Workout of the week

It’s been nearly four months since my surgery to fix my broken wrist. As of earlier this week, I’m an occupational-therapy graduate, meaning I get six hours back every week (three appointments per week, each of which takes two hours from door to door). I’m thrilled to report that, when I used my first therapy-free hours for a mid-day swim session, I managed my first normal workout of 3,000 yards since the wrist break—just swimming, no kick sets!

My early post-surgery swims felt like I was working with one arm (my left, unbroken one) and one rake (my stiff, weak right one). But this swim felt gloriously smooth, easy enough for me to take for granted all the tiny motions in my hand and wrist that propel me through the water. Here’s the workout that helped me get my groove back:

1,650 warmup, starting slow, picking up the pace each 500 yards

Three X 200 IM, two X 300 free, alternating.

Six X 25, no breath

In other news, I want to pass along two victories:

1. I hope you’ll forgive this gratuitous self-promotion: I won second place for online news/features in the 2009 DC Society of Professional Journalists Dateline Awards! It was for a story I wrote for the Center for Public Integrity about alternative septic systems, The “soft underbelly” of development? Alternative septic systems a troublesome fix for rural areas. I know this has nothing to do with running or swimming, but runners and swimmers need wastewater management systems, too (plus, I promise it’s more interesting than you think!).

Here’s what the judge had to say: “Here’s an example of a “who knew” story that has real quality-of-life and dollars-and-cents implications for a pretty substantial area. People who buy pretty houses for a pretty penny don’t always think much about what happens when they flush or do a load of laundry. Some people with alternative septic systems have found out the hard way that their systems are not only high-maintenance and costly to fix when a problem arises, but their use also could have an effect on drinking-water quality in some cases. The fact that there’s no licensing requirement for septic-system installers just adds to the eyebrow-raising this story prompts. Good visuals made this story easier for real people to understand.”

Aww! Thanks, judge!

2. I also succeeded in making kale chips! Enjoyment of kale has eluded me until I roasted the leaves at 350 degrees after coating them with cooking spray, garlic powder and sea salt. Expect a full post, with pictures, next Wednesday. Also, don’t expect to see any kale chips at my house—you better believe I ate those puppies in one sitting.