A swim again

Went for another swim today since my foots not ready for running or fencing yet. Did the standard workout put pushed a little harder during the pyramid and the arms w/kneeboard laps. Still feels pretty good. Next week, I'm going to start timing laps to see how I'm doing. I received some information from the Pentathlon Association with event times, so now I have something to compare myself to. Should be getting info on pistols soon too, I'm really looking forward to adding this last piece to my training.

A swim at last

Finally got my butt into gear to go swimming again. With the work I've been having done on my foot, I wasn't too hip on getting right back into the water, but I certainly could have gotten back in before now. Since I can't really run or fence with the foot work, I really need to get back into the regular swim thing to stay in shape. So...did the afternoon swim. There weren't many people there so it was nice to have a lane to myself to ease back into things. I felt really good technique wise and cardio wasn't bad either. I did my usual swim workout and even got down to 15 strokes/length once on my arms w/kneeboard laps. Not bad for not having done the swim thing in two weeks. I need to gear back up for coach Wendy soon too.

Event viewing

I opted to go down and watch Laura and other riders from Hilltop compete in Eventing rather than head over to Yakima to watch polo. Since I did my first jumping course on Thursday (a mini course to be honest), I really wanted to start watching more jumping and get a feel for what it would be like to start going to these events. I arrived around 11:00am to find that Laura had already won 2nd in her trainer category for the cross country event. I got to watch Coho (sp?), Caroline and Lindsey ride. I have to admit, cross country looks pretty fun.

A coarse first course

Oooooh, I was excited tonight! I arrived at the barn to find five jumps set up in the barn...and no one was on Pet yet. The probability was high that I would be doing some more jumping tonight, so I was revved up as soon as Laura confirmed that yes, indeed we would be jumping. It was myself, Kelsy and Lindsey that would be riding the jumps. Kelsy and Lindsey are both experienced jumpers, so I was to set off first while the jumps were still low. I jumped straight poles and cross rails although there was an oxer (sp?) and a fence on the course...little too much for this beginner. I started in on my seven jump course and ended up having to take two or three swipes at each, almost fell off three times and missed several jumps (in the correct order anyway). Don't even want to think about the time faults I would have added up. My feet fell out of the stirrups four times, and I'm sure my whip that Laura gave me to get Pet started up must have been a real mess because she finally asked me to drop it. But, I finished my first jumping course EVER. Wow, do I have a long way to go. I was exhausted, my back was fatigued...but I did it. My highest jump was about 2'6", far from my 4' height, but on my way.

After my round I was able to watch Kelsy and Lindsey ride, what jumping was really supposed to look like. The jumps went all the way up to 3'6". They had some challenges too, as well as Laura afterwards jumping on Mac, so it was good to know that my issues weren't only from being a novice, I'll continue to have the challenges even in the higher levels of competition.

"Patience in your brain"

I was a humbled rider again. Tonight, because Sheila was jumping Pet the lesson before me, I rode "Vesty", a bay a bit smaller than Pet. Vesty was a notch up from Pet in skill and experience, but it proved a major challenge for me. Vesty was very responsive to my balance issues and I spent most of the workout just getting a feel for Vesty...and vice-versa. He would stop on a dime and relied much more on reigning than Pet ever did for aids so I found myself way off balance many times when trying to figure him out. Once we got in the groove, things went pretty well. The canter with Vesty had challenges too. There was a delicate balance between slowing down and complete stop with Vesty, but with some work I was able to get things to work. It was hard keeping him at a walk between drills, but one of the neat things about Vesty - once again a very experienced horse compared to Pet - was that he will go into a canter right from the walk. I felt like I was back at lesson one with Vesty, but since I ride unfamiliar horses in the pentathlon, this is a good piece of humble pie. Its times like this, as in polo, that I feel I'm letting down the horses. But, in a way, this makes me work harder. Laura sensed my frustration and reminded me "it takes patience in your brain" several times.

More footwork, no footwork

Started the morning by helping out the SYC women's crew team by riding in the launch and videotaping their workout. The SYC women's boat recently one their 50+ Opening Day race by half a second (and had better times than the 30+ and 40+ age groups!). It was a beautiful morning, sunny and Lake Washington was like glass. It made me really want to start rowing again. I may try to get some sculling in in the afternoons and even some sweep in on the days I don't have to work at 5:30am. I raced in the 1999 Opening Day races. We got 3rd place after a tough race with Sammamish so I appreciate the women's accomplishment this year.

