A Nice One

God's brush strokes adorned the evening sky as birds silently flew across His handiwork. The pool was calm and so was I. "Finally," I said to myself as I reveled in this magical moment. "That swim will move the needle," I muttered as I made my way out the gate, into my truck, and drove home. But, I get ahead of myself. That was the end of the third workout of the day. Let me roll the tape back to the beginning.

The beginning of Monday was typical. Yeah, you know it. Coffee, cats, lounging, and blogging. Only later, when the coffee pot was dry did I venture outdoors for a shuffle. I went 4.41 miles, purposefully just a little farther than the same day last week. This time I went down on the riverbank, to the trail and enjoyed the trees, the shade, and the birds. They, the birds, flew up ahead of me into the safety of the branches. The Hideout is not far from this trail, and it is becoming a favorite of mine.

Lunch and naps followed. Then the heavens opened, and it rained really hard. I went to Plate City with delight. Rain does not stop me anymore. I unhooked Pee Wee, and he seemed to enjoy the ambiance of hanging out under the tin top as much as I did. He was constantly on guard, his bright eyes scanning the trees and he both found and barked at squirrels. Since it was push day, I hit the bench press for

16 X 102
14 X 107
13 X 112
11 X 117

That is a drop of a full set. I also dropped a set on the Viking press and pushed

16 X 45
15 X 50

Of course I did lots of rotator cuff work and some neck work. The dropped sets are to save some energy for the pool. Usually I swim then lift, but after my experience with the coughing spell last week, I want to get into the outdoor pool. Even if there are toxic gasses there, the breeze will blow them away. Thus, I had to swim after 5:00 p.m.

It was almost 6:00 before I made it to the pool. Mine, it was all mine. The rain had cooled the water by about one half of a degree. I swam, easy, and long, sort of long. A straight swim is what I did and the longest since the early spring. I went 5,100 meters. Wait, didn't you swim 5,100 last week? Yes, I swam 5,100 yards, short course yards. There is a big difference.

The difference between meters and yards is only 9.14 percent in terms of distance. But in terms of stroke volume, the difference is almost thirty percent. In a short course pool, I take 19 strokes per 25 yards or 38 per 50 yards. In a long course pool, I take 52 strokes per 50 meters. That is a difference of 14 per 50 or 28 per 100.

But how can that be? you question. In a short course pool, you flip and glide every 25 yards. That is two flips and two glides per 50. In a long course pool, you flip and glide once every 50 meters. The difference is profound. Besides the difference in stroke numbers, in a short course pool, your muscles are getting a rest, a short one, but a rest nonetheless, every 25 yards. For endurance, long course is king.

Satisfaction is what I felt while I put my shoes on and prepared to leave Twin Rivers. That one swim will not answer the problem, but it is the opening sentence in an essay to be written in my muscles over the next eight weeks. If the writing is good, the swim will be fun. If the writing is poor, the swim will be a struggle, a sufferfest, a quandary of wondering why, why am I doing this? I like to have fun. Help me Lord, to write well this story over the next two months. And help me to raise funds for the worthy charity, the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi.