Yeah, so, Chiropractor Brian yelled at me. Something about me not getting enough exercise (er, I mean, any exercise) and that’s why my back is all jacked up.
Then he pointed out that the American Cancer Society has a challenge going on in the month of August. Swim 5 Miles on either Facebook or Instagram. And then he said I’m doing it. What a kidder.
I’ll admit it. I laughed.
Then I noticed that he was dead serious. So then I pointed out that I’m not on Facebook or Instagram, so that lets me off the hook.
Would you believe he didn’t buy it? Turns out, dropping out off of social media DOES NOT give you an excuse to be a couch potato.
sigh
So here’s the thing: I was a competitive swimmer in grade school through high school, and then I kept swimming for most of my life after that. But somewhere around 2017 I came down with serious allergies that caused endless post-nasal drip, which made me choke when I was swimming, so I gave it up. Turns out, the allergies were due to cats. Turns out, the cats died in 2020. (No, I didn’t kill them. You can’t prove anything.) But somehow I never got back in the water again. (Although, to be clear, it did take about a year before the last of the cat hair was out of the house and therefore out of my body).
Anyhoo. I haven’t been swimming since about 2017. So that means I’m not going to start swimming. Nope. Not me. No how. Then I went and bought these.
Yeah, okay, I’m going to give it a go. Had my first swim today. 1,000 yards. It just about killed me. Seriously, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I had to stop just about every 50 yards. I felt like a dead whale rolling around in the water. It suuuuuucked. But, just for the record, I did in fact go 1,000 yards.
The really sad thing is that 5 miles is 8,800 yards. Back in the day, I used to swim 10,000 yards every single day. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. 1,000 yards should not be a big deal. But instead, I almost drowned. Also, my swimming suits don’t fit any more. I didn’t get fatter. They just shrunk. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
So, anyway, I had my first swim in seven years today. One down, eight to go, and I can get back on the couch. Go me!
