Wednesday was another cross training day. I had planned to mix it up and do some cycling…since it is once again raining I was just going to pedal at the gym. Not an ideal bike now that I have fallen in love with my road bike. Just an aside, despite what one might think a smaller seat is in fact more comfortable…it is counterintuitive.
But when I woke up this morning, I felt a slight…so slight that I thought perhaps I was making it up in my brain…but slight none the less, twinge in my shins. It’s not uncommon after spending a few days on the treadmill that I find my legs just feel cranky especially in the shin area. My foot falls are just enough different on a treadmill that the repeated force just irritates my shins. Pedaling a bicycle usually exacerbates my shin issues because of the repeated pulling up of the feet/toes. So I decided to swim again. I’m really glad I went with that decision.
The pool at my gym is encased in glass so one feels like they are swimming in a fish bowl. However, it means I can see into the pool as I’m walking into the gym so I have a sense of how busy it’s going to be. When I came around the parking lot I noticed that the pool was empty. Initially I was worried the pool might be closed for some reason, but then I figured based on how crowded the parking lot was that by the time I got in got in my suit and made my way to the pool deck the pool would begin to fill up. The usual crowd is made up of either other lap swimmers or the kids that come for swim lessons. But today I lucked out, I had the entire pool to myself save for the lifeguard/pool attendant kid.
To be honest, I have yet to feel 100% comfortable at the pool. My first visit to the pool I was met with some unsolicited, though well intended, advice from the person in the lane next to me. Because I knew that I was rusty and trying to find my way, the advice felt more like criticism and judgement rather than helpful. Since then I have always been shy. Worried to try out some different techniques. Worried to try and possible look dumb. As a result of that worry I get in the pool do some amount of laps and then get out, I rarely allow myself the opportunity to do much more than what I needed to do to train.
Today, finding myself alone in the pool I practiced and experimented. I have been struggling with my breathing so today I focused on finding that rythm. Three strokes was too few, six was too many, five felt awkward. After trial and error and a few mouths full of water I landed on four. As my left arm entered the water on four I would turn my head slightly and breath. It worked wonders. In addition to struggling to find the magic number of when to breath, I had been lifting my head too far out of the water. The result was that when I stuck my face back in the water things were all jumbled and not at all smooth. But tonight, everything went smoothly. I’m still not Olympic caliber but I felt better in the water.
The time alone allowed me to build the confidence I realize now I was lacking. With my new found confidence, and breathing, I decided to go longer. The most I have done thus far is about 675 yards, tonight I went for 1,075 yards in 31 minutes. I felt great! A little winded at the end and kind of tired, more so from a long day, but I felt energized.
I realized my success swimming solo is similar to my experience with running and biking (pedal clips are a bugger to learn). I really learn better in solitude. I learn better knowing that I can try things and no one will be the wiser to my mishaps. I find that processes always find their way to the surface when I am alone with my thoughts.
The other lesson I learned today was that my training success was courtesy of listening to my body. I listened to that slight twinge and tried something different and I was rewarded kindly.
It is amazing when a process comes together!
Happy Running!
GeekyTriathlete 