Here we are again, getting ready for swim camp. Since we have been there before, we like to think that we will be smarter this time around...in terms of what to pack, how to pack, etc. I always say that I am going to pack lighter, but we'll see...hoping that Santa brings me a digital luggage scale to help with the total weight of the suitcase as we do have restrictions.
I have my clothing on a rack downstairs and will make the final decision in about a week. Hannes said it's easy for him as he is just bringing "everything Tilley". It's a guy thing...I don't think they really care about their "ensembles" as much as we ladies do, or at least me.
We did not have to get any shots this time around as the ones we got last year are good for life apparently. And we also don't have to worry about passport expiration as these were also renewed last year and are good until 2015.
That's it for now.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
My Final Thoughts
I have to say that I really enjoyed this whole experience of travelling to a foreign country for a swimming camp. We had been talking about this for many months back at our club in Thunder Bay. When one of our swimmers, Carla, went last year and came back with a tan and tales of swim camp, we knew we had to go.
Kelvin, our trip organizer, did a fantastic job. He made it easy for us to get info, to book with the travel agent, etc. ZeZe, our travel agent in Toronto, was great to deal with and extremely helpful and friendly. In talking to some of the week one swimmers, they were so impressed with ZeZe that they said they would book future trips through her. I would probably do that too!
Our coaches for the camp, Taras and Karen for week 1 and Doug and Nancy for week 2, were fantastic. Never have I learned so much new, up-to-date information in such a short period of time. The workouts were amazing. I learned a lot of things about myself...such as you're tougher than you think and you can do more than you think. I feel like I gained more confidence in my abilities. I am excited to be back home so I can start to practice all the great things I learned. I am especially excited about freestyle turns...
Hannes and I enjoyed the resort and all it had to offer. The all-inclusive is really the way to go!
We loved meeting all the swimmers and spouses/friends from across Canada. Hope to make it to Nationals in Montreal this year as it will be so fun to reconnect with everyone from training camp!!
If anyone is in Thunder Bay, please look us up! Our Thunder Rays Masters swim Tuesday and Thursday evening from 5-6 and Saturday morning from 9-10:30. We would be pleased to have you as our guest.
Take care everyone. Maybe our paths will cross again...at next year's training camp!
Cheers,
Sandy
The Trip Home
Wow, it has been two weeks already and it's time to go home! There was a morning workout and a handful of swimmers attended. I was still not feeling well so I didn't go. Managed to eat a tiny bit of toast and watermelon for breakfast (was not supposed to eat fruit, but it's hard not to when it's so good).
Bus came to get us to drive us to the airport. We were still trying to snap off a few pictures. Here is Erin, Hannes and me as we are waiting:
The bus ride to the airport was interesting. I think the driver took the same "short cut" that Alfredo took when he brought us home from the kayak tour. I seemed to recognize the "river" that went across the street at one point. This is supposed to be faster than going on the highway for a little bit anyways. Then we got back on the highway and crazy driving! Don't know if I'll ever get used to it!
Huge lineups upon arrival at the airport. Their security/customs officers/army officers or whatever they are, hand examine every single piece of luggage individually. As you can imagine, this takes quite a while. There was a drug sniffing dog but she was sleeping, lol. They open up everything in your suitcase so be prepared...He thumbed through my wallet and money, driver's license, etc. He looked at my flutterboard and pull buoys and I had to motion with my hands what they were for. I also can't believe that he let the leftover Gatorade crystals through. Had a very puzzled look on his face. Neither Hannes nor I said anything, just as well. I had to repack my suitcase after the examination. Once finished in round 1, go then go through the scanner so on go all the luggage pieces to be x-rayed. They we get to walk through the scanner, followed by a "pat-down" which I have to say was the first time I have had that experience. After all that you have to hand in your immigration card that you got upon arrival. I had trouble finding it and the guy said to do a new one. I thought no way, luckily I found it.
Once this is done, you then go to the Canjet counter and check your bags, get seat assignments and boarding passes. Then you get to go sit in the airport terminal for the next four hours. We found out that our plane was late arriving and we would be leaving at 3:30 p.m. rather than 2:00 p.m. Apparently on the way down, they had storms on the eastern seaboard and they had to go around them. They also had to stop in Punta Cana to refuel. So the normal five hour flight took eight hours. Poor people coming in!
While you are sitting in the airport, they will randomly call out names. If you are called, you have to go to a room with door closed and the "officers" will then go through your luggage again! Two swimmers were called and had to go through this. If you don't go, you won't get on the plane.
Here are some pics at the airport:
Hannes and I should have purchased some revolutionary souvenirs! lol My brother Jack would really get a kick out of that for sure!
Here is Agente Canina, the drug sniffing dog who really seemed to enjoy sniffing garbage and eating bits of food that people were giving her. She just plopped herself down near us and was giving us the big puppy dog eyes as I am sure she wanted more food. She is intently staring at Alex, who fed her some of his leftover sandwich.
There was a lot of book swapping during this entire trip. Reading was a good way to pass the time in the airport.
Rosemary and Nadia are from Revelstoke, BC and Jo-Ann is my teammate from Thunder Bay. I purchased an I-book for Hannes and he read from the I-pad. If anyone wants the name of a good read try "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein. It is a story told from a dog's point of view. Hannes loved it. I'll be reading it very shortly.
Time to board the plane, goodbye to beautiful weather...
I will wrap up with a final post with my thoughts about this whole experience.
Bus came to get us to drive us to the airport. We were still trying to snap off a few pictures. Here is Erin, Hannes and me as we are waiting:
The bus ride to the airport was interesting. I think the driver took the same "short cut" that Alfredo took when he brought us home from the kayak tour. I seemed to recognize the "river" that went across the street at one point. This is supposed to be faster than going on the highway for a little bit anyways. Then we got back on the highway and crazy driving! Don't know if I'll ever get used to it!
