Swimming

Battersea Station, facing north across the tracks.

Eitan and I watch the morning swimming heats from 8:30AM, as we have done every day this week. Today Dara Torres competes the 50 meters butterfly but it is Michael Phelps we anticipate: his 100 meter fly up shortly. The swimming nice background noise, and I also catch the evening finals usually with my feet up. The pool's camera work everywhere - rigging above the pool gives overhead shots while the under-water system offers a perfect stroke review. I think the side-tracking most powerful especially for the breast stroke or fly where one has a sense of the speed and racing. The men, or what we can see of them under their polyurethane rubbers, have beautiful, lean bodies with soft muscle tone unlike any other sport. I think fillet Mignon. It really is the best training - no pounding nor injury. The body horizontal so the heart works less or for longer. Training a combo of stretching, aerobics, power and yoga. I love the transition from poolside into the water which is a complete sensory shift in a fractional moment (usually I concentrate on the temperature shock since a good pool heated at 78-80 degrees and this initially no fun). The first arm strokes most amazing, jump starting the heart, sending blood through the body and pumping oxygen into the brain. It also leaves a wonderful, full-body fatigue afterwards. Very mellow and stress reducing. I have never had a worse day for the sport.