Working Out In The Pool

August 28

I am not the best swimmer in the world; I am a runner. You won’t see me doing triathlons anytime soon. Some of my teammates look at cross-training as a needed break from the pounding of long runs, while others view it with more dread and disdain. When it comes to pool running, I have been in the latter category. For the last two years, I used my flotation belt as a crutch to make it through Thursday workouts. Not this year, apparently. The first words I heard from my coach when I entered the pool area were “Save the belts for the freshmen.” Taking away my belt is not a way for a freshman to ingratiate himself to me, I thought. A funny thing happened, however. In the last two years, I actually learned to pool run. No doubt it was a tough day, especially for cross-training, but I stayed afloat.