So since at least two people on this board are interested in my adventures in joining my University's team I thought I'd create a thread (much like ande's swimming blog) to detail all of it. Yeah.
Since the season doesn't actually start regular practice for another week and a half, this is mainly an intro post - and I'll update it with what happens when I go meet the other girls on the team and such! Stay tuned! It'll be better than any general hospital or passions!
Today I actually swam for the first time (since my freshman swim test last year) in the University pool. It was huge. And cold. Over the summer I got used to swimming in health club pools with water hovering around 80-85. Not exactly the most comfortable water at times, but at least nice and warm. The Ratner pool here is...freezing by those standards. I'm guessing the water temp is 75 at the warmest. Gives new meaning to the term "warm up".
I was really nervous when I first got in - the girls and guys returning members were having informal practices and I was sort of afraid they'd notice me. Although, I don't think they did. Or maybe they did and I just didn't hear what they said about me. Haha.
I also swam a 600 for the first time in a long time. I mostly stuck to 400s and below in my summer workouts (yeah, I know, I'm a little bit of a wimp). Unfortunately, that couldn't last. The coach suggested when I met her that I get in the water and swim 6-800 straight every day this week as part of my workout. It kind of hurt. Actually, it was one of the odder experiences of my life. For the first 200 or so my chest was tight from my asthma and I was freaking out about the distance (I was also really cold). Then all of a sudden I started to get really into it and just kept on going. I probably could have done 1000 if I wanted to.
The workout was cut short - only about 2300yds - because I promised my friends I'd come home and cook dinner for them tonight. And that's where I leave it tonight.
Background: For those who didn't see my posts on the board throughout the year, I'm a soph. in college who has been going through the prepartion to join my school's team. I attend the University of Chicago (a div 3 school) and was a competitive swimmer for seven years before high school. Burnout put me out of the water for almost 5 years, however, and I'm only recently getting back into it.
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Fah.
I am so not in a good mood.
We had morning practice today, and it involved a long set of paddle work followed by a sprint set. During the sprint set, on some of my pushoffs, my left foot (on the side with my injury) would literally go numb. I lost sensation in my toes. This was accompanied with a tight soreness in the injury itself and intermittent shooting pain down my leg.
That was what made me decide to cut it short. Numbness in my foot? Not good.
My coach was okay with it, although I think I scared her with a little miscommunication. She asked if I was going to the trainer to do my rehab everyday, to which I replied..no only one or two times a week. I quickly clariifed by saying that I do the streches the trainer prescribed for me three times a day, along with frequently icing the injury...it's only the stim stuff I'm not able to get in for frequently because it takes a while and I have a packed class schedule.
I think she understood. I hope.
Anyway, I'm in a bad mood because of my new assistant coach. When I got out of the water she gave me total attitude and said "Why does your injury bother you more in the morning than in the afternoon?" I replied that I honestly didn't know.
Agh. I hate being implicitly accused of being a slacker. I'm NOT slacking. I'm in PAIN. I've LOST SENSATION in my foot on my pushoffs....last time I checked that wasn't a normal thing.
And in the weight room the other day when I told her I couldn't do the abducting or squats she also gave me attitude and said that those machines shouldn't hurt my injury. Uh.....I spoke with the trainer about this and he said that not doing squats or abducting was a *good* thing.
Frankly, it's just frustrating. I'm not a doctor or a trainer. I don't know what's going on with me medically. All I know is that some things cause me pain. And sometimes I hit a point in a workout where I'm done. I feel that I'm getting better, and that my rehab stretches are working..but beyond that...I just don't know.
From talking with a few of the other swimmers in the locker room, there seems to be some disgruntlement about her as well. We can't read her. We can't tell if she likes us or hates us....she's weird. We also see her whispering to the head coach about us during practice...and it makes us feel very uneasy.
I just don't know what to do.
Today's workout:
Warmup:
800 swim
8 x 100 swim w/ paddles, snorkel on the 2:00
Main:
Variable sprint set:
4 x through the following:
1 x 25 12.5 easy, 12.5 sprint
1 x 25 12.5 sprint, 12.5 easy
1 x 25 build
1 x 25 sprint
2 x 50 build
Cool down:
200 swim
Total: 2600 yds
Fah.
I am so not in a good mood.
We had morning practice today, and it involved a long set of paddle work followed by a sprint set. During the sprint set, on some of my pushoffs, my left foot (on the side with my injury) would literally go numb. I lost sensation in my toes. This was accompanied with a tight soreness in the injury itself and intermittent shooting pain down my leg.
That was what made me decide to cut it short. Numbness in my foot? Not good.
My coach was okay with it, although I think I scared her with a little miscommunication. She asked if I was going to the trainer to do my rehab everyday, to which I replied..no only one or two times a week. I quickly clariifed by saying that I do the streches the trainer prescribed for me three times a day, along with frequently icing the injury...it's only the stim stuff I'm not able to get in for frequently because it takes a while and I have a packed class schedule.
I think she understood. I hope.
Anyway, I'm in a bad mood because of my new assistant coach. When I got out of the water she gave me total attitude and said "Why does your injury bother you more in the morning than in the afternoon?" I replied that I honestly didn't know.
Agh. I hate being implicitly accused of being a slacker. I'm NOT slacking. I'm in PAIN. I've LOST SENSATION in my foot on my pushoffs....last time I checked that wasn't a normal thing.
And in the weight room the other day when I told her I couldn't do the abducting or squats she also gave me attitude and said that those machines shouldn't hurt my injury. Uh.....I spoke with the trainer about this and he said that not doing squats or abducting was a *good* thing.
Frankly, it's just frustrating. I'm not a doctor or a trainer. I don't know what's going on with me medically. All I know is that some things cause me pain. And sometimes I hit a point in a workout where I'm done. I feel that I'm getting better, and that my rehab stretches are working..but beyond that...I just don't know.
From talking with a few of the other swimmers in the locker room, there seems to be some disgruntlement about her as well. We can't read her. We can't tell if she likes us or hates us....she's weird. We also see her whispering to the head coach about us during practice...and it makes us feel very uneasy.
I just don't know what to do.
Today's workout:
Warmup:
800 swim
8 x 100 swim w/ paddles, snorkel on the 2:00
Main:
Variable sprint set:
4 x through the following:
1 x 25 12.5 easy, 12.5 sprint
1 x 25 12.5 sprint, 12.5 easy
1 x 25 build
1 x 25 sprint
2 x 50 build
Cool down:
200 swim
Total: 2600 yds
