The water felt familiar but the stroke did not. My arms flopped above my head for the first eight laps of my triumphant return to the pool. I was relieved to see how fast my body familiarized itself with water and walls. It's been over two months since I swam in a pool, electing to finish my Ironman swim workouts in Lake Monona to get used to the open water and lack of walls.
I was feeling good, right up to the point when a obviously fit swimmer jumped in the lane next to me. I don't know if she was pushing me, or I was pushing her, but my 4 easy 100s turned into moderate, then into moderate hard swims, just to stay in front. I saved my ego for that set, but my body slipped away later, struggling through longish swims. I let it go and ended the workout after 2000 yards, using the fact that it was my first swim as an excuse. I did recoup some pride with some crunchies and leg lifts afterwords. I also picked up a schedule to see what yoga classes are available.
