Back in the Saddle

The water temperature was perfect.  It was a little chilly upon entry, but not cold.  It never got too cold or too hot.

The weather was beautiful.  The sun was bright.  The sky was a pure, crisp blue.  The air was clean.

As I took my first few strokes, I was a swimmer again.  My arms felt long.  My legs felt strong.  I had a solid tempo.  My body position felt right.  My stroke felt perfect.

I took my first turn.  I executed a long streamline with 4 powerful dolphin kicks.  The world was right again.

Then, reality hit.  My arms started to hurt.  My legs just stopped.  I started gasping for air.  Both hands started to slip in the water.  At one point, about 75 meters into warm-up, my entire body shifted about 6 inches to the side for no apparent reason.  I was just swimming along and, whoops, I shifted to the left.  A little later, I was kicking backstroke with the lane rope just to my left.  Three seconds later I hit the lane rope on the right.  Three seconds to drift all the way across the lane.

I swam for the first time in almost exactly three months yesterday.  I was terrible.  It was fantastic.

For three months I have not been able to swim.  Pools have been closed.  I don't have easy access to open water, the proper equipment to swim in open water, or any great desire to swim in open water.  If I had the first two of these, I would have done it.  I didn't, so I didn't.

I did my best to exercise over the last 3 months.  I have actually exercised every day, or almost every day.  I ran for the first time in a few years.  I biked for the first time in even more years.  I started doing yoga on a somewhat regular basis.  I am probably in reasonably decent shape.  However, as any swimmer will tell you, being in shape, and being in swimming shape are very different things.

As I managed to get myself through about an hour swim practice, I realized, more than I think I ever knew, what I missed.  Most of all, I missed being in the water.  My whole life, I have loved being in the water.  I love floating and sinking and gliding and sprinting and splashing and just feeling the resistance the water gives as I sway my arms back and forth.  I miss the feeling of gliding through the water after a solid push off the wall.  I miss a strong dolphin kick.  I miss bubbles.  I even miss the pain, a little.  All of this really means I miss feeling like a swimmer.

I also miss my team.  I almost never swim with a group.  I see my team at competitions and social events.  It is far too rare that I get to spend time with my teammates, but I have missed those times for three months.  Yesterday, I swam with a group.  It was so nice to see teammates, new and old.  One of the great things about the way my team works is I almost always meet new teammates at every meet and social event.  Yesterday, I got to see old friends and meet new swimmers.

We were all thrilled to get in the pool.  At one point, another swimmer said that she never thought she would be able to swim with a group again.  Our leader for the day could not stop smiling and could not stop telling us that she could not stop smiling.  Everyone enjoyed themselves, even though almost all of us were not in swimming shape.  It was great to be in the water.  It was great to be with teammates.  It was great to be outside, using our bodies, on a perfect day.

There are a lot of things I have missed over the last three months.  There are a lot of things I have not missed.  I miss seeing Eldest on a soccer field.  I don't miss having three things schedule for one Saturday afternoon.  I miss seeing Middle decide that he is going to be the best defender on a basketball court.  I don't miss seeing Middle get frustrated when his shot isn't falling.  I miss seeing Youngest climb anything and everything he can.  I don't miss worrying that he will fall on his head.  I miss being with people.  I miss watching new swim meets, especially yesterday which was supposed to be summer swim time trials.  I don't miss traffic.  Sometimes I miss having a full schedule.  I miss post swim meet meals.  I don't miss seeing how much a post swim meet meal costs for a family of five.  I don't miss waking up at 4 am to drive Middle to swim practice.  I do miss watching my Boys swim.

As things are opening up, we will get some of this back.  However, unless I want to go to a gym (I don't), or get my hair cut (not yet) or eat at a restaurant (again, not yet), I don't think I am getting much back now.  There are still no games.  There are still no swim meets.  There is still no Ninja.  There will be no movies or hih school musicals in the next several months.  I did finally get the water back.  I streamlined, I sprinted, I splashed, I felt the soft resistance.  I swam.  I was in my element.  By the afternoon, I felt the typical soreness and the hanging head of an extremely tired old man.  I have been sore over the last three months.  I have been tired.  This is different.  It felt right.

