After over three months of not swimming, I got back in the pool again this week – and even joined Masters again after a couple of years of swimming solo. I am not following a training plan currently and it is nice to just show up and have someone else plan the rest.

While swimming can sometimes feel quite boring, getting back in the pool reminds me of one of my favorite aspects of swimming. When doing a longer set of freestyle, my mind often wanders but it can only wander so far because I am counting laps. Somehow the subtle mental exercise of counting, mixed with thoughts in the available brain space, puts me in a very creative space. Sometimes I solve a problem or get some exciting idea in an area of my life. I think that with the counting, I do not have as much control over where I may want thoughts to go, and occasionally my subconscious provides a nugget that I benefit from.

Similarly, I find the back and forth to be quite meditative at times. And I usually feel great after a swim. Happy to be back!

Do you find some of these same benefits or different ones?