I Got Wet Today and Semper Fidelis

I made it into the pool today, which was good. I swam, which was bad. Swimming isn’t like anything else I’ve ever done. I tried to swim “lazy” like the triathlete people tell me to, but it didn’t make any difference. I’m good for about fifty meters no matter how I swim. I’m fatigued like I ran ten miles, but none of my muscles feel stressed. I did ten laps total in one lap sets. I was in the pool for maybe a half an hour. I was self conscious the whole time because there because there was some seventy year old woman in the lane next to me swimming like a damned mermaid. We were the only two people in the pool and I felt like the lifeguards were laughing at me under their breaths and were going to make fun of me at the next lifeguard party (one of the lifeguards on duty was Cory). It’s funny how uncomfortable new situations are. It’s my goal to let go of my pride and not be afraid to look stupid. I’d give myself a B+ on my effort today. I get marks for sliding my fat ass into a swimming pool and trying to get better. I worked on my form and tried to better understand exactly what goes on during a swim stroke. I get points off for worrying about what Dara Torres’s mom was doing in the lane next to me and for being arrogant enough to think the lifeguards were paying attention to me. Both of them were under twenty-three. They were worried about five o’clock getting here so they could start killing brain cells and swapping bodily fluids with strangers. I was surprised that I was sweating on the drive home. I knew that I had just finished some intensive exercise but I figured the pool would keep me cool. Wrong, I was as thirsty after today’s swim as I was after yesterday’s run. I hope I can keep this up.

The United States Marine Corps was founded on this day is 1775.