Ow and Wow!

Random observations today. The first is that I've had to reassess my target weight goal. For the last few years, I've had it in my head that I'd be at my ideal competition weight if I could get down to 175 pounds. Well, I'm there, and am still not quite as svelt as I was when this photo was taken.

Do you recognize me? When I look at these old pictures, it's hard for me to understand why I didn't have a girlfriend.

Oh yeah...the nerd thing. Right. Thanks for reminding me. Geez.

Anyway, the point is that I'm never going to restore myself to my high school weight, and that's OK. I've put on some muscle since then, and I don't want to lose that. (I no longer have the hair, and that probably accounts for a couple of pounds, but I still think my proper weight is two stone higher than it was when I received my diploma.) I have joined Jim Murphy's "Fat Losers Club", and will continue to increase my mileage and decrease my pizza intake until I can look in a mirror without seeing Dom DeLuise staring back at me.

In other news, my leg wound from the ice slicing has pretty much healed up...but the finger I jammed on the 200 breaststroke in the swim meet is still bugging me. It's not a big deal -- I can type just fine, and can swim without discomfort. The only time it bothers me is when I play an A-major chord on the guitar, or try to open a bag of chips. Fortunately, "Stairway to Heaven" only uses A-minor, and I have scissors in my kitchen drawer, so life is good.

Still, doesn't it seem like a long time for a jammed finger to heal? And I still have no idea why I mis-timed my touch on that race anyway. I could see exactly where the wall was, and thought my lunge to the touchpad was appropriate. But my middle finger went straight in as if I had another two inches to go. Ow.

It could be poor depth perception. But it could also be a problem with neuron firing rates. Perhaps I'm no longer processing sensory data at the speed necessary for precise nano-corrections during high-stress athletic performances. I know that my ability to blurt out Jeopardy answers before Alex finishes reading the question isn't what it was 20 years ago, so perhaps the jammed finger is a symptom of the same degradation. Or perhaps it's just rustiness -- if I did more swim racing and watched more TV game shows, my former digital quickness and accuracy could be regained.

But let's face it; jammed fingers and failure to quickly phrase answers in the form of a question are not the only indicators that my brilliance might be fading like a government-mandated CFL. I have also forgotten to bring my towel into the gym on a couple of recent occasions. So how am I to get dry after my post-workout shower?

Yes, that's right...a ShamWow!

The last time I was in OfficeMax buying blank CD labels, I noticed a two-pack of these things sitting in the Bargain Bin. I had never been tempted to order a ShamWow! from television, and wouldn't have bought them at full price from a store, either. But the combination of the $3.00 pricetag and the fact that an office supply store was selling informercial products was enough to sway me. I put one in my swim bag, and one in my gym bag, and promptly stopped thinking about them.

Until I forgot my towel. Oh yes, I have dried myself off under blow dryers before, and have even used paper towels on occasion. But rather than resort to those alternatives, I remembered the ShamWow! and whipped it out.

I wasn't expecting much. I had read some reviews that said it was overhyped and ineffective. But to my surprise, I found the opposite to be true—The little orange doodad soaked up the water in a heartbeat. It worked better than my big beach towel, and after I squeezed the water out, was instantly ready to soak up even more. I was impressed!

Of course, I'll still use my regular towel when I remember it. There's a comfort level you get from the large-form terrycloth that you just can't pull out of a square-foot fake chamois. But for pure drying power, I've never seen anything like it! I'd highly recommend getting one as a backup item for your gym bag. They don't take up much space.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that my Boy Scout heritage (Be Prepared, etc) and modern scientific towel technologies have shown themselves to be up to the task of mitigating the damage caused by my failing brainpower. This is a very good thing. It doesn't help my finger feel any better, but at least it's something.

OK, enough about that. My next posting will include a report on the Yeti Chase 10K race, which is the first real test of my new run training strategy. Should be interesting. In the meantime, I guess I'll continue to avoid A chords, and will use the pain in my finger to avoid opening new bags of chips as much as I can. Wish me luck, and have a great day!