100-day gong

Starting a new job the day after Memorial Day seemed like a good time to buy a membership at the community pool and augment my workouts with a little cross training. We've lived two blocks from the Jaycee Pool for eight years and never gone there to swim. What am I waiting for?

So, in the spirit of the 100-day gong in qigong tradition, I decided to embark on a summer-long regimen of bicycling and swimming. The time frame of Memorial Day to Labor Day is roughly the same as my 90-day introductory period at the new place of employment. Perfect. While I'm getting up an hour earlier, starting work at 8:00 every morning, and giving up potato pancakes on Sundays, I will also bike and swim every day (with certain exceptions to be determined).

The first week, I biked and swam every day except Friday, when it rained. So I'm a fair-weather practitioner of the ancient art of bike-swim-gong. Sue me. At this point in my development, I'm good for an hour or so on the bike (12-15 miles) and four laps (200 meters) in the pool, which isn't much, but it's a great way to wind down after work. And a great prelude to a cold pale ale.

The second week, I biked and swam every day except Friday, when I met a friend for a drink and conversation after work. Now I can do 90 minutes (15-20 mi) on the bike and 6 laps (300m) in the pool, then a gin and tonic.

The third week, I had classes in the park on Monday and Thursday, so I missed those days of the bike-and-swim gong, but the other days I increased my distance to 8 laps (400m) and I feel good. My stroke is changing a little, too, and I think I'm wasting less effort in my crawl stroke, which has never been very efficient.

The fourth week, I'm up to ten laps (500m) in the pool, and I don't feel fatigued afterward, so I guess I'm gaining some aerobic fitness. In this hot weather, there are more people at the pool in the hour before closing, so I have company in the lap pool. I have a hard time staying in my lane, something else to work on.

The fifth week was complicated by a Tuesday meeting after work with a friend and a violent thunderstorm Friday afternoon, in addition to classes on Monday and Thursday. Wednesday I stayed late at the office to meet a deadline, so no bike and no swim until Saturday, when I managed 12 laps. So much for the daily routine with rare exceptions. Sometimes it's the rare routine with daily exceptions.

The sixth week had a national holiday in the middle of it, which should have been ready-made for an afternoon bike ride and swim, but I missed a beat by going late in the day, not knowing the pool would close early for the annual Methodistville fireworks extravaganza, so I got in the bike ride, a very pleasant spin around Sharon Woods, but not the swim. Cooking out with our friends the Gormans, however, more than made up for it, and by the weekend I was back on track with 14 laps (600m).

The seventh week was another gongus interuptus, so I guess I'm over the idea of daily workouts, though it remains to be seen whether this derails the whole process and ruins the intended effect. Tuesday I only had time for an abbreviated bike and swim, but I'll take it. Wednesday I was pumped, but there was a swim meet in MY pool, so no go. Monday and Thursday I had classes, which went very well, thank you, and Friday I met my friend John at Bel Lago for our regular libation to solve the world's problems and lament our own. So Saturday was only my second workout of the week, and lo and behold I had the entire JC pool to myself (and about a hundred wrens playfully dive-bombing the water) as I easily raised the bar to 16 laps (800m). Hey, that's about half a mile! With the peace and quiet and solitude, I'm finding the rhythm of breaststroke, backstroke, and crawl remarkably meditative. Who knew?