From Night to Light

Nighttime melting into morning is a strange thing. I see it now everyday in the Twin Rivers outdoor pool. I start stroking around 5:00 a.m. It is very dark, and the walls are hard to find. I count the laps because I cannot see my watch. On every sixth stroke my face exits the water to the east. I look for light. I swim 1,000 meters and the sky looks the same. I swim another 1,000, and I think I see a slight lightening between some trees and the back of County Market. A few more strokes, and I think I see the brightening a little farther south. Then I am not sure. Then I am sure. Then I think I see some pink. Then I am not so sure about that. Later I think I might see some pink a little farther south. Then I doubt it. Then I am sure. Then the pink turns to orange, first a little, later more, then the sky brightens just a bit. Does it? I'm not sure. Then I am sure.

Once I am sure I began to look at my watch when I flip on the south wall. A shadow covers the north wall, and I cannot see anything there. At first, I can only see the watch, that I am wearing it. A few more laps and I can see that it has numbers on the face, but I can not read the numbers. More laps and I can make out one number, then another, and finally I can see the time.

The Twin Rivers pool at 5:00 a.m.

There are three displays on my Garmin watch. The time is the largest. Now I start looking for distance. At first, I can only see that something is in that screen. More laps and I can tell there are numbers there, but I can't read them. Then I can read a number of the four there. Then I can read two numbers and finally, it is daylight, and I can read the whole watch.

Monday morning, the small numbers were at 3,300 before I could read them. There I stopped, took a deep breath, and put on paddles. I did paddle work for another 1,200 meters finishing with 4,500 meters for the day, my longest practice since Chicot. 

After work, I eat, nap, then go for a run. We had Over 60s so I needed a big one to offset a Larry's Fish House eating. I shuffled 8.12 miles in the continued oppressive heat. When will it end? I had no time for lifting and that bothered me. Nevertheless, it was a good day. Thank you, Jesus.