The Brute Squad!

*Dinner at Gambino's after a long day.

 

Saturday was the Turkey Trifecta swim meet in Moscow, Idaho.  The pool is amazing and the event featured a specialty race called the "Brute Squad."  In order to be in the brute squad a person has to swim the three toughest swim races; 1650 freestyle, 400im, and 200fly, all in the same meet.  This was especially challenging for the 15 or so brave brutes because the 1650 free and 400im were back-to-back.  In my brief time in competitive swimming I have taken notice that the brute squad is a big deal, and people who earn it wear it proudly. This is a huge challenge and I definitely wanted a piece of it.

 

*The week of the swim meet the weather at the Tri Pad was perfect, crisp, cold, and clear. AMAZING!  Weather like this gives me confidence leading up to a challenge.

 

*Loving the Hammer Green kit on the cold runs. 

If you want to look like Ferocious Brosious...

...then buy one...

....with your money.

 

It was very nice to have Patti and Ed join us for the meet.  They were gracious in giving me a ride to the meet, it is always a treat to share the meets with my adopted grandparents.  Patti did great in her events, and more than once Ed came up to me, while I was zoned out in the warm-up pool, to say, "Bryan, you're up next, heat 5, lane 6."  I probably would have been late for a few of my events while I was off in la la land. 

 

*This is us in street clothes...

 

*This is us in super hero outfits!!!

 

*Patti with "high-elbow recovery."

 

*Patti works the 100 breast.

 

There were a lot of great swimmers at the meet, and I must apologize to my friends for not getting pictures of (or with) them.  I spent 4 hours in the warm-up pool, the lag time in between events is pure misery for me because I don't have a lot of visceral fat and I absolutely freeze to death.  The thought of getting out of the luke-warm water was absolutely unbearable, sorry I missed action of pics of you all. I will do a better job at the next meet, I am bringing snow clothes.   

 

I will mention a couple of my friends doing the brute squad, though.  Kyle Watson did great in all three events, she's a quietly tough gal, and she showed why she is a great swimmer.  Lana Lawrence also did amazing.  Lana has been doing Crossfit for the past year and let me just say that she is looking fabulous.  Girls are so scared of weights and "getting bulky."  Women don't have the body chemistry to bulk up easily, it just doesn't happen. If you want "Jennifer Aniston arms" then you have to lift weights.  I personally think that girls with defined girl-muscles, muscles that are athletic and lean, are very attractive (don't let your lazy, self-conscious boyfriends tell you otherwise). "Fit and strong is the new skinny!"  Kyle and Lana both are prime examples of athletic beauty, I hope they don't mind me saying that about them here.      

 



*Ed, Charlotte, and Patti reading their heat sheets.

 

Others to mention were Patti of course, she is amazing. Charlotte, at 91 totally rocked the socks off all her events.  At 91 she is more athletic than people in their 60s and 70s, it's amazing.  My other friend, James Adams, did a super job in the brute squad.  He won the 1650, 400im, and 200 fly.  His stories of eating Big Macs and drinking Mountain Dew were a welcomed distraction in the warm up pool.  It was nice to get to know him more this meet.  

 

*200 fly start

 

 I swam 5 events, but the focus was on the three of the brute squad.  The 1650 free (aka "the mile") was effortless.  I swam easy and enjoyed it.  The laps went super fast even if I wasn't swimming fast.   The song playing in my head was Fall Out Boy's Along Together, because in this race you swim 33 laps (66 lengths) and it feels like you are alone.  I enjoyed it.

 

The 400im I enjoyed less.  This is a hard race no matter your pace is.  I am in great shape right now, super fit and strong, but it is not swim/race shape. If I am in race shape in November it means something is terribly wrong with my training schedule.  Even going 23 seconds slower than I went in this race when I won here in the spring brought me a lot of discomfort and was hard.  This race is tough, that is the reason I love it.  The theme song for the 400im was Up in the Air, by 30 Seconds to Mars.

 

*1 of the 8 excruciating walls of the 200 butterfly.

 

If I love the 400im because it is tough, then I loooovvveeee the 200 butterfly.  This race is the ultimate of the ultimate for me.  I have no control over it, it is untamable.  Some days I can do it, some days I cannot.  I have no control over my time, I either swim and finish it and get whatever time I get, or I simply can't finish it.  Thankfully, I have finished it every time I have swum it in competition.  The same cannot be said for every time I have tried it in practice.  I thought this race was going to hurt the worst, be the biggest baddest mother on the block.  I spent hours worrying about it.  When I swam it, it surprisingly was not bad.  It left me feeling like I can swim it faster, I no longer have to cling to survival.  It was hard, don't get me wrong, but after it I am feeling like I have more in the 200 fly, which is a good feeling, and a great way to end the brute squad.  The theme song for the 200 fly was Bezerk by Eminem (the edited version please!!!). 

 

*Can you see the water-angel I am making, cool right?

 

*The fly is a beautiful stroke, I made it look like agony during the 200 fly, though. ha ha

A big thank you to Paige Buehler, and Coach Matt for all their hard work in bringing the meet to Moscow.  They are always gracious with their time and effort.  Thanks to all the Chinooks.

 

*I had a great veggie pizza at the social, it was fun.

 

Overall I am happy with accomplishing my goal of joining my first brute squad.  I also value the time I spent with my swim friends, many I neglected to get pictures of or adequately mention in this post.  My times were not super fast, but it gives me motivation and goals to shoot for in the next brute squad.  Thanks again to Patti and Ed for spending time with me.  Having grandparents that passed away when I was young (who I miss and think about often) makes me appreciate the opportunity I have been given with my adopted grandparents.

 

*Patti was so impressed by my pumpkin patch she wanted a picture with it.

Happy Thanksgiving friends!