My Birthday Suit

I went swimming tonight. I know what you're thinking - "oh my... what on Earth is she writing about?" No no - it's nothing like that - gee whiz people! I got a new swimsuit for my birthday from my mom and dad and it is wonderful, amazing, fabulous!!! There it is on the left - yay! I can't even begin to express how happy I am with my new birthday suit (you like the name I've given it don't you? Oh, come on, admit it! It's funny!) - it felt so good to swim in something that is built for swimming, as opposed to say tanning, walking on the beach, or looking cute while laying on a towel or in a pool chair. I mean, there are a lot of swimsuits out there that have absolutely NOTHING to do with swimming! This is somewhat frustrating for little me who actually goes swimming to swim. It is actually my favorite way to exercise (apart from skiing or hiking, which you just can't do in the Midwest - sorry Wisconsin, those mole hills just don't cut it, I'm a Rocky Mountain girl). I love swimming - love, love, love it!! And I had so much fun tonight. There are a couple of reasons for my exuberance of joy at the present moment - let me expound:

1. I haven't truly gone swimming since Hunter was born (maybe once or twice - that doesn't count), so that was how long ago? Yeah, I don't even want to think about it. It makes me cringe. I did swim up until the week before he was born, but you know, then I had a new baby, so... that went out the window for awhile. Here he is - isn't he the cutest? I know, I know, he's completely adorable and you wish you could run away with him somewhere fun (well, that may just be me).

2. I did 30 laps tonight, which is about 750 meters - nowhere near close to my regular mile, but I felt that was a pretty good start considering (I mean, I felt like I was dying for the first 8 laps. For some reason I always get in a groove after that. This is good - it means I can go longer than I would have thought, and it's also not so good since sometimes I forget how tired I am getting and only realize it later when I try to stand on real ground and find my legs trying to wobble into oblivion. Luckily, I didn't have any of that tonight, although I am sure I will be sore tomorrow. It's a good hurt!)

3. My new suit fits fabulously. It was so nice to have a swimsuit that isn't so old, or small, or just not made for swimming that it catches water in the front (which can lead to the untimely and embarrassing display of certain body parts). I also rather enjoyed not having to pull my swimsuit out of my behind at every turn - okay, there's always going to be the occasional adjustment (and water slide wedgies don't count), but if this happens to you all the time, then your suit is just too small or showing entirely too much of your backside! Get another one (that, of course, is just my opinion). There's a lot to be said for swimsuit modesty, which is something that I applaud LandsEnd for - hurrah! Granted, not all of their suits are modest, but they have a very good selection of ones that are - and for you beach loungers, they have some nice "cute" suits as well that will have you looking adorable on your towel. Take this suit on the right, for example - it's darling! And the front is cute too - not low cut, and still very flattering. Anyway, I have made my point. Besides, modest suits just fit better - trust me.

4. My new swimming goggles don't fog up AT ALL!! I love it - I can see the clock while I swim, I can see the other swimmers, I can see the bottom of the pool, I can see everything! Yay! I was so sick of foggy goggles! Yay for Speedo and their wonderful swim goggles. I didn't buy them directly from Speedo, so they were more affordable than I expected, and very worth the extra few dollars to upgrade from the really cheap goggles. Cheap goggles fog! And not being able to see doesn't do anyone any good.

5. I out-swam the two guys swimming next to me. Yes, you read that right - I swam faster than they did, and for longer as well. Ha! Now I know that this has nothing to do with aerodynamics, my form (I had an awfully difficult time keeping my behind up - I blame my baby-stretched abs), or being in shape - they looked like they've exercised a lot more than me in the past year. So, I am going to credit my success to my birthday suit yet again and relish in my victory. Of course, the truth probably is that they did some other workout before swimming and were just cooling down, or that all of the less adept swimmers (the not as serious cap-less crew) go at night, but I am happy with my success nonetheless. Take that!!

So, now I am ready and excited to take on the pool several more times to prepare for the summer. Funny that I had to move away from the mountains to a city next to a giant lake to figure out how much I love to swim. Thank goodness I had the opportunity (rest easy mountains, you know you will always be my first love). Give me a few weeks and I'll be ready to take on the lake (assuming the weather cooperates). Watch out Lake Michigan, you haven't got a chance!