I Love this Game

"One-thirty interval. Change leads every 500. Fuel stop every 2,500." This kicked off 2 hours and 4.6 miles of swimming this morning. While 75 repetitions of a 100-yard swim sounds intimidating (and boring) when simply described as "75 by 100 yards," the actual event is far from either.

Below are a few of the things I most enjoy about this swim:

-You only have to count to five. 5 x 100. And you only have to count when you are leading. The rest of the workout is measured by progression through leader changes. We had ten people in the lane this morning, so we were done when the fifth person completed his second lead.

-Freedom from the tyranny tallying distances means I can let my mind wander while my body works. What do I want for breakfast? What wines will go best with Christmas dinner? How many doughnuts did Mike bring to practice this morning, and what can I trade him for one? What other name could we give Bunivan? What if the doctor was wrong and he is a she...we'd need some new names. What do people really mean when they say, "Your world is going to change forever." These thoughts play out to my mental jukebox that has the last song playing when I pulled into the parking lot on repeat -- "From Yesterday" by 30 Seconds to Mars this morning.

-Drafting converts an individual sport to a team one. While most workouts expect each swimmer to leave five seconds behind the one in front of him/her, this event resembles the Team Time Trial in a cycling Grand Tour. Each swimmer is responsible for holding the draft of the swimmer in front and passing that benefit on to the swimmer behind. One of my teammates expressed concern over recently sporadic workout attendance prior to the start of this morning's workout. And when he integrated into the 10-person pace-line, he had a great swim. No one gets left behind.

-Endorphins feel good. And two hours of constant swimming produces an abundance of them.

-Breakfast tastes great. The banana I ate immediately after was the best fruit I have ever consumed. The bear claw that Tex procured was dangerously good. Bacon, egg and cheese on an asiago bagel provided substance, and Peet's coffee completed the morning and the swim's daydream.

-HammerHead