Huge lineups upon arrival at the airport. Their security/customs officers/army officers or whatever they are, hand examine every single piece of luggage individually. As you can imagine, this takes quite a while. There was a drug sniffing dog but she was sleeping, lol. They open up everything in your suitcase so be prepared...He thumbed through my wallet and money, driver's license, etc. He looked at my flutterboard and pull buoys and I had to motion with my hands what they were for. I also can't believe that he let the leftover Gatorade crystals through. Had a very puzzled look on his face. Neither Hannes nor I said anything, just as well. I had to repack my suitcase after the examination. Once finished in round 1, go then go through the scanner so on go all the luggage pieces to be x-rayed. They we get to walk through the scanner, followed by a "pat-down" which I have to say was the first time I have had that experience. After all that you have to hand in your immigration card that you got upon arrival. I had trouble finding it and the guy said to do a new one. I thought no way, luckily I found it.
Once this is done, you then go to the Canjet counter and check your bags, get seat assignments and boarding passes. Then you get to go sit in the airport terminal for the next four hours. We found out that our plane was late arriving and we would be leaving at 3:30 p.m. rather than 2:00 p.m. Apparently on the way down, they had storms on the eastern seaboard and they had to go around them. They also had to stop in Punta Cana to refuel. So the normal five hour flight took eight hours. Poor people coming in!
While you are sitting in the airport, they will randomly call out names. If you are called, you have to go to a room with door closed and the "officers" will then go through your luggage again! Two swimmers were called and had to go through this. If you don't go, you won't get on the plane.
Here are some pics at the airport:
Here is Agente Canina, the drug sniffing dog who really seemed to enjoy sniffing garbage and eating bits of food that people were giving her. She just plopped herself down near us and was giving us the big puppy dog eyes as I am sure she wanted more food. She is intently staring at Alex, who fed her some of his leftover sandwich.
Time to board the plane, goodbye to beautiful weather...
I will wrap up with a final post with my thoughts about this whole experience.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Last Day of our Vacation
I started out on a good note...up as usual, swam morning workout, came back for breakfast. Partway through breakfast, I started to feel totally wiped out. I had to leave and ask Hannes to bring my swim bag with him when he came up. He was having a nice conversation with Peter from Prince George, B.C. I went back to the room and thought I would feel better if I showered and cleaned up a bit so I went for it. I still felt like crap so I decided to lie down and sleep. When I lay down, I could not stop shivering and I felt so horrible. Eventually I did manage to fall asleep. When I woke up, I could hardly lift my head off the pillow so I tried not to move at all. Today was team picture day so I definitely wanted to at least be able to go over to the pool to be in the photo. But that was not to be. Hannes and I started to go over, but I had to turn back because I became very ill. There had been some illness in the last couple of days but I don't think we knew how bad it was until a bit later. About 20 swimmers/spouses became extremely sick. The hotel was informed. They did put out bananas and extra rice in the buffet. I don't know how I managed it, but I was able to get downstairs and try a bit of food. The swimmers I sat with had also been sick. Everyone was trying to figure out what it might have been. I don't think we were able to figure out what it was that made us so sick. Hannes was lucky, healthy to the end.
I don't want to dwell on being sick. The rest of the vacation was awesome and we had a great time.
I still have some final thoughts and I will post these hopefully tomorrow.
I don't want to dwell on being sick. The rest of the vacation was awesome and we had a great time.
I still have some final thoughts and I will post these hopefully tomorrow.
Second Last Day in Paradise
Our second last full day was Sunday, January 16. Mornings began pretty much like all of them...up around 6 a.m., read e-mails, check Facebook, get into bathing suit, smeer on tons of suntan lotion, head over to the buffet hall for the before swim breakfast, go workout for two hours and then go back for our favourite part of the day, "second breakfast"! I love the calmness of the pool before we get into it.
Our plan of action today was to walk around the grounds and snap as many pictures as we can of absolutely everything! So we got cleaned up first and then headed out. It was really hot, I would say about 35 or so with humidity. Lucky there are several places to stop to get a cold lemonade or glass of water.
Here is a sampling of some of the things we photographed:
The above photo is from the "wave pool" area. Unfortunately, it was out of commission. I found it interesting that they had brought in sand to make it a real "beach like" experience.
On our walk around we saw tons of iguanas. I think that most of them seem to live near the kiddie play area. We took a "movie" of them and I was hoping to download it here but I ran into some troubles. I guess the server didn't like it and wouldn't let me finish. I will have to put the movie on Facebook.
This is a view of the south tower where we stayed from the bridge over the lagoon. You have to go over this to get to the beach. If we go next year, I would request a room with a balcony so that we can dry out our clothes and towels better.
We had to stop and have a limonada at the bar near the buffet. They make the best frozen slurpee lemonade drink! We met up with a few of our friends who were relaxing under the cabana at the pool.
Before you know it, it's time for the afternoon workout.
For dinner we decided to go back to the Mexican restaurant as we did enjoy it on Hannes' birthday a few days before. I enjoyed what seemed to be like "non-stop" Margaritas with my chicken fajita dinner.
We had a very enjoyable evening. There was another swimmer at the restaurant with her family. Christa used to live in Thunder Bay so we had a few discussions about the city and the great food at the Good News Cafe. She brought her husband, 2 year old son and father-in-law with her for the trip. Here we are in our "Mexicana" headgear!
Our plan of action today was to walk around the grounds and snap as many pictures as we can of absolutely everything! So we got cleaned up first and then headed out. It was really hot, I would say about 35 or so with humidity. Lucky there are several places to stop to get a cold lemonade or glass of water.
