Mission Complete!

Last weekend, I finished the 165 mile swim. It started on New Years Day. The last few weeks, I was putting in 4-6 miles every day - five days a week.

I wound up being the first to finish the challenge. It remains open until the end of July. I'm happy about my standing. But, I am really happy to get back to running and bicycling. I will keep on swimming, just not near as many miles.

I have to stop eating like I am swimming so much or else! I should be posting here more frequently too.

Where I has been...

In the pool. Hours every day.

Why? Because I have a plan. Part of that plan requires me to swim a marathon plus next week.

I have ceased all running and all cycling for the last two weeks because of the plan. After the plan, I will have a life again. It will be sad if my plan does not work, but I will be able to bike and run, one way or the other after next week. I will probably read a book or play the ukulele or watch TV or something else.

The plan sucks. But, it is the plan.

New shoes

I have not been a very good blogger lately. Really, there hasn't been too much to write about. I know. That hasn't stopped me in the past.

Still swimming - a lot. In fact, I have been putting in some absurdly long swims. The other day I swam for 3 hours straight, stopping only long enough to drink some Ultima to keep from cramping up. Sometimes I feel like a third-stage guild navigator.

And on that note, a few year back, I started getting into the minimalist shoe deal.

I tried to buy some minimalist running shoes at Runner's Soul back then, and was told they would never carry 5 -Fingers or any other shoe like it because they didn't think there was a market for it.

Yesterday, I was in the locker room, having just finished swimming and folding space, and I ran into a fellow I haven't seen in about 12 years. He told me he was reading Born to Run and this was inspiring him to get back into running again. A few minutes later, my son texted me that he was off to buy some new running shoes. I have been procrastinating about getting myself new shoes, but I thought that there seemed to be some cosmic shoe plan for me after these two conversations, so I walked over to Runner's Soul.

It's obvious that Runner's Soul has seen the light regarding minimalist shoes. Wow. A lot to choose from. I picked out the New Balance Trail Minimus. I ran with them today.

The soul on these shoes is thick enough that you won't be hobbled by a rock or an acorn, yet you will be able to feel all kind of craziness underfoot. They are light- weighing somewhere between the Pankas and the most minimalist trail shoe you could purchase two years ago. A lot of my running lately has been to work and back, with a backpack full of stuff, and these should work well for this.

I Paid $100 for these shoes, but it looks like you can pick them up online for about $70. I like buying at Runner's Soul whenever I can, so I did. Many New Balance shoes are made in the USA. However, all the interesting ones are made in China. Sigh.


I like these shoes. They will be replacing my full-suspension running shoes, not my paper-thin Pankas! The Pankas, after liberal shoe-gooing, are still going strong.