January 16, 2009
Twice a week (thrice on rare occasions) I swim at the local YMCA. It has become one of the greatest pleasures in my life, getting in that warm water, kicking off from the wall, and sweeping back and forth as if I’m flying. It’s a great all-around workout, plus a perfect “in the zone” creative exercise; I’m able to enter a Zen-like state in which my conscious, critical mind is held in stasis, occupied with counting lengths, and my creative subconscious teases out details of whatever project it is that I’m working on at the time. I love it so much, I wish I’d taken it up in a serious way much sooner, when I was younger. I think it would have been easier as a young person to perfect some of the moves that still have me buffaloed, like the flip turn at the wall. I did take lessons as a kid, but it wasn’t the best experience, and I never learned everything I could have; in high school, I didn’t take it up as a sport, which is a shame. I think I could have been good at it.
Anyway, the point of all this is that I reached a personal best in the pool today! Once a full-time pack-a-day cigarette smoker, I’ve been working hard the past few years to rebuild my cardiopulmonary capacity. I’ve been training myself to get across the pool on fewer and fewer breaths, holding each one for a longer period of time. I still have a long way to go, but I’m proud that I’ve come so far. A few years back, I had to take a breath after every other stroke; now, I can get across the whole pool underwater on just one breath!
And today, I made a personal best. I swam freestyle across the pool, clocking 26 strokes on a single breath…which for me is great! My next goal is 28…then 30. My ultimate goal is to make it all the way across, using however many freestyle strokes it takes, on a single breath. It’s great to feel like I’ve accomplished something, especially when so many other things in life seem to be stuck in neutral. See you tomorrow!
