It’s embarrassing how much Garmin stuff I have, tracking my every move.  The newest is a marine watch that supposedly links to my auto pilot on the boat that also has a heart rate monitor.  Wow does Garmin have all my info!  When Apple came out with the watch, I was convinced the HRM on that would notify Facebook when you died and post a little montage of your life.  That still could be true, there’s no doubt they’re collecting data for the future while we’re paying for them to have it.

It’s totally worth it though, I love this stuff!  My back has been a lot better, I can still feel it and am trying to be careful.  I started swimming and riding my bike again.  I’m not a cyclist, I have a gorgeous touring bike I haven’t been able to ride because of my back.

This Garmin is giving me all my swimming stats, for being down for almost a year I’m still in pretty decent shape.  My Vo2 (whatever that is) is for a 30 year old.  Without training too much, the speed’s not too bad either.  Not like I EVER want to compete again, just nice to know.

Every time I think of joining masters swim again I think of my experience in my 40’s when I swam.  There were two women in the pool who were faster than me, one who’s daughter now swims for USC.  This one woman gave me a birthday card for my 40th saying, “You’re faster than you think you are.”  It’s hard for me to tell, Walnut Creek is to swimming as Manhattan Beach is to volleyball (as Marin is to rowing, I rowed there for a few years).  A friend of mine has a daughter that played VB in college close by.  He was in the olympics for VB when I started rowing and found out Marin was a top rowing club.  I said, “I grow up in MB that’s #1 in VB, move to WC and join a masters program where it’s #1 for swimming, then join Marin rowing.  Where can I live where I’m #1?”  I’m sure he couldn’t relate, it was still fun to complain to a former olympian while watching his daughter’s match.

The incident that ended my swimming hopes and made me feel 12 years old was due to a parent race at one of my kids swim meets when they were little.  We had morning masters before the kids practices, I was asked to be on the A team for the parents race.  This was a “for fun” race, not going in any record books.  It was a 4 person relay, as soon as one person touches the wall the next one goes off the blocks for 25meters.  I can make it across a pool taking maybe one breath, top of my game.

Minutes before the race, a few women decided that they wanted to race too, a B team was put together last minute…and I mean last minute.  Suddenly, there were 8 of us walking up to the blocks when our heat was called.  To my horror, one of my “teammates” switched me up AS WE WERE WALKING TO THE BLOCKS.  I guess one of the last minute swimmers was a known triathlete, so I got bumped back.  This happened to me once before, in 7th grade when I called a VB game and when it came to our match my partner said she wanted to win and booted me for someone else.  I’ve hated both of them ever since.

The A team got 1st (of course), my B team got 2nd.  You all remember the City meet of 2003?  Yeah, thought so.  I do have a few gold medals for rowing, even that was mental torture of who gets what seat and what position was the “best.”  I was told my seat was for the lamest rower, I was 4th seat, apparently along for the ride?

At 55, just glad my back is feeling good enough to hop in and out of the pool.  Lifting a boat to put in the water hurts just thinking about it, same with golf.  I have many o’ competing in golf story as well.  My competing days are over, it’s all about getting to my golden years on my own 2 feet.  I’m closer to that than being 12, or even 40 now.

Great.