Tags
backstroke, body image, breaststroke, doggedness, elementary backstroke, exercise, family, fearlessness, freestyle, friends, health, healthy-living, lap lane, lap lanes, persistence, prescription goggles, traffic jams, weight loss, YMCA
It’s not what you think.
I am ready for the lap lanes at the Y. I am very, very happy about that. Dancingly happy, about being ready for laps; hence, the title of this blogpost.
Not only is my breaststroke now solid (and is my new second favorite, after the elementary backstroke), but I am expending less energy per stroke as my kick gets stronger, which means I am not tiring as easily.
Today, I spent over an hour in the water, giving myself only a few seconds rest after touching the wall at the deep end before going back the length of the pool. I would freestyle or breaststroke out to the deep end, backstroke or elementary backstroke to return to the shallow end. I made at least forty trips back and forth today, with very little rest between. The lap lane beckons, enticingly.
I figured out my optimal sequence of strokes for doing laps. When I go on Friday, I will breaststroke out, elementary backstroke in, freestyle out, backstroke in, and then repeat the cycle. I am really looking forward to trying it; there are no traffic jams or people cutting across your lane when you are in the lap lanes. When I am in the open swim area, I must always be aware of who is doing what around me (hard to do when I’m backstroking). I’ve learned to pay attention to the ripples around me becoming waves and splashes, signifying a nearby swimmer. It’s further complicated by my extreme nearsightedness– I simply cannot see other swimmers until they are very close. (Prescription goggles may be in my future…)
I won’t have to worry about collisions or near misses in the lap lanes. The lap lane swimmers are serious, and good, and focused. I can’t wait to join them…in the slow lane, for now, but who knows where I’ll be by summer’s end? Twelve weeks ago, I hadn’t been in the water for more than thirty-five years. Now, I’m twelve pounds lighter, and doing laps.
Persistence is its own reward.
Whoot! That’s awesome! Congratulations and keep it up!
Yay! That’s a wonderful measure of progress.
You might enjoy the new event Readers’ Workouts where bookish types get together on Tuesdays to encourage each other with our exercise goals. The first week was last week, so I’m looking for people to join:
Readers’ Workouts April 3
Love hearing about your progress Claudia! I’m so proud of you! I should warn you to be careful of those in the lap lanes who tend to take over the whole lane. Been there, done that!
Thanks, Nancy! You would have been happy with my peformance yesterday– my optimum “set” of four mixed strokes (one lap for each stroke), eight or nine times in one hour of swimming! I was having so much fun, I lost count.
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