Here is a sampling of some of the things we photographed:
On our walk around we saw tons of iguanas. I think that most of them seem to live near the kiddie play area. We took a "movie" of them and I was hoping to download it here but I ran into some troubles. I guess the server didn't like it and wouldn't let me finish. I will have to put the movie on Facebook.
This is a view of the south tower where we stayed from the bridge over the lagoon. You have to go over this to get to the beach. If we go next year, I would request a room with a balcony so that we can dry out our clothes and towels better.
We had to stop and have a limonada at the bar near the buffet. They make the best frozen slurpee lemonade drink! We met up with a few of our friends who were relaxing under the cabana at the pool.
Before you know it, it's time for the afternoon workout.
For dinner we decided to go back to the Mexican restaurant as we did enjoy it on Hannes' birthday a few days before. I enjoyed what seemed to be like "non-stop" Margaritas with my chicken fajita dinner.
We had a very enjoyable evening. There was another swimmer at the restaurant with her family. Christa used to live in Thunder Bay so we had a few discussions about the city and the great food at the Good News Cafe. She brought her husband, 2 year old son and father-in-law with her for the trip. Here we are in our "Mexicana" headgear!
The Kayak Tour
This was an amazing tour. There were six Canadians and five French. Most of us had someone to share our kayak with, except for one of the French ladies. She seemed to have a lot of kayak experience so she got one to herself. We had a debriefing before we headed out and had some time to practice a little bit before we hit the open water. Neither Hannes nor I had ever even been in a kayak before so we were a little nervous. But not for long. You get the hang of paddling pretty quick, in our case you had to since we paddled a great deal!
The day was beautiful as I may have mentioned before. Because of the intense rays of the sun, they suggest that you cover up as much as you can to avoid severe burning. They also suggested that it was better to go barefoot than to wear shoes...I had gone to the trouble to borrow water shoes from my new friend John from Prince George, B.C. Not to worry though, I wore the shoes afterwards...more to follow later. Alfredo, our guide and his wife Jeannine, led the way and away we went. They took photos and movies of us while we were kayaking. We thought it would be best to purchase the CD they would put together rather than risking something happening to the camera. A few of my brave swimming friends took the chance and brought their cameras along.
What we saw was amazing...it was "reproduction" season for many of the birds and they were sitting high in the trees by the hundreds. The males were very colourful so they could attract the female...they seem to go to a lot of trouble to catch the attention of the female...hmmmm, interesting! We went in and out of little coves, seeing birds, flying fish, starfish, jellyfish, snails. This salt water lagoon is home to 92 species of fish alone!
Part of the tour package included a box lunch. The "restaurant" was in a shaded area of mangrove trees and we each had the perfect seat in our kayaks. Mangrove trees are very interesting...their roots grow upwards and supply oxygen to the surrounding area.
My friend Erin took this pic of me while we were on a break. We paddled for about 2.5 to 3 hours. When we got back, Alfredo had a special treat for us...a nice cold beer! It never tasted so good!
The beach was on the path that is right behind me in this photo. This is where the aqua shoes come in...the "sand" is almost all shells and you have to protect your feet. It was absolutely beautiful. The surf just keeps rolling in, the sun shining...beautiful!
We were in a very dry part of the island. There are many cactus plants such as this one below.
All in all, this was a great tour and lots of fun. The CD that we got from Alfredo was absolutely awesome. There were over 200 photos from our tour, a few "movies", info about all kinds of birds, fish, etc. with all the proper names, as well as a large selection of photos from other tours. I think I remember that I downloaded over 700 pics, just from this trip. My own photos were just over 400 so I have a lot of great memories.
The day was beautiful as I may have mentioned before. Because of the intense rays of the sun, they suggest that you cover up as much as you can to avoid severe burning. They also suggested that it was better to go barefoot than to wear shoes...I had gone to the trouble to borrow water shoes from my new friend John from Prince George, B.C. Not to worry though, I wore the shoes afterwards...more to follow later. Alfredo, our guide and his wife Jeannine, led the way and away we went. They took photos and movies of us while we were kayaking. We thought it would be best to purchase the CD they would put together rather than risking something happening to the camera. A few of my brave swimming friends took the chance and brought their cameras along.
What we saw was amazing...it was "reproduction" season for many of the birds and they were sitting high in the trees by the hundreds. The males were very colourful so they could attract the female...they seem to go to a lot of trouble to catch the attention of the female...hmmmm, interesting! We went in and out of little coves, seeing birds, flying fish, starfish, jellyfish, snails. This salt water lagoon is home to 92 species of fish alone!
Part of the tour package included a box lunch. The "restaurant" was in a shaded area of mangrove trees and we each had the perfect seat in our kayaks. Mangrove trees are very interesting...their roots grow upwards and supply oxygen to the surrounding area.
My friend Erin took this pic of me while we were on a break. We paddled for about 2.5 to 3 hours. When we got back, Alfredo had a special treat for us...a nice cold beer! It never tasted so good!
The beach was on the path that is right behind me in this photo. This is where the aqua shoes come in...the "sand" is almost all shells and you have to protect your feet. It was absolutely beautiful. The surf just keeps rolling in, the sun shining...beautiful!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Week 2 Day 3 Part 1
This was the first day that I skipped swimming in the almost two weeks we have been here. I treated Hannes to a kayak tour. Originally we were going to go today, but that got changed. There were 4 other swimmers who booked for Friday so we changed our reservation so we could all go together. Alfredo, our tour guide came to then hotel to pick us up. There were 3 ladies from France already in the bus. Once we got to our destination, we were joined by another couple from Paris.
