I love to swim. Now that my training for the 2010 triathlon season has begun, I’ve had cause and motivation to brave those first few cold minutes in the pool in favor of swimming some laps.  There’s something about being enclosed in the water, isolated even from the other swimmers for the most part, that is soothing to me.  With the rhythm of my kick, my arms, and my breathing, my brain begins to get into rhythm, too. And I think about all sorts of things.

During my last swimming workout, I was thinking about penguins. Don’t ask me why these things happen – they just do.  And I began to consider that I have a few things in common with them.  Penguins on land are awkward and slow, waddling along with short stubby legs over a round belly.  It’s comical really. That’s certainly how I feel when I’m running.  I’m apparently not built in such a way that running comes naturally or gracefully to me.  Neither a penguin nor I will ever break a land-speed record – we are far more likely to break our noses tripping over ourselves. (more…)