Silver Lining

Last night, which was a lovely early spring evening, the Family went for a walk.  All five of us.  Outside.  There was a slight chill in the air and a fairly stiff breeze.  It was, however, sunny and springy and pretty.  It was a simple thing, but at least we were able to get out.  About a quarter of the way through the walk, the Wife says to me, "I saw on the calendar today you were supposed to swim the 1000 today."  (For those of you uninitiated in the world of swimming that is 1000 yards, 40 lengths of a standard swimming pool.  Yes.  One.  Thousand.  Yards.)

Silver Lining.

 I did not swim the 1000 last night.  I don't like swimming the 1000 (sorry, Rich).  I don't know how to swim the 1000 (sorry, again, Rich.)  I either start to fast, then spend the majority of the race wishing I could quit and get out and thinking there is no way I can swim 22 more lengths of this God-forsaken pool.  Or I start too slowly, feel great and finish strong.  And then Katie yells at me for staring too slowly.  I don't like when Katie is mad at me.  The 1000 is really a no win situation.  Except yesterday, I didn't have to swim the 1000.  Win for me.

Times are tough right now.  We have to find the silver lining.  This weekend is a weekend I work for most of the year (except the past year, when I really only worked for it for half the year.)  (Sorry, yet again, Rich.)  This weekend is the Masters swimming Colonies Zone Championship.  The big meet for me, and several other people I know and love, and a lot of people I don't know, but still feel some love for.  Like just about everything else, this meet was cancelled.

I got my money back - Silver Lining.

Today was supposed to be my hard day - 200 back, 500 free, 50 back, and most likely the 800 free relay.  That would make 1950 yards of racing in less than 24 hours. Instead, two weeks ago I said an indefinite good-bye to the swimming pool.

Honestly, I have to admit that the new normal has become normal to such an extent that I forgot what I was missing this weekend.  Not swimming the 1000 is a small win.  Not swimming this meet is not.  But this is the new normal, and we have to find the little victories, or the silver linings, in this unfortunate situation.

So I did not swim the 1000 last night - win!

I am not swimming the 400 IM tomorrow - win!  (For those of you uninitiated in the world of swimming, the 400 IM is somehow worse than the 1000.  It is kind of like being tarred and feathered, then run over by a truck, then thrown into a swimming pool.  After tat, you usually have about 5 lengths of the pool to go.)

The family has been taking many evening walks - Win!  No one in the family has killed anyone else - double win!

Today, we did a Family Movie - win!  We watched Deadpool.  Normally, watching Deadpool with a 10 year old, a 13 year old and a 15 year old would be frowned upon by many people.  If you haven't seen it, the movie is a hard R rating.  Not really appropriate for a 10 year old, or maybe even a 13 year old.  But today, we watched it together, in our house, without going anywhere.  Socially responsible.  Silver Lining.  Win!

The basement is painted - Win!

I started a puzzle of The Little Mermaid today - double Win!

My family is having an online get together today - Win!  In all seriousness, we would never do this but for the current circumstances.  At best, I would see my parents some time in the next two months, one of my brothers sometime in the next 6 months and the other by or on Christmas Eve.  As for my niece and nephew and my sisters-in-law?  Really not sure.  So this is a good thing.

Eldest has a birthday coming up - Win!  He is turning 16, but can't get his driver's license - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  Win!  Win!  Win!  (We kid because we love.)

Middle bought Grand Theft Auto online for the PlayStation.  This is kind of like the Deadpool thing.  Not exactly appropriate.  But he did it from the house.  That is socially responsible.  So, Win!??

OK I'm reaching.

If I am honest, as I wrote about a week ago, this kind of sucks.  I am lucky.  I have a job (still).  The Wife has a job (still).  None of us are sick.  If we get sick, we have good health insurance.  I am confident my family will get through this.  I am hopeful everyone does, but I know that isn't the case.  I am looking for the positive, as is everyone else.  People are re-connecting with old friends.  There are some good things coming out of this.  But, it kind of sucks.  Everything has been cancelled.  We really fear for summer swimming (no word right now, but I am concerned.)  We don't know when this is going to end.  So we look for the Silver Lining.  The small Win!

Like I said, no 1000 last night.  No 400 IM tomorrow.

The Unintended Consequences of Stay in Place

Youngest, who is 10, is addicted to gambling.

Last night, the Wife wanted to have a "family game night".  We played Beat the Parents (they did), then Apples to Apples (with various results).  Eldest went to shower.  Middle wanted to do something else.  Youngest wanted to gamble.  Specifically, he wanted to play Texas Hold'em, but he said, "I want to gamble."

