Thankful for plank?

I haven’t written as much- not because you aren’t all doing amazing things-- because I can barely keep track... Triathlons, 10ks, 10 milers, paddle tennis tourneys, ax throwing. Caring for patients. Keeping banks secure. Adjusting to new babies and going back to work. New jobs. Kids at college. Kids preparing for college. Injuries. Battles of the Books. Teaching. Traveling Europe with the symphony. Traveling to areas hardest hit by hurricane and disease. Holding loved ones up. Writing comedy. Caring for our elderly. Making lanemates laugh. 

You are just amazing. 

We added drylands to M/W pms at 7:40 pm this fall. 20 minutes of a little strength and stretching.  Because the data show that “our kind” does not stretch and we need to. And that our core strength factors so much into our swimming. And we don’t do that either. So we are in our 5th week of drylands. And we are getting stronger. I know this because tonight after stretching we held 5 one minute planks. Huge progress.

Plank is a perfect metaphor for us as a team. From a distance-- it looks so easy. Straight arms, flat back (some of this is theoretical) and easy breath. But up close you can see arms shaking, beads of sweat pouring off of foreheads (at least mine) knees that bend for a second before another supportive voice offers “10 seconds more, you’ve got this.” That appearance of calm, the appearance of balance comes from strength, shaking, sweat & support. There is nothing calm about it, nothing passive. It is an active “all muscles in” activity.

Our team strength comes because we have so many people to be thankful for, so many muscles that are “all in”. So to our coaches--- Matt, Jon, Dan, Andy & Thor-- thank you. You all bring personality, skills and support  that make practice a fun place to be. To Cory & Danielle--- you really make plank look easy. Your organization, sense of humor and service are essential. We aren’t without you. To our regular pm and am swimmers--- you have such funny personalities and create fascinating lane dynamics. Thank you. And to our drop ins-- you keep us on our toes and we really enjoy all that you bring to practice. We miss you when you stay away too long. We also really appreciate all of the input that comes from swimmers who have “swum around”. Experience can bring wisdom. You help us grow.

Enjoy your loved ones this week, get into the pool and SIGN up for the swimathon and holiday party. Keep planking. Happy Thanksgiving!