Flashes of Panic

I sent my entry today for the NEM SCY championship. New England Masters has been pretty slow about getting my membership card to me, which my brother reports is due to a new registrar, so I had to mark that space "pending" and send it in with the incomplete fee, which is cheaper than the late-entry fee. For the record, I have self-seeded at 7:30 for the 500, 1:18 for the 100 (both relatively conservative, I think) and 1:20 for the 100 breaststroke. (More ambitious. I need more work there; my form falls apart as I get tired.)

I was feeling good about my fitness until Wednesday. Usually I'm the fastest swimmer in the pool during lap swim (discounting obvious team members making up missed workouts), but on Wednesday there were two girls in there who were really making me look bad. One of them could kick nearly as fast as I could swim, which just ain't right. On the other hand, they're not old enough for masters swimming, so maybe I'm just getting slower as I get old.

Aside from the fact that I have traded achy knees for achy shoulders (and I should note that running does not lead to bad knees; running like I do leads to bad knees) I have found out an interesting swimmer secret. They claim that they shave their heads for speed and/or psychological reasons before a big meet. I have decided that they really shave because their hair has taken on the approximate texture and luster of cotton candy. They shave so they can start fresh at the end of the season. I am planning a very short haircut for the end of the month.

Three weeks to go.