swam with shelly monday. 5000. felt stonger. I dropped the drag suit i had been wearing for the last few months. i got instant speed. it only lasts for like 2 workouts though. she and i did new dryland circuit today and then 4000. felt pretty good.
i got my first sponsor this week. emilio from desoto sport said he would send me a wetsuit to wear. they make the only 2 piece wetsuit on the market and it has the most shoulder flexibility out of any suit around. i look forward to it.
anyhow, thats it for today. more later in the week.
rocketboy
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Thursday, November 23, 2006
thanksgiving
rough week in the water for me. on monday i swam with two olympic quality swimmers, one, my coach Shelly Ripple Johnston, and the other a friend Mandy Leach. both are amazing, and both gave me the poor mouth on how out of shape they were. i am swimming more than i have in 20 years and felt okay with hanging with them for awhile. the thought that i am 10 years older than them and was never even close to their level never entered my mind. until the 3rd 400 when they said lets go 1:20 pace and they went 1:12. smoked me. period, end of story. the worst part is this is when they are supposedly out of shape. it will never get any better as they are just gonna get faster and faster. i need to laugh lest i cry! haha.
i swam 4000 on monday, 5000 on tuesday and 4000 on wednesday. i was whipped. it was the equivalent of my whole last weeks distance, so it is to be expected, first real look at what i am up against.
i got my second look today as i am in mississippi visiting my family for thanksgiving. i took an hour and drove to henderson point in pass christian, ms. all homes are gone. the bridge to bay st. louisis gone and i can see my high school a mile or so away. i questioned what and why i was doing this. i don't know on some levels. it is about me, it is about a connection to the coast, it is about trying to help kids get fit, it is about all of this and none of this. i don't know why, but i feel a sense of almost guilt for turning away from the coast some 17 years ago and never looking or coming back. none of what i am trying to do would have probably happened had i moved back here, and i am not a really regretful person, but the feeling is there. for anyone who has left their hometown and then returned years later everything seems so much smaller. i had come back here twice a year at least for the last 17 but i always seemed to go to the same places, parents house, one trip to beach, drive through old stompin grounds, back to parents. i realized that when my dad said i lost my history with katrina, he was very right. i am trying to reinvent or re-establish some of it and it is hard. we spend most of our youth trying to get older and get past our high school/childhood only to forget much of it. shame really. it is not like i had a hard life and wanted to forget anything, i just deemed the coast insignificant for long enough and now realize i was wrong and now i can't relive any of the significance as it has been washed away.
tomorrow i will take a nice easy long swim in the lake behind my parents house.
in an odd turn i was searching the internet for a book called swimming to antarctica, and found an article on the woman who wrote it on cbs.com. i was kind of questioning today if i should do this thing. on the bottom of the page with the article on the woman (dated sept 17, 2003) was a link that said "It's hard to tell the story: CBS Correspondents speak of Misery and helplessness." I click on it and it is dated Sept 2nd 2005, it is a story about katrina and its impact on the coast. I AM NOT KIDDING YOU! here is the link:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/12/60II/main540357.shtml
talk about fate or karma or whatever.
32 miles
1 day
1 swimmer
it is on
happy thanksgiving to anyone who is reading this.
i swam 4000 on monday, 5000 on tuesday and 4000 on wednesday. i was whipped. it was the equivalent of my whole last weeks distance, so it is to be expected, first real look at what i am up against.
i got my second look today as i am in mississippi visiting my family for thanksgiving. i took an hour and drove to henderson point in pass christian, ms. all homes are gone. the bridge to bay st. louisis gone and i can see my high school a mile or so away. i questioned what and why i was doing this. i don't know on some levels. it is about me, it is about a connection to the coast, it is about trying to help kids get fit, it is about all of this and none of this. i don't know why, but i feel a sense of almost guilt for turning away from the coast some 17 years ago and never looking or coming back. none of what i am trying to do would have probably happened had i moved back here, and i am not a really regretful person, but the feeling is there. for anyone who has left their hometown and then returned years later everything seems so much smaller. i had come back here twice a year at least for the last 17 but i always seemed to go to the same places, parents house, one trip to beach, drive through old stompin grounds, back to parents. i realized that when my dad said i lost my history with katrina, he was very right. i am trying to reinvent or re-establish some of it and it is hard. we spend most of our youth trying to get older and get past our high school/childhood only to forget much of it. shame really. it is not like i had a hard life and wanted to forget anything, i just deemed the coast insignificant for long enough and now realize i was wrong and now i can't relive any of the significance as it has been washed away.
