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
Morning practice today.
Woke up, and the injury was kind of achey and I was feeling some numbness initially, which worried me a little bit. I don't think that reverse belly flop yesterday was the best thing for it.
Went to practice anyway (because, you know, I'm a trooper!) and managed to last mostly through it. Started initially with swimming with very light kicking, and then as the numbness increased progressed to swimming with no kicking, and then pulling with a buoy.
When I was out, I did my stretches and ab work multiple times....I like the fact that I'm now able to hang around practice and work even when I hit the limit swimming. After I was done I had a brief conversation with my coach....which made me a little embarassed. She asked if I was getting into the training room daily, and I replied almost daily...but that on certain days (like yesterday) I'm unable to because of my class and practice schedule. She told me that rehab should pretty much be my #1 priority (after academics) and that if it meant comming late to practice to get it done I should do that.
Well geez.....wish I had known that one before! I've wanted to go every day, but I hadn't thought that she'd be okay with me being late to practice. Now that I know that I have the okay to go do rehab, I feel better...but I'm still a bit embarassed that I had to have that conversation with her....ergh.....
Today's workout:
Warmup:
300 swim
300 swim 25 free, 50 stroke
300 pull w/ paddles + snorkel
Main:
18 x 25 on the :30 alternate 1 build, 2 sprint
Series set:
2 x the following:
8 x 25 on the :30 focus on technique
4 x 50 on the 1:00 strong
2 x 100 on the 2:00 fast
1 x 200 on the 4:00 crazy fast
1 x 100 easy
Cool down:
1 x 200 easy
Total: 3350 yds
The main set was stroke, and initially I started with backstroke (no buoy, minimal kicking). Eventually my leg was going numb so I decided to switch it up to free pulling with a buoy to avert that. It worked for a while, but then it just quit again.
Tomorrow I see the sports medicine doctor! Yeeeeey! Maybe he'll know just exactly what is going on...
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....
Morning practice...
Dry land morning! Unfortunately...I didn't get in the water this morning. Before dry land started and after our weight room work I got sick (in the bathroom). It was not good. Since I didn't feel like exploding in the pool I came back home. Ergh.
Have afternoon practice today, and see the sports medicine doc as well!
Originally posted by MichiganHusker
Top Five Movies where the main character's life sucks worse than yours:
1. Alive
2. Final Destination I & II
3. Murder in the First
4. Saving Private Ryan
5. The Serpent and the Rainbow
6. Touching the Void
Sorry to hear you are feeling down. Swimlong's advice is dead on. I would also recommend that you do whatever is necessary within your budget and means to keep yourself cheered up. Nothing illegal mind you. But perhaps a nice manicure/pedicure? When I am feeling down, I always like to watch movies that inspire me or make me laugh.
Try to keep busy with other things to get your mind off of your troubles.
Top Five humorous movie list:
1. The Big Lebowski
2. Old School
3. Clerks
4. Napolean Dynamite
5. My Cousin Vinny
Top Five Movies where the main character's life sucks worse than yours:
1. Alive
2. Final Destination I & II
3. Murder in the First
4. Saving Private Ryan
5. The Serpent and the Rainbow
Best Inspirational Book (Non-Fiction):
"Every Second Counts" - Lance Armstrong
Listen to uplifting music, not depressing stuff. No Morrissey!!!
yep, definitely a bummer day in some respects. BUT good in other respects.
1) You've been seen by a sports specialist doctor. It's a huge step towards recovery. And if it is a herniated disc (just a maybe, so far, right?) then it's a helluva good thing to know about. Think - lose a month(s) of swimming time vs. a lifetime in a wheelchair... Best to know what is happening to your body so it can be dealt with.
2) validation, even if it wasn't needed - the coach knows you are seriously injured, not just slacking. And you know that you are not crazy.
As for support? You have a whole bunch on this forum! And specifically, here's some ideas:
3.) You have mentioned that you fear being "kicked off" the team several times. Being on "injured reserved" is not the same thing! But rules about who is on/off/kicked off a university team are usually faily regulated - check out what your rights and responsibilities are as a team member. It must be written somewhere...your team captain, coach, athletic director, or academic/athletic advisor may be able to help. Ask whoever seems most approachable - and watch your wording. "Does that cranky asst. coach have the right to kick me off the team because I'm injured" might be better phrased "What is the protocol regarding injured varsity team members and varsity membership?"