But we have to back up a bit as half the adventure is getting there. We leave in the van and proceed down the highway to the national park. Traffic here is insane and people just do whatever they want. You have to expect the unexpected. For example, cars merge from both sides of the highway and they do not hesitate to merge in front of you, even if you are doing 120k in a 90k zone. They just get on their horns more. There are no shoulders, nor does there appear to be many lines to divide lanes. If someone in front of you is too slow, you just pass, even if someone is coming right at you from the other direction...someone will move over at the last possible second. I asked how many lanes are there anyway? Not sure what the answer was!!! As we are driving along our route, you see a lot of the poorer sections of town. Then just down the road would be a brand new housing development that looks really nice. Many homes have these giant blue buckets on the roof for collecting rainwater. There are also many billboards advertising for various things such as Tony Romas, Target, I-Store, Subway and KFC to name but a few.
The scariest part of the trip was when we passed from one "state" to another. We were waived over by the police. Alfredo had to pull out his paperwork and it was thoroughly examined. They were not completely satisfied so they made him get out of the van and come over to talk further. He does this route every day with a busload of tourists so you really have to wonder. Lucky for us, we were cleared and allowed to carry on.
To get into the national park, we had to leave the highway and go down a dirt road, full of potholes. Alfredo called this the bus safari. It was crazy fun!!! Along the route he pointed out birds, plants, trees and gave us lots of history. It was very interesting.
I should mention that this was a super hot sunny day. We were advised to wear long sleeves, cover the backs of our necks and have a towel or something to put on your legs as it is so hot in the lagoon. I will hold off going into great detail about the actual kayak part of the trip because a) I am really really tired and b) we are waiting for the CD with pictures and movies of the trip. They did not recommend bringing your camera into the lagoon as the salt water concentration is very high and a camera would be ruined if it fell into the water or was constantly splashed from the paddles. Some took the chance, I did not. Anyway, Alfredo and his wife Jeannine took photos and made videos of the group as we tracked through the lagoon in our kayaks. The CD is supposed to be here sometime tomorrow...cannot wait to see it.
But we have to back up a bit as half the adventure is getting there. We leave in the van and proceed down the highway to the national park. Traffic here is insane and people just do whatever they want. You have to expect the unexpected. For example, cars merge from both sides of the highway and they do not hesitate to merge in front of you, even if you are doing 120k in a 90k zone. They just get on their horns more. There are no shoulders, nor does there appear to be many lines to divide lanes. If someone in front of you is too slow, you just pass, even if someone is coming right at you from the other direction...someone will move over at the last possible second. I asked how many lanes are there anyway? Not sure what the answer was!!! As we are driving along our route, you see a lot of the poorer sections of town. Then just down the road would be a brand new housing development that looks really nice. Many homes have these giant blue buckets on the roof for collecting rainwater. There are also many billboards advertising for various things such as Tony Romas, Target, I-Store, Subway and KFC to name but a few.
The scariest part of the trip was when we passed from one "state" to another. We were waived over by the police. Alfredo had to pull out his paperwork and it was thoroughly examined. They were not completely satisfied so they made him get out of the van and come over to talk further. He does this route every day with a busload of tourists so you really have to wonder. Lucky for us, we were cleared and allowed to carry on.
To get into the national park, we had to leave the highway and go down a dirt road, full of potholes. Alfredo called this the bus safari. It was crazy fun!!! Along the route he pointed out birds, plants, trees and gave us lots of history. It was very interesting.
I should mention that this was a super hot sunny day. We were advised to wear long sleeves, cover the backs of our necks and have a towel or something to put on your legs as it is so hot in the lagoon. I will hold off going into great detail about the actual kayak part of the trip because a) I am really really tired and b) we are waiting for the CD with pictures and movies of the trip. They did not recommend bringing your camera into the lagoon as the salt water concentration is very high and a camera would be ruined if it fell into the water or was constantly splashed from the paddles. Some took the chance, I did not. Anyway, Alfredo and his wife Jeannine took photos and made videos of the group as we tracked through the lagoon in our kayaks. The CD is supposed to be here sometime tomorrow...cannot wait to see it.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Week 2 Day 2
Today was much better in the pool. I switched up my lane and felt better for it. Had an enjoyable and interesting workout. In addition to all the mileage, we also did some vertical dolphin kicks and dolphin dives. Coach Nancy said we had to get our "personalities" out of the water...(below the belt). I would hazard a guess to say that people found this to be quite fun. I swam 3050 meters this am and 2700 this aft. Felt less anxious than yesterday.
My new friends from BC, Cathy and John, have invited Hannes and me to come out to visit them in Prince George. I am certain we will take them up on that offer. We have never been to. Northern BC. I am going to look at Air Miles for fall time.
We dined at the Mexican restaurant tonight...in the north tower (we are in the south). Both of us enjoyed the meal. I tried to order a glass of red wine but ended up with another Margarita...obviously I need to bone up on my Spanish! The waiter made some Spanish coffee for some patrons...flames and all. Managed to snap some pics. Will download them once I get home since I don't have a Flicker or similar account.
Making Spanish coffee is quite the spectacle:
Tomorrow is a big day as we are heading to the other side of the island for a kayak tour. We can expect to see lots of different birds and other flora/fauna. I am taking the whole day off swimming. I need the break as I have been going steady since January 5. We are also getting Saturday night off from swimming. Awesome!
Until tomorrow my blog readers!
I just cannot believe how fast this second week has gone! The heat and sun are agreeable to me!
My new friends from BC, Cathy and John, have invited Hannes and me to come out to visit them in Prince George. I am certain we will take them up on that offer. We have never been to. Northern BC. I am going to look at Air Miles for fall time.
