What a great week it was! Do you know why? No? Okay, I\’ll tell you: the pool is now open!! They opened up the wellness center pool for lap swim on Tuesday, and you better believe I was there to take full advantage of it. I got done working around four, but official lap swim didn\’t start until 5:30, so I had to swim in the leisure pool. Normally, I don\’t like swimming in the leisure pool because it is way warmer than the other pool. However, after two months of not being in the water, I will take whatever I can get!
I am horribly out of shape, and felt like a wiggly noodle gliding through the water, but man, it was still great. Being in the water has, and always will be, my happy place. It is such a great way to work off any frustrations — I\’ve had my fair share of them lately! It\’s also easy to get lost in thought while swimming, and sometimes I have a hard time remembering how many laps I\’ve done because I\’ll zone out. I never zone out while running, I\’m too busy thinking about how much it sucks!
My garmin helps me keep track of my laps though, so whenever I find myself zoning, I just have to look at my watch and I\’m good to go. It\’s been a lifesaver when I\’m swimming alone! I also love that my watch keeps track of the intervals I swim and how I have improved over time. Swimming with a team my entire swimming career, I relied on my teammates to help push me through workouts. Now that I am swimming alone, or with others of different speeds, I have to rely on myself to push me to get better. It\’s easy to slack off when no one is around to keep you accountable. And it\’s not like I\’m gearing up for any competition or anything, but I always strive to do the best I possibly can!
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Not only did I get to spend some time swimming at the pool, but Dan and I took advantage of the beautiful weather we had on Wednesday night and we took the dogs swimming at the lake. Carter is a natural, he\’s been swimming for years and loves it! Dan got in a kayak and paddled next to him so he could swim a ways. Dobby is new to the water, he likes getting in, but he doesn\’t really know how to swim yet. I stayed by the shore with him, got in the water – it\’s still very cold!! – and tried holding on to him so he could paddle out a ways. He looks like a fish out of water when he tries to do it, but he\’ll get it eventually! Once the dogs got their exercise, I joined Dan in another kayak and we paddled around for a while. It was a great evening spent with great company! My only regret is that I didn\’t take any pictures 🙁 next time I will for sure!
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It\’s easy to forget about all the stress and troubles going on around you when you do the things that truly make you happy. Swimming is that thing for me. Even though there are plenty of things to stress about right now, I\’m glad I was able to take my mind off all of it for a while. If you\’re feeling stressed out, I strongly encourage you to do the same. Go do the things you love! Get out and enjoy this weather. Get some exercise. Spend time with your loved ones. Whatever it takes. We all need an escape sometimes, go find yours!
Until next time! 🙂
Megan Reiffenberger