oh, this hurt

If you've gone back to the old days of this blog (hey, why not take a tour?), you might note that I used to swim a lot.  Regularly.  Many yards, many miles.  The Smelts were a major part of our life in Chicago.  

And then we moved to SoCal.  

Oh, plenty of pools here, but for one reason or another, we didn't find our way to swimming regularly.  I tried swimming sometimes at work, but access to the pool was not reliable.  We drifted from the pool for a long while.  About 6 or 7 years ago, we decided we needed to do something about it.  We finally joined a masters team, at Caltech, and swam somewhat regularly.

To be honest, though, it wasn't a good fit.  I often found myself alone in a lane, or swimming with one or two people who didn't communicate, and so the sets were done quietly and not always in sync.  The team members were friendly but not welcoming.  In Fall 2018, I started my doctoral program, and the time commitment needed for that did not allow me much chance to swim.  I left the team, Conrad followed, and we went a long time without enjoying a pool workout.

Interestingly, the pandemic brought me back to the pool often.  In the height of the pandemic, the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center began rationing lane time.  One person per lane, 45 minute blocs, reserved ahead of time.  Eventually that loosened up, but before it fully opened again, there was a long period of months during which I booked swims early in the morning (my preferred time of day) and got my days started in the pool.  It was great.

Even after things opened up fully at the pool, my work schedule was such that I was able to fit in swims regularly.  Hooray!  I had to shift them to later in the day sometimes, but the flexibility of my time made it work.

No longer.  I have a more restrictive schedule, the swims are harder to come by.  I last was in the pool in September.  And you know, I could have gone since then.  So many excuses.  But the truth is, once you get out of the habit of exercise, it's tough to get back in.  Those days of 6000+ yards?  Gone.  Doing 1000 today?  Better than zero, but it's a bitter pill to swallow, knowing how far I am from the good days.  Failing to go to the pool becomes self-perpetuating.

I hope today I broke out of the pattern.  No, I can't swim daily.  I will have to make do with when I can for now, but I will also have to stop making excuses.  So yes, I made it today.  Briefly.  And it was ugly.  And I will be sore tomorrow, which is pathetic.

But it's time to get back to the pool, Peter.  May this be the start of a good habit.