We dined at the Mexican restaurant tonight...in the north tower (we are in the south). Both of us enjoyed the meal. I tried to order a glass of red wine but ended up with another Margarita...obviously I need to bone up on my Spanish! The waiter made some Spanish coffee for some patrons...flames and all. Managed to snap some pics. Will download them once I get home since I don't have a Flicker or similar account.
Making Spanish coffee is quite the spectacle:
Tomorrow is a big day as we are heading to the other side of the island for a kayak tour. We can expect to see lots of different birds and other flora/fauna. I am taking the whole day off swimming. I need the break as I have been going steady since January 5. We are also getting Saturday night off from swimming. Awesome!
Until tomorrow my blog readers!
I just cannot believe how fast this second week has gone! The heat and sun are agreeable to me!
Week 2 Day1
The winds were strong overnight so much so that several cabanas collapsed, a window was broken in the dining hall and part of the "palm tree" roof at the Oceanside restaurant was blown right off. They get on things right away to fix them though.
At the pool, we were getting ready for a stretching session but Mother Nature had something different in mind...it poured buckets for several minutes, then stopped. Our coaches Doug and Nancy had a talk with us about things we need to be aware of, pool etiquette,what they expect of us, etc. Into the water we jumped and we began the first workout of week 2. I ended up in a lane with 4 fellows, Frank, Chuck, Keith and Nick. They made me lead! When we finished warmup, Coach Doug said you guys are swimming like salmon. Spread out and leave 10 seconds apart! We did manage to get ourselves sorted out. The workout was long and intense. Our main set was 12 x 200 free on 4:00, decending 1-3 with no more of a 10 second differential between the three in each set. This was the hardest set I have done in decades. The end of the workout was welcomed! Everyone then headed over for more breakfast.
We did a little bit of shopping at the beach today. There are pearl necklaces that are fairly inexpensive...they are not "perfect" but that doesn't bother me too much. The vendor now calls Hannes "amigo" since we have bought several items from him. He gave me some pearl earrings as a gift...I did buy some cool shell jewellery. Hannes bought himself a really nice Margarita Isle t-shirt.
Evening workout...somehow I ended up in a "faster than I like to swim" lane. My morning buddies with the exception of Chuck moved down one. I felt it was too intense for me, although I managed to pull off some really good for me repeat times on the main set of 9 x 100 free that was to be half of our 200 free time, plus 5 seconds. Another killer set. The best thing about hard sets is when they are over!!!
Evening ritual is pretty much the same as week 1. Go to room, shower, clean up and become human again, put on something nice and meet the group for cocktails in the lounge. Some of the gang was eating Italian in the a la carte restaurant.
This week there are 44 swimmers, almost double the number from last week. It is certainly a challenge to learn names and, more importantly, to get the right name with the right face. Once the bathing caps are off, it is even harder! Oh well, I still have several days to meet more people.
At the pool, we were getting ready for a stretching session but Mother Nature had something different in mind...it poured buckets for several minutes, then stopped. Our coaches Doug and Nancy had a talk with us about things we need to be aware of, pool etiquette,what they expect of us, etc. Into the water we jumped and we began the first workout of week 2. I ended up in a lane with 4 fellows, Frank, Chuck, Keith and Nick. They made me lead! When we finished warmup, Coach Doug said you guys are swimming like salmon. Spread out and leave 10 seconds apart! We did manage to get ourselves sorted out. The workout was long and intense. Our main set was 12 x 200 free on 4:00, decending 1-3 with no more of a 10 second differential between the three in each set. This was the hardest set I have done in decades. The end of the workout was welcomed! Everyone then headed over for more breakfast.
We did a little bit of shopping at the beach today. There are pearl necklaces that are fairly inexpensive...they are not "perfect" but that doesn't bother me too much. The vendor now calls Hannes "amigo" since we have bought several items from him. He gave me some pearl earrings as a gift...I did buy some cool shell jewellery. Hannes bought himself a really nice Margarita Isle t-shirt.
Evening workout...somehow I ended up in a "faster than I like to swim" lane. My morning buddies with the exception of Chuck moved down one. I felt it was too intense for me, although I managed to pull off some really good for me repeat times on the main set of 9 x 100 free that was to be half of our 200 free time, plus 5 seconds. Another killer set. The best thing about hard sets is when they are over!!!
Evening ritual is pretty much the same as week 1. Go to room, shower, clean up and become human again, put on something nice and meet the group for cocktails in the lounge. Some of the gang was eating Italian in the a la carte restaurant.
This week there are 44 swimmers, almost double the number from last week. It is certainly a challenge to learn names and, more importantly, to get the right name with the right face. Once the bathing caps are off, it is even harder! Oh well, I still have several days to meet more people.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Thanks to our coaches
I would be remiss if I did not thank our two excellent coaches from week 1 of swim camp. So thank you Coach Karen and Coach Taras for all the fabulous workouts, great technical tips for strokes, turns and starts. It was a lot of hard work and a lot of fun. I got a lot more out of the camp than I expected.
Cheers to you both!! Below is Coach Karen (Aurora Master Ducks), Kelvin our event organizer and Charlie from Toronto.
This is Coach Taras from Montreal (Point Claire).
Cheers to you both!! Below is Coach Karen (Aurora Master Ducks), Kelvin our event organizer and Charlie from Toronto.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Week 1
The first week of training camp was awesome! We had 24 swimmers from BC, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec. I would hazard a guess and say that there was representation from most age groups, 20-24 to around 65-69 or older. I am not sure about a couple of the fellows and their ages...is it polite to ask a man his age? Lol
We worked out twice a day for a week, morning sessions from 8-10 and afternoon sessions from 3:30-5. Many of the afternoon workouts were followed by a topic of the day such as nutrition, preparing for a meet, how to cope with injury and how to transition back to normal life after training camp. People seemed to really enjoy the talks.
