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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Oh boy. Oh boy......
Before I get into the meat of the post...I thought I should offer a quick sum up of what I'm feeling right now in the form of a lyric from a song (that just so happened to play on my ipod during my rehab in the training room today...)
Then I fell..skinned my knee
Broke my glasses and got stung by a bee
I lost my wallet and my car keys too
And to make matters worse I'm commin down with the flu
Somebody get my mom
Because I think somethin's broken again.....
(Somebody Get My Mom - Bowling for Soup)
Granted, none of that happened today...but it might as well have for the mood I'm in. Sigh.
Let's elaborate...shall we...
I went to training room today to see the sports medicine specialist doctor who comes in every few weeks to check out us injured athletes. Fun times.
She looked me over and basically said this:
1. I definitely have an inflamed piriformis
2. I definitely have inflamation in my lower back muscles
3. I show signs of spinal issues that are common to swimmers (not serious, but something I need to work on)
4. I may have a herniated disc.
The last part is.....just wonderful. I have to undergo an MRI early next week (the earliest they could get me in because they are all booked through Friday...). Then they get to see exactly what's going on in my back and figure out if it's just my leg, or a combination of things...if it's just musco-skeltal or if it's a disc issue.
Sigh.
Isn't my life just great? Everytime things seem to be getting better it gets *so* much worse.
I had a rather long conversation with my assit coach after all of this...(my head coach wasn't there) and she said that it's possible she and my head coach will decide to pull me out of the water at least until the test results come back. Perhaps that's the best thing, because if I have a herniated disc then there's not much that's actually productive and good for it....but it's not what I want!
I also talked with a couple of the other swimmers in the locker room after practice and at dinner (some eat at the same dining hall I do...) and I got the feeling that they were concerned and totally understood that I am actually seriously injured (perhaps even really seriously), and I also felt that they would miss me if I was out of the water for the next few days.
That made me feel warm and fuzzy inside...
Saddly, one of the returners (a third year) who I really liked quit the team this morning. She's been under a lot of stress and our coach hasn't exactly been nice about it, although I understand the difficulty. It's really a lose-lose situation. I mean if our coach was perhaps more understanding and let her take a day off during the week she would still be on the team...but at the same time if she's gettin days off then everyone else will wonder why they have to show up everyday. It's just not good either way. I'll miss her a lot though, because I really liked her and she was always really nice to me. Sad :(.
This injury....I don't know....I'm so bummed right now. I don't think I'll be forced to quit the team, at least I hope not...if not for just the fact that we are getting short on swimmers (we've lost a few over the last couple weeks)...but I really fear that. Or I fear being out of the water for a long time. I love swimming, and it's just hard for me to deal with the idea of not swimming for a week or two or more...I just....well....it's not good.
Does anyone have any advice or support or ideas for me...I think I really need it right now. Anyone gone through an MRI before? I've never had one....sigh....
Oh boy. Oh boy......
Before I get into the meat of the post...I thought I should offer a quick sum up of what I'm feeling right now in the form of a lyric from a song (that just so happened to play on my ipod during my rehab in the training room today...)
Then I fell..skinned my knee
Broke my glasses and got stung by a bee
I lost my wallet and my car keys too
And to make matters worse I'm commin down with the flu
Somebody get my mom
Because I think somethin's broken again.....
(Somebody Get My Mom - Bowling for Soup)
Granted, none of that happened today...but it might as well have for the mood I'm in. Sigh.
Let's elaborate...shall we...
I went to training room today to see the sports medicine specialist doctor who comes in every few weeks to check out us injured athletes. Fun times.
She looked me over and basically said this:
1. I definitely have an inflamed piriformis
2. I definitely have inflamation in my lower back muscles
3. I show signs of spinal issues that are common to swimmers (not serious, but something I need to work on)
4. I may have a herniated disc.
The last part is.....just wonderful. I have to undergo an MRI early next week (the earliest they could get me in because they are all booked through Friday...). Then they get to see exactly what's going on in my back and figure out if it's just my leg, or a combination of things...if it's just musco-skeltal or if it's a disc issue.
Sigh.
Isn't my life just great? Everytime things seem to be getting better it gets *so* much worse.
I had a rather long conversation with my assit coach after all of this...(my head coach wasn't there) and she said that it's possible she and my head coach will decide to pull me out of the water at least until the test results come back. Perhaps that's the best thing, because if I have a herniated disc then there's not much that's actually productive and good for it....but it's not what I want!
I also talked with a couple of the other swimmers in the locker room after practice and at dinner (some eat at the same dining hall I do...) and I got the feeling that they were concerned and totally understood that I am actually seriously injured (perhaps even really seriously), and I also felt that they would miss me if I was out of the water for the next few days.
That made me feel warm and fuzzy inside...
Saddly, one of the returners (a third year) who I really liked quit the team this morning. She's been under a lot of stress and our coach hasn't exactly been nice about it, although I understand the difficulty. It's really a lose-lose situation. I mean if our coach was perhaps more understanding and let her take a day off during the week she would still be on the team...but at the same time if she's gettin days off then everyone else will wonder why they have to show up everyday. It's just not good either way. I'll miss her a lot though, because I really liked her and she was always really nice to me. Sad :(.
This injury....I don't know....I'm so bummed right now. I don't think I'll be forced to quit the team, at least I hope not...if not for just the fact that we are getting short on swimmers (we've lost a few over the last couple weeks)...but I really fear that. Or I fear being out of the water for a long time. I love swimming, and it's just hard for me to deal with the idea of not swimming for a week or two or more...I just....well....it's not good.
Does anyone have any advice or support or ideas for me...I think I really need it right now. Anyone gone through an MRI before? I've never had one....sigh....
