Steady Swim and Mystery Trip Coming Up

More water lilies! Still the lake looked beautiful as I rode home after swimming this morning. The sun was shining brightly just after a thundershower.

This morning I was awakened by the sound of heavy rain somewhere around 4:30 am. I continued to rest, but managed to get up a little earlier and (after a dry bike ride) start swimming at 6:05 am. I did not swim fast today, but my stroke felt smooth, and I barely paused during the first 4,000m. I tried to focus on my shoulder rotation. Being tall, sometimes I think I am turning my shoulders when I am just turning my head. So I focused on longish and more fullish strokes. Near the end, I did 5 x 100m on 2 mins, and finished each one in about 1m 45s. Nothing special. Still, my former coach Steve sometimes used to reprimand me during Masters' workouts for looking at my watch. I guess that time does not always matter. I was swimming smoothly, feeling like a well-oiled machine. With a bit of tapering, and something to fire me up, I think I can surprise myself. Only there is not a lot to fire me up here. After August when I can once again go to the US, the temptation may get very great just to fly over and see whether I am really any better or not. Or else the trip might be too emotional for me, so maybe better just to stay here. I finished the practice this morning with a 100m race (1m 31s), not fast, but I had the faster guy a little worried since I was leading at the first turn. Still I found it hard to generate the speed to push hard. If we had raced 200m it would probably have been a different story. Today my total distance was 4,850 meters.

This afternoon I need to take the fast train up to Taipei for a mystery dinner. I'll explain what happened tomorrow. It has something to do with what I used to do before we first went to Hawaii. I will probably see a few people I knew then. I hope I don't do any awkward movements while wearing the jacket. Swimming has made me feel I could rip metal chains apart! Still I look forward to describing the trip tomorrow. Now I need to concentrate on actually getting up there. Nostalgia - something that increases with age, I guess.

Swimming and Seeing the Butterflies

What better way to end a swim practice than to stop by the butterfly garden on the way home. Swimming was the kind of routine thing I expected today. A total of 4,300 meters, a fairly easy pace, not really getting the heart rate going. I think I was a little tired today, and I was also concerned about my shoulder, maybe more of an imagined concern than a real one, but nevertheless I tried not to do anything silly. The 100m race at the end was a bit flat, too, around 1m 32s, and I just held off one of the two other guys for second place.

So as I biked past the Golden Lion Lake to go to the open-air market on my way home, I stopped by the butterfly garden. This is very well tended and few people go there, except perhaps at weekends. Maybe people don't think a lot about butterflies. Certainly, as a child I would see a few in the fairly large garden behind our home. However, Taiwan has close to 400 different species, some 40 of which are only found on this island. Reports say the butterfly population is declining and many varieties are threatened with extinction. This is all in the name of progress, technological progress, as people become more engrossed in increasingly sophisticated manufactured gadgetry. If you want to see beauty, though, it is hard to find something which compares with a butterfly.

Watching butteflies helps me relax, and helps me release some of the stresses I face every day. The butterflies always seem to be very busy. For them life is short, but besides helping pollinate flowers and plants, they seem to enjoy flying about together in groups as well as alone. They have compound eyes, often with as many as 6,000 lenses. They don't grow in size. When they emerge from the chrysalis, they are as large as they will get. Creating butterfly gardens like the one that I can visit near my home is one way of helping to ensure that they remain with mankind for many more generations.

These pictures and the movie are all from the butterfly garden.

Routine Uneventful Training

A shaded part of a cycle path along the Love River in the city of Kaohsiung.

