Humble Pie

Last year, Zoey took swimming lessons with a friend down at a heated outdoor pool near the Embarcadero. From the lounge chairs alongside the pool we soaked up the city around us: the clock tower, the boxy buildings looming doom, and the Bay bridge. Every now and then, the wild parrots of Telegraph hill would descend into the surrounding palm trees and bombard us with squawks.

http://www.brucephillips.name/pictures/sanfrancisco2006.cfm

Bay bridge with bow and arrow
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3291/2542966012_24b4a5fe57.jpg

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2010/05/being_a_san_francisco_wild_par.php - Jim Herd

Once, while we were soaking in the hot tub, someone asked my gorgeous friend if she'd modeled for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She laughed, and later referred to that time in life when, you know, we got asked that all the time. I'd need to be a good ways further down the alphabetical measurement line to relate — I'm more a member of the 'you must have played basketball!' team.

When I was in college, I was forever pestered by the crew recruiters to join up. Any woman over 5'9" living on a Big Ten campus can relate. Watching the crew girls doubled over, red-faced, and sometimes even vomiting after a practice, it wasn't hard to resist their pleas.

But when the sailing people started in, I found myself intrigued. I love the water and sailed growing up, but not in any sort of athletic way. We were more focused on eating salami and brie sandwiches, and on perfecting our tans, then on speed.

The sailors got to me though. And that's how I ended up spending many hours alongside the crew girls on Lake Mendota as we all learned to do better, and faster.

© Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

Racing sailboats is the most arduous physical thing that I've ever done. It requires incredible strength in your core, and your arms, neither of which I had when I started. Which is why my partner and captain, Torri, dragged me to the gym straightaway. I was so intimidated, and uninterested. Quickly though, I discovered that feeling stronger actually made me feel better, and I was hooked.

© Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

Yesterday, as a late birthday present to myself, I went back to the climbing gym for the first time in months. Completely out of practice because of a hand injury, and equally out of shape because I haven't been lifting weights at all, I ate a big slice of humble pie.

It tasted delicious, especially accompanied by the Cold War Kids. I can't wait to go back and get another piece, just as soon as I can lift up my arm to reach for it.