Teresa's 400m Bronze Medallion Swim results ...

splendid image of a "Julia Set" ... which is part of a Mandelbrot Set ... which is a mathematical formula that reveals a great deal to us about the patterns of living organisms

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March 7, 2007

Hi there Dear Ones,

I've got great news ... ... I DID IT!! I managed to swim the 4 x 100 m of the freestyle, survival backstroke, sidestroke, & breast stroke in the required 13 minutes for my Bronze Medallion!!!!!!

YIPPEE!! YAHOO!!

What makes this news even more amazing is that Benny & I did our swims under some compromised conditions. Upon arriving at the Tuggeranong swimming pool, I learned from Benny that a swim meet "Carnivool" was going to be on from 10 a.m. onward, & when I looked around the pool, I also finally realized that the pool was set up as the full length competition pool ... that's 50 METRES LONG, instead of the 25 metres that we have been practicing on!!!!!

A few minutes later, ... Krisette (our OBA Bronze Medallion assessor & instructor for many of our other courses so far) arrived ~ 9:30 a.m. & we basically had to get ourselves ready to do our swim assessment right then, which meant no warming up for Teresa. Soooo, ONCE I made a quick trip to "the loo" ... I hopped into the pool, in the lane to the right of Benny, & Krisette got us started ...

... THEN ... about half way through, after I finished my 100m of freestyle & 100m of survival backstroke, the lifeguards were lifting the lane dividers across the front end of my lane but I was able to keep swimming along ... diligently keeping myself a short distance from the lane divider as I did the siedstroke. It wasn't until we were done our swim that I learned that Benny acutally had to swim under the lane dividers that had been pulled across his lane & that I had swam along a huge diagonal of the pool since I was keeping the divider on my left as I did the sidestroke!!

For the remainder of our swim, I found myself swimming in the middle of this competition-size pool in lane #5, with a significant mob of people gathering as they awaited the start of the "Carnivool." At one point, I actually had this exact thought & wondered how bizarre it must look for all these onlookers to see only a couple of people swimming in the middle of a pool ... I think I even considered the notion of how cool it would be if they were to start cheering us on :) Then, I snapped out of this thought when I heard Benny cheer me on as he was swimming back to the end we started on & I was swimming in the other direction ... I cheered him on as he went by ... It wasnt' until after our swim assessment was over that I was able fully realize how bizzare that situation was ... since Ben had started out in lane #2 on my left but when he swam past me, he was in the lane to my right, & then as we were finishing up, he somehow ended up back on my left!!

FORTUNATELY, despite the challenge of spanning each 50m stretch (& the mental challenges that went along with that for me), I was able to keep pushing forward ... my saving grace was the beautiful "mantra like" song called "Metta Sutra" which I have been singing to myself during swim practice since our first Bronze Medallion timed swims ...

Metta Sutra

May you dwell in the heart ...
May you be free ... from suffering ...
May you be healed ...
May you be at peace

May I dwell in the heart ...
May I be free ... from suffering ...
May I be healed ...
May I be at peace

May we dwell in the heart ...
May we be free ... from suffering ...
May we be healed ...
May we be at peace


THANK YOU ... THANK YOU ... THANK YOU ... Kristen & your Threshold choir mates ...
... for sharing this most splendid & healing song with me at your choir rehearsal that I came to in Santa Cruz last November :)

It was extremely helpful to have this song to focus my attention on ... amid the laboured breathing & mental challenges that arose as I sought out a glimpse of the wall of the swimming pool or the change in the painted lines on the bottom of the pool indicating that I had made it to that side :)

Singing "Metta Sutra" to myself was also a life saving stratey for me when I did the 3.3 km run for our Fitness Test ... it helped me continue forward without stopping & kept my mind from convincing my body that it would make more sense to stop & let my lungs keep up with my heart, instead of pushing forward. How amazing, the way the mind works!!

By the way, I included the picture of the Julia Set above because it has a very similar affect on me visually as does the singing of "Metta Sutra" does for my whole being .... & because I wanted to share it with you to ... ENJOY!! All of this is part of Fractal Geometry, one of the very splendid topics of conversation & DVD watching that I got plugged into at the first monthly potluck I went to with my dear friend Mair. Hey there my Potuck Pals, I hope all is well for you back home & that you are enjoying some warm, comfort foods at the monthly potlucks during the winter months :)

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BRIEF ASIDE ... also, Maureen & Mair, you may want to watch one of the following 2 Google Videos I came across last week at one of the next potlucks ... they are both ~45 minutes ... I haven't actually watched both of them yet but the first 15 minutes of the first one were most excellent & I thnk the second one will be quite interesting & thought provoking as well ...

1. The History of Oil (Robert Newman) ... one man theatrical production with a great comedic delivery all kinds of interesting & thought-provoking views of historical record keeping, as it pertains to oil ... all lighting for the production is provided by a couple of stationery bikes near the front of the stage!!

2. Global Dimming

I can't quickly relocate the link for either of these videos but you can search them out on Google ... but once I do, I will add them as links on my blog :)

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As for the Timed Tow ... Benny & I weren't able to get that one done today, since we had to be out once we finished our 400m swims, but Tanya did hers Tow while we did our swims, since that's all she had to do ... sooo, Benny & I will do our tows in the next week or so. Which gives us a few more opportunities to practice & work on our towing :)

Today was a most excellent day because of our swimming accomplishments ... it would have been quite a deflating thing to deal with a non-competent time while also being quite tired & lower in energy following our 2 big days out on the moving waters. It's been great to share my story with folks here & I am very pleased to finally be sharing it with you too!!!

Also today, I was able to successfully connect with a few of you over the phone ... YIPPEE!!

Jill & Ethan ... I am soooo happy to hear that you have firmed up your dates for your adventures Down Unda!!! It was great to catch up on the phone with you today Jilly Peanut, I am soooo glad you were also able to pick up the phone in time while I was leaving my message on your answering machine!! I am really looking forward to seeing you both down my way in August :)

Cheryl, it was great to reconnect with you over the telephone as well. I am ever grateful for dear friends such as you & JIll, & the many other dear, sweet, kind friends & family I have in my life :) All the best with your writing and navigating yoru way through the big statistical maze that you have to sort through for your dissertation. You can do it ... "just keep swimming", "just keep swimming", "just keep swimming" :) Enjoy your week-end in Santa Cruz & please pass along big hugs to Kristen, Claudette, & Isabel (& Gabriel too) if you are able to meet up with them!

Laurelie & Colleen, sorry I missed connecting with you on your cell phones & at home today ... hopefully I'll be able to give a call at a decent hour over the next two days ... just not sure how long our Expedition Technical Training will go ... I'll do my best :) Know that I am thinking of you & looking forward to hearing how you are doing!

It is now time for me to get ready for bed so that I can get a FULL night's sleep. It's been great sharing these latest updates with all of you ... thanks heaps Nadine & Liz for your encouragement for my swim today ... IT WORKED!!!

Over the next couple of evenings, I'll try to add the update & pic's from our rafting over the whitewaters of the Murrumbidgee River ... we have 2 days of EXPEDITION training here at the OBA National Base & then we are off for an 8 day Expedition through the Namadgi National Park area. SO, I won't be plugged into cyberspace or on the phone during that time.

Be well & please let me know what you are up to. It will be great to see your e-mail notes after our return from the Expedition on March 17th, when I have the 8th & 19th off :)

Hugs 'n' Bugs, love,

Teresa

p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY in advance Brent, Uncle Alvin, & Mr. Dec ... I'll call you during my time off after the Expedition training to share my birthday greetings over the telephone :)