tomorrow i will take a nice easy long swim in the lake behind my parents house.
in an odd turn i was searching the internet for a book called swimming to antarctica, and found an article on the woman who wrote it on cbs.com. i was kind of questioning today if i should do this thing. on the bottom of the page with the article on the woman (dated sept 17, 2003) was a link that said "It's hard to tell the story: CBS Correspondents speak of Misery and helplessness." I click on it and it is dated Sept 2nd 2005, it is a story about katrina and its impact on the coast. I AM NOT KIDDING YOU! here is the link:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/12/60II/main540357.shtml
talk about fate or karma or whatever.
32 miles
1 day
1 swimmer
it is on
happy thanksgiving to anyone who is reading this.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
me and my family
I realized when I looked over my entries that I did not tell you all about my family. I was trying to get the gist of my goal out to you and forgot the biggest part of my team. I have been married for 5 years to an awesome woman Jeanne. We have two great kids Paige (4) and Ian (2). They are apprehensively excited for me in this endeavor, and I can see why. Jeanne has seen me do a few races where at the end I did not look so good. I once did a half ironman (a 70 mile race) and when I finished practically broke down cying. I don't know why, I finished pretty well considering it was wicked hot and I had nutrition problems. I just filled with emotion when I was done. I can't remember if I was happy or sad. I think just pissed because I had an off day. Anyhow, Jeanne has no perspective on the distance that I am trying to conquer. She does not race and thought the explanations I give her make sense to her, she still thinks I am crazy and she worries. Understandable. She is still supportive though and I am going to need that. My kids know I am going to swim and my daughter stretches with me a couple of times a week. Last week after we stretched, I thanked my daughter for "working out" with me. She informed me that it wasn't working out, her back was just hurting her a bit. HAHAH! Touche! My son is too young to know what I am doing, he just climbs on my head.
the week that was
WORKOUTS 5 (4 swim 1 dryland)
YARDAGE 12,150
I started out this week with an update on my meeting with the BRAF folks and having them set up my foundation. I ended it with a pretty strong week of workouts, improvement in my back and I am starting to add a new dimension to my swim stroke.
Swimming is a form based sport. Terms like kick amplitude, stroke efficiency, hip roll, feeling the water, and 2 and 6 beat kicks. All kid of confusing to most, but think of swimming as a golf swing in the water. Every movement needs a purpose, and when you get tired, like in golf, your stroke breaks down. This is important for me as the longer I can swim strong and smooth, the faster I will go. In an event this long, my stroke will eventually begin to break down. I just want to delay that as long as possible.
I have been swimming for 30 years competitively. For those 30 years, my kick has always been an afterthought. On Friday I swam with a friend of ine Mandy who swam in the Olympics and at LSU. Her stroke is super smooth and her kick is going the whole time. I use a 2 beat kick, which is one kick per stroke. She uses a 6 beat kick, as do most elite swimmers. I decided to go ahead and try this as well. GOOD LORD! This was a rude awakening. I basically added 3 times the kicking to my stroke. Not only is it difficult from a timing aspect, but it also is exhausting. My coach Shelly informed me that I will slow down and be a bit more tired out for a little while, but that it should help me come March 31st. I will train with this kick and then revert back to my easy kick so as not to tire out. I will keep you updated.
I did not mention in any post so far, but I am the proud owner of two herniated discs in my lower back. Most of the time they do not bother me, but with my increase in swimming, they have begun to give me trouble. I have been going to my fried Gloria Wall, witch doctor/physical therapist supreme. I apparently have failed to develop many back muscles and am having to do this now. Should be no probelm.
The balance of work, training and family has so far been okay. We'll see how all this works during the holidays.
YARDAGE 12,150
I started out this week with an update on my meeting with the BRAF folks and having them set up my foundation. I ended it with a pretty strong week of workouts, improvement in my back and I am starting to add a new dimension to my swim stroke.
Swimming is a form based sport. Terms like kick amplitude, stroke efficiency, hip roll, feeling the water, and 2 and 6 beat kicks. All kid of confusing to most, but think of swimming as a golf swing in the water. Every movement needs a purpose, and when you get tired, like in golf, your stroke breaks down. This is important for me as the longer I can swim strong and smooth, the faster I will go. In an event this long, my stroke will eventually begin to break down. I just want to delay that as long as possible.