The title I have chosen today sounds a little like my swim training today was pretty boring. Well, it was routine - as usual I got up about 5:30 am and managed to start swimming by 6:10 am. At least I was down there actually doing it. It was uneventful. I did not break any of my records or impress anyone. I generally took the same number of strokes each length (16 usually), and when I did flip-turns, they were so-so, at least I got a good push off the wall on most of them. It can be a little intimidating for someone my height in water barely 4-ft deep. Training: well, it was training, even though the first 3,000 was pretty slow (partly because I felt sluggish and due to lane traffic which made passing difficult much of the time). Still, I got 4,500 meters in today which included several easy 100s on my own and a 100m race near the end (but only about 1m 31s for that). Yesterday evening at home I played around with a pair of 20 lb dumbells which I think made me feel a little lethargic. I was also concerned I might be taking chances with my shoulders, which had been a little painful last week. So I'll just stick to swimming for now, and try to avoid any clunky kinds of movements. Nevertheless, the fact that I actually played with the weights means that I feel a lot better than I did last week or the week before.

A friend in Kona used to say to me that running, even if slow, was like putting money in the bank, and that you did not have to go out and do something spectacular each time. Well, it seems that with all this swimming I have not improved these last few weeks. Anyway, I'll just keep pressing on and see what happens. In any case, I tried on my suit jacket today and I almost feel I am wearing a straightjacket, so the swimming may be having some effect on me after all.

View of Love River with Mount Gu in the background. The cycle path continues along the river.

Today I also had to go with my wife and one son across town to deal with some stuff in a government office. While it was pretty routine, just actually going and coming back resulted in my having a good rest at home this afternoon. At home when tired I usually take some reading work with me to the bedroom where I can lie down and work, and when the mind drifts too much, then I can put the work down and have a good sleep. At night, I don't usually get enough hours of sleep, so being close to the bedroom in the afternoon is particularly important to me. Perhaps for every hour I swim each day, I need an extra hour of sleep. So that translates into quite a few $$$, but maybe the medical bills will be a lot less in the long run.

Tomorrow will soon come, and hopefully the same routine in the morning!

The Dragon Boat Festival in Kaohsiung 端午節

Today was the Dragon Boat Festival. Not a training day for me, as the pool was closed, but I did end up biking two hours today. First I went across town to the race venue this morning (a good 30 minutes one way by MTB) only to find it didn't start until the afternoon. So I went back again this afternoon. However, today it is not about the bike or about Bruce, but about the wonderful people I live amongst and their rich 5,000-year history. It is on days like this that I realize why I am here and why I exist.
So instead of my rants about my swims, here is an explanation of the Dragon Boat Festival, in Chinese and English, courtesy of the Government Information Office in Taiwan (for further information on anything, please click on the hyperlinks):

