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.
Former Member
Fah.
I am so not in a good mood.
We had morning practice today, and it involved a long set of paddle work followed by a sprint set. During the sprint set, on some of my pushoffs, my left foot (on the side with my injury) would literally go numb. I lost sensation in my toes. This was accompanied with a tight soreness in the injury itself and intermittent shooting pain down my leg.
That was what made me decide to cut it short. Numbness in my foot? Not good.
My coach was okay with it, although I think I scared her with a little miscommunication. She asked if I was going to the trainer to do my rehab everyday, to which I replied..no only one or two times a week. I quickly clariifed by saying that I do the streches the trainer prescribed for me three times a day, along with frequently icing the injury...it's only the stim stuff I'm not able to get in for frequently because it takes a while and I have a packed class schedule.
I think she understood. I hope.
Anyway, I'm in a bad mood because of my new assistant coach. When I got out of the water she gave me total attitude and said "Why does your injury bother you more in the morning than in the afternoon?" I replied that I honestly didn't know.
Agh. I hate being implicitly accused of being a slacker. I'm NOT slacking. I'm in PAIN. I've LOST SENSATION in my foot on my pushoffs....last time I checked that wasn't a normal thing.
And in the weight room the other day when I told her I couldn't do the abducting or squats she also gave me attitude and said that those machines shouldn't hurt my injury. Uh.....I spoke with the trainer about this and he said that not doing squats or abducting was a *good* thing.
Frankly, it's just frustrating. I'm not a doctor or a trainer. I don't know what's going on with me medically. All I know is that some things cause me pain. And sometimes I hit a point in a workout where I'm done. I feel that I'm getting better, and that my rehab stretches are working..but beyond that...I just don't know.
From talking with a few of the other swimmers in the locker room, there seems to be some disgruntlement about her as well. We can't read her. We can't tell if she likes us or hates us....she's weird. We also see her whispering to the head coach about us during practice...and it makes us feel very uneasy.
I just don't know what to do.
Today's workout:
Warmup:
800 swim
8 x 100 swim w/ paddles, snorkel on the 2:00
Main:
Variable sprint set:
4 x through the following:
1 x 25 12.5 easy, 12.5 sprint
1 x 25 12.5 sprint, 12.5 easy
1 x 25 build
1 x 25 sprint
2 x 50 build
Cool down:
200 swim
Total: 2600 yds
Seems to me like you have two issues:
1) your injury/injuries and communication with the coach/es about them. Perhaps you could share the physio's rehab protocol with them, and a written list of "do's and don't's" regarding exercise and getting healthy. Keep them abreast of your progress.
2) communication between coaches and swimmers, and more importantly, the vehicle in which the team communicates. Saying the coach is "weird" and "has attitude" and there is "disgruntled" talk in the locker room spells dysfunction to me. Do you have a team captain? Weekly team meetings?
You say this coach is new. Give her a chance and let her give you a chance. Coaches tend not to "like" or "hate" teams or individuals - but miscommunication may lead to that interpretation. TALK TO HER! AND THE HEAD COACH! If you are worried about being branded a "slacker', then share that concern with her. And take some initiative. If your injury causes excess stiffness, especially in the morning, then get to practice 20 minutes early and sit in the hottub/warm shower and then do some dynamic stretching. Even if it doesn't work - ie you still can't do the whole workout - at least the coaches see you being proactive.
Also remember that coaches are not awlays warm fuzzy types, either. This does not mean that they are mean; maybe they are trying to motivate. And whispering to the other coach while looking at the swimmers? Could be such nasty conversation such as "her catch is too wide" "more acceleration on the pull would help her rotate" etc. Coaches HAVE to look (examine, stare, scrutinize) you in order to analyze your stoke... And often coaches huddle together on the pool deck so they can hear each other.
So, while I understand that your blog may represent venting, I urge you to make things better! Good luck, and keep smiling:)
One of the girls on my team broke her toe the second day of the trip and couldn't swim the rest of the time. But having her there on our free time was a lot of fun. She did dry land while we swam. No big deal. I think you should be allowed to go. In the end, shouldn't going be your choice? Part of the trip is the bonding experience., probably the most important part. I mean you can have the insanely hard workouts in your home pool. Right?
Talk to your coach and share your feelings and concerns.
Hilary, you seem like a really sweet young lady. However, always remember that attitude is everything and how you act in front of your coaches spells volumes. "Swimlong" is right, you need to show your coaches that you are willing to go that extra mile to get healthy.
I'm not saying you aren't trying your hardest because I believe that you are. But do your coaches know this? Communication is everything. When you are speaking with your coaches, don't complain. If you have constructive comments to make also follow it with a suggested solution. It shows that you have given your comments alot of thought.
