Don't Curse the Darkness - Light a Candle

I am STILL in my prerequisite sprint triathlon training.  As a neophyte in the water portion, swimming is my biggest concern.  I've going to the YMCA on Mondays and Wednesdays and swimming about 500 yards during open swim time (9:10 - 9:40 PM).  Lap swim is early in the A.M. and I still don't feel sufficiently confident to swim during that time.  Moreover, I am still resting between 50 yard sets so I don't want to be a pain to real swimmers.  Typically during late evening open swim time there are 2-3 of us doing laps.  At times there will be a few others but not usually. Until last night!

The pool was set up last night with one large lane (actually 3 lanes) and there were people doing laps there.  There were 3 young kids (ages 9-11) on the other side and they were swimming the width rather than the length (sigh) plus occasionally jumping off the diving board. 

FURTHERMORE there was a young couple with a friend and a baby playing in the water.  You know how that is, right? The baby is having a blast in the water and they are spinning around cooing and giggling.  I remember those times and it's a blast but do you really need to spin across 3 lanes? 

So here I am attempting to dodge kids swimming the width and circumventing parents playing ring-around-the-rosy with their infant! The lifeguard was new (my first time seeing her) and she didn't really intervene sufficiently to help.  The issue with the 3 kids was that their parents were the ones swimming on the "reserved lanes"!  REALLY?? Get control of your kids!

I was home early but finished my laps in record time. I probably could have gone longer but wanted to get out of the pool and get relief from the chaos.  When I arrived home my wife asked, "How did your swimming go?"

I replied, "It was the best of times and the worst of times."

"Why so," she pried.

I explained the chaotic pool mess but mentioned I was able to get my laps done in my best time yet.

Her reply as only a wife can do, "Well what do you think it's going to be like during your sprint triathlon?  Probably chaotic, right?"

Instead of allowing me to curse the darkness she simply lit the candle for me.  Hopefully those kids will be in bed on Wednesday night though!