Tuesday, May 17, 2005

In the Pool

Today was a pretty momentous day for me athletically. As a non-athlete, that is.

I wrote a few months ago that I wanted to swim a mile in 30:00 before the end of the year, but at the time I wrote it I hadn't even broken 35:00. My real goal was 32:00--the 30:00 was a hopeless reach.

Well, maybe not so hopeless now. I swam a mile this morning in 31:39. Laps were counted correctly. The pool is regulation distance. I wasn't being towed by a boat. And it was hard, but I had a little left when I was done.

As the standard disclaimer, that's a laughable time for anyone who ever swam distance competitively, but for a land-based creature such as myself, it meant something.

I wanted to do something to celebrate after I got out of the pool, but I realized at that moment that I don't know how. I'm not a celebrater. I'm not sure I've celebrated anything in my life--not really. If I accomplish something that seems substantial to me, in two days I'm wondering what's next. I never fully realized it until today.

So onward to 30:00, which, in a relatively shocking turn of events, is now a tangible goal.

Site Meter