I'm Back, Baby
The voices started in my head almost immediately. You walk down the hall way, and the voice, that little voice in the back of your mind telling you that it wants you to be long in the water. That you need to glide. Your arms are suddenly up. One stretched straight in front of you with your fingers pointing out straight. The other hand is paralell with your ear and its cocked backed, locked in loaded to short forward. You continue down the hall and the voice whispers as your shot your cocked hand forward and pull your other hand back "Remember to be long in the water and glide..." If someon was watching you they'd think you were having a fit. You aren't. You are just excided because for the first time since Mid-February you are able to get into a pool.
You wondered when this day woule come again. If anyone told you it would be more than a half year since you were able to swim again you would have said non-sense. However, it has been 196 days. It just confirms the bad dream that is 2020 lives on. I was training for a mile swim. I was dedicated to my cause. I had fund raised and worked hard and I had an event on the horizon. Then poof a bout with the flu, followed by the shelter in place and Alameda County shut down pools until last week. It made the bad dream a fucking nightmare.
The little voice is counting down the mintues until you can get your trunks on. You get everything ready in the car. Well almost everything. You forgot that you haven't had a hair cut in about 196 days either. You hair is a lot longer than the last time you swam. You got the swim cap out but you never put it in the bag. When your bangs touch your upper lip that is a bit of a problem. However, you can't let little things like this slow you down.
You strip down to your suit. You pull your goggles and ipod out of the bag. You try and find your work out. The easiest one you have in the bag. The one you call the Peanutbutter and jelly work out b/c the back you keep the sticky note that you wrote the work out on was a sandwhich back that you packed a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich in all those months ago. The writing is almost fully washed off the page. It doesn't matter though. You know the jist of the work out.
6 x 25 warm up - 20 second rest
2 x 50 free - 15 second rest
3 x 100 IM - 30 second rest
2 x 50 free - 15 second rest
6 x 25 cooldown - 20 second rest
You worry about the 3 100's IM your first day back so you just turn those into breast and back mixes.
You jump in. The water is cold but brilliant. It surrounds you and sucks in and pulls you down. It is quite magical. You have missed this so much. You have needed this so bad. Goggles are strapped on. Ear buds tucked in. Ipod turned on. You are greated with rock n roll poudning in your ear. You smile. This is happiness. This is where you belong. Walking is good. You enjoyed it as a back up while you were gone from you proper place. Biking would be awesome if you could ride. However, this is home. This is where you belong. After all you are the Blackfish. You know some where in the back of your mind you were once an Orca. A large and powerful swimmer who ruled the oceans. You enjoy the water for a moment. You grab the wall. The voice comes thru Axl blarring something about it used to be a little but the little got more and more. The voice says be long in the water. Make sure you glide. Breathe to both sides. Long in the water. Glide. Breathe to both sides. You find yourself gripping the wall. Holding it tight. Long in the water. Glide. Breathe. Pull. Long in the water. Your legs are now on the wall and your hand is dropping. Axl is now wailing on about an ond man being a real motherfucker... The voice doesn't care it will have its say. Be long in the water. Breathe to both sides. Long in the water. Glide. Breathe to both sides. Long in the water. Glide. Breathe. Pull. Long in the water. You push off and you glide, and the air pushes out your nose creating an explosion of bubbles and you glide until you start to feel your momentum break and your back.
Comments
Post a Comment