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 found out today that I'm not going to the conference meet at Emory in Atlanta.
I'm okay.
I mean, of course I would really really want to go. My coach said she would have loved to have taken me, but that she didn't think the university would allow them to buy me a ticket. I guess that's understandable.
It'd probably also be awkward... 3 days of a swim meet when not swimming. And of course there's next year (where it will again be hosted at our pool).
My heart'll be with the team when they're competing though, and I'll certainly cheer them all on.
It's going to be a little weird...these next few weeks.
The team is going to start taper, and I'll still be doing my own thing. Of course I know that I'm only doing it this way because I'm still recovering from my injury, and I know that it isn't my fault that I'm not competing or that I'm in pain sometimes. I still push myself hard, even when I probably shouldn't... (like this morning..more on that later)....and I'm as much a part of the team as anyone else. I just get to be the one whose season didn't exactly go as planned. :(
At least I still get a t-shirt. (We have t-shirts made for our conference meet that kind of commemorate the season and UAAs...even though I'm not going my coach said I'll still get one.)
Okay, on to this morning.
We had a 3 day weekend so I went home and didn't get back until last night. As a result, this was my first practice since Thursday morning. Heh.
My back was *killing* me this morning. It was kind of odd, because I woke up and drove over to Ratner and it was fine. It wasn't until I started going through my extra stretches that I noticed exactly how bad it was. I had done 6 hours of driving over the past two days, and I think that's what caused the extra pain.
But you know what... I still completed a pretty decent workout. I pushed myself to get through it all, because I didn't want to wuss out. Of course I needed ice after practice....but still. I felt good for working hard.
Today's workout:
Warmup:
500 swim w/ snorkel
300 IM (alternate 25 kick/drill/swim)
200 swim choice (build on the 50s)
Main:
12 x 150: Alternate 50 strong free, 50 fast back, 50 strong free
:15 rest.
Cool down:
200 easy...
Lots of ice.
Total: 3,000 yds
Well, I found out today that I'm not going to the conference meet at Emory in Atlanta.
I'm okay.
I mean, of course I would really really want to go. My coach said she would have loved to have taken me, but that she didn't think the university would allow them to buy me a ticket. I guess that's understandable.
It'd probably also be awkward... 3 days of a swim meet when not swimming. And of course there's next year (where it will again be hosted at our pool).
My heart'll be with the team when they're competing though, and I'll certainly cheer them all on.
It's going to be a little weird...these next few weeks.
The team is going to start taper, and I'll still be doing my own thing. Of course I know that I'm only doing it this way because I'm still recovering from my injury, and I know that it isn't my fault that I'm not competing or that I'm in pain sometimes. I still push myself hard, even when I probably shouldn't... (like this morning..more on that later)....and I'm as much a part of the team as anyone else. I just get to be the one whose season didn't exactly go as planned. :(
At least I still get a t-shirt. (We have t-shirts made for our conference meet that kind of commemorate the season and UAAs...even though I'm not going my coach said I'll still get one.)
Okay, on to this morning.
We had a 3 day weekend so I went home and didn't get back until last night. As a result, this was my first practice since Thursday morning. Heh.
My back was *killing* me this morning. It was kind of odd, because I woke up and drove over to Ratner and it was fine. It wasn't until I started going through my extra stretches that I noticed exactly how bad it was. I had done 6 hours of driving over the past two days, and I think that's what caused the extra pain.
But you know what... I still completed a pretty decent workout. I pushed myself to get through it all, because I didn't want to wuss out. Of course I needed ice after practice....but still. I felt good for working hard.
Today's workout:
Warmup:
500 swim w/ snorkel
300 IM (alternate 25 kick/drill/swim)
200 swim choice (build on the 50s)
Main:
12 x 150: Alternate 50 strong free, 50 fast back, 50 strong free
:15 rest.
Cool down:
200 easy...
Lots of ice.
Total: 3,000 yds
