Getting a little better at swimming

[cjsmith]

Swam Friday morning. Swam Saturday morning. Counted laps Saturday morning: 1/3 mile. My back and arm and shoulder and side muscles had a nice ache Saturday afternoon, but I suspect that's more because of my rock-solid tension during my flight lesson that day. Ah well. It is pleasant to imagine that the weariness came from the seedling of a good workout.

(It was in the low forties Saturday morning. Outdoor pools are cold then, I don't care HOW warm the water supposedly is!)

My left shoulder is popping and crunching with every stroke. Truly distracting. I swam one-armed for a while on Friday just to get rid of the sensation. Betcha didn't know I could swim one-armed. Neither did I!

I've felt my knees do this same sort of thing on occasion. It's not a joint-popping feeling, but more the feeling of a tendon that's too tight sliding over something it's unaccustomed to stretching itself past. If I stretch cautiously and don't overwork it it will work itself out; if I overdo, it will be one of those injuries that can take a year to heal. So, caution.

Still, I'm pretty pleased. 1/3 mile! That's a lot better than when I started. I'm still in the heady early stage of rapid improvement. This lays some good groundwork for pretending I actually like this form of exercise, later on when I'll need that mental trick. 1/3 mile, yay me.

More on the flying later. I'm due for an appointment to go do some more of it.

Comments

[kimatha.livejournal.com]

Have you tried taking glucosamine? My ankles and knees are much less popping-y when I take it.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yep, been taking it for years, for the knees. :-)

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Over 1500 feet, wow! I'm impressed. Then again, I can hardly swim just enough to do 1/2 a lap in a standard pool. Growing up with a phobia of having my head underwater has hampered my ability to swim well. Oddly enough, it doesn't affect my enjoyment of boats, whitewater rafting, etc. It's more of a stability/drowning phobia than a just-being-in-water phobia.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I haven't stuck my head underwater for weeks ('cause of the water-in-the-ear thing). I do a head-up-all-the-time version of the breaststroke. (Quit snickering.) I know that's less efficient, and I know I'm going to have to come up with an ear solution some time and learn to swim through the water HORIZONTALLY, but for now, it's working.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Part of my problem, even keeping my head up all the time, is relaxing enough. I can't float on my back. I can do a face-down dead-man's float easily, but that's not very useful for very long. ;-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Now that I can't do well -- the dead man's float. At least, when I was younger and I tried to learn it I truly sucked at it. Apparently you are supposed to be able to raise your head and shoulders periodically for a breath. I couldn't do that because I always sank too deep. I'd raise my head and I'd still be under. Blech.

I suspect I don't relax well either, as yet. Time will tell. I'm *willing* to, just untrained.

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

If you just go limp, how much of you is out of water? I think some heavier-boned people are actually dense enough that they simply can't float properly.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I should try it again and see. I have significantly more body fat now than I did when I first learned to swim.