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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So, I had been sick the last few days and missed not only a ridiculous amount of practice, but also our meet in Michigan at Olivet. Granted I wasn't swimming in it anyway, but still...I like to be there.
Today was my first day back after being sick. It went okay. We had dryland in the morning.
Heh.
Seems like they've changed some stuff up in my absence. First off, every ab exercise we do is now in numbers of 50, rather than 20. I think I did about 500 total ab-things this morning.
Oh and now because we're doing so much abs, instead of me doing more abs during the jumping stuff I get to do....wait for it....WALL SITS! Oh yeah...*sooo* fun. 10 minutes of wall sitting in a streamline position? Ow ow ow ow ow.
After the dryland we had time in the weight room, that's pretty much as it always was...and then a quick trip to the pool for about a 1200 yd practice.
This afternoon I actually hurried to the pool so I could do my therapy in the training room and get out in time to still swim.
Yeah....that didn't work. Reason is, my coach decided to have an hour long meeting in the locker room before practice. So my therapy itself takes an hour....which means by the time I got out there was like 15-20 minutes left, and honestly, I didn't feel that was enough time for me to change and hop in.
We only have 4 meets left. Yikes.
4 weeks until UAAs (our conference meet down at Emory, in Atlanta)..
I'm still not sure if I'm going to UAAs. Or if I'll swim in it or a meet before then.
My coach said basically this morning...when you're at a point where you can consistantly do flip turns and also starts we'll talk about putting you in a meet.
Okay, that makes sense....
But.... when's that going to be?
I'm wondering if she expects it to come by the end of the season, because I really don't want to dissapoint her. Obviously, I have no control over my back. The best I can do is dilligently do my therapy and just hope that it heals, but other than that....
Sigh.
So, I had been sick the last few days and missed not only a ridiculous amount of practice, but also our meet in Michigan at Olivet. Granted I wasn't swimming in it anyway, but still...I like to be there.
Today was my first day back after being sick. It went okay. We had dryland in the morning.
Heh.
Seems like they've changed some stuff up in my absence. First off, every ab exercise we do is now in numbers of 50, rather than 20. I think I did about 500 total ab-things this morning.
Oh and now because we're doing so much abs, instead of me doing more abs during the jumping stuff I get to do....wait for it....WALL SITS! Oh yeah...*sooo* fun. 10 minutes of wall sitting in a streamline position? Ow ow ow ow ow.
After the dryland we had time in the weight room, that's pretty much as it always was...and then a quick trip to the pool for about a 1200 yd practice.
This afternoon I actually hurried to the pool so I could do my therapy in the training room and get out in time to still swim.
Yeah....that didn't work. Reason is, my coach decided to have an hour long meeting in the locker room before practice. So my therapy itself takes an hour....which means by the time I got out there was like 15-20 minutes left, and honestly, I didn't feel that was enough time for me to change and hop in.
We only have 4 meets left. Yikes.
4 weeks until UAAs (our conference meet down at Emory, in Atlanta)..
I'm still not sure if I'm going to UAAs. Or if I'll swim in it or a meet before then.
My coach said basically this morning...when you're at a point where you can consistantly do flip turns and also starts we'll talk about putting you in a meet.
Okay, that makes sense....
But.... when's that going to be?
I'm wondering if she expects it to come by the end of the season, because I really don't want to dissapoint her. Obviously, I have no control over my back. The best I can do is dilligently do my therapy and just hope that it heals, but other than that....
Sigh.
