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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Well I had practice this morning. I was out on wednesday due to a stomach illness (and lack of sleep watching the sox get game 3!)
Oh and by the way...GO white sox! World champs 05! (Even though I'm a cubs fan, I'm still proud of them...and living on the south side right now makes it pretty sweet.)
Anyway....practice was okay this morning. However, I've been having increasing numbness down my leg and into my toes on the left side over the last few days. It's been freaking me out a bit. During our hard sprint set and throughout the rest of the workout I was really losing feeling in my foot and so I told my assit. coach (who was the only one there this morning..the head coach was MIA, probably related to the game last night...). She had me get out, stretch, and promise to go to the training room this afternoon.....which I did.
I spoke with the head trainer again and she showed me a bunch of nifty pictures of the area of my injury, and explained in greater detail to me exactly what was going on. She also told me that I should probably be really careful when I'm exercising and feeling the numbness, because that's a sign that I should stop or back it off a bit. I'm also set up with an appointment with the sports medicine doctor next week to try to figure out why this injury is taking so long.
I'm feeling a bit better, mood wise, because I know now that I'm not crazy. I was feeling really bad this week...afraid that I really was slacking when I wanted to slow down when I lost feeling in my foot/leg...I was just depressed all around. Having confirmation from the trainer that I'm not insane, and that if I'm not careful I risk a chronic injury, makes me feel better for some reason. Also, getting another appointment with a doctor makes me feel better too, because hopefully I'll get this whole thing solved.
I still don't feel any better about the training trip. I feel as though I'm between a rock and a hard place. My coach has pretty much made it clear that if I'm still injured I should not go, so the only way for me to join my teammates is to recover 100%. Which is.....I don't know....sad....because it's not really within my control.
Today's swim:
Warmup:
300 swim
3 x 100 IM
300 alternate 25 swim / 25 kick w/ no board
Main:
6 x 200 swim 100 free / 100 IM on the 4:00
4 x (75 build on the 1:20, 50 fast on the 1:00, 25 sprint on the :40)
Cool down:
200 swim
Total: 2600yds
I cut it so short because the numbness was getting really bad, and I was really freaked out.
Well I had practice this morning. I was out on wednesday due to a stomach illness (and lack of sleep watching the sox get game 3!)
Oh and by the way...GO white sox! World champs 05! (Even though I'm a cubs fan, I'm still proud of them...and living on the south side right now makes it pretty sweet.)
Anyway....practice was okay this morning. However, I've been having increasing numbness down my leg and into my toes on the left side over the last few days. It's been freaking me out a bit. During our hard sprint set and throughout the rest of the workout I was really losing feeling in my foot and so I told my assit. coach (who was the only one there this morning..the head coach was MIA, probably related to the game last night...). She had me get out, stretch, and promise to go to the training room this afternoon.....which I did.
I spoke with the head trainer again and she showed me a bunch of nifty pictures of the area of my injury, and explained in greater detail to me exactly what was going on. She also told me that I should probably be really careful when I'm exercising and feeling the numbness, because that's a sign that I should stop or back it off a bit. I'm also set up with an appointment with the sports medicine doctor next week to try to figure out why this injury is taking so long.
I'm feeling a bit better, mood wise, because I know now that I'm not crazy. I was feeling really bad this week...afraid that I really was slacking when I wanted to slow down when I lost feeling in my foot/leg...I was just depressed all around. Having confirmation from the trainer that I'm not insane, and that if I'm not careful I risk a chronic injury, makes me feel better for some reason. Also, getting another appointment with a doctor makes me feel better too, because hopefully I'll get this whole thing solved.
I still don't feel any better about the training trip. I feel as though I'm between a rock and a hard place. My coach has pretty much made it clear that if I'm still injured I should not go, so the only way for me to join my teammates is to recover 100%. Which is.....I don't know....sad....because it's not really within my control.
Today's swim:
Warmup:
300 swim
3 x 100 IM
300 alternate 25 swim / 25 kick w/ no board
Main:
6 x 200 swim 100 free / 100 IM on the 4:00
4 x (75 build on the 1:20, 50 fast on the 1:00, 25 sprint on the :40)
Cool down:
200 swim
Total: 2600yds
I cut it so short because the numbness was getting really bad, and I was really freaked out.