I have been swimming for 30 years competitively. For those 30 years, my kick has always been an afterthought. On Friday I swam with a friend of ine Mandy who swam in the Olympics and at LSU. Her stroke is super smooth and her kick is going the whole time. I use a 2 beat kick, which is one kick per stroke. She uses a 6 beat kick, as do most elite swimmers. I decided to go ahead and try this as well. GOOD LORD! This was a rude awakening. I basically added 3 times the kicking to my stroke. Not only is it difficult from a timing aspect, but it also is exhausting. My coach Shelly informed me that I will slow down and be a bit more tired out for a little while, but that it should help me come March 31st. I will train with this kick and then revert back to my easy kick so as not to tire out. I will keep you updated.
I did not mention in any post so far, but I am the proud owner of two herniated discs in my lower back. Most of the time they do not bother me, but with my increase in swimming, they have begun to give me trouble. I have been going to my fried Gloria Wall, witch doctor/physical therapist supreme. I apparently have failed to develop many back muscles and am having to do this now. Should be no probelm.
The balance of work, training and family has so far been okay. We'll see how all this works during the holidays.
Monday, November 13, 2006
things are coming together
A lot of what I had concerns about is starting to come together. I had no idea how to start a non-profit or if I even needed to. As I am sure I will see over and over and over on this adventure, friends are our greatest asset. My restauran is in a public market started by a group tied to The Baton Rouge Area Foundation, a national recognized non profit organiztion. They are goin to set up a fund for me giving me immediate legitimacy. As the name of the blog represents, their is a working name for the event, and now there is a legitimate name for the charity Rocketkidz Foundation. I am excited and am now ready to start looking to the big dogs for help. I hope they will be fired up and get involvled. If you know anyone or would like to be involved you may email me directly @ pat@rocketburrito.com.
My wife Jeanne and I went out to eat tonight where she vocalized concern about if I could make it, and what could happen to me etc. I have never thought of not making it and it kind of startled me. It is a long way to swim. Is it a mental game or is it a physical game. Obviously both, but I have never swam more than about 3 miles without stopping. Only 10 x's that and I will finish.
I will finish. It may take me 24 hours, but I'll do it.
My wife Jeanne and I went out to eat tonight where she vocalized concern about if I could make it, and what could happen to me etc. I have never thought of not making it and it kind of startled me. It is a long way to swim. Is it a mental game or is it a physical game. Obviously both, but I have never swam more than about 3 miles without stopping. Only 10 x's that and I will finish.
I will finish. It may take me 24 hours, but I'll do it.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
who is this rocketboy and what is this all about?
I guess it is time that I make official what many of you know limited details of. As you may or may not know I lived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast from the age of 7 until I came to college 11 years later. I spent the first two summers of college coaching a summer league team there. It was a cool place to grow up. One block from the beach, pretty laid back and beautiful brown water as far as the eye could see. Alright the water isn't so pretty but the beaches were.
When Katrina hit, the neighborhood I grew up in and hundreds more just like it were wiped from the face of the earth. I wanted to try and do a burrito rescue there, but with the influx of people into Baton Rouge, I was slammed busy and unable. In January I had to sneak by National Guard troops just to get in to see what was left of my old neighborhood. I sat on what was left of the house (simply concrete steps) and cried. I did not know I would have such a strong reaction to being there. Whenever I go home (my parents live north of the interstate in Gulfport) I always go down to the old hood and the reaction is nearly the same. In the year plus that has passed nearly no rebuilding has occured on the beach. Homeowners must wait for FEMA water tables, try and get insurance for their losses and good luck trying to get someone to rewrite new insurance.
Nice story, but what does it have to do with me? I have tried to figure out a way to benefit the coast, but the reality is I am not going to raise enough money to rebuild any houses and there are plenty of people trying to help in that regard. I am putting the finishing touches on a charity that will raise money to help promote kids fitness in the area. In order to raise awareness for this I am going to swim from Bay St. Louis to Ocean Springs, MS on March 31st, 2007. About 32 miles. My goal is to raise $1,000,000.00. With the help of Crawfish Aquatics I will be also trying to organize a swim a thon where we try and get 100 masters teams to each raise at least $1000.00 and swim the same distance on the same day. I would like this to turn into an ongoing event there and in other areas. We hope to educate kids and families about childhood obesity, rebuild fitness centers on the cosat, and help promote physical education in schools. I will be trying to bring national attention back to the coast and back on childhood obesity.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)