Swimming Again

I did it! Approximately 6 weeks after my foot surgery, I was back at the Y pool for lap swimming. Even though it was only 20 laps, even though my foot felt funny, even though I swam quite gingerly (which most definitely isn't easy to do), it felt wonderful. That, in itself, was a big relief for me. You see, I was nervous about getting back into the pool for two reasons - the obvious one being because I didn't know how my foot would do and I wasn't up for being disappointed in my progress.

The second reason might seem rather odd to some of you - but I seriously did worry about it. It's just that a few weeks ago a lap swimmer died right in the pool while doing his laps. His day more than likely started like all of ours - a little slow, maybe wishing he had time for that second cup of coffee before heading to the Y for swimming, but overall just a normal day. He gets to the Y, checks in and grabs a towel. Once in the pool area he tells the lifeguard good morning, smiles at the swimmer resting up in the lane next to him, slides into the pool, adjusts his goggles and starts off on his warm up laps. At some point in the next 15 minutes things go from being normal to tragic. As he's in the deep end of the pool ready to make his turn he realizes something isn't right - he heads over to the side, trying to pull himself up and out of the water but it's too late. He falls back into the water and sinks. The lifeguard jumps in, three other lap swimmers head over to help and they all get him to the shallow end and out of the pool. But he's already bluish purple, already gone. Even so, the lifeguard starts CPR as others get the defibrillator machine ready. The pool empties, swimmers cry and hug, and the ambulance comes to take him to the hospital to pronounce him dead.

That man died in the pool - not from drowning, but from a heart attack. I don't know his name, I don't know his family but I haven't been able to stop thinking about him. As I recuperated at home, I guiltily felt so very thankful I wasn't at that particular lap swim. I wondered who it was - was it the red speedo guy? The swimmer/walker dude? The kickboard/flipper guy? or the Tshirt man? I know the names of none of these men but I still know them. I know who wears what swimsuit and what his lane of choice is. I know who is good at flip turns and I know who likes to have a silent underwater race with me. I know them each - as a fellow lap swimmer.

I wondered what it would be like to swim in the same pool, possibly even the same lane, touch the same side of the wall as he did as he tried to hoist his body out. Is his spirit still there? It was with me yesterday, as I'm sure it is with all the swimmers who know. It wasn't with me the whole time, not even most of the time, but as I silently slid through the water I remembered him and wished his family well.

No, unfortunately, the swimmer on the sidebar is not me...

it's just a picture off the internet. I thought about having Dave come in and take a picture of me doing my laps but then I thought the other swimmers might think it a little strange. So instead, I found a picture that shows how I want to look - or how I might have looked three kids ago - or how I hope to look by this time next year; take your pick.

But, the good news is that last week, for the very first time ever, I swam a whole mile. That's 36 laps in the pool - or 72 lengths however you want to count. I think I actually did more than a mile because I lost track on my last set of five and I was going to be damn sure I did at least 36... I think it ended up more like 39.) All I know is I was absolutely beaming from head to [sore] toe. And I'm still so darn tired I haven't been back to lapswim since. Maybe tomorrow...

I’ve Never Swallowed So Much Water…

I’ve never really been much into water aerobics – back in the day when I was really into cardio workouts I either ran 3 miles or did step aerobics. With my feet hurting so much for the past few years, I’ve tried lap swimming. There’s something so very soothing about sliding into the cool water and hearing muffled music, breathing, and small splashing. It may not sound like much to any big swimmers out there, but since January 1st I’ve worked myself up from 10 laps in thirty minutes to 20 laps in the same amount of time. My next goal is 25, then 30, and ultimately swimming for at least a full hour without stopping.

Today though, I tried the extreme opposite of lap swimming – water aerobics. The last time I did water aerobics was when I was about eight months pregnant with Sophie. At that time there was a lot of soothing water movement that felt awesome for a woman with a swollen belly. Even though it’d been ten years since the last experience, I was expecting the same type of class. When I first got into the pool Roxy, the instructor, asked me if I was a good swimmer. I confidently said, “Yes,” and thought I was in for a relaxing piece-of-cake hour of exercise. Not so - there was a whole lot of loud music, lots of leg kicking and splashing, and wave upon wave in the pool. I found myself panting for breath as I did the “crawl like a baby” for a length of the pool. As others barked during the doggy paddle, I choked on a wave of water that went right up my nose. While others smiled when Roxy yelled, “One more backstroke, then front. Five, four, three, two, one…” I grimaced and had flashbacks of childhood swimming lessons and the fear of drowning. The good news is I survived… and I do plan to go back on Thursday.