I will swim the English Channel... at the RB over the next 6 weeks

There a lot of things I need in life to stay sane, healthy, and productive. Two of those things are exercise and goals. And not just goals like, "I will write my paper for Human Development this week," but other ones not related to school. Fun goals. Goals that push me in a way I want to be pushed and that I choose to do totally voluntarily. Goal setting was pounded into me on my mission. Sometimes I hated it because so many goals you set as a missionary are based heavily on the actions and decisions of others. But when I came up with the goal myself or with my companion and really cared about it and set a reasonable plan to achieve it, I loved it and thrived from it. 

I can't remember my life without water. When I was in the womb, I swam (and I don't even remember that). When we lived in New Mexico when I was a little kid, we had a pool, I took swimming lessons, and my family would spend hours a week swimming together. When we lived in Washington, we were 2 blocks from the Columbia River and swimming with friends and sisters was part of my life in the summertime. My years of adolescence in Nevada were marked by Saturday mornings spent at the pool with my dad, practicing how to role a kayak, in the winter months. The summer months were filled with trips up to Idaho to paddle the Payette and boogie board at the Gutter. The entire summer before my mission was spent on the Salmon as a raft guide. Oh, and I don't know how many times over the years I have been in the lakes of Michigan, competing with my cousins to see who could be the first one to swim out to the raft. It's no wonder they say water is necessary for sustaining life. It is my happy spot.

I've never swam competitively. I have no desire to start swimming competitively. The competition would ruin my happy spot. I did start swimming laps two winters ago, though, as I waited to go into the MTC. The trend continued as soon as I got home from Russia and has not stopped. 

I like the rhythm of it. One. Two. Breath. One. Two. Breath. One. Two. Breath. I like the water and the smell of the chlorine. I like blowing bubbles. I like wiping the fog from my goggles. I like feeling so clean and exhausted when I climb out of the pool at the end. I like how it doesn't destroy my joints like running tends to. I like the fact that my mind can be totally numb and wiped out after a mid-term, but, somehow, refreshed and re-set after a couple of solid laps. I like walking home with wet hair in the cold at night. 

Tonight, as I one. two. breathed, I thought about how I need a goal. I don't want to compete with someone else. I don't want a stopwatch that I race every millisecond. But I want a goal. 

I started thinking about the movie "On a Clear Day." It's about a Englishman in his 50s that swims the English Channel and is one of my favourite films, even if I've never quite been able to pin my finger on why. Maybe it's all the demon-tackling, and goal setting, and water. Thinking about the movie got me thinking about the English Channel and I decided that I want to swim it. Not the real channel itself all in one go, but the same distance as the English Channel over a period of time.

The channel is about 21-22 miles wide from what I've read online. That's about 1,500 lengths of a 25-yard pool (the length of the BYU pool), if I've done the math right. I want to swim that distance before leaving for Christmas break in December. I'll swim 4 times/week, starting with about 60 lengths a swim. I did my first 60 lengths today and should finish the last week of finals before I leave for the holiday.

Yes, I know that the achievement won't be that astounding or record-breaking. I'm sure the kids on the BYU swim team probably swim over 20 miles in a single week. I'm not trying to beat anyone, though, or set a world record. I just want a solid, good, clear cut goal that will help keep me stay fit and sane, and give me an excuse to go to be in the water 4 times a week. 

I better start logging my laps.

Wish me luck.