Blue Monday

No, I don't have "the blues". The "blue" refers to the lane marker in the swimming pool where I spend an hour of my day every Monday. Today I did my longest distance yet: 2,500 yards, though not uninterrupted. I did 2 sets of 1,000 yards, stopping to swig some water and reset my watch, and a final set of 500 yards. The water helped though close to the end I experienced that same sort of weird breathing sensation where I feel like my throat is closing up. (Wish we had that super-duper high-tech pool like they had in Beijing where there was no chlorine to interfere with the breathing.)

Alas, I was not able to wear a new Speedo bathing suit for today's session. My current Speedo unitard has been sagging for a while. It's held up very well for over a year and then some, but I need a new suit. I HAVE to have something that coveres my upper thighs! The only things available in that version are pretty costly--namely, the Speedo Fastskin series. So I ordered one last week and it arrived on Friday. However, it was too small: I had read the wrong size chart on their web site. Rechecking, I found they don't have my size, so I had to go to another vendor and buy a close relation to this Fastskin II knicker. I don't know when it will arrive, or if it will fit. (And wouldn't you know after all that I saw that TYR makes a similar suit for one-third the cost??)

Prior to swimming I gave my lecture class their first exam of the year. I had 3 or 4 absent. I hate having to give make-ups! Only one called me to say he was ill. I didn't get a chance to start grading until this afternoon, and the initial objective scores were the usual reverse Bell curve: either pretty good or really bad--very little middle ground.

I left school around 3 p.m. hoping to get home in time to see Jim. I made it--barely. He had been at Region VII in Kilgore and got out early, though he neglected to tell me how early. Consequently, I was only able to see him for about 15 minutes before he left to teach his evening class in Lindale.

I am going to take it easy this evening--no second workout on the bike, in other words. I have an appointment to see the doctor in the morning. I've had recurring neck and shoulder pain when riding the bike, but today was the first time I had ever experienced it after an extended swim. Before I do a radical bike refit, I want to eliminate anything like a compressed disc or a pinched nerve. (Given that this is not bi-lateral, it seems to point that way.)

So tomorrow morning promises to be quite busy. I have the appointment at 8:30, a meeting with Pete at 10 to help with his syllabus, and--if I decide to honor my obligation--a Hadassah luncheon at 11:30 at Willowbrook CC.