Each day before the am workout, we would get together for breakfast. After workout we would come back for more breakfast. The coffee here is amazing! It is so good that I do not even have to add sugar which is really something.
Between workouts everyone would do their own thing. If you went down to the beach, turned left and went to the furthest tiki hut, you would find many of the swimmers. I think that everyone enjoyed relaxing on the beach between sessions. Some adventurous folks did lots of body surfing in the ocean. The waves are pretty good for that.
We did shorter distances in the pm workouts and lots of technique work. It is a lot noisier then as well as music is blaring from all the activities going on around us. Also, the water is extremely warm in the pm. The sun is pretty hot and it can be tricky to swim in a straight line!
Every evening we would gather in the tiki bar in the lobby area for a beverage or two before dispersing for supper. I have to say that the cocktails are really great! Take a look at this drink called a Flamingo (Amaretto, rum and fruit punch, I think)!
Stay tuned for another update. I am so tired I can't stand it!!!
We worked out twice a day for a week, morning sessions from 8-10 and afternoon sessions from 3:30-5. Many of the afternoon workouts were followed by a topic of the day such as nutrition, preparing for a meet, how to cope with injury and how to transition back to normal life after training camp. People seemed to really enjoy the talks.
Each day before the am workout, we would get together for breakfast. After workout we would come back for more breakfast. The coffee here is amazing! It is so good that I do not even have to add sugar which is really something.
Between workouts everyone would do their own thing. If you went down to the beach, turned left and went to the furthest tiki hut, you would find many of the swimmers. I think that everyone enjoyed relaxing on the beach between sessions. Some adventurous folks did lots of body surfing in the ocean. The waves are pretty good for that.
We did shorter distances in the pm workouts and lots of technique work. It is a lot noisier then as well as music is blaring from all the activities going on around us. Also, the water is extremely warm in the pm. The sun is pretty hot and it can be tricky to swim in a straight line!
Every evening we would gather in the tiki bar in the lobby area for a beverage or two before dispersing for supper. I have to say that the cocktails are really great! Take a look at this drink called a Flamingo (Amaretto, rum and fruit punch, I think)!
Stay tuned for another update. I am so tired I can't stand it!!!
Tie a Yellow Ribbon
Even though we are swimming long course, some of our swims are 100 IM or by 25 so we have to switch at the halfway point down the pool. Ther are not any markers so I have been using a palm tree that is about halfway down. I think we should tie a yellow ribbon around the old palm tree so everyone can tell when to switch. I know we should count strokes for the changeover point but I think that the ribbon would be more fun. I also think that we should write a song about it, of wait, that has been done except that Tony Orlando used an oak tree!
Lots of rain today. It poured so hard that at one point that the coaches were soaked. The. It cleared up and became hot again. Thanks to Taras and Karen for moving our bags to a dry spot.
Some swimmers went to the beach after practice and were caught in more rain. We were about to go there as well but ended up in the pool/bar area. Sun came out and it was hot once again.
Evening workout was warm up, drills and breast stroke starts. Excellent tips on how to get more distance on the start. Meeting after workout was about how to adjust once we leave camp and get back into our usual routines. There will not be any two-a-days at home!
Last workout of week 1 is Tuesday am. I am really going to miss all my new friends. I hope we will have the opportunity to meet again at Nationals in Montreal this May. Bye for now, safe travels!!
The Week 1 Swimmers and Coaches:
Lots of rain today. It poured so hard that at one point that the coaches were soaked. The. It cleared up and became hot again. Thanks to Taras and Karen for moving our bags to a dry spot.
Some swimmers went to the beach after practice and were caught in more rain. We were about to go there as well but ended up in the pool/bar area. Sun came out and it was hot once again.
Evening workout was warm up, drills and breast stroke starts. Excellent tips on how to get more distance on the start. Meeting after workout was about how to adjust once we leave camp and get back into our usual routines. There will not be any two-a-days at home!
Last workout of week 1 is Tuesday am. I am really going to miss all my new friends. I hope we will have the opportunity to meet again at Nationals in Montreal this May. Bye for now, safe travels!!
The Week 1 Swimmers and Coaches:
Monday, January 10, 2011
Some technical difficulties
Having some problems in editing my yellow ribbon post. It is late and I am too tired to fix it now. Maybe later...
We are back on line
We did not have Internet last night so I could not post anything. We had another busy day in the pool. I have learned a ton of great info and am anxious to start putting the new tips to use. Last night we had circuits around the pool with each one featuring a different aspect of swimming such as turns, fly to back and back to breast; freestyle turns; starts; and breast/fly turns.
We went to the beach to chill and have some lunch. Also did a bit of shopping. I have found that the items for sale at the beach are very reasonably priced. We do our best with bits of Spanish. One thing they do understand is "U.S. Dollars".
Here is just a sampling of some neat things you can buy at the beach:
We made a return to the Italian restaurant with 9 new friends. Again, it was great food and company.
Our table: Sandy, Hannes, Bob (NB), Karen and Katie (Toronto).
Mark (Montreal), David (NB)
There are evening shows by the stage near the pool. Unfortunately we have not managed to get there because we are so tired. Some of the swimmers said the 60's, 70's and 80's music show was really good. We may try that next week if it is repeated. Here is the stage:
We still have many other areas to explore around here. It will be another busy week.
We went to the beach to chill and have some lunch. Also did a bit of shopping. I have found that the items for sale at the beach are very reasonably priced. We do our best with bits of Spanish. One thing they do understand is "U.S. Dollars".
Here is just a sampling of some neat things you can buy at the beach:
We made a return to the Italian restaurant with 9 new friends. Again, it was great food and company.
Our table: Sandy, Hannes, Bob (NB), Karen and Katie (Toronto).
