Thor don't swim butterfly

I saw the Avengers movie last night.  Like a whole lot of males on planet Earth - I went and worked out the very next day.  Lifted.  Swam.  Road biked.  Swam.  In that order.  It is a funny thing what a testosterone filled action movie can do to the male brain.  Mine in particular.  You see, I was already toying with the idea of becoming SuBAD before the movie came out (I recently wrote about that in http://john-badassrides.blogspot.com/2012/04/road-to-becoming-superhero-is-strewn.html).  The Avengers renewed my commitment to being a superhero.  Kind of a butterfly-cycling-running superhero.  I doubt I'll get a helmet/mask kind of thing.  Nor a shield.

So, while my fiancee went to Zumba class, I went to the weight room.  I threw a medicine ball and slung dumb-bells around for an hour.  They didn't have a war hammer like Thor's.  I don't really have the wardrobe to support a hammer either.  My daughter says that I would look stupid swimming butterfly in a cape and armor.  She's 12, she knows these things.  I'll have to settle for having my super-distinction be my speed in the pool, on my feet, and in the saddle.  Right now I am not much of a threat to any of the Marvel Universe superheros, but I am big trouble for about 75% of the athletes in my age group.  In my secret core - I want to be better than every single one of them.  A super hero.  I'm working on it.  Today harder than many days - thanks to Captain America and the posse.

I need to workout like intensely and consistently in order to face the super challenge I have in front of me.  Basically, I need to swim 5000m per day 4 times per week, lift weights 3 times per week, and ride at least 70 miles per week until mid June.  It is superhero stuff.  I too have a battle with a scary nemesis fast approaching.  It is not Loki (like in the Avengers).  Much worse.  The 200m Butterfly at US Masters Nationals on July 8th.  I have written about it more than a little of late.  Some former team mates and coaches have reached out with sound advice, words of humor, love, and support.  I am profoundly grateful to them and blessed to have such wonderful friends.  None of us goes into a competition alone, we bring those who taught/coached/supported into the event with us.  I am glad they will be in that lane with me in Omaha when I swim the fly in July.  I'll need them.  My goal is to swim it in 2:10.50.  I swam a little faster than that in my prime nearly 25 years ago, but not a whole lot.  It is really fast.  Absurdly fast for a guy who has been at this since February.  

In fact, it is exactly five seconds over the time I will need to hit next year when I break the US Masters National record.  It is superhero fast.