Bigfoot (the race, not the primate) and Summer Smells

The racing couple!

So, this weekend (tonight, actually), SJV and I are going to the beautiful Lake Geneva to race in Bigfoot. It's actually the very first race that I ever witnessed -- I watched SJV do it last year, and I was hooked right when I smelled the wetsuit rubber.

You know what I mean, if you swim in a wetsuit. When I first brought mine out this year, I took one whiff and said "Summer's here!" I feel the same way when I go to a chlorinated pool. I chalk that up to endless summers as a wee kiddo at the pool every day, racing my sister for pennies that my mom would throw for us, swimming with mom --who was a synchronized swimmer at one point and who would give us "rides" around the pool on her back if we begged, and eating frozen Snickers during the 15 minutes of "adult swim" when the ladies in ridiculous ruffled one-pieces would fluff around in the pool rinsing off the sweat from sunbathing, taking care not to get their hair/makeup wet. Those 15 minutes lasted, it seemed, for hours. It was a simple life -- wake up in the morning, play, go to the pool, play, come home, rinse out my suit and put it on the rack to "dry" (my suit stayed wet, it seemed, the entire summer), play, eat, play, and sleep. Repeat.

I was a total water baby -- I was even on the swim team for about 1/4 season when I was 5 or 6; my sister was a CRAZY fast swimmer (she always got the pennies my mom threw), and I was my sister's little sister - so I did everything she did (much to her chagrin). When she joined swim team, so did I. (Much to her chagrin, I imagine.) And I did the backstroke, because it was easy for me to float because of my big baby Belly. She quit after 1/4 season because it was cold in the mornings when we went to practice. I quit because she quit. Too bad. I might have been fast...

Back to the race. I'm nervous, but excited. Last night we had an open water swim class, and practiced beach starts -- and I remembered quickly what it feels like to start out too fast. (Not good, if you know what I mean.) I'm going to keep that in mind on Sunday -- not to start out too fast. Slow and steady will bring Belly to the beach much faster...

So, I'm pumped to get up there, to relax under the stars, to breathe fresh air and to sleep uninterrupted (Idgy the Cat loves her momma, and often snuggles up a liiittttleee too close). I will, of course, post some photos of the weekend and the Race when I get a chance. Wish me luck!

Good luck to all racers...

Belly