Mark (Montreal), David (NB)
This is Antoine from Toronto.
There are evening shows by the stage near the pool. Unfortunately we have not managed to get there because we are so tired. Some of the swimmers said the 60's, 70's and 80's music show was really good. We may try that next week if it is repeated. Here is the stage:
We still have many other areas to explore around here. It will be another busy week.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Food for Thought
The food at the resort is amazing! We are trying as much local food as possible. Every day in the buffet there is an array of interesting food items. Lots of rice, beans, fish, local fruit, freshly squeezed fruit juices, etc. I tried fried plantains the other morning. Absolutely delicious! Today I tried a rice omelet. Tonight for dessert was a caramelized papaya. It is only made with a "green" papaya. It reminded us of a Christmas treat, with a taste similar to figs. Their scrambled eggs are awesome! If you want to stand in line you can special order pancakes, waffles, omelets, etc. They also make their own meats. The cheeses and breads are also good! And the coffee is excellent! They grow some of the best coffee beans in the world!
The Beer Run
Ola! At last night's workout we did lots of backstroke drills. One of the most interesting and fun drills that we did was to swim backstroke while balancing a cup of beer on our heads. Well, I have to admit that some of us drank the beer first and then filled the cup with water and then proceeded down the pool for 6 x 50. My best attempt was 60 strokes taken before the cup tumbled. What a hoot! The idea of the drill was to keep you head still. Coach Karen said our next set of swimming backstroke was a big improvement.
Last night we dined at the Italian restaurant in our building, the south tower. Our new friends from New Brunswick joined us. Bob is here with his son David who is swimming with me in the camp. The restaurant is fine dining. The food was wonderful and the service excellent. I should have brushed up on my Spanish a bit more as they did not speak too much English but we survived! David spoke very good Spanish which worked out well.
The waiter wanted to give me his jacket because he thought I was cold as I was wearing a sleeveless dress. I told him I was not cold and that in Canada the temperature was below zero. I don't think they can even fathom that kind of temp.
My dessert was to die for! It was called Mousse de Cafe. It was the most delicious mousse...it had chocolate sauce on top and a dash of Bailey's. On Hannes' dessert, almond cake, they spelled out the name of the restaurant (Caruso) in chocolate on the rim of the plate! The wine was being filled non-stop all night. Bob and David kept us in stitches telling of their travel stories. All in all, a memorable night and truly enjoyable.
Last night we dined at the Italian restaurant in our building, the south tower. Our new friends from New Brunswick joined us. Bob is here with his son David who is swimming with me in the camp. The restaurant is fine dining. The food was wonderful and the service excellent. I should have brushed up on my Spanish a bit more as they did not speak too much English but we survived! David spoke very good Spanish which worked out well.
The waiter wanted to give me his jacket because he thought I was cold as I was wearing a sleeveless dress. I told him I was not cold and that in Canada the temperature was below zero. I don't think they can even fathom that kind of temp.
My dessert was to die for! It was called Mousse de Cafe. It was the most delicious mousse...it had chocolate sauce on top and a dash of Bailey's. On Hannes' dessert, almond cake, they spelled out the name of the restaurant (Caruso) in chocolate on the rim of the plate! The wine was being filled non-stop all night. Bob and David kept us in stitches telling of their travel stories. All in all, a memorable night and truly enjoyable.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Ola once again. This aft at the pool we worked on butterfly drills and stroke. Water was really warm. Things I learned today were "sexy shoulders" for backstroke, "sighting" for open water swimming and "streamlining" for butterfly. All s's - found that pretty funny. After workout we gathered at a small poolside bar and had an informal discussion on nutrition and training. Found that ironic that we were discussing nutrition while having a beverage! Even the birds like to get in on the action!!!
We have cable TV here at the resort. It is interesting to watch Seinfeld with Spanish subtitles. At least we know what is going on as we can hear the English. I have been trying to speak a little Spanish too. And I met some ladies from Montreal so I have also been practicing French. The people at this camp are really nice. I should mention that there are still some I have not met yet.
We made dinner reservations at the Italian restaurant for tomorrow evening. A few others expressed interest so hopefully they can get in. Report will follow tomorrow or the next day.
Hannes' dessert was presented on this plate. "Caruso" was written in chocolate! Mmmmm...
We have cable TV here at the resort. It is interesting to watch Seinfeld with Spanish subtitles. At least we know what is going on as we can hear the English. I have been trying to speak a little Spanish too. And I met some ladies from Montreal so I have also been practicing French. The people at this camp are really nice. I should mention that there are still some I have not met yet.
We made dinner reservations at the Italian restaurant for tomorrow evening. A few others expressed interest so hopefully they can get in. Report will follow tomorrow or the next day.
Swimming with the fishes
And it's another glorious day in paradise. Don't know the current temp but I would say it is well over 30 Celsius with high humidity. I had to keep wiping off the screen on my camera.
We did some yoga stretches before workout today thanks to Laura from BC.
This afternoon we went to the beach to relax and listen to the sound of the waves pounding the shore. Lunch was at the beach restaurant - grill. Super busy and great food.
I expect it to be extremely warm for this aft's workout. Definitely will be wearing a shirt over my bathing suit.
It's only been two days and we both feel like we have been here for a week.
The group will be meeting for cocktails before supper. This is the life.
We did some yoga stretches before workout today thanks to Laura from BC.
We then jumped into the pool which was already getting warm. 800 metre warmup, then those of us doing the open water swim took off for the lagoon. Our trip organizer Kelvin took charge of us. Six of us brave souls ventured into the salt water lagoon to practice open water swimming. It was absolutely beautiful in there. Just before we got in, we saw fishes jumping in the air and then diving back down into the water. I learned how to "sight" while swimming. I bet we did about 2500 meters in the lagoon. It was quite an experience and I am so glad I did it. The really brave people are planning an ocean swim tomorrow. They are trying to talk me into it but I think I will pass. Another time perhaps!
