re: If any of y'all have a child that swims competitively, we can all celebrate.

Swimming really is a brutal sport. It’s fantastic and brutal all at once. It’s the hardest sport I ever did. Not saying getting beat up on the football field is easier, by any stretch. But, I did distance swimming and the mental challenge of those events at a higher level is as much as the physical. Staring at that black line, feeling like you’re going to puke and you’ve only just begun. There were meets that I’d get out of the pool after a really hard race and my lips would be so blue, and not from the temperature of the water. There were several events I’d get out the water and go straight to the bathroom to vomit. Electrolyte up, protein, move on and get ready for championship heats. I honestly do not miss competitive swimming.

Probably why my workouts “have to” be so hard for me as an adult. I don’t feel like I’ve worked out unless I’ve almost died.