There has been something missing in my life for a number of years now, but I decided that I would not let another summer go past without going for a swim at Richland’s George Prout Memorial Pool. Some years ago, they closed it down for a remodel, and I hadn’t been back since. I was an avid swimmer in my youth but somehow I just got out of the habit. It’d actually been so long since I went swimming that I can’t distinctly remember the last time.

So with few days left in the season, I decided to schlep on down there today and give it a try. It was…weird. I was one of a very few adults (most of which were supervising their kids) in a pool pretty much filled up with kids. I was a little embarassed, but since I consider swimming to be a fully appropriate adult activity, I headed right into the pool.

It was a good workout, I got a good burn going without inflicting pain or injury or really breathing very hard or tiring myself out. Swimming is a more or less perfect exercise. Since the water is both boyant and resisting, swimming is essentially zero-impact and it works all kinds of muscles. I clearly need to do this more often, though I will probably have to pick up a club membership to do any swimming after public pool season.

After an hour or so I was compelled to get out — and I was surprised by my own weight. I don’t think I weighed over 300lb the last time I was in a pool, and transitioning from bouyant pseudo-weightlessness to having to stand up under my full weight was a little taxing, but I managed well enough.