The little black line...

I must admit that I take for granted the little black line at the bottom of the pool. In fact, I don't even realize it's there and usually shrug off non-swimmers who say "don't you get bored just staring at that little black line all the time?" Today, I had an awakening, and a newly found appreciation for the LBL. MIT was "experimenting" (in the words of lifeguard Kenny) with having 9 lanes in the space where we normally have 8. In concept, it seems like a good idea. More people can fit into the pool, and even though the lanes are skinnier they are less crowded. However, this setup moves the LBL so that it is NOT in the middle of the lane. Why does this matter? Because I realized how much I use that as my guide. Case in point, starting my swim I was annoyed that I kept scraping the lane line (ouch, btw). On the way back, I nearly crashed into Pat (our visitor) three times. It wasn't just me. I saw carnage everywhere. I wondered afterward if it was a trick to see if the lifeguards are on their toes. Kenny asked my opinion of the experiement and I had only two words to say: Bad Idea.

Here is the workout:

400 on own
12 x 50
4 free on 1:05, 1 stroke on 1:05
3 free on :60, 1 stroke on :60
2 free on :55, 1 stroke on 1:05
then 12 x 50, switching the stroke and free
600 broken by 150 going:
150 pull :10r
150 swim :10r
150 pull :10r
150 swim :10r
5 x 300 on 5:00

I only did two of the 300s, still finding my arms! Tomorrow I suggest we all wear helmets with our swim caps. Safety first!!