100 x 100s

Yesterday was our annual "New Year's" workout, where we swim 100 one hundreds (for a total of 10,000 yards) in one practice. We had a good turnout, and about a dozen people finished the entire thing.

An event like that takes precision planning, good communication, and cooperation from all the folks involved -- and we had all of that. What we didn't have was a way to get into the stinking building!

That's right, we had the 3 Foothills staffers, 2 coaches, and about a dozen swimmers all standing around outside the building when it was time to start swimming. The doors wouldn't open. Oh, we had keys, touchpad codes, and all the authorized access we were supposed to...but the doors just wouldn't open. They'd make the right "I'm unlocking now" click sound, but no matter how hard you yanked on the handle, there was no movement. And yes, we tried the other doors, too -- but it was as if the facility was just refusing to let us in on this particular morning.

Thankfully, the lifeguards were able to reach pool manager Zach, who promptly showed up with his Super Double Extra Powerful manager's key, and was able to get us in without setting off any alarms. And like the helpful people that swimmers always are, the entire group pitched in to pull the tarps, install the lane lines, and help the guards set up the pool for our event. (Of course, if the door lock fiasco wasn't enough, the tarp roller machine also refused to cooperate. But with some deftly applied muscle power, we were able to overcome that challenge, too. Brute force is sometimes just as good as fancy equipment. Just more tiring.)

Stephanie helped folks get organized, and within a few minutes, thar be splashes.

10,000 yards is a bit over 5.5 miles (9.14 km), and I've heard people compare swimming that far to running a marathon. But in my opinion, it's WAY easier. Oh sure, your shoulders will get a bit stiff while swimming for 3 hours or so, but it's nothing compared to the pounding your feet and knees take in a long run. Your body is supported and cooled by the water, and you can stack up all the food and drink you'll need in the gutter at the end of the lane. A nice restroom is never more than a couple dozen yards away, and if you decide to quit...well, you're no farther away from your car than you were when you started the thing.

Oh, I suppose if you don't know how to swim at all, there is that whole drowning thing that you don't really have to worry about during a roadrunning race. But otherwise, it's just not that big a deal. The 100 x 100s is not a race; you get to stop 99 different times if you want to. Still, even though it's not nearly the accomplishment that running a marathon is, you do burn a few calories and get yourself a pretty good aerobic workout.

And that's always an excuse for eating a HUGE lunch. What more could you want?