Thing #9 Swimming

I swam laps for a half hour this morning. This activity is a perfect example of why I need to try things twice – I could tell that it will be a great workout, and a great meditation, but I was getting used to the new equipment so much that today’s swim wasn’t particularly fun or contemplative.

I swam a lot as a kid, at least recreationally. I took some beginner lessons, and (get this) I took springboard diving lessons for two years in junior high with my friend Molly. And I spent every summer in junior high and high school splashing around in a neighbor’s pool with a bunch of neighborhood kids. It was great, though I am certain it left me with a lot of bad swimming habits. Those are very, very fond memories, however.

That’s probably why when I arrived at college and was required to fulfill PE credits, I chose to do self-directed swimming laps. I could go when I wanted, and I had to go for a certain amount of time. I would smoke afterward, but swimming before smoking is better than *not* swimming before smoking.

But I never used goggles, or a swim cap, and I certainly never really paid attention to the etiquette of the lap pool. I haven’t swum regularly since my sophomore year.

Today was fine. The goggles aren’t natural or comfortable yet, the suit wasn’t a great athletic-fit choice, and my stroke was more “flail” than “crawl”. But it felt good to be in the water, and I could go on my schedule and not someone else’s, and it certainly got me working hard. I will certainly try this again, and give it another real shot.

Other thoughts:



1) I notice that when I am going to try something significantly new, and it isn’t on someone else’s timetable, I procrastinate. I got in the pool a full half hour later than I intended. But I swam my laps, by golly!
2) Swim goggles are complicated little buggers, but they let you see underwater. I had never used them before in my life, and once I got the fit right they were really, really cool. I could see! For a glasses/contact wearing girl, that’s a big deal. Even the goggle marks on my face for the subsequent forty-five minutes made me feel tough. And big thanks to the guy in the lane next to mine who saw me struggling and offered sage and useful advice.
3) Swim caps are good, but they aren’t perfect. But then again, I’ve got a lot of hair at this point. It got damp, but not wet.
4) My swimsuit still had sand in it from a vacation two years ago. That is apropos of nothing, though it did make me long for a hot, sunny beach to justify the gritty reality of a sandy swimsuit.