All the pools are outdoors, and heated to at least 81 degrees. Fort Lauderdale is known as the swimming capital of America, its home to the International Swimming Hall of Fame

Part of our prerequisite for buying a house in FL, is that it had to have a  gratuitous pool ( not a dipping pool, which is now de rigueur in south Florida...). Our pool is 30 feet long!


I think mission statements are important. They reflect the philosophy of the organization. This is the Hammerhead mission statement:

Our mission is to promote swimming as a form of exercise and lifelong friendships as a member club of UNITED STATES MASTERS SWIMMING. We accept anyone regardless of race,age,disability, or economic income. We are also active in our community to help the less fortunate through fundraising in the local community and giving of ourselves. We want to create a great life experience for each individual in our program.

Pompano Beach Aquatic Center

http://www.hammerheadaquatics.com/