Warm-Up

Carrying his board onto the beach, he hesitated a moment. The last few times he felt sore and sluggish; he needed twenty minutes to warm his muscles before he could paddle with ease. He placed the board on the sand and raised his knees, bent to his toes, swung his arms in windmills. High-stepping on the sand, he went down to the water line. Running on soft sand was easier on the knees, prevented him from pulling the muscle again. 

As his foot pressed into the hot sand, the pain reminded him of his youth as a lifeguard, on sunny days with an empty beach no blankets meant the sand baked in the sun. Someone would struggle in the water, and he would feel intense pain along his soles until he reached the wet sand. Back then he could go into a sprint, tread water, drag someone ashore, and return to the lifeguard stand without struggle.

No. 123