faster than I thought, but not as fast as I thought

I will explain.

Well, usually this past summer, I'd swim a mile in around 36 minutes. (Except for the half-IM, where somehow my time was 33 for 1.2?????? I still don't buy it....must have been a short course) So today (I thought) I swam a continuous mile in 31:15!!! Needless to say I was flabbergasted. Then I did the math again, and realized I made a mistake. But, I still swam it in 33:50. So, not bad, for me! An improvement--yay!

A few songs have been running through my head lately and I thought maybe I'd do an IM song of the week. I'll start off with a couple since they keep playing in my head when I'm working out:

"Learning to Fly" by Tom Petty--for some reason these lyrics just really get me pumped. I don't know why but it makes me think of how amazing it will be to cross that finish line next year.

"Soul Meets Body" by Death Cab for Cutie--not sure about this one, but it is kind of mellow and good to run to. Sort of reminds me of Wil's posts about her mind, heart, and body all arguing sometimes! :)

"She's a Rebel" by Green Day--Okay, I've been a Green Day fan for quite some time. I went to their concert here back in 1993, wearing my flannel and moshing like a good little grunge Gen-Xer. So when my 9th grade students gasp with horror, "YOU like Green Day????" (as if no one over 18 is allowed to listen to them), I tell them, "I've been listening to Green Day since you were in diapers, allright?" This song is definitely a "theme song" of mine lately. You know, a great song that just sums up how you're feeling. Love it, love it, love it!!!! Pump it LOUDLY in my car when I head to the pool.

Polar swim is January 1!!! For those of you not familiar with it, basically, the Triathlon Club up here organizes an insane gathering where we jump into Lake Erie (no wetsuits allowed!!!!) to celebrate the New Year. I am soooooooooo pumped. I will put some pics up so you know I'm not full of B.S.