I have a love hate relationship with swim meet weekends. I love seeing the girls compete, especially when they do well. I know they are going to be long weekends with lots of swimming. Afterwards, we are all exhausted.

No matter how much I prepare I usually find that my house looks like a hurricane went through it by Sunday night. There isn’t a clean towel in the house. The refrigerator is bare. And I feel out of touch with society.

Come Monday morning I am anxious to get out and about. To breathe in fresh air and to talk to people who aren’t swim moms. I mostly am excited to get to the gym.

As a group fitness instructor I am very active but am also happy to take the two days off for a swim meet weekend. I don’t work on Sunday and usually end up not working on Saturday either. It isn’t the lack of exercise that kills me, it is the lack of movement. I truly don’t know how people sit all the time. My whole body hurts after a long swim meet weekend. From doing nothing.

I usually go to meets prepared. With books to read and other activities to pass the time. Instead I stare at the clock on the wall.

I teach yoga and we do childs pose in class. It is such a relaxing pose. I spend several hours in the “mental” version of childs pose at meets. I don’t know where I go but my brain literally shuts down and I stare into nothingness and think about nothing. I think I might start doing other yoga poses in the middle of the meets from now on. I bet I could get people to join in. A lot of people at meets could use a little more peace, love and understanding. At the very least I am going to start doing laps around the building in between swims. I am sure I would come out of these weekends feeling a lot better.

It’s a chlorine induced hangover. I am not giving in anymore. But I am having my glass of wine on Sunday night!