I Miss Swimming

I mostly had a love/hate relationship with swimming. I started to do it a couple years ago because I had decided to give triathlons a try. It took me a long time to find any kind of comfort in the water, but I built a strong base and knocked out my first swim leg in a triathlon in good time. I was hooked, so I had to keep swimming to keep racing. I have not been able to swim consistently in over a year, and it has been almost a complete year since I have swum at all. I miss it, and I miss racing as a result. However, I have noticed lately that I miss something else as a result of not swimming on a regular basis: breath. Now, I am in phenomenal shape. I don't say this to boast, but I have worked hard, and my efforts have been blessed. The problem is that I can tell I do not have the lung capacity I had when I was competing two summers ago. Swimming makes a huge difference in all aspects of physical fitness. Not only does it condition the complete body: muscles, joints, etc. It also strengthens the lungs and increases their capacity, making all sorts of physical activity more accessible or easier to participate in. Not how I really wanted to say it, but words escape me at this hour.