Moving on up

The hardest decision of the day comes at 5:30 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. At this point, I'm still groggy, standing at the edge of the pool, eyes half closed, analyzing the lane dynamics of the master's swim class. It used to be a no-brainer which lane to jump into. But lately lane speeds have been changing. I am in the middle lane, in terms of pool geometry and speed. Today after my swim, Rob suggested I move up a lane. This seems like a simple hop over (or rather, dive under) the lane rope, I know. But it's not that simple. First of all, for some inexplicable reason, the lane immediately next to mine is the fastest lane, and the lane two over is one speed up. This makes it a huge jump, and I'm not talking about the physical distance. Once you get over there, there is no turning back. You can't just duck under the rope again to rejoin your comfortable lane. Mostly because you'd probably get your head knocked off by the paddles flying in the fast lane.

I've gone with the safe, comfortable, familiar lane every time. But with Rob's urging, I may take that scary step over to the lane of rules, strict intervals, and people whose names I don't know. He swears that I swim just as fast on my "good days" as they do (but how few and far between are those?). You have to take risks to see rewards, they say. I'll be keeping my eye on that lane, but I may be keeping my body in the good ole middle lane.