I have created a 10 year old gambling addict.

This all started a couple years ago at a graduation party.  The family was sitting at a table that had a deck of cards.  One of the Boys, I think it was Eldest, had recently played blackjack with some friends, so we all played some hands of blackjack.  I think we were betting Hershey's Kisses.  We all had fun.  A couple months later, we played some more while on vacation.  Until about a week ago, we hadn't played since.

Youngest has a tendency to become obsessed with, well, anything.  It varies from thing to thing, and usually doesn't last for too long.  Some of his obsessions come and go, like waves.  At various times the past few years, he has been obsessed with cubing (solving a Rubik's cube), speed-cubing (solving a Rubik's cube quickly), Fortnite, magic, cup-stacking, and several other things I can't remember now.  Sadly, cleaning, re-tiling the bathroom, re-roofing the house and power washing the deck have never been his obsession.  However, if we put a power washer in his hands and told him to have at the deck, I think that one would keep his interest.  He wouldn't do a great job with the deck, but that power washer would be shooting for a long time.

Sometime during this "stay in place" era of the 2020s, Youngest wanted to play blackjack.  I played a few hands with him that night ( I don't remember exactly when), then sent him off to bed.  The next night, he was like a cat chasing a mouse.  Focused, persistent, loud, and annoying.  I finally relented and played some more.  I also promised to get some M&Ms, so he had something real to bet.

The next night, he wanted to play with the M&Ms.  This time, the whole family played again.  After sharing and eating M&Ms for a while, it became apparent that these were not the best "chips" to use.  I thought I remembered that we bought a cheap box of poker chips about 20 years ago, and yes, we had.  So we played with the cheap chips.  Youngest cleaned up.  If he hit on a 15, he got a 5.  If he stayed with a 14, the dealer busted.  Every.  Time.

Eventually, I made the highly questionable decision to teach him how to play poker (the cheap box of chips was a "Texas Hold'em" kit that included a cloth with 5 diagrams for the community cards).  Youngest cleaned up again.  Four players, each started with a stack of about 20 chips (Middle had long ago decided he didn't like gambling.)  Fifteen minutes later I had no chips, Eldest and the Wife were exchanging about 10 chips between them and Youngest was "Goin' Sizzler."  I had to send him to bed again.

The next night, more poker and more winning.  For Youngest.  He is obsessed and on a hot streak the likes of which have never been seen in these parts.  Eventually, I got a break from losing gambling games to a 10 year old.  This has not stopped his obsession.  And make no mistake, it went from "I want to play blackjack" to "I want to play poker" to "I want to gamble."  At this point, I'm not sure whether to cut him off or fast forward eight years to when I can take him to a casino and get ready to retire.  I'd be Goin' Sizzler every night with this kid.

There are a lot of consequences of a stay in place order.  Many are expected.  Many are unexpected.  If you had asked me 2 weeks, I would not have predicted that one of those unexpected consequences would be starting Youngest on a path to being the next Doyle Brunson.

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It has Been a Long Year

I really don't even know where to start.  It has been a long day (it's 9:45 am).  It has been a long week (it's Wednesday).  It's been a long year (it's March.)

Almost eight years ago, I started this blog as a way to write about the 2012 Olympics.  I have about 6-8 loyal readers, who have given up harassing me to keep it up when the Olympics are not happening.  I have been gearing up for Tokyo 2020, which means over the past few months I have thought about posting.  I wish I had.  I wish I could find the time and motivation to do this on a more regular basis.  I haven't been able to.  But I was ready for Tokyo.  In the last month or two, I have watched all 8 of Michaels Phelps' gold medal swims from 2008.  I have watched Jessie Diggins.  I have watched Usain Bolt.  I have watched track and field events and swimming events.  I watched a little gymnastics.  Somehow I have missed volleyball, which is a failing on my part.  But I was getting ready.

All for naught.

I am sad.  And afraid.  I am sad that the Olympics won't happen.  I am sad that the Boys school year has come to an end.  I am sad that Eldest won't get to compete in Spring Track this spring.  I am sad Eldest won't get to play soccer this spring.  I am sad Middle didn't get to play in the Winter Basketball All Star Tournament.  I am sad Middle won't get to play basketball this spring.  I am sad Youngest's Ninja classes are on hold.  I am sad that swimming has stopped, for the boys and for me.  I am sad I will miss the Colonies Zone meet in two weeks.  I won't get to see my teammates.  I am just sad.

