Black hole sun
Won’t you come
And wash away the rain
Black hole sun
Won’t you come
Won’t you come – sound garden

You can’t help but feel sort of odd carrying a white water kayak down the hallways of a hotel. People tend to give you odd looks. Not to mention having to try to open the door to the pool with the tip of your paddle.The pool is really just barely wide enough to roll with and extended paddle. But soon you slip right or left and then have to re-adjust your position again before you set up again for the next roll. A couple times today I found myself sliding upside down to the side of the pool, going to set up and banging my knuckles against the sandpaper walls and needed to then set up and roll on the other side. I suppose that’s good practice for getting slid up against a bank or rock, but it’s still a bit unnerving.

I spend quite a bit of time on reverse sweeps again today. I would drop from the warm humid pool air face first into the water, pushing my inside hand down deep in the water to be sure my paddle angled up and out of the water in a slow smooth chest scull. Then I would crunch my chubby abdomen up tight and twist my hips as I swept forward. Amazingly finding myself face down on my deck as I slid my paddle across the Pyranha’s tiny front deck. It’s getting easier and that’s a good sign.

The hardest part of pool practice is the same as any other day in the kayak. Suddenly finding yourself driving down the road again as if you’d never actually been in the water. In the kayak everything is wonderful and relaxing. It’s more often on dry land with sun glaring off glass where I find myself swimming.

- d

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