Saturday 28 July 2012

Yes, more swimming



More swimming again today. I've been out a couple of runs but they're a worry. My heart rate shoots up sky high and takes a couple of miles to come down. I feel I should keep them short, few and far between. I am still reaching for the metaphor which describes what Atrial Fibrillation is. I was wondering if I could class it as a sport's injury but figure I can't as its not necessarily connected to doing sport. (Although I think it is.) And its not so much loss of function as a failure of the command centre; as if you ask your legs to run but the left one decides to do the hokey-cokey instead. (Actually I already kind of had that.)

Anyway, swimming isn't too bad and I've had a further two visits to the Commonwealth Pool. I've had a bit more time to take it in and realise that my first sweeping impression that it was no different was wrong. There is, for instance, some kind of a moving bottom thing, so that the first time I went back what was formerly the  shallow end was too deep for me to stand up in. However the next time I went it wasn't. Unless its me. They must have done something to the teaching pool too and a majority of parents and kids seem to use it now which makes the main pool a lot less hectic. They've got a divider thing they call a "boom" which they use to cut the pool in half sometimes so it was in 25m mode today and last time I was there. I can't be bothered to count that many lengths so I just decided to swim for 30 mins instead.

Swimming is definitely a Zen kind of thing. The harder you try the worse you swim and you end up knackered too. I got a whole lane pretty much to myself so I tried to keep the best form I could. I know this will look a lot different from the outside from what it feels like from the inside. I've had Peter's feedback before, a mixture of laughter and scorn. His skills as a teacher are not honed. I SHOULD REALLY find myself a stroke improvement class and go; something I've been meaning to do for ever and ever, but still I resist.

I've been avoiding the Tour of Fife this week, which I was signed up for pre-AF. Peter is getting beaten by another M45 which ruffled his feathers a bit until he got used to the idea. He and Ruth and Michael have introduced a new tour norm of having some beers on the way home at night. There was none of that in my day. I don't think it'll be improving their tour. Tonight is the iconic Chariots of Fire Beach Race at St Andrews and I'm going to spectate because I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I don't wish I was doing it. Looking forwards to seeing the people although the running chat is a bit painful.



2 comments:

Climbingmandy said...

Good to see you yesterday Mary. V impressed at your swimming. Are you doing front crawl? 30 mins solid? Wow. Maybe see you today?

Yak Hunter said...

One front crawl then one breast-stroke to recover AGH. Good to see you yesterday too. Got some good pictures of you. Good luck today.