Don't assume that your coaches remember everything you tell them. They may not remember all of the nuances of your injury.
I would also suggest not isolating yourself from the rest of the team. For example, if the rest of the team does flip turns at the end of practice and you don't want to do the drill because of your injury, hang around and watch and learn.
Be careful not to get sucked into the gossip around the assist. coach, it can only hurt you in the end.
Your have alot of support from all of us in cyber-space. These are life lessons that us older folks have learned the hard way.
The thought for today is this: Always Strive for Excellence
When you strive for excellence, you are striving to be the best. When you strive for excellence, you are also prompting your team mates and those around you to shoot for the top. If your goal is merely acceptability rather than excellence, you will only produce acceptable results. When excellence is the standard, you are more likely to hit the mark.
Good luck - we're rooting for you!
I too think that you should try and push to go on the training trip. I remember my trips from college and they definitely helped the team bond. :) I also remember there being a group of injured swimmers that would go. Maybe while you're on the trip you can prepare yourself for practice before you go to each one by stretsching and doing your exercises for your back. Or you can ask the coach if there are things that you could do on deck for the team in a practice that you might not be able to do.
In reality someone could go on that training trip and get injured the first day, or the day before. It's unpredictable. And you could be in awesome shape and ready to go by the time it rolls around. You never know.
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.
hmlee - I remember choosing to skip the Florida training trip my freshman year in college. I wasn't sick or injured, I just chose to stay home. In hindsight, the price I paid for missing that trip with my teammates was not worth it. The team can back from the trip a well, bonded group and I was the outsider looking in. I think it took me about 2 years to recover with those teammates. I suggest making the trip and doing whatever you can to join the team functions. Chances are the rest of the team is not as critical to your workout shortcomings as you are. Remember, they are focusing on their workouts and grimacing thru their own pain. It's only when you make a big issue of your injury or are out of the water looking in that they may take note. Even then, as long as you participate in the social functions, they will forget about the injury, etc.
Hmlee, just so you don't get too discourage, two and a half years ago my entire left leg was numb, and I was losing my ability to kick. Through chiropractic treatments, PT and doing the PT exercises, and making sure I stretch and do core work, I now have no numbness, no tingling going down the leg, and only occasional back pain.
One thing you really, really need to watch for. How you are sitting when in class, driving and working on a computer. Make sure you are not sitting on one leg, forcing one hip out, slumping when driving, forcing the nerve to be impinged more, if you have a lumbard support use it. And when working at the computer, do a posture and leg check ever so often making sure you are not constantly leaning to the right.,
You may be doing all the right things for practice and when you exercise, but if you don't clean up these areas in everyday life it will take longer to heal.
It was a long gradual process for me, I swam(not as much as you, but I am old enough to be your mother :) ), but you will get over it. It WILL come back if you don't continue the stretching and exercises forever. This is now part of your life.
Double practice day today!
Had morning dry land and afternoon regular practice. Injury was a bit tight and funky, but overall not that bad. My assit coach had me start doing a lot of pulling - as a way of avoiding stressing the piriformis muscle. It seemed to help, at least I was able to last longer than I had previously.
My coaches came up with a new idea. Now when I hit my limit at practice I get out, do my stretching routine on deck, and then go through sets of ab work. My abs are buuuurning after that, but it's fine.
I actually like the new setup better, because it keeps me part of the practice and the team. It was sometimes nice to have the extra time after practice...but...as nice as my down comforter is, I prefer feeling like I'm still with the team, even if I can't swim for as long as they can.
Tomorrow is another meet. We're out at Monmouth, IL in a tri meet vs Monmouth, and Rose Hulman. It's a 3.5 hour drive each way......yey. I'm not swimming again, because my coaches have decided to hold off until we can get my injury under control. While I might be physically capable of doing say, a backstroke event right now (because it doesn't involve a block start)....the demands that I would put on my body would probably set me back right now.
I also just realized, that today...I pulled for 4,000yds between morning and afternoon practice. No wonder my arms are kind of achey, haha.
Today's yardage:
Morning (after weights/dry land)
Warmup:
300 pull
Main:
10 x 50 pull w/ paddles & snorkel
10 x 50 pull w/ paddles
Cool down:
200 swim
Morning total: 1500yds
Afternoon practice:
Warmup:
300 swim (75 free, 25 stroke)
300 pull w/ paddles & snorkel
300 IM kick, drill, swim
Main:
12 x 200 pull w/ paddles - focus on body rotation
1-4, descend, pull w/ paddles on the 3:15
5-8, pull w/ paddles & snorkel on the 3:15
9-12 pull w/ paddles on the 3:15
Cool down:
200 swim
Afternoon Total: 3,500yds
Daily total: 5,000yds