This afternoon we went to the beach to relax and listen to the sound of the waves pounding the shore. Lunch was at the beach restaurant - grill. Super busy and great food.
I expect it to be extremely warm for this aft's workout. Definitely will be wearing a shirt over my bathing suit.
It's only been two days and we both feel like we have been here for a week.
The group will be meeting for cocktails before supper. This is the life.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Ola!
Hannes and I walked to the ocean this aft. It was gorgeous! Waves crashing in, just the sound of the water was awesome! Lots of people in the water body surfing. The views are amazing. The plant life is interesting...you will see palm trees and a few feet away you will see cactus plants. We saw some sheep on the way back to the hotel.
The cocktails are really good! My first day I had a Margarita in honor of Margarita Isle, strong and delicious. Tonight was pina colada night in honor of all the pineapple I have eaten so far! Tomorrow, who knows?
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Tropical Paradise
We arrived in Venezuela this afternoon. It's a far cry from the weather we left behind in Toronto. Some snow, plane had to be de-iced before taking off. Flight took just under 5 hours, not too bad considering that we left over an hour late, what with all the taxiing on the runway and the aforementioned de-icing. Plane was packed with warm weather lovers. Upon landing they announced that the temp was 29 celcius. Love it! Nice and sunny with a bit of a breeze, just the way I like it!
I wore my shorts and tank top under my track suit so I was ready for the heat. Had to clear immigration and customs and it was slow. I don't think they worry though! The tour we are on includes bus transportation to the resort. It was about a 40 minute drive. Man that bus driver drove fast! And he was also towing a luggage trailer.
Our room is nice, spacious and has an entire wall of windows with a view of a small pool surrounded by palm trees. You can also see mountains. And I must also mention that we can see the ocean from here. It's just gorgeous! We are on the "first" floor which is actually the second floor. The lobby is "0".
Hannes is out for a run as I write this. We are meeting up with the swimmers for cocktails and dinner at 6:30 pm. It will be fun to officially meet the other swimmers.
It gets dark here around 5:30. First swim workout is tomorrow morning. I am super excited. Will keep you posted.
This is the south tower, which will be our home for the next two weeks.
I wore my shorts and tank top under my track suit so I was ready for the heat. Had to clear immigration and customs and it was slow. I don't think they worry though! The tour we are on includes bus transportation to the resort. It was about a 40 minute drive. Man that bus driver drove fast! And he was also towing a luggage trailer.
Our room is nice, spacious and has an entire wall of windows with a view of a small pool surrounded by palm trees. You can also see mountains. And I must also mention that we can see the ocean from here. It's just gorgeous! We are on the "first" floor which is actually the second floor. The lobby is "0".
Hannes is out for a run as I write this. We are meeting up with the swimmers for cocktails and dinner at 6:30 pm. It will be fun to officially meet the other swimmers.
It gets dark here around 5:30. First swim workout is tomorrow morning. I am super excited. Will keep you posted.
This is the south tower, which will be our home for the next two weeks.
Up, up and away
Good day to all! Today is the big travel day. I was up at 3 am and Hannes was up much earlier, 2 am. Checked out of hotel and went over to terminal 3 for check in with CanJet for 4 am. There were already several people in line. Check in was fast, security also fast, no problems. We grabbed some breakfast as we had lots of time before boarding at 6:30. I can honestly say that this is the first time I have had scrambled eggs, bacon and toast at 4:30 am!
There is a slight dusting of snow on the ground here in Toronto. Hope it does not delay the flight. Apparently it is supposed to be much worse tomorrow so it looks like we are leaving at a good time.
It is exciting to think that in just a few hours we will be in a tropical paradise.
There is a slight dusting of snow on the ground here in Toronto. Hope it does not delay the flight. Apparently it is supposed to be much worse tomorrow so it looks like we are leaving at a good time.
It is exciting to think that in just a few hours we will be in a tropical paradise.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
The Storm Before the Calm
It's been a busy day...spin class this morning, followed by a quick trip to Wal-Mart (yes, really). It was crazy there. I managed to pick up a package of budgie seed and get the heck out of there. On my way out, I saw a car with a poor little puppy in it. It was freezing today, -13 with a wind chill. I felt so bad for the dog. Dumb owners, shopping in Wal-Mart while their dog freezes in the car.
I had my final sun tan session at Ozone. For some reason, it was boiling hot in the bed. I kept asking myself if they forgot about me, it sure seemed longer than 13 minutes. Anyway, I am really brown and have not even left the country yet!
My suitcase is packed...I had to give Hannes a little bit of my stuff to put in his suitcase so I could close mine. Went over the checklists and all seems to be in order.
This afternoon I took a photo of the ice candles in my front yard...they partially melted and then froze again at an angle...I would bet a lot of money that they don't have this problem in Margarita Isle!
We will be up super early tomorrow. Our good friend is driving us to the airport at 5 a.m.
☺♥♥☺
I had my final sun tan session at Ozone. For some reason, it was boiling hot in the bed. I kept asking myself if they forgot about me, it sure seemed longer than 13 minutes. Anyway, I am really brown and have not even left the country yet!
My suitcase is packed...I had to give Hannes a little bit of my stuff to put in his suitcase so I could close mine. Went over the checklists and all seems to be in order.
This afternoon I took a photo of the ice candles in my front yard...they partially melted and then froze again at an angle...I would bet a lot of money that they don't have this problem in Margarita Isle!
We will be up super early tomorrow. Our good friend is driving us to the airport at 5 a.m.
☺♥♥☺
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