Swim Night Antics

No More 8:30 PM Light

Interesting night at the pool.

As I chatted with one of coaches of the youth team about her husband who'd just had surgery, this woman entered the lane that I had planned to enter.

Chatty Kathleen immediately told her that it was my lane and I told her "No problem; I don't mind sharing." Still, she got out but returned because it was a busy night at the pool.

She (Jill) waited until I got to the end of the lane then asked if we could lane share. Did I want to swim in straight line or circle? She also asked which side of the lane I preferred -- Any way you like it she said.

Jill is a much better swimmer than I am and when I asked her how many laps she usually swims, she said 80. In response to my jaw dropping, she told me that she used to be a swimmer.

I told her that I learned to swim as an adult and she said that I had a nice, steady stroke. Jill used to be a swim coach but says that she can't correct her own kid's stroke because, basically, he won't listen to her.

Kathleen exited the pool as Jill and I were exchanging names. She's my friend Kathleen said. I told Kathleen that there was enough to share. Kathleen also told me, earlier, that she realized that  I could take care of myself...

Had yet another dream. I was admiring the most beautiful blue water and then was involved in what was sure to be a devastating crash but I woke up before impact.

What Marisa Had In Store

Went to the pool with  no new equipment to address the whole can't-breathe-at-night-after-swimming issue.

Can't you just swim žènskī-style?, Borat a.k.a. Hazira wanted to know.  

Zenski (a.k.a. pertaining to a woman) -- that's how some Bosnians refer to swimming with the head above the water with a breaststroke-like kick.

Talked to the lifeguard and no one else has mentioned the inability to breathe. She also said that they keep the chlorine at the low end of what is required and that the only people she's heard of who've had problems have been kids with asthma.

Chatty Kathleen told me that it doesn't matter if your head is below or above the water. Pool house gases are pool house gases. Kathleen also recommended eucalyptus oil dropped in hot water and a towel to cover the face over said infused water. Vicks. A neti pot.

The congestion lasted longer this time so I'm just going to give the pool a break. I imagine that the reaction that I'm having is akin to a food allergy -- the reaction becomes worse the more you expose yourself to the allergen...

I had kettlebell on the brain very early in the day. A sleepless night before meeting Marisa is not the ideal situation. 

I once told Gloria that I was scared to nap since I'm such a night owl. You need savasana, she said. And that's what I did today. I grabbed my eye pillow and, of course, savasana turned into a power nap. I wanted to finish out the nap but I got up, ate a little then headed out the door.

What Marisa had in store:

Right, 20 Reps:

One-hand Swing
Clean and Press
Squat
High Pull
Snatch
Burpees

Left, 20 Reps:

One-hand Swing
Clean and Press
Squat
High Pull
Snatch
Burpees

Jessica Rabbit a.k.a. Crazy Lats and Bowls and I were both experiencing hand fatigue and my left arm in the biceps area was not feeling very nice either but we all moved on to the next phase with two kettlebells.

2kb series...Five Rounds:

Swing
Clean and Press
...
...
1/2 Snatch

We finished up with planks then the whippersnappers worked on pull-ups.

Marisa says that, for her birthday, she has a special workout in mind. I really don't know if I want to be present for that birthday bash.

The Usual Pace

Struggled with breathing last night which marked the second taking of my breath by the pool which was so cold. I stood in the water for 20 minutes before I got up the nerve to put my head under the water. Usually, after I submerge, my body quickly adjusts but not this time. When I yawned, Kathleen joked that sleepiness is a sign of hypothermia.

Hardly being able to breathe gave me a whole new appreciation for, well, uncomplicated breathing...

Took a rare short nap after work then got ready for kettlebell.

Marisa's kids were really cute. They enthusiastically greeted all of the kettlebellers and told us to enjoy our workouts. They've been pretty shy up until this point but Marisa said that they are working on their social skills...

Things I cannot stand to see on the whiteboard -- 50 triceps dips. My triceps are muscle-y enough, thanks. We also did step-ups, elevated push-ups (not me), burpees, lunges, regular push-ups etc.

For swings we did halos, hand-to-hand, two-hand, snatches, cleans and presses, deadlifts, around the body with a catch and squats.

As we left, Marisa's son was still around and he had the same question for all of us -- Did you enjoy your workout?

I said Yes but....

On Saturday, Jessica tried to get me to climb on Sunday. I told her that I wasn't even sure if I liked climbing anymore then she went on some funny spiel about reveling in the hate. I scurried* up a route and when I came down, Jessica said That didn't look like hate...


*My usual pace because if I pause who knows if I'll make it to the top...

The Minute Forfeiture or Month-End Review, July

One of my colleagues shudders at the thought of doing yoga in a crowded room. I have similar feelings about swimming. Got to the pool when it opened last night and was able to get in eight laps before company arrived.

Three of us shared a lane. Between the mini-riptide and cologne, ew, it was enough to make me feel crowded. We ended up doing a kind of relay situation.

As Chatty Kathleen got ready to leave and I readied to dip under the divider, she told me that I looked healthy and strong. When I asked her how she was doing, I got a response at the other end of the spectrum but she was in good enough shape to tell me that I lifted her spirits but the only thing that I did was listen. I am an extrovert magnet because I'm a good listener even when I don't want to be...