Had some more work done on my feet this morning. More of the...plantar warts (remember...I'm trying not to spare the reader of any of the realities of athletic life). Had the final work done on both feet in order to get back on training track as soon as possible. The running felt so good and I've really been missing the fencing. I did go to fencing tonight, just to watch. I missed the footwork portion but did get to watch a few fencers. Also watched Leon give Bernard his epee lesson. They did some pretty amazing compound attack work. Can't wait till I'm back in play.

Go coach!

Went to watch Laura, my riding coach, compete in her 3-Day eventing. It is a pretty big, as in space and grandeur, sport. The cross-country course is so big that you can't really watch the whole course from any one point. I arrived just in time to watch Laura compete. I was able to see two jumps, a water obstacle, a sharp downhill corner and then another two jumps. Its great to see your coach in action every once and a while.

New balance

No not the shoes, although I will be getting a new pair of running shoes when I get my next paycheck. I write of a new sense of balance I achieved in riding tonight. I learned a lot from the weekend of polo, so with Laura's help we set in to correct some problems...mainly, that I was balancing with my hands. The drill that finally cured me (at least for this particular training session) was letting the reigns drop/hang while keeping my hands back at my hip. This forced me to balance with my body rather than with my hands. Overall the ride felt great, my canter was the smoothest its ever felt and I felt a lot more confident after the balance drill.

Running man

Well...I was supposed to come home after work and Madison student tour (I was a volunteer naturalist for Madison Middle School students at Schmitz Park in Seattle over the lunch hour), go for a swim in the afternoon, go running at Greenlake at 5:30 and then go to fencing. What actually happened is that I came home from the tour, was so tired from trying to keep the attention of a bunch of 8th graders that I took a nap, and ended sleeping until 7:00. Whoops. So...I decided to go for another run. During the run, my left thigh was a little fatigued and the inside of my right ankle felt a little tweaked but I think this was because I had just gone for a run the previous night and my muscles were still in shock that I was actually back running. Cardio felt great again.

Here comes the run again...and the rain

I was way to soar from polo to do any training on Monday. But an interesting thing happened on the way back from orthodontist this morning...I ran. Yes...I RAN! I was late (a bracket fell off my braces) so I had to run back. Surprisingly, it felt pretty good. It was only about four block, but it felt good...healing foot, new orthotics and all. So after work, feeling a little track fever since it had been almost four months since I last ran, I decided to go for a run. I did my old 3 mile course around Portage Bay. It felt so good. My feet felt great, my legs felt great and my cardio felt great. I wasn't even tired afterward which means my cardio is set for picking up where I left off with running (I guess the swimming had mad a difference). The run felt so good. And the rain gods were smiling too. There was a medium rain during my whole run, but two minutes in the door and it poured so hard that I couldn't see the house across the alley from my bathroom window. I think more than anything, the running really makes me feel like I am training and like I really am a pentathlete in training. Now its time to bring the other events up to snuff.

Yakima polo

Went to Yakima over the weekend for my second try at polo. The venue was the White Swan Polo Club in a beautiful valley just through the Union Gap outside of Yakima. I had planned on participating in an indoor tournament at the Tacoma Club, but because it was canceled I had the opportunity to head over to Yakima. I was looking as much forward to the sunshine as the polo. I got a lift with a buddy, Jason, who played polo at WSU and now lives in Seattle. He's originally from Yakima and is now pretty much the guy in charge of running the club (organizing, keeping the field mowed, etc.). Jason has played all over the States, Canada and in Argentina, so he was a great resource for this rookie both on the ride over and during the weekend.

We left early Saturday morning. The trip over to Yakima, through the Cascade Mountains and then through eastern Washington, reminded me a lot of landscapes in Germany, Nebraska and New Mexico. It was just nice getting back into wide open spaces. We picked up Jason's truck and trailer at his parent's place in Yakima, retrieved his horses from the pasture at his family's auction yard and then, after grabbing some beer at Costco and other grub for dinner and breakfast on Sunday, headed for for the polo field. The hope was to be groomed, tacked and ready to play by 2:00pm. Well, the Kentucky Derby got a little in the way...but in a good way. We jumped across the road to the ranch house to have mint julips and watch the derby. Jason had to pop back out to the field early to mow the field (he had to use his truck to pull the mower blades since the tractor was out of commission).

I helped Virginia and Laura (my riding coach) groom their horses and then helped Jason with his since I would be using one of his horses for the weekend. I got the tail wrap down pretty well, but the rest of the tack still escapes me. There's a lot of leather on the polo bridles. Didn't even try the leg wraps as its pretty important to do them correctly and I didn't want to screw them up. Jason let me ride "Aticus" (sp?). Poor Aticus, he really put up with a lot from me. He definitely wins the "putting up with a newbie award". I went to do some stick and ball at the end of the field with Laura to get the feel for the game again and quickly figured out that Aticus didn't like any pressure on his mouth...any pressure including stopping and turning. Laura confirmed it since she had ridden him in the past. I got back into the polo thing pretty quickly and even hit the ball three times in a row once...at the canter!

