A year ago, I couldn't swim with my face in the water. I decided to do a triathlon, and now I can swim a mile straight without dying.

If you know me, you are probably sick of this story.

Now that the sunrise is once again prior to seven a.m., I hope to resume my routine of swimming at the Garfield Park pool before work, hitting the treadmill after work, and biking on weekends. Maybe I'll try to run outside more. Aside from the actual race, the only time I ran outside was to do an 11 mile loop to the beach and back. I enjoy the calibrated monotony of the gym.

Training for a triathlon is an incredibly effective way to get into shape quickly without straining any one muscle group. It just requires a chunk of time each day. I've purchased *501 Russian verbs*, so that I have something to think about during my workouts and I can double up and accomplish an additional goal of relearning Russian.

If I only have time for one thing, it will be swimming. I can't wait until it's warm enough to return to Aquatic Park on the weekends, where I don't have to worry about bumping into slow ladies with kickboards at the end of the lane. Just the sea lions, the terrifying, unhygienic sea lions barking as they lie in wait.