Gladly forfeited a minute and finished kettlebell practice at 7:14. Wrapping up kettlebell practice always makes me feel that I have, officially, made it over the hump.

Tally for the month:

Bicycling, 3 x's
Boxing, 4 x's
Climbing, 1 x
Kettlebell, 4 x's


7/31 Kettlebell:

Two-Hand Swings, 30
Burpees, 10
Rows, 10/10
Triceps Dips, 30
Around the Body with a Catch and Lunge, 10
Deadlift, 10/10 (Two Variations)
Clean and Press, 20/20
Jacks, 30
Pull-Overs, 15
Double Leg Raise, 15
Snatch, 20/20 (10/10 for me)
Plank

Plank-Off: Megan a.k.a. A-Rod, Becky & Paige *

Stations of: Two-Hand Swing, Russian Step-up, Slam Ball (30 lbs), Russian Twist, Double Press, Double Squat, Around The Body, Push-Ups (Off a Chair)...

Stretch Max, 2 x's
Swimming, 8 x's
Walking, 11 x's
Yoga, 6 x's

I was totally satisfied with my production this month. What about you?


*I dropped out of the plank-off after 90 seconds. Megan lasted for five minutes while Paige got her "tent" on to help her endure.

Mile-stone

I saw the telltale black swimming suit and black goggles and knew it was Chatty Kathleen. Someone was in the lane next to me but, apparently, not even a lane can keep us apart.

Kathleen: Can you swim and talk?

Me: Shaking my head then no.

Kathleen wanted to talk but she also saw me holding on to the edge of the pool. She advised me to keep my arms level with my shoulders then move my hands as if I was pushing sand aside.

I had actually practiced treading for a bit before she arrived and it seemed easier. Floating seems easier too; I feel as if I could do it forever. What is it about catching on to front crawl breathing that has made me more buoyant?

The most laps that I've done is 28 and, lately, I've been doing 20 or 21 and I wanted to gradually work my way up to a mile. When I was in a WOW (Women on Weights) class, the instructor said that you should gradually increase your weights.

I thought screw it. I'm always paying attention to rules and whatnot. I had the perfect opportunity. There were only five people at the pool and I didn't have to share a lane. I thought about Bob Harper saying stand up and finish what you started.

It took me almost two hours but I did it. I swam my first mile. I'm exhausted as all get out but I feel good about what I accomplished in the water -- 33 laps or 66 lengths or 1650 yards.

The Interrupter

Last night I was signing in at the pool, looked up and saw familiar shades and a bag on rollers and thought, oh no, Chatty Kathleen.

It's hard to swim when Chatty is around and it doesn't matter if Chatty is accompanied by her husband, children and/or grandchildren, she's going to chat you up in spectacular fashion.

I try to make sure that I am at the opposite end of the lane when Chatty is around but I'm not fast enough and I take breaks so we end up in the same territory eventually. We even ended up in the same lane because, at one point, Kathleen was trying to avoid the kids jumping off the diving board.

I know that Chatty has broken her coccyx three times, has debilitating migraines, knows the history of porters, likes Chris Rock's Good Hair documentary, has just started driving again and feels like she never belonged to her family. I was thinking, Oh My God, how do I get myself in these situations.


Just when I was losing my patience and internally bemoaning the fact that I was behind on the lap count, Kathleen said your swimming looks really good and your form looks better. I melted.

I was struggling mightily with front crawl breathing when I met Kathleen and it feels good that I'm not in the same place right now.

Because of chatting, I stayed at the pool longer. At 9, I did my little floating thing and listened as the lifeguard continued to give her daughter deadlines for exiting the pool. In the end, it was all good.


Do you have someone at the gym or pool who interrupts your flow?

Swimming Takes Me Away

I wanted to go to an outdoor pool but the weather wasn't warm enough. I headed to Mehlville's 7:30 p.m. open swim even though I knew the water might be cold there as well. To my surprise, the water wasn't frigid.

Instead of slicing through the water, I felt as if I was weighted down -- maybe by a rather long day at work.

Between watching this father teach his two boys to swim and listening to chatty Kathleen, I got in only 11 laps but I was satisfied and relaxed afterwards.

I practiced my sidestroke and my front crawl breathing seems to be a little better.

This sign amuses me.



As a new or non-swimmer, I certainly wouldn't want to go to the pool with an irresponsible adult.

Chatty Kathleen

Rock climbing worked me over on Thursday. I still feel its presence in the vicinity of my armpits, sides, forearms and in my ability to grasp objects. Soreness made for an interesting swim today especially when I did the back crawl.

I did 21 laps and spent almost two hours in the pool. Now, it didn't take me two hours to complete those laps. I paused in between while my lane neighbor, Chatty Kathleen, talked to me. Kathleen is recovering from a stroke. In between swimming, she said soothing things to me like you're in a safe place, we start out in water, become one with the water etc. etc.

Kathleen even took the time to show and tell me, as if it were as easy as spreading room temperature butter on bread, how to breathe during the front crawl. Now, that's when I felt really sorry for Kathleen. Her recovery is going well and she definitely out-swam me but the woman just doesn't know about my struggle with the front crawl. She doesn't know how I walk around taking deep breaths or looking at this video



or looking at this one again



or how I try to glean info from blogs.

Breathing While Swimming By Coach Dee

She didn't know about today's pre-swimming meditation.