Swimming - I haven't updated in AGES

[cjsmith]

Tried flippers on Friday. I bet the lifeguard was in pain from holding in his laughter.

It is very easy to get my legs tangled when turning around at the end of a lap if I'm wearing four-foot-long blades sticking off the end of my feet. What? They're not four feet long? Man, once I get in the pool they're at least that big. I think they're even longer when I'm walking on the tile beside the pool.

I sure do move faster with those things on. Wow. I definitely can't do the scissor-kick; I have to flutter-kick. I grabbed a board to practice that for a lap.

After a few laps my feet were in screaming cramping blinding agony. They felt like they'd seized and were now rock-solid curled claws. I suspect a) I have no musculature in my feet any more, b) it's hard to get those things to move properly if they're even a tiny bit loose, c) there's a lot of resistance to fight when turning around. If I am to use these I will have to start very gradually: start with half a lap and work my way up...

So I pulled them off, tried another couple of laps, and quit. I think the only thing that got a workout Friday morning was the nonexistent muscles in my feet.

(Yeah, they ached afterward (the messed-up part did). So flippers won't save me from that.)

Ah well. Progress: I'm still going and I'm still learning what NOT to do!

Comments

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

I agree that if you cannot put weight on your foot fins are a not so great idea as the added pressure and resistance from the fins will really do a number on your feet.

Taping might be a good option. It's what I did when I had a foot and ankle injury and was swimming. It helped keep the foot from moving around.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I think the real answer is to get something to help hold my foot rigid (thus lowering the wear&tear on those bad joints) but with NO extra area to it like fins have. So, tape, or maybe those little swim-shoes children wear sometimes.