共駭群龍水上游，不知原是木蘭舟。
雲旗獵獵翻青漢，雷鼓嘈嘈殷碧流。
屈子冤魂終古在，楚鄉遺俗至今留。
江亭暇日堪高會，醉諷離騷不解愁。

農 曆 五 月 五 日 是 端 午 節 ， 和 春 節 、 中 秋 並 列 為 最 重 要 的 三 個 節 慶 。 端 午 節 時 值 夏 季 ， 正 是 疾 病 開 始 流 行 的 季 節 ， 因 此 端 午 節 的 由 來 ， 可 追 溯 為 驅 邪 避 惡 ， 以 求 身 心 的 平 安 ， 後 來 加 入 愛 國 詩 人 屈 原 的 傳 說 ， 更 增 添 了 端 午 節 的 重 要 性 。
端 午 節 最 令 人 期 盼 的 活 動 便 是 划 龍 舟 ， 台 灣 各 地 的 主 要 河 川 在 當 天 都 會 舉 行 盛 大 的 龍 舟 競 賽 ， 選 手 們 隨 著 隆 隆 的 鼓 聲 ， 奮 力 向 前 划 ， 在 精 彩 激 烈 的 賽 程 中 ， 這 傳 統 的 習 俗 得 以 不 斷 的 延 續 。
為 了 驅 除 疾 厄 ， 端 午 節 時 可 見 住 家 門 口 都 掛 菖 蒲 和 艾 草 ， 以 及 「 鍾 馗 」 的 畫 像 ， 成 人 飲 雄 黃 酒 ， 並 讓 小 孩 身 配 香 包 ， 這 些 物 品 據 說 都 有 避 邪 ， 保 平 安 的 作 用 。 而 台 灣 的 「 打 午 時 水 」 的 風 俗 ， 亦 即 汲 取 端 午 節 中 午 的 井 水 ， 據 說 有 治 病 的 療 效 ， 此 外 ， 若 能 在 正 午 時 將 雞 蛋 直 立 起 來 ， 表 示 來 年 會 有 好 運 道 。
端 午 節 最 為 人 熟 知 的 食 品 便 是 粽 子 ， 這 個 原 本 富 有 紀 念 意 義 的 食 品 ， 在 中 國 人 的 巧 手 製 作 下 ， 已 成 為 具 各 種 變 化 ， 且 隨 時 都 能 嚐 到 的 美 食 了 。
端 午 節 可 說 是 現 存 的 重 要 節 慶 中 ， 歷 史 最 悠 久 的 。 由 現 代 的 眼 光 看 來 ， 祖 先 對 端 午 節 的 看 法 確 有 其 獨 到 之 處 ： 在 這 初 夏 蟲 疫 滋 生 之 際 ， 以 端 午 節 提 醒 大 家 做 好 保 健 的 工 作 。 菖 蒲 、 艾 草 及 雄 黃 酒 固 然 是 傳 統 避 疫 保 健 的 方 式 ， 現 代 人 應 尋 求 更 進 步 的 方 式 進 行 保 健 活 動 ， 延 續 先 人 的 智 慧 。

The picture is clearer when enlarged (click on it!).
The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, and together with Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival forms one of the three major Chinese holidays. Since the summer is a time when diseases most easily spread, Dragon Boat Festival began as an occasion for driving off evil spirits and pestilence and for finding peace in one's life. The festival was later enriched by the legend of the patriot Chu Yuan.
The Dragon Boat Festival is highlighted by the dragon boat races, in which competing teams drive their boats forward rowing to the rhythm of pounding drums. This lively and colorful tradition has continued unbroken for centuries to the present day.
The festival's significance as a time for warding off evil and disease is symbolized by a number of customary practices such as hanging calamus and moxa on the front door, and pasting up pictures of Chung Kuei (a nemesis of evil spirits). Adults drink hsiung huang wine and children are given fragrant sachets, both of which are said to possess qualities for preventing evil and bringing peace. Another custom practiced in Taiwan is "fetching noon water," in which people draw well water on the afternoon of the festival in the belief that it will cure illness. And if you can successfully stand an egg on its end exactly at 12:00 noon, then the coming year will be a lucky one.
The most popular dish during the Dragon Boat Festival is tzung tzu, originally eaten in memory of the patriot Chu Yuan, but gradually evolving into a snack eaten during normal occasions as well.
Of all the major holidays celebrated in China, Dragon Boat Festival has the longest history. Occurring at the beginning of summer when insects thrive, the festival was distinguished from other occasions in earlier days as a time for reminding family members to take care of their health. The Chinese continue to heed this wisdom, however, by replacing the traditional customs of hanging calamus and moxa, drinking hsiung huang wine, and giving sachets, with more advanced methods for protecting one's health.

Pictures (top to bottom): (1) Members of one of one of the high school/junior college girls' teams smile as they jog to warm up prior to the race. (2) Dragon boats waiting for their oarsmen (and women). (3) The high school/junior college girls' teams at about the halfway point in the race.

Video: The high school/junior college boys' race in full swing (only part of it, it lasted a little over two minutes).