Soon it was time to play my chucker. Whoa! It was a lot faster than when I played indoor in Tacoma. I felt a lot better riding this time, but correct playing position and overall strategy were still way beyond me. I had some problems staying light on Aticus' mouth but seemed to get better as the chucker went on. It was the stopping that was difficult for me. I just need to get a lot more riding under my belt. I had a couple - exactly two - good shots and almost scored a goal once. To be honest, I was just glad to stay on the horse and have a lot of good people around to give me pointers...Jason, Gratia, Rick, Jana (sp?), Bill, George, Randy, Virgina, Laura, Zubair, Wendy, Nick, Stacy, Steve and Allan. After the horses were groomed and tucked away in their corals over at the ranch, the evening festivities began. Fresh salmon on the BBQ, George's 'special' zinfandel wine, dogs, good jokes and lots of good people. Then off to our tents to turn in. It was great camping under the clear sky in Yakima.

Red dog slept just outside the flap of my one-man tent all night, protecting me from the wilds of a Yakima polo field.

Sunday morning, we had a breakfast fit for Prince Charles himself. Everyone had brought steak for dinner the night before, but since the salmon took the spotlight we had no choice but to cook up a king-size breakfast. Jason is an incredible cook. I think I had the best BBQ steak I've ever eaten that morning. Randy fried up our Costco hashbrowns and made some amazing scrambled eggs. Laura topped it off with some delicious pancakes.

After getting the horses we learned that Heather, who had been hit on her ankle by a ball, and Zubair wouldn't be joining us. My one-chucker Sunday turned into a four chucker fiesta. Jason asked George Dill if I could use a couple of his horses for two of the chuckers and George obliged.

I rode Aticus the first chucker and had the same problems before. Aticus had to put up with my riding abilities again, but did a great job doing so. I tried my best to stay out of his mouth. I was concentrating a lot more on playing my position, the one position, better. I held back a lot more and let my team mates do their thing and pass forward the ball when appropriate. I had several chances at the ball and hit about two of the ten that I could have. Jason, Bill and Allan were once again really helpful...and patient.

The second chucker I rode George's horse "Proxy". Proxy could turn and stop on a dime so I ended up working more at my riding, balance particularly, more than anything. I ended up with my arms around Proxy's neck many times but I managed to stay on. Proxy new the game well and was usually turning into the play long before I would have known what to do. My balance issues on Proxy certainly humbled me quite a bit on my riding, showing that riding different horses will really be key in my pentathlon training.

Next it was back to Aticus. I think Aticus was getting pretty tired of my strong hold on his mouth. Several times, he would stop turn his head around to the left and just stare at me. Poor guy. I reached out with my left foot and stroked his nose in apology, gave him a pat on the shoulder and reassured him that his time with me was almost over. I tried to not put any pressure on his mouth for the rest of the chucker, relying just on neck reining, verbal and leg aids. We actually finished off petty well, but I'm sure he was glad when I finally jumped off and started untacking him.

The final chucker I rode Goerge's "Sara" (sp?). I felt really bad because George thought I was done riding and had untacked her. A quick response though and George and Laura helped get all the tack back on. George re-wrapped the tail, Laura through on the saddle. Laura and George were even patient enough to instruct me on how to put on the leg wraps correctly. George said she might be a little tired since she was doubling and she thought she was done for the day. George held here while I jumped on and I was off. I put my leg on to go forward...and she was READY TO GO! Didn't seem tired at all and was set for the final chucker of the day. Sara knew the game well and once again was responding to the play sooner than I could. I felt pretty confident on Sara, just had to get used to the swivel stirrups that she had. I lost my footing many times, but Sara didn't stop a beat. I even tried to ride off Nick, one of the best players out there. Nick had been a great teacher all weekend and I think he was being nice to let me ride him off so easily, but I did it and learned a great defensive skill.

Breakdown was pretty leisurely. It had been a long day for all the players and it was a beautiful spring afternoon. I helped George, Laura, Virginia and Jason breakdown. Right as everyone was starting to pull out a former player pulled onto the field, Colby was the last name, with cold champagne. Mr. Colby and his wife were wonderful people and we talked about the days when the club sponsored the Heritage tournament and Nordstrom sponsored the event. Nick, Gratia, Jason came over and we talked about the polo played over the weekend. It was a great close to the weekend.

