Day Eleven - Swim, Swim, Swim

One thing about working out in the morning is that it seems to leave the rest of the day untouched by the workout. Suddenly you have time to do things. For instance, I did my 100 laps at the indoor pool before going to work.

Now, the best thing about this is that the pool tends to be less busy at 7:15 AM. A big plus when you're swimming non-stop for an hour and 15 minutes and you want to maintain a steady pace.

But almost as good is that it leaves the rest of day open to just relax or do whatever you want without having the burden of a workout-yet-to-come. Not that I don't like the workouts, but I just don't like to have anything hanging over my head in my evenings, especially on Tuesdays. I have my daughter on Tuesdays, and we like to do things together...other than swimming a hundred laps. (Though, she's only one course away from being a lifeguard and she's a strong competitive swimmer.) I guess I just like to get the "scheduled" stuff out of the way fast.

Tomorrow I turn 58. I find this hard to believe. It seems like I'm still waiting to become an adult. Dreams of someday being a rock star or a cowboy still seem reasonable...well...after a few beers.

After half a century dreaming of becoming a writer, I've finally started to get books and stories and poems published. All this started around the time I turned 50. Five years ago, I stopped smoking after 39 years of that filthy addiction. Now, at the age of 58, I'm going into a triathlon.

And I always thought I would die before my 50th birthday because there would be nothing to live for after it. Peter Pan was my idol.

I have to drive my daughter about 15 miles to her school, so I won't be able to work out in the morning, but to celebrate my birthday, I'll leave work early and do the 40 k bike ride and 5 k swim.

And live through it.