I just looked in the mirror and can’t be sure I recognize the person staring back at me. Just over a year ago (and for all of my life, really) I would have gone out of my way to avoid getting up at 5:30 in the morning. Today, although I did hit snooze and almost overslept, I was actually excited to grab my wet suit and drive 20 minutes to a lake in the middle of nowhere. What happened next, changed a little bit more of my fiber.
I was about 10 minutes late for open water swim (can’t change everything overnight) but I slid into my wet suit and joined the rest of the crew for a few mass floating starts and drafting. Fortunately, for me, I missed the in and out of the lake transition practice, which was probably the toughest, but I swam a little extra at the end.
Today was my 3rd time in open water in the two weeks and the progress is just remarkable. I “almost” felt like a little kid again back at Turtle Lake in Delavan, Wisconsin. I’d spend hours in that seaweed infested water, hoping to end the day with a kiss from one of the Chicago girls in for the weekend. Never really happened, but I did love me some water.
The swim was over at 7, but I had to make up being late, so I swam another 4 or 5 hundred by myself. I got to the last buoy and started walking out of the water. It was so gorgeous and peaceful, I didn’t want to leave. I just wanted to float around and swim the morning away. But this job thing can kinda cramp your style.
When I got back to my car, Ironman Louisville aspirant, Wasky, was dressed for a run and asked if I wanted to join. After some careful deliberation, I said, yes. We knocked out about 7 miles and I stood near my car smelling like a sweaty-lake-skank trying to decide if and where I could get a shower. It was about 8:30 and work was calling, so I put on some fresh shorts and hit the highway.
When I parked at work, the wind shifted and I got a big whiff of my own aroma and realized I smelled like a fish. This was confirmed when a pack of stray cats followed me to the front door.
The good news is, nobody is coming in my office.