Posts Tagged ‘vacation’

Bye-Bye Bermuda

Got my 5k in this morning on the treadmill and now we’re about to sail away from Bermuda for the day-and-a-half trip back to New York Harbor. But not before we went shopping in Hamilton, and that means a reader giveaway when we get back!

Though we couldn’t find anything to rival the ever-popular Popener, I’m sure you’ll be eager to do whatever is necessary to win these prizes. I’ll develop some sort of competition for one, and give the other away randomly. Stay tuned to this space for details and I’ll talk to you again on Monday when we get back home. Thanks for joining us (virtually) on our vacation.

Elbow Room

Hopped the local bus this morning to Elbow Beach. It’s a public beach bordered on both sides by private resort beaches. There was some surf but it was manageable. The water temperature here is amazing. There just isn‘t any initial jolt when you enter the water. It‘s perfect.

I swam a bit, and noted the difference between working through the waves as opposed to calm water. But it was great fun and I come away from this trip with a much higher level of confidence.

We sail away at noon tomorrow, so there’s no more beach time. Back to running. I’d very much like to run in Bermuda, but the nearby areas don’t seem to be very runner-friendly. There are sidewalks in town, but not outside of it, and running in the road would be extremely dangerous. It looks like another workout on the Rubber Band of Doom.

Clearwater

Today we spent three hours at Clearwater Beach. The swimming went much better, and the Lovely Mrs. A. shot some video that showed me bringing my arms way too wide in my forward stroke. So I worked on that, plus my side breathing. Great day. The water was bath temperature.

As you can see, I also enjoyed the breaks between swimming intervals. More beach time tomorrow!

Treading Water

When going for your first open water swim, there is one additional question to ask after “How deep is it out here?” I didn’t ask the second question and it made for an exciting morning.

The Veendam anchored off the coast of St. George this morning and we were ferried to shore. We boarded a 40-foot sloop for a sail around the island, followed by swimming and snorkeling in a small cove.

The crew distributed snorkels and life vests for those who wanted them, and I asked the first question. The answer was “Eight feet.” OK, that was deeper than the pool, but I felt confident and the water was calm. So I jumped in off the deck right after the Lovely Mrs. A., who is a strong swimmer.

It was a bit of a rush as I bobbed to the surface, but I overcame my first instinct, which was to flap my arms and scream like a little girl. I maintained my composure and was floating without effort. I took a deep breath and started swimming toward shore. Then I grabbed a breath, and did another interval. Then another breath, and another interval.

About halfway through the fourth interval I realized I was still at about 8 feet, and the shore was still at a distance. The question I hadn’t asked was, “How far do I have to swim to get to 5 feet?” The answer would have been “Quite a ways.”

So as I bobbed up and down, catching my breath and trying to slither my way to shallow water, I realized it was going to be a lot harder for me when it came time to go in the other direction, back to the boat. Fortunately, the Lovely Mrs. A. was nearby, and she volunteered to get me a life vest. While she was gone, I floated serenely on my back, breathing deeply and regularly. For my first foray into deep water, it was comforting to know I wasn’t going to drown, but I was disappointed that I had gotten in over my head, so to speak.

When my wife returned with the vest, I slipped it on, while trying not to look like a sea lion getting dressed for work. I then swam about contentedly for the duration of our time and returned to the ship without further incident.

Tomorrow we’re going to the beach, where I will enter the ocean from the shallow end. I expect things to go better that way.

Running on the Ocean

We’re aboard the MS Veendam on our merry way to Bermuda. We departed New York amid a rainstorm and 32-mile-per-hour headwinds. It’s astonishing I managed to get this shot of the Statue of Liberty since I was at serious risk of ending up in the drink like Kate Winslet. (I can’t face those endless parties and cotillions, either.)

The Lovely Mrs. A. and I have spent a lot of time on cruise ships over the years. We tend to get the best value for our travel dollar and we don’t have to spend half our day trying to figure out where we’re going to eat next.

There are some drawbacks, however. One is that we’re encased with the same group of people for the whole week. So, just as you might do during a road race, we start to assign them names based on their most striking characteristic. Such as Salad Dressing Guy.

I understand people have different dietary needs, but I must say this was a first for me. I saw a guy come back from the salad bar with a plate full of veggies, then proceed to dig into his backpack and pull out an unopened bottle of salad dressing, the contents of which he then used to adorn his meal.

I wondered if the salad dressing was his only personalized condiment, or if his backpack also contained an assortment of mustards, syrups, sauces and marinades. Was this his usual practice or an emergency procedure at sea? Did he have a rare oil and vinegar allergy?

During lunch we were entertained by Ryan the Solo Guitarist. Ryan accompanies himself on the kazoo. You would think this choice of instrument would confine Ryan to light-hearted and comedic versions of novelty tunes, but Ryan fancied himself a crooner, and sang “Crocodile Rock” as if it were a rendition of the Ave Maria.

Exercise aboard can also be problematic. There is a deck that encircles the entire length of the ship, but you’re not allowed to run on it, as there are cabins below it. The ship has a fair-sized fitness center with all the standard equipment, including six or seven treadmills.

Treadmill running on the open sea is unlike your normal experience. Imagine your treadmill on the back of an elephant trying to cross a fast-moving stream by leaping from rock to rock. Now imagine the rocks are hot. It’s something like that.

It’s important to concentrate on your footing, but it’s easy to be distracted by Heart Attack Guy, who’s running on the next treadmill. He’s not unique to cruise ships. You may have seen him at your own gym or on the street. Heart Attack Guy is going to get healthy even if it kills him. He’s going too fast for his conditioning, he’s gasping like a beached walrus, and he’s hanging onto the rails like grim death. But he’ll get that 2.25 mile workout in. He doesn’t need a cool down. He’s in the best shape of his life.

Next to Heart Attack Guy is Frontier Woman. After years of killing her own food and living in the wilderness, she decided that a Bermuda cruise is the perfect opportunity to visit the 21st century. Standing on the treadmill in her slacks and sandals, she stares at the screen as if the machine runs on sheer willpower. After receiving assistance, she is startled by the motion, as though an evil spirit has brought this mechanical monster to life. She walks gingerly, expecting it to swallow her whole.

I completed my 5k in the allotted 30 minutes. We’ll be at sea for the rest of the day, anchoring at St. George in the morning. We’re planning on some beach time and I’m hoping to try my first open-water swim. Well, I’ll probably remain about 10 feet from the shore, but it still counts, doesn’t it?

24 Hours in the City That Smells Like Pee

Yes, I’ve had one full day in my old hometown, New York City. It rained most of this morning, and I had to get my running in on the hotel treadmill, rather than risk my life trying to jog my way up to Central Park from midtown. Apparently there was some sort of cycling event going on just outside our hotel.

I love the city, but it smells as bad as it did 35 years ago. Maybe they could hang a giant air freshener from the top of the Empire State Building.

Anyway, I got the most important tasks done: a couple of toasted coconut Dunkin Donuts and a pair of vanilla egg creams. If you don’t know what an egg cream is, click here for its history. It’s a typical New York concoction in that it contains neither egg nor cream.

Alas, I’m on my way out of town already. I’ll let you in on my mystery destination tomorrow. You got a problem with that?

Hold the Fort!

I’ll be on vacation for the next week or so, but I hope to blog from my destination, so keep your eye on this space.