Workout of the Day
40 minute swim for distance
The drive from Cordoba to Mendoza was a long one. Including our stops, it took us almost
13 hours to make the trek. We knew
this would be a difficult driving day because of distance, so we were on the
lookout for a lake to stop at and stretch our bodies. With the help of our drivers we found a place near San Luis
that served the purpose.
We couldn’t get the whole story on the lake, but it looked
like there was a hotel based at one end and a race track encircling it. There were some banked turns and stacks
of tires designed to keep cars from crashing into the walls, but at the same
time it was the main thoroughfare for cars to get around the lake.
Now, the water didn’t smell particularly good—kind of a stagnant
scent about it, but it wasn’t horrible and it was relatively warm so there
weren’t many qualms about getting in.
The plan was for everyone to swim at their own pace, whether that meant
doggy paddling the entire time or swimming across the lake and back. A group of about 12 of us started out
across the lake right away, some with goggles and some without. At no point was there anyone in this
group that seemed to be struggling with the task. Sarah Beverly even did the entire distance in her baseball
cap, a task I certainly wouldn’t want to attempt. The rest of the group stayed closer to shore and did stroke
limited laps (40 strokes out, 40 strokes back). Not only was this a perfect way to stretch our limbs after
the long bus ride, it was the ultimate “anywhere” statement of survival
fitness. Random lake in the middle
of Argentina… go swim across it. I
was really proud of everyone’s willingness to get after it, and really
impressed with everyone’s capacity to do so. I think this day said a lot about the caliber of individuals
on this particular trip.
Getting back on the bus after the swim for the home stretch
of the drive to Mendoza was like nap time in kindergarten. Everyone was OUT. Even just 40 minutes of prolonged sun
exposure down here is enough to sap the body. But, once again, the luxury cruise liner of a bus we were on
made this even easier. Tomorrow we’re
lifting and hitting the vineyards on Valentine’s Day.
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