Shorter Swimming Week: 21,150 meters

If you look at this picture carefully, you will notice that many of the lilies are two or three feet about the surface of the water. How is this possible? Well, with the heavy rains this last week, the authorities released some of the water from the lake as a precaution against flooding.
With the pool closed tomorrow (Sunday) for the Dragon Boat Festival and Monday, too (as usual), I only had a five-day swimming week. Since my shoulder had been sore last week, I cut back on my distances, and today only swam 5,500 meters. About 2,000m of that was fairly fast paced (including several 100s and a couple of 200s), which had me huffing and puffing at times, and while I was aerobic most of the rest of the time, I did throw in a few hard 50s for good measure. Both 200s were 3m 18s each, about equal to my best so far here, but I had hoped to do slightly better. At the end of the workout, I did feel a little tired. I wonder if I am reaching a kind of plateau where I will forever remain at about this level (with a lot of practice of course). One thing I am trying to do, in the absence of a lot of people to push me, is to use weights a bit more at home. Hopefully, if I get a bit stronger, I will be able to power my way through the water more.
It is good reading the blogs and finding out about the great things that other people are accomplishing, like record-breaking Ironmans, swimming at the North Pole, three non-stop English Channel crossings, etc. , and it makes me wonder what I am really aiming at. At least it is good to think about it, for without aiming at anything, one doesn't achieve anything.
Certainly, I am less worried about my shoulders after the last week, even though I pushed fairly hard at times in the pool. However, I will still need to take care, and as it is frequently said 'listen to your body'.
I have also been trying to change the layout of my blog, and in some respects have been successful (like widening the columns and not wasting so much space), and others not, so while I am trying to figure it all out, my blog may look a little out of whack. Anyway, it is important to try to keep up with changes in technology. Sometimes I post things in Chinese, but typing the characters takes me quite a lot of time, so if I feel tired and it is late, I'll just write in English for now. However, I do want to persevere with the Chinese, since more people in the world speak Chinese than English (as their first language anyway).
Tomorrow I intend to bike across town to get some pics of the dragon boat race.

Hanging in there!

Not really a post, as it is late and I need some good sleep before my Saturday morning swim workout. This morning I swam a total of 4,000 meters, my stroke was smooth, but overall I was a little slower than usual. I guess I am a little tired, but my shoulder felt better than earlier this week, so hopefully I am on the mend.
Tonight Hsiu-Chin and I attended a performance in Kaohsiung presented by Chuck and Doni Antone, who run the Kona Coast Chaplaincy, which is a small church that meets on the lawn next to the ocean behind the Kona Inn in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. They were indeed a little surprised to see us. We had met them on several occasions while in Hawaii. So it made me miss Kona. Now I need to really focus on my training and keep at it, and hopefully next year it will be "Hawaii, here I come!" even if only for a short time.
One good piece of news today is that it did not rain today, so things are slowly drying out and normality (i.e., everyone being able to go about doing their business) is returning again. The Dragon Boat Festival will be on Sunday. I hope to get a few pictures of the boat races.

游泳與美容! Swimming and Cosmetics!

今天還在下大雨！已經連續四天了，我開始有一點受不了！今日總共游了三千九百公尺，游地不快，好像沒有精神一樣，可是我的肩膀感覺比較舒服。游完了以後，一個朋友把曾經當過台灣奧運游泳隊的教練介紹給我。能夠認識那一位先生使我覺得很榮幸。我又聽到台灣偶爾會舉辦一個三千公尺在海邊的游泳比賽，希望有一天可以參加！

因為今天一直下雨，使我跟兩個兒子覺得很無聊，所以我們都上了秀金在我們家所辦的玫琳凱美容課！

(English Translation: It continued to rain heavily for yet another day! That's already four days in a row, and it is starting to bug me! Today I swam a total of 3,900 meters, not fast, and it seemed I lacked vigor, but at least my shoulders felt a bit more comfortable. After finishing swimming, a friend introduced me to someone who had previously coached Taiwan's Olympic swimming team. It was indeed a great honor to be able to get to know this person. I also heard that Taiwan occasionally organizes a 3,000 meter ocean swim race. I hope that one day I can take part in it!

Because it rained all day today, which made our sons and me feel very bored, we all attended the Mary Kay beauty class that Hsiu-chin held in our house!