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, an unexpected family emergency has left me out of practice for the last two days. Fortunately, things are finally getting resolved and I can get back to my normal life.
Let me tell you though, it was unexpected.
I felt bad about missing practice on Wednesday and Thursday, even though I am not in the water right now and even though I obviously couldn't control the situation, the guilt still crept back into my mind that I wasn't there.
I hope my teammates don't think I've dissapeared into an abyss.
I'm still waiting on the MRI results, although I haven't been in for my rehab in the last two days for the same reasons either. So...maybe they have them already, I don't know.
The good news is that the injury has been getting a bit better, I think. It seems that being out of the water and doing constant rehab is helping it.
I'm just wary now of getting back in.
Don't get me wrong, I miss the water. I miss swimming. I love it, but I've now developed a fear of it. Well, perhaps not a fear, but an anxiety. I'm afraid of it hurting. I'm afraid of being in pain again.
I don't know how to deal with this. First athletic injury...(while I still don't know what exactly it is)...comming off of an injury? How do I do that? How do I deal with the inevitiable pain of my first swims back? How do I avoid being discouraged by my weakness and well.....slowness. Yikes!
Well, an unexpected family emergency has left me out of practice for the last two days. Fortunately, things are finally getting resolved and I can get back to my normal life.
Let me tell you though, it was unexpected.
I felt bad about missing practice on Wednesday and Thursday, even though I am not in the water right now and even though I obviously couldn't control the situation, the guilt still crept back into my mind that I wasn't there.
I hope my teammates don't think I've dissapeared into an abyss.
I'm still waiting on the MRI results, although I haven't been in for my rehab in the last two days for the same reasons either. So...maybe they have them already, I don't know.
The good news is that the injury has been getting a bit better, I think. It seems that being out of the water and doing constant rehab is helping it.
I'm just wary now of getting back in.
Don't get me wrong, I miss the water. I miss swimming. I love it, but I've now developed a fear of it. Well, perhaps not a fear, but an anxiety. I'm afraid of it hurting. I'm afraid of being in pain again.
I don't know how to deal with this. First athletic injury...(while I still don't know what exactly it is)...comming off of an injury? How do I do that? How do I deal with the inevitiable pain of my first swims back? How do I avoid being discouraged by my weakness and well.....slowness. Yikes!
