What is the craziest thing you do to get your swims in? Here is mine: I work tonight from 7 pm to 5 am, THEN I head to the pool for an hour and 15 minutes of swimming. Granted its not the highest quality practice in my week, but with working four ten hour shifts every week I have to swim somewhere during my work week, and that is when it fits in on this shift. My husband just shakes his head says "Whatever honey" as he won't miss me at that hour!
For me it would be getting up at 6:00 am on a Saturday in April and May and heading to the Jersey shore or Greenwich Ct to get in some cold water training 50 to 52 degrees. Or heading to the shore, same time, during hurricane season to swim in the 8 to 10 foot seas, to get in some rough water practice.
I get up at 4:30 AM to make it to the 5:30 opening at my YMCA. (M-F.) I get to sleep in a little bit on Saturdays as the pool doesn't open until 7. (I take Sunday off.)
Crazy? Some people think so, but I don't.
Now, when I travel from Colorado to NJ, I still want to hit the opening of the YMCA in my dad's home town. (Also 5:30 AM.) Until I get adjusted to the new time zone, that 4:30 AM alarm is effectively a 2:30 alarm for me.
That's nothing. Try having to DEPEND on others to TAKE you to the pool because of poor eyesight.
Once, last summer, (right when I started swimming again, before joining Masters Swimming) I practically rushed through my day to get some pool time.
I got ready for work, arrived to work on time to finish my shift early enough to have time for swimmming. Unfortunately, the public transportation system here in town is deplorable. My scheduled pick-up was for 12:00 p.m. Unbeknownst to me, the city transit system decided to play a little joke with me and cancel that trip home. So, for an hour-and-a-half, I was at my work, hungry, no lunch and waiting for someone nice enough to give me a ride home. Needless to say, I had to FORCE one of our admins to have someone send me home.
When I got home, (Close to two o'clock that afternoon) I darted into my room to get my swim bag and things ready. However, my mother had different plans and decided that I came home too late to even get in a decent lap. Needless to say, I displayed to her that it wasn't my fault. After realizing this, I got into my speedo, and my mother took me to the nearby aquatics center. By the time I got there, there wasn't an open lane to swim in (all them age-groupers took the all the lanes) and I had to speak to the aquatic center staff to open up a lane for me. fifteen minutes later, and without a moment to spare, I jumped into the pool and had thirty minutes of swimming. It's times like this where I wished I wasn't vision impaired.
Fortunately, ever since I joined my Masters Team, I go to the pool as many chances as I can thanks to public transportation. Going to the University Pool is FAR better than having to BEG a family member to take me to the nearby aquatic center. Sure, the University Pool is a thirty-minute trip from my house, but I'd rather sit in a small bus for thirty minutes than endure a five minute trip, hearing them complaining about my swimming.
Hey, a Swimmer's gotta swim in order to be CALLED a Swimmer, don't you think?
It seems to me that every day is a rush to get the swimming in. I get up at 4:45 to get ready and drive to swim from 6-7:30 on M,W, F and on T, Th I go after work (5PM), but before I have to coach practice (6:45PM) and then get home at 9PM. Needless to say that if my husband wants to see me, he comes to swim!!! Also we have been having meets for the age groupers that I coach on the weekends that start at 7:15 warm up, so I get up at 4:30-5:00 to swim at the gym for 1 1/2 hrs. Very hectic--but worth every minute of chaos!!
The craziest thing I did to make sure I got to be part of a masters team, was schedule my classes from 6am to Noon every day.
Nothing beats trying to pay attention at 6am as your instructor is using Powerpoint to discuss with you the pros and cons of specialty suppliers and added value forms.
One time about 10 years ago in the winter my health club had a heater problem with the pool. I dipped my foot in (ALWAYS a good idea before plunging in) and it was COLD!!! I went over to where the thermometer was and pulled it up: 58 degrees! I'm one of those people who's very stubborn once I make up my mind and I really wanted to swim. I was feeling brave and decided to give it a shot and swim as long as I could stand it. After wetting myself down thoroughly with the pool water I dove in and instantly felt ALIVE!!! I had the pool to myself and got in close to 50 minutes of laps before I really started tightening up. It was one one my most invigorating workouts I've ever had since I persevered when most would have "thrown in the towel".
A few years back I stayed at a Ramada for a business trip. One of my coworkers assured me that the pool there was "Olympic sized" so I brought my suit and goggles. The pool was so small it only took one stroke with each arm to reach the other side. Since I was there, I did 100 flip turns before I gave up.
The next day I found a rec center in town with a 25 yd pool that was much better!
A couple weeks ago we had a big snowstorm and the university where I work sent everyone home at 4:00 pm. I had been planning to swim that day right after work in the rec center's pool. Well, the rec center closed at 4 along with the rest of campus. So, instead of going straight home to miss the mess and danger of the increasingly heavy snow and wind, I drove across town to the YMCA knowing that they likely wouldn't close down entirely. It took forever to get there and forever to get home afterwards, but sure enough they were open and no one else was in the pool because they DID cancel water aerobics (Yes!!) It was entirely worth the risk! (But, I didn't tell my wife)
This past summer we had a family vacation at Disney. We stayed in the Pop Century resort. Three of the days at 6:00 AM I was in the pool. It was shaped like a bowling pin - honest. It was too narrow to go back and forth the short way so I went the long way. I paced it off and estimated it was about 40 yards. I think. Also, it had steps and a railing at each end so the turns were difficult.
But hey, when you gotta swim, you gotta swim!
Todays schedule
2:30- School ends
2:45- teachers are allowed to leave but principal calls a meeting
3:00- After a big discussion on the big steeler game, meeting adjurns. Finally I get to leave.
3:30- Arrive at YMCA- thank goodness traffic wasn't to bad.
3:40- get into pool.
4:25- after cutting my swim about 600 yards have to get out. (youngest daughter has a doctors appointment at 4:45)
4:35- After taking a shower and changing- leave
4:40- arrive at daycare for daughter
4:45- leave daycare with daughter
4:55- opps! A little late for doctors appointment.
This really isn't a typical schedule. I usually have more time to swim. Just couldn't skip it for a day.
