Gettin' All Twitchy

This weekend, I successfully completed a request for two friends of mine - I swam a mile in the ocean. What I actually did was half-assedly train for 4-5 weeks in order to not drown during the first leg of a relay triathlon (two other grad students on my floor took the bike and run). I was pleasantly surprised to finish the swim leg in 20th place out of 40 swimmers (including the men), and beat my "goal" time for the event. I wasn't aiming for first (after not swimming an intense workout since the age of 17, my cat would sooner begin speaking in complete sentences), and I didn't want to fork over $200 for a swimming wetsuit, but I am pleased.

For those of you who aren't completely up on your exercise biology, here's some useful tidbits. As a 10 year old, I dominated in the 50 meter freestyle. It was also the only event in which I made a not-embarassing time in high school varsity. Described by Olympic broadcasters as a "frenetic splash from one wall to the other," it's the ultimate shake 'n swagger of those boasting a preponderance of short twitch muscle fibers. Muscle is made of bundles of myofibrils (composed of actin and myosin) which together form myosin. These strands of muscle proteins grab onto each other (as if they are rowing), contracting and releasing. Fast-twitch muscle fibers tend to work anaerobically, firing more rapidly for a shorter duration, while slow-twitch muscle fibers help athletes over longer distances, and use oxygen to fuel their motion.

Here's to (temporarily) conquering your genetic destiny of muscle fate and embracing something new! And above, we have unequivocal proof that I did not come in last :)