And as far as responsibilities go...might be a good idea to keep a diary of rehab appointments, exercise sessions, etc.
4.) If you are out of the water for a period of time, it will be sad but not the end of the world. You do have other areas of your life which require focus (like classes, studying, etc....) AND getting healthy. Many professional athletes have commented that rehab is often more arduous than training.
5.) If you want to be part of the team, but can't swim, then make yourself useful to the swimmers/coaches. Videotape practices or meets (take responsibility yourself for remembering the camera, editing, etc.), count lengths for long swims, etc. Be cheerful and positive, even if you feel like spitting bile. It seems to me that your team has some "issues" - take it upon yourself to be part of the solution. That may be as simple (and difficult) as NOT gossiping or contributing to negative locker room talk. Your "big sis" on the team is the captain? Maybe she has some ideas.
Guess I'm a big ol grownup now...
I had my X-rays taken today. I haven't had X-rays (other than the dental kind) since I was 7. It was also my first time in like a hospital/testing enviroment....by myself. I'm a little shocked I made it through alive.
I don't know the results of the x-ray yet, but I'm hoping they're good.
My MRI was apparently scheduled 2 weeks away! That's so long! The trainers are atempting to get it moved up, but man.....
They've pulled me out of the water until at least the MRI. Means I'm doing dryland training and like....lots and lots of aerobic work on a bike. Fun. Actually, it's not. It's horrible. Being at practice...yet being completely alone...it's not....fun.....
:(
I hope so. Right now, I'm focusing on the second half of the season..just to keep me sane. I've pretty much accepted that I won't be competing in the next two meets we have...I mean one of them is scheduled before my MRI, and the other a week after. Even if my MRI is just wonderful, I probably still wouldn't be up to competition shape by the second meet.
We do have five meets between January-February though, and if at all possible (if I can will myself into being healthy) I would like to compete in at least some of them.
I know that if I do indeed have a herniated disc.....well, I guess it depends. If the herniation isn't bad...perhaps the disc is just bulging..then I hope to be in good shape for January. If not...well I'm trying not to think about that.
Next year is already conflicted in my mind. I want to study abroad, and there are two programs that I was looking at. Each are a quarter long. The first is a program on Roman Civilization for a quarter taught in Rome during the fall quarter, the second is a program in Greek Civ taught in Athens in spring quarter. Originally, my best friend/roommate and I were going to try to get into the fall rome program together. Traveling abroad with one of my friends would be amazing, and I still really want to do it.
However, that obviously conflicts with swimming...and..I don't know what to do. My being accepted to the program isn't a certainty, but it's not one of the most competitive programs out there (like Cape Town, or Barcelona). I'm just not sure what I should do. Should I try with my friend for Rome and Athens, knowing that if I go to Rome I'm probably abandoning my next season? Or should I look at only Athens (and perhaps other programs) and swim next year? I just don't know. Fortunately I have a couple of months to make up my mind...
Well, on to the present!
Today we had a dual meet against Illinois Weslyan. Unfortunately, ...it ended in a rather depressing way. We lost to them by 1 point. Our record for the season is now 2-2.
We swam really well, and we were leading them into the last two events of the meet - the 200 *** and the 400 relay. Saddly, we were outclassed in the breaststroke (a surprise), and we lost ground on our turns during the relay.
I guess, the good news is, that our swim team hasn't been close to beating IWU for the past 8 years. So, even if we lost, it's still pretty amazing and I think we rock.
I spent the meet working as a timer...(I joke that I got personal bests in all of my events...I rock at pushing buttons!) chatting it up with a former assistant coach and the rest of my teammates. Perhaps I don't dominate the pool right now, but I certainly dominate the touch pad plunger! Ooooh yeah!
Well, now it's time for me to grab dinner and head off to my other activity - volunteering at Doc Films as an assistant projectionist. We're showing Crash tonight, and I'm rather excited about seeing it!
Oooh...and my new suit from Kiefer arrived, I get to go pick up the package now!
I think you should concentrate on getting healthy (which will happen eventually) and plan to train with a good program over the summer. A summer of long course workouts will make a big difference--remember, you still have two more years of college swimming. You might surprise some people next fall.
