Posted by Lieutenant Hannah Lori Asimina (Asst. Chief Medical Officer) in It’s Going Swimmingly

Posted by Civilian Cort Belanger (Executive Assistant to Lt. Gov.) in It’s Going Swimmingly

Posted by Lieutenant Hannah Lori Asimina (Asst. Chief Medical Officer) in It’s Going Swimmingly
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
He took a swig from his water bottle and set it down to his left next to a dryoff sport towel. Rolling his shoulders some more, even though he had already warmed up, he eyed the lane ahead. Cort had set up a lane marker and claimed the far right lane so he didn’t have to worry about anyone crossing his path accidentally. With mid-thigh length competitive swim trunks, a swim cap and goggles, today he looked the part of professional swimmer, though it had been awhile since he’d attempted timed lengths.

Well, there was nothing for it, but to see how it went. He waited till the wall clock approached a new minute, perched on the edge of the pool and dove in.

His arms propelled his well muscled body through the water as he surfaced, his freestyle form clean as he timed his breaths, turning his head just enough but not so far that he sank at all. Reaching the other side of the pool, he did an easy turn and pushed off, remaining underwater probably a few strokes too long before finding the surface again. He had eight lengths of the pool to meet the 400m length for the super sprint. His best time stood at 5:45mins but he was’t expecting to push it that far.

~Cort Belanger

Hannah was not a competitive swimmer. She didn’t compete in most sports, but she was very athletic. Hannah had grown up learning to swim in what her father called ‘wild’ waters. Oceans and large lakes. She was a strong swimmer, but competing against tides was different than times in still water.

Hannah entered from the locker room and set her towel on a bench. Her hair was in a fishbone braid. She was wearing a one piece suit in airbrushed shades of blues purples and deep reds. She walked to the edge and sat letting her feet and legs stretch and dangle in the water. She looked around and took note of the only other person in the pool at the far end. She didn’t recognize them at first glance but she couldn’t see their face.

There were a few people in the hot tub and sauna, neither of which she would be using today, and then a couple of families in the smaller pool. She grinned at them and then letting her arms take her weight she lowered herself into the water. Hannah could dive, but with how she felt lately she didn’t think it was a good idea. She pushed off from the wall and began a strong free stroke across the length of the pool. Her goal was simply to move, but not over do it.

Hannah

Cort made good progress on his lengths, though he could feel some muscles in his upper back fatiguing. At the end of his eighth length, he placed his hand on the wall and looked at the clock, pulling off his goggles. He sighed. Well, 6:30mins wasn’t terrible at all, but he’d need to shave time off that if he was to get where he needed to be. He placed his hands on the top edge of the pool and hauled himself out, turning to sit with his feet dangling in the water. He dried off his face with the swim towel and took a couple gulps of water, letting himself rest.

Looking over the pool, he saw someone else had joined and as she moved towards him, he looked a little closer and, yep, it was Doctor Asimina. Though from an experience he’d had on one of his Red Cross missions, he could recognize that she had issues with her hearing, he wasn’t sure the extent and so he didn’t want to assume she’d hear him if he called out. Instead, he gave a big wave, hoping to catch her attention. If she’d recognize him. His cinnamon hair was under a cap but the rest of his face was now unobscured.

~Cort Belanger

Hannah’s arms raised and lowered in smooth slicing motions that scooped the water past her. As she turned her head for a breath she saw the other occupant waving. She kicked harder propelling herself forward. Her hand touched the wall and she let her feet sink, bring her upright in the water. She crossed her forearms on the edge and let herself hang there as she studied the face. Hannah was extremely observant, so even with the cap she recognized him. “Hello Mr Belanger.” Hannah absolutely could wear her implants in the water. They were made to never be taken off unless she wanted to. She found the feedback from the water, above it and below and the back and forth, distracting, and the distortion of sound and the echoes from an indoor pool exponentially more than annoying. So she wasn’t wearing them at the time, which meant her voice was quieter than normal volume, to ensure she didn’t yell. However she was excellent at lip reading and kept her eyes trained on him. “How are you?”

Hannah

“I’m good,” he said clearly, making sure he was facing her. “I’ve been giving some more thought to training for the triathlon so I thought I would see where my super sprint swim distance time was at. Not great but not terrible is the verdict,” he said with a grin.

Hannah nodded as she kind of bobbed in the water. “Room to improve is good though. If we met our goals the first time, we wouldn’t try so hard for them, and they would be meaningless. You might find the challenge actually pushes you that you improve on your best time.”

“All very true,” he said.

“What brings you out today?”

~Cort Belanger

Hannah shrugged, “I hate to stay idle. I like to move, but I’m having to be more careful than normal. Swimming seemed a good compromise.”

Hannah Asimina

“It’s a great workout for sure. As easy or as hard as you need it to be. It was my gateway into sports. My grandmother always said I was a fish as a kid.” Cort grinned. “When I was really little, I’d pretend I was swimming an ocean even though I was in the bath tub.” There was something freeing about being in the water that for him was unmatched by anything else. He knew others felt the same way about being in space, but he was a colony boy and preferred his firmly on the ground. Or in the water.

~Cort Belanger