Glory Days

I haven't written much lately. We've been so busy, with something almost every night, and two things on Saturdays, for the past few weeks.

Tonight, my kids' swim team had a pizza party, like they do before every home meet. People set up "pop-ups," or canopies for shade, and otherwise get ready for the meet the next morning. This time, they announced they would be having family relay races, so J, L, a reluctant S and I decided to participate. L is probably the slowest swimmer on the team, so we weren't in it to win, but it seemed fun.

I don't remember the last time I swam a sprint, and I hadn't used a starting block in 20+ years, but I felt good in a warm-up dive. I am admittedly out of shape and don't have good endurance, but I thought I could show these kids and the other participating dads a flash of my former prowess. As J touched the wall after his leg, I sprung off the block, got a good underwater kick--and immediately got a Charlie horse in my calf, before I had even surfaced. Guess I better warm up first next time. Or better yet, take a master class and get in shape.

For the record, though, I did swim a pretty fast no-breather* through the leg cramp, although my loose-fitting Bermuda shorts started slipping, and I almost exposed myself. Now, where's that Icy Hot?

* No-breather: Swimming the entire (25 meter) pool length without breathing.