I feel so lucky to be able to learn the sport from such a great group of people. They were all so helpful and patient with someone that was quite a novice (I didn't even get my tack right the first time I tried it). The phrase "good people" just kept running through my mind. A big thank you to everyone at White Swan Polo Club for putting up with me. I look forward to returning the favor or passing along what they taught me to another novice someday.

Polo strikes again

Went to Yakima this weekend to try my hand at polo again. There are lots of details from the weekend on my polo page, as it did the last time I tried it, polo really brings out where my riding opportunities are in general. The same stuff...keeping my heels down, more expressive but subtle with my aids, BALANCE, and recovery. I had a great time learning a little more about polo and how to play, but learned a lot about how far I have to go in my riding.

Horse talker and stellar swim

Something is right in the universe. I had an amazing ride last night (even before I started the jumps) and today my swim was stellar. I started my afternoon by heading out to Hilltop Stables to pick up my shoes that I forgot there (yes, Cinderella forgot his shoes again). It wouldn't have a big deal, but my new orthotics were in them and I wanted to have them for this weekend. Turned out that Joan Ranquet, an animal communicator (I wrote in December about her thoughts on Eli. Having been raised around zoo animals and been accused of being able to relate to them, I have a lot of faith in the communicators. Sounds weird I know, but it works. And I really think I could use the insight when I'm meeting my horse for the pentathlon (you ride an unfamiliar horse in the event...you get 20 minutes and 3 jumps before going onto the course). So, I think I'll take one of Joan's courses to see if I can get some value out of it.

Maybe it was the alignment of the planets, maybe shiva is looking fondly upon me, either way my swim this afternoon was awesome. I had a lot of energy through the whole session, but most importantly, I felt like my technique was back. My final push at the end of each stroke felt the strongest it ever has and I was able to get my number of strokes across the during the knee board section down to 15. I'm really pleased...and ready for Wendy to coach me into the next level.

Horsejumping 101

I was so excited when I arrived and Laura said "So, do you want to jump tonight?" I was totally psyched and felt more like jumping out of my skin! I was a little late arriving and a little excited to get started so I ended up putting the girth, anklepads and chin strap on wrong. Pet put up with me though as I got everything corrected out in the arena. The trot felt really good, the canter incredible. We brought the stirrups up a notch and then little work at two point, posting and at the canter. Felt a little strange, my legs being in a different position and all but my balance was feeling really good after the dressage saddle last week. Then, it was time to start the jumping. We started by putting three poles on the ground between the two posts. I rode at the trot, and tried to remember everything Laura told me...look up, put your knuckles on his neck, lift up out of my saddle to the two-point, keep my heels down and stay at two point for a couple strides after the jump...I jumped over the poles on the ground and then brought pet up to canter out of the jump...

YEE HAH!

I did several laps in both directions. It felt pretty good, but I had to keep tinkering with little things here and there. Then, Laura raised two of the poles to form an "X". They were pretty low, but I definitely felt the difference in the way Pet was jumping.


YES!

I had to really concentrate on getting up to my two point, keeping my hands on Pet's neck and keeping my heels down, especially just before and just after the jump. Then, Laura raised a single pole across the posts, a foot, then to 18 inches, then 24 inches.


I LOVE JUMPING!

In the end, I only almost fell once...well twice, but no one really noticed the second one. I'm pretty pleased, as was Laura, that I went to 24" so quickly. I still have a lot of work to do at the two point, so that I don't have to rest my knuckles on Pet's neck, as well as some balance and stirrup work, but...


I'M JUMPING HORSES! I think I'm addicted

Fencing hooky

I should have gone to fencing tonight, but decided to play hooky instead in order to take advantage of the nice weather and attend a book signing for a new rowing book.

Siesta swim

Since I started my 5:30 am - 1:30 pm shift at Nordy's today I had the afternoon off. So, since I missed my swim day yesterday, I decided to make it up today. The pool wasn't crowded, and I was feeling pretty good so had a pretty good swim...I did my standard workout. I still feel like my technique is not where it used to be, but with a little focus I was able to keep it acceptable. I think the weights are affecting my stroke somehow, I feel like I'm not moving as fluidly as I used to. I think I'm going to tone down the weights a bit for now, don't want to get big anyway. I'd rather do erg workouts and build back muscle that way than direct weight workouts anyway. This biggest problem was...and I wouldn't want to spare the reader any of the realities of being an athlete here...breathing only out of my mouth since my nose was a little stuffy. Just another challenge to overcome I guess. I'm also starting to bike to and from work every day, about 5 miles round trip. Not much, but its a every little bit counts.