I am literally on the brink of tears as I think of all the things we will miss over the next...two weeks?  Two months?  Six months?  (I am sure the Wife is actually shedding a tear as she reads this.)

Really, I'm not a narcissist.  I realize this sounds like it is all about me.  It isn't.

I am also afraid.  I am afraid for my family.  I am afraid for my friends.  I am afraid for people I don't know.  I am afraid for jobs.  I am afraid for money.  I am afraid for the economy.  I am afraid for the world.

I am also sad for others.  I am sad for Nathan Adrian.  I am sad for Noah Lyles.  And all the other athletes who have to wait another year to try to reach their dreams.  I don't know how they are training through this.  Are pools open?  Mine isn't.  None of mine are.  Does Katie Ledecky have access to a pool?  She must, right?  I need to look into this.

Tokyo will happen.  I have to believe this.  Otherwise I simply can't go on living.  It will be different.  It will be a little weird.  The Olympics are not supposed to happen in odd years.  Only normal years.  (DAD JOKE!)  Some of the athletes who are expected to make the Olympics and win medals may  not make it.  We will have two Olympics in about 7 months (Tokyo 2021 and Beijing 2022.)  Silver Lining!  Although, that will make it difficult to watch every minute of available streaming and television coverage of Tokyo 2021 before Beijing 2022 starts.  Of course, we won't let that stop us.  You need to have goals in life.

Life will happen.  We will get through this.  I have to believe this.  The medical experts say we will get through this.  Economists say we will get through this.  I don't personally know anyone who has tested positive.  I have read what it is like and it is bad.  Really bad.  Right now, the numbers aren't good.  I pray for people to stay safe and healthy.  I pray for the world to get through this.  I pray none of my three boys will kill either of their brothers.

The most revealing article I have read in the last week was about the economy.  The article said the economy will be OK, but we have to believe that.  The economy is somewhat a self fulfilling prophecy.  If people believe it is going well, it is likely to go well.  I liked that.  I am sad and I am afraid.  But I believe it will go well.  The "it" in that last sentence is life, the world, us, me, my family, my friends, the economy, this fight against this virus, and, well, everything else.  I believe we will get through this.  I believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  And you have to believe, too.  In a little over a year, we will be healthy, not shut in, and preparing for the Olympics.  With a lot less free time on our hands.  That's a good thing.

We have all read suggestions for what we can do during this time.  I'm not going to repeat the obvious ones (social distance, wash hands, clean surfaces, etc.).  Oh, wait.  Apparently I am going to repeat the obvious ones.  I will offer a few of my suggestions, though.  You have probably heard these, but I took the time to write today, so I will repeat them.

1.  Go outside.  Keep your distance from others, but it is OK to go outside.
2.  Look at your TV guide to see what is on TV.  I have enjoyed watching some old sports games on TV the last week, including the 2019 Women's World Cup Final, UVA's run to the 2019 NCAA Basketball title, and an old Miami Heat playoff win with Middle.  It is fun to watch these games, but almost more fun just to see how ESPN and FS1 and NBC Sports and CBS Sports and even the regular networks are filling their air time.
3.  Order some food.  Restaurants are being crushed right now.  If you can, make an order for pick up or delivery (they are all delivering for free right now) to try to keep things moving a little.
4.  Paint the basement.  Or something else.  We are doing the basement.
5.  Move.  Prior to the closure of almost everything I was swimming pretty well.  Then the pools all closed (where are you Katie Ledecky?).  I generally hate working out, but am getting up every day before work to exercise.  Do something.  Don't get into a habit of sitting around, working from home, watching streaming movies and shows, or YouTube.  Get up and move.  Move to the basement to paint it if that is your thing (hello, Wife.)
6.  Go to YouTube and watch old videos of great Olympic moments.  This is tons of fun.
7.  Got to YouTube and watch something stupid.  After you get up and move.  And paint the basement.
8.  Believe.  We will get through this.  You will get through this.  The world will get through this.  It won't be easy.  It will happen.
9.  Be happy some idiotic, amateur blogger is not telling you to follow Rule/Guideline No. 1 of his Guidelines for Watching the Olympics.

Until next time, which will be before Tokyo 2021.