Blank

I hesitated on which way to go home. Right meant going to the pool. Left meant going home and sulking on the couch.

Work ended rather poorly. I was busy all day and then I discovered a small goof with major implications. You know that part in Office Space when Michael Bolton ("Which song is your favorite?") realizes that he messed up on something small, like a decimal point or something, which causes a $300K glitch? Yeah, that's how I felt. Totally my fault. I'm just lucky someone else discovered it. I have to make some calls tomorrow to see what the impacts are on a multi-million dollar project. I already made a call on the other multi-million dollar project.

So I turned right. Perhaps I can pound out the issues in the water. I hop in and start out with 4x100, 4x200, 4x300, building each one so that the first 100 is the easiest and my last 300 is my best effort. Somewhere in the middle of the 200s, I randomly think of a kid swimming, and he visualizes that he is a car engine. (I have no idea how I got there) And as an engine, he finds another gear an surprises his coaches with his performance. Turns out, the thought carries through to my swimming, and I start concentrating on my form and start to churn out some swims.

I start out the 300s with a 4:21. Not too bad. I increase the effort for #2 and surprise myself with a 4:18. I continue building through #3, really thinking about long, smooth strokes, crisp catches and full pulls and post a 4:12. Now it's starting to get fun. The pool closes at 7:00. It's 6:55 when I start #4 and didn't realize that I'm the only one in the water. I push off and start to feel the fatigue building in my arms at the 150.

"Pain is good. Pain is weakness leaving the body. Concentrate on your form. Pull. Pull harder."

I flip at the 200 and notice I'm at 2:40. That leaves 1:20 to go 4 minutes even. I let everything go for the last two lengths and concentrate on my bestest form. At 10 meters to go, I look for the pace clock to gauge my finish time. I look and look. I expect to see 3:57...3:58...3:59, but there's nothing. It's blank. The lifeguards turned off the clock. I slam my last two strokes and finish. Exacerbated, I call out, "Where's the clock?! I was using the clock?" not expecting anyone to reply. I started to warm down, got whistled at by the lifeguard, and pleaded to finish one half length as a warm down. I climbed out of the pool just as the clock turned 7 PM. Fuck.

I was steamed. Knowing the time from that one swim really could've turned my day around. Instead, I came home and sulked on the couch. At least I got my workout in.