Did we swim yet? F#ck yeah, we're swimming every day.

KT's "happy place." The Western Hills Athletic Club Pool.

Human beings were designed and built to move. We can sweat so we can run further than most other animals. We can figure out, intuitively, hydrodynamics and physics so we can swim. We're built to walk miles and miles every day. We were not really made to sit around all day doing nothing. In fact, a lot of experts believe that it's mostly inactivity that kills people before their potential expiration dates. 

The previous two weeks were a bit of torture for me. I had surgery on my face and the surgeon was pretty adamant that she didn't want me in the pool, or doing any sort of "strenuous" exercise for at least two weeks. I was compliant. Didn't break a sweat. Never went to the pool. Didn't even do the daily push-ups. But once I got the thumbs up to get back to it I was in the pool so fast you'd think we were diving for free money.

I tossed on a bunch of sunscreen yesterday morning, drank a big glass of water, and headed over to the pool early. Just to savor the scene. I watched a newly arrived swimmer named Alex tearing up the fast lane, saw his tattoo of his Olympic rings and realized why. A recent grad from UT learning now to really enjoy swimming outside... 

I was worried that I'd lost my touch for the water. Worried that my level of fitness would relegate me to a slower lane. That I'd embarrass myself. That I'd be relegated to lane one and start over from scratch.

Naw. We had a great workout. Lane 5. An hour of constant movement and the thrill of gliding through the water at speed. 

It felt so good I hurried back over this morning for more. And I'll be there tomorrow morning. And Friday morning, and Saturday morning, and Sunday morning. But on Monday I'll have to go to the Deep Eddy Pool because ours is always closed on Monday for maintenance... and to let the water chill out. 

I missed this a lot. More like this. You can keep the cameras, I'll take the pool. 

Calvin and Ben back when they swam age group. many years ago.

Warm ups at UT for the USMS 2009 Masters Nationals Short Course meet. 

this is the finishing shot for Ben's first one mile swim at age 7. 

Good job. He's still swimming. And running. And biking. 

It's good to be fit.