Monday, December 8, 2008

I Am A Swimmer....

Kinda. I had my first lesson last Saturday!!! It was a "balmy" 51 degrees out and I was hesitant, but I did it! The water was 85 degrees, so it felt fine. Bob, our Aquatics Director and my friend, met me in the pool for my first lesson. Bob was a swim/dive star in high school and college, so I was in good hands. Plus he promised CPR if I was drowning. I had THAT to look forward to. And don't think for one minute I didn't think of faking it to see if he'd really save me.

Bob took a few minutes to explain to me that the idea of swimming is to stay above the water and not sink. Got it. He also explained I had to breathe. Got that too. Then he told me to keep my legs straight while I kicked to move through the water. Ok! Bob told me to reach with cupped hands, like I was pulling the water TO ME. Yes, I promised to do it all.

I didn't sink. I also didn't keep my legs straight or breathe. BREATHE???? No. Not I. I can breath OUT, but I can't be moving around in the water and find the time to INHALE! Then I would drown. Other than those minUUUUte infractions, Bob said i did well. He's sweet, huh?

Then came diving. We stood side by side on the edge of the pool. Arms up, bent forward, head between elbows. My stomach was a wreck. I felt a little dizzy too. Bob said to just let myself fall forward gently. I did it! I was so happy! I hopped back out, determined to actually dive confidently. Took me just a few seconds to go with a little jump. I did it again!! I did a few of those and then I tried a dive further out and it was easy! I L-O-V-E diving!!! I felt so powerful to be diving. I felt so awesome. I swear, I walked around all day smiling. I'm looking forward to practicing swimming. And especially diving. Bob's going to show me a few cool dives, I cannot wait!!!

RUNNING UPDATE:

I met Chris for our long run Saturday morning. It was a 7 miler and I was unsure if I could make it that far (crazy knees) but I figured I'd be there for Chris anyway. Found out a very important thing about my new friend Chris. He doesn't like to talk or BE talked TO for the first coupla miles. Well. Anyone who knows me, knows I don't usually go too long without talking. This is not good. This is a major conflict folks!!! I really tried not to talk to him, but I kept forgetting!! Then I told him I don't need any answers or even for him to be a part of the dialogue. I can talk to myself just fine. Turns out it makes him tired to hear me talk. Pfffft. Nice. I will start wearing my iPod and he can tap me when he's ready for some conversation I guess. It's ok. My feelings are not hurt. Anymore.

All kidding aside, I enjoy running with Chris. He's doing GREAT and showing some serious endurance. By the end of the 7 miles, he was yelling "7 miles ain't NUTHIN!!!" Like Rocky Balboa's coach. Heehee! Hey Chris...."It ain't NUTHIN" man".....LOL (just wait for mile 20.....hahahaha....)

So my knees got tender at mile 5. We did plenty of walk breaks and kept the pace slow so I did actually finish the 7 miles. I probably walked a half mile straight by mile 6, then did a slow run the last mile. Other than sore knees, I felt fine. no soreness anywhere else. I am afraid to say I'm on the mend, but my fingers are crossed for the Winter Waddle 5k Saturday.

I met up with my friend Bill, Mr Space Coast Marathon Man, at our Zoomers running group's Christmas party last Wed. I got all the details!! He had a great time, the weather was perfect! Beardsley had to cancel because he had KNEE SURGERY. Scary, huh???? Bill was wearing his marathon shirt. Very cool shirt. I SOOOO loved talking with him, getting all the details. We'll be running together at sarasota in Feb!!! YAY BILLL!!!!!!!!

Gotta go read my Boggy friend's blogs, I've been absent far too long. Lets see what Sherry and Glaven are up to.......

4 comments:

Mel-2nd Chances said...

awesome job on the 7 miles, swimming and diving! And i had to laugh when you mentioned that your talking tires out Chris, i think that my bf feels the same about me ;-P Have a great week!

Glaven Q. Heisenberg said...

Welcome back, Kim. Been wondering where you were.

Swiming is a good low-impact workout. You won't hurt any knees doing that.

Way to go with the 7-miler. That's nothing to sneeze at. Now that I'm smooth, I'm going to take it easy on my bad gam. Went for a short run today, and I probably won't run again till Thursday.

I'm not even gonna plan any races till 2009, and then I'll just see what strikes my fancy. Originally I was gonna try to find a half to do in the Spring, but now ... I'll wait and see how it goes.

Whole new attitude. Get well first.

Good to have you back, sister.

Sherry said...

There you are, Kim! I missed ya!

You are just too cute! I helped Sondra learn how to swim properly this summer (after I talked her into doing a triathlon) and she had the exact same problems that you mentioned. What I can promise you is that with practice and a wee bit of time, you will improve dramatically! When I watch Sondra swim today, I'm simpy amazed at how far she comes. There's no trace of the girl who couldn't keep her legs up or breathe properly. I'm VERY excited for you! One step closer to doing a tri with ME!

Did you see in one of my last posts that I'm contemplating a November '09 MARATHON??? Good grief! LOL!

Definitely hope to at least see you at the Waddle. There's only a 50/50 chance that I'll be running it and with each passing day those odds go down a bit. My calves are still just too tender and I don't want to restrain anything. Even if I can't run, I'll be cheering! :o)

KimsRunning said...

Melanie, me and you can run together. We'll chat away and find ourselves in Texas....LOL

GQ, I love swimming! I'm so surprised!! I guess conquering fears will do that for ya....lol. You're smart to take it easy. It'll payoff BIG time. Plus it gives me a chance to get faster than you....LOL

Sherry, can you believe I'm thinking of a TRI???? The Gator Half is in April. I might be ready by then. I was shocked to see it costs $200 though. What's up with that?? I am NOT surprised to hear you want to conquer the marathon. I've seen you in action and you got what it takes Sista!! YAY!!!

The breathing thing in the water is an oxy moron. I need scuba gear.