'I Am Slowly Going Crazy...1..2..3..4..5..6..Switch'

Counting.  Counting my breaths, counting my strokes, counting my laps.  It is just a jumble of numbers in my head.  That's really all I ever seem to do when I swim in the pool.  Was that number 12 or 14?  Have I done 100 or 150?  How does one ever manage to keep it straight?  Well, sadly, sometimes I don't.  Let's face it, when you're doing a 500 in a pool that requires 6 lengths before you even reach 100 sometimes it ends up being a 400 set.  Maybe I should invest in one of those lap counters...hmm, novel thought.

Surprisingly, more often than not, I nail it.  It's a miracle I tell you...or is it just extreme focus?  Or maybe I'm secretly Count von Count...  The other day was a 'nail it' kind of day.  I originally set out to swim my laps in the ridiculously small athletic club pool but after glancing at what was in store I quickly bailed on that idea and set my sights on Arne Hanna.  My main set was 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100.  There was no way I was subjecting my poor little head to counting in the athletic club's poor excuse for a pool.  In addition, swimming a 500 in an overly hot, miniature in every aspect, and dirty as all get out pool is not ideal.  Hey, do we think I dislike the club pool?

Right, back to counting.  Regardless of the length and quality of the pool I am still left with counting lap after lap.  If I stray, even for a moment, and start counting my strokes I lose complete track of laps.  It's sad.  The result - for an entire hour I get to hear myself thinking '1, 2, 3, 4 (100), 1, 2, 3, 4 (200)...'  It's meditative for the most part but sometimes it just gets old.

But wait, it gets better.  I realized (same day as the swim) that I even count when I'm running!!!  30 minutes for a warm-up, 3 x 5 minute intervals, 2 minutes left - keep going, 1 minute left, 30, 29, 28, 27...  That's right folks.  I count down my intervals.  It helps me get through them.  What drives me crazy is when I count faster than the Garmin.  I intentionally count really slow now so that way when I look down at my watch I have less time to maintain my misery than I think.  It's a great psychological game I like to play with myself.

So as my swims and runs get longer I'm pretty sure I WILL be slowly going crazy.  And if you catch me counting while NOT working out, slap me!

Crazy going slowly am I, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, switch.