My Swimming Adventures

23. Swim laps at least four days a week for two months.

 

If reincarnation is real I was definitely a fish in a previous life.  I absolutely love the feeling of gliding effortlessly through the water.  There is nothing better in my opinion. 

I have not swam regularly since I took a lap swim class in college.  That was in 2007.  Unfortunately, when you haven't been in the water for awhile, there is no such thing as gliding effortlessly through the water.  Your body remembers how to swim but your muscles are not strong enough to actually do it for a long period of time.  I was not looking forward to my arms feeling like lead and struggling to breathe after swimming a 50.

Regardless, I typically woke up around 5am and swam various workouts that I created throughout the month of June.  I slowly increased the difficulty of my workouts and noticed that after the first two weeks I could complete one without feeling completely exhausted.  The workout below is one of the most difficult ones that I completed individually.  My goal was to swim two miles a day (3300 yards) and average eight miles a week.  I was able to do this for most of the summer.

In July, I joined the FAST Masters group.  Since I am a competitive person, swimming with other people took my workouts to another level.  I felt myself trying harder during practice and I could tell that my endurance was improving.  Waking up at 4:30 in the morning wasn't always easy, but it was definitely worth it.  

I can now consistently swim a 50 (without a dive) in :32 and a 100 in 1:06.  Although these times are not fantastic,  I am proud of the progress I've made.  My goal is to swim a 50 without a dive in under 30 seconds, so I will definitely continue swimming.  

Thank you to my friends Jennifer and Justin for swimming with me throughout the summer!  

Items completed: 21

Starbucks Withdrawls and Monogrammed Stuff

63. Go 30 days without getting a drink from Starbucks.

I am a Starbucks addict.  When you walk into a coffee shop and people start automatically making your drink (regardless of what day of the week it is) you know you have a problem.  If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you have seen your fair share of my Starbucks cups.  They tend to look something like this:

I am addicted to one drink in particular: the salted caramel mocha.  It's definitely more of a winter break, which is why I decided to complete this item during the summer.  However, that was easier said than done.  I had gotten into a routine where I stopped by Starbucks almost daily to enjoy my cup of coffee.  Stopping suddenly certainly didn't sound that appealing to me. 

However, once I got past the first week, it got easier.  Yes, I would stare longingly at any Starbucks stores I passed, but I stayed strong and kept on driving.  After 31 days I happily returned to Starbucks and was reunited with my favorite drink.

Do I plan to go to Starbucks on a daily basis again?  No.  I will do my best to save it for special occasions.  However, when winter returns and the Starbucks stores get their salt in stock all bets are off.

46. Buy something that is monogrammed.

This was an easy item to cross off my list.  I got bored one day and decided to search for monogrammed items on Google.  I found my way to Pottery Barn's website and decided to get monogrammed hand towels.  I promise they weren't too expensive.  

I know that it looks a bit wrinkled in my photo, but once I get my steamer working (another item I will soon be able to cross off my list!) I will fix that.  :)

 
Items completed: 20

My Month in Photos

My month in June depicted in photographs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Items completed: 18