Day: April 17, 2005

I put in a mile and a half in the pool yesterday, both because I needed to get some exercise in and because I wanted to prove to myself that I’ll be fine with the Alcatraz distance. OK on both counts, though I’ll still be happy to reach the shore and start racing then. But I just find the pool mind-numbing, and not in a pleasant “escape from your troubles” way. It’s all I can do to count the laps. Two college roommates and friends are swimmers… I’ll have to find out what kept them focused and engaged through their years in the pool.

In contrast, I love spinning the miles away on a road bicycle, as I did today. 54 miles of road today, more than I’ve done in four years. The climb from Stinson thrashed me, but until then, smooth spinning on a beautiful day.

Sharpe gets to drown his enemy in Sharpe’s Battle, a retelling of the battle of Fuentes de Onoro, on the Spain-Portugal border, in May, 1811. Maybe I read too many in a row, but this one was nothing special. I’ll have to wait for the library to find the next three, but I need a break from Sharpe anyway. I suppose I could clean out all the interesting items in my bookmarks, but that will have to wait.