Swimming!

[cjsmith]

I did it. I finally went out and got in a pool.

I take back about 45% of the things I said about cold. A properly heated pool, once I get in it, really isn't too bad. If I were in shape enough to get warmed up it would be downright comfortable. The pool also looks nifty sitting there steaming in the early morning light! (Getting OUT of the pool, on the other hand... outdoors... brr.)

I am very out of shape. Two years without any cardio exercise whatsoever, plus I've never done much with my upper body in my life. (Except when I was in the Army. I could knock out those pushups then.) This is humbling.

I was very thankful that it wasn't crowded. I had a lane to myself. There are benefits to going to an outdoor pool shortly after the rainstorm stops! (Or is it that it's January?) Maybe by summer, when it'll be crowded again, I'll be able to swim at a decent pace.

I have water in both my ears. Despite arms like noodles, I would have continued swimming longer this morning except that both ears were hurting. I need help on this!

And now for the bad news. My feet are KILLING ME. It seems there's a certain amount of standing up that happens. There's probably more for me than for most, because I haven't been swimming in twenty years. In between laps, arms hooked over the edge, panting -- those feet are down and they've got the toes bent back (the worst). Rats! I can NOT be doing that! Grrr! I sure hope this isn't yet one more form of exercise that I shouldn't do because of my feet. That would leave one last fitness option: just generally being tense.

I've found a wonderful image to use as a swim icon. I've written for permission. It is a CAT! Swimming! Is that me or what? :-) Check out this page. I hope I'm allowed to use it.

Comments

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

I found it really helped me to use a heart rate monitor while swimming, as a way to get me to swim slowly enough, and not pant nearly so much. Yay! for getting in the pool.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I could probably go a lot longer if I abandoned the crawl stroke. I do ... I don't know what to call this stroke. It's sort of like the breast stroke, except a) I scissor-kick because I've never learned the proper kick for the breast stroke, and b) I don't have much of a glide, I just go right into the next pull. As a result I move very slowly. I can do it for a long time though. Maybe my heart rate is lower for that one -- probably because I'm breathing more! As a bonus, my ears never tip up to pour water in as they do in the crawl.

Next time I'll try a lot more of that.

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

Yay for swimming!

A few things...

If the water is really irritating your ears, you can buy waxy ear plug things that will keep out the water. Also, when you are done swimming be sure to put ear drops like "Swimmer's Ear" in your ear to dry out the water.

As far as your feet, try kicking with a kickboard when you are tired to help you catch your breath rather than resting at the wall standing up. You can also use the board to keep you afloat when resting so you don't have to stand.

Hope this helps.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Ooo, clearly I need to go shoppin'. :-) These all sound like good ideas. I particularly like the kickboard idea: I could keep exercising my legs when my arms can't do any more, and gradually use it less and less as I get better.

[kimatha.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you will adjust with the standing issue. I second the suggestions in the comments, and have a couple of my own: rest at the deep end if you can, so your feet will stay all floaty, while you hang on with your arms. Or, when you rest, pull yourself up until you're hanging off the side of the pool by your elbows, so that your feet dangle instead of resting.

I totally want that cat.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you're right. It'll just take time. I feel guilty for not babying my feet, though. Grr! I'm trying to, but I'm still learning what not to do!

There's no deep end in these lap lanes -- it's an Olympic pool divided widthwise, with diving boards on the deep side and little cones marking "Slow People Can Swim Here" in the four-foot-deep area. The laps still wind up being 25 meters, which is respectable.

That cat is awesome. I want a Turkish Van cat next. I think it would be wonderful to have a cat that liked water!

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

Yes, kickboards are great for leg workouts. Typically, in most competitive swim workouts, there are kick sets built in to work the legs because swimmers usually have much greater upper body strength and the legs don't do as much work. We usually also do upper body only sets with pull buoys (devices to keep your legs floating while just using your arms).

Here's a page with typical training equipment: http://www.kiefer.com/Kiefer/dept.asp?0=dept%2Easp%2Cdept%5Fid%3D88%26Tree%3D%2CCompetitive%20Swim&dept%5Fid=5&mscssid=0741A42EEE4DF49B6B6F22BB547521E4&Gift=&GiftID=

Most sporting goods stores will have kickboards and buoys. If you need goggle recommedations I can help as well.

Also, mixing your workout up with kicking and pulling helps make it less boring.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

That swimming cat is just too cute.

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

ooh - that would indeed make a lovely icon! and as you say, the more practice you get swimming, the less time you'll be spending on your feet. can you float on your back, or do you sink?

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I really like that cat! I'm itching to get a Turkish Van now. (As if I ever had a purebred anything. I get mutt cats from places like parking lots, the pound, and the little grassy area in between runways.)

I mostly float, better if my legs are kicking. I did the backstroke for one lap :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Isn't he adorable? I'm wanting a Turkish Van cat now :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Are the pull buoys held between the knees or something? I think maybe I'll start with just a kickboard; it'll be a long time before my arms are useful enough to do anything separately.

Goggles vs. masks: why choose one or the other? I have goggles, though I didn't bother with them today; I saw at least one person with a mask.

[rfrench.livejournal.com]

Yay CJ!

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

You could get a tiger!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm feeling all proud of myself.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

When I am a multimillionaire I'll build enclosures and hire people with clue and keep big cats that need rehab. wist wist

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

Yay for starting!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It feels good to have done it.

[dawnd.livejournal.com]

I love swimming. I hope you can solve your problems with the feet. And YAY for that icon! I hope you can use it... I agree that it's perfect!

[firecat]

Congrats on going swimming! When I am out of shape for swimming I do more breaststroke and less crawl. As I improve I change the ratio.

When you say "toes bent back" do you mean pointed toward your shin or pointed away from your shin?

One way to avoid standing is to get a floating device, maybe a noodle or some water dumbbells, and float without allowing your feet to touch the pool floor.

[sharya.livejournal.com]

That is seriously the best icon!

I hope they give you permission to use it :D

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks! At the very least I can build back a little bit of fitness again, which will improve both my health and my mood.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh cool. I'm not the only one who thinks breaststroke is easier, then! :-)

Toes: dorsiflexion. The way they are in high-heeled shoes. Plantarflexion hurts too, but less, and I can gently stretch them that direction with my hands. Dorsiflexion is awful and when there's any weight on my feet that way, they'll definitely flare up for a day or two.

I definitely need to go shopping. I can imagine how much gear I will accumulate. At least swimming gear is relatively inexpensive! Things could be worse (on the wallet) -- I could be taking up woodworking!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Ooo I hope so too! No reply yet...

[firecat]

You might consider a pair of swim fins. It's very hard to put any weight on your toes with the flippers getting in the way. Plus you'll go faster :)

Frog kick might cause dorsiflexion? So if you continue to feel pain you might want to wrap your feet somehow to avoid your toes flapping around at different angles.

Yeah, the main expense in swimming is a pool - if you can get one of those, the rest is gravy!