Quick Catch Up

Grab a beverage of your choice, and pull up a chair. It has been a while, and it is time for a quick catch up.

Me? I’ll have a bottle of rootbeer. In fact, I had one on Saturday.

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Rootbeer has to be my number one guilty pleasure beverage. And to my horror I discovered that the diner by my house in London sells them. Seeing as a bottle of rootbeer contains something like 8 teaspoons of sugar, this will be a very very rare treat for me. It was delicious by the way!

I finally feel like 2015 has started. Maybe it is because my UK taxes are finally out of the way. Why is it that every year I have intentions to file early, yet I find myself in the last week assembling the information and searching for my login details. This year I got mine in about four hours before the cut off date. But they got done. I celebrated with a glass of this lovely New Zealand pinot noir. Tasty!

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I saw the ITU paratriathlon start lists announced for the first international race of the season, in South Africa. I must admit, I had a pang of “I-wish-I-was-competing”-itis strike me. And then I found this advice drawing when I was assembling my tax papers.

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Running = bad.

So I let the “I-wish” feelings flow through me. That is not my reality any more, ITU is not the choice I made. I chose my knees. Finally heeding the doctor’s advice, albeit two years later. In fact, I have to get myself to the post office. I have lined up a framer to mount my Team USA tri suit, my Chicago medal, and my paratriathlete athlete pass. Because that chapter is over for me.

Instead I am focused on this – the pool. My happy place.

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Just out of the Lido on Sunday and who do I see? Jeremy!
It was 0*C outside, 26*C in the pool. Refrshing!

Last week I was in the pool three times for three pretty killer sessions. I even dared to put on fins for about 300 meters. This is a huge deal for me as they can really mess up my knees and ankles. But I survived – albeit with achy shin muscles. I even hung onto the back of a speedier session than I normally attend – and survived that too. I’ve been getting out of my comfort zone in ways that are on the “good diagram”.

I anticipate spending a lot more time in the pool, as over the course of the past 10 days I have entered four open water swims. The big one being my focus – the Dart 10k swim in September. And the other three being just a bit of fun – the 3k Capital Tri series at West Reservoir.

Hi, I’m Donna. And I have a swimming problem.
And I can be tempted onto the dark side with rootbeer.

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