Endless Pool

The week of 12/15-12/21 was another mixed bag. I

ran-37.85 miles
lifted weights-three times
walked- 8.25 miles
swam- 0.

Dude! For the second time this year, I did no swimming, and I was not a happy camper. This resulted in severe anxiety, frustration, anger, and thoughts of violence. However, I got hooked up with the Endless Pool this week and did my first session. And my second. John came over Monday afternoon, and we lifted weights till I thought my arms were going to fall off. Or I did. I gave him forty minutes after he said he was on the way and started warming up. I had done seven sets of bench presses by the time he got there. Then it started raining. Poor John.

After he left, I duct taped my arms on and drove to the Greenwood Leflore Wellness Center where I swam for one hour and twenty one minutes. It was good and bad experience. Let me explain.

The pool is wide open right now. I talked with the director Monday morning and she told me that no one was using it right now because the heater is broken and the water temperature is down to 86. No one will use the pool because the water is down to 86. No one will use the pool because the water is 86 degrees. No one will use the pool because the water is 86. I swear that is what she told me.

I can do 86. Yes, that is way hot for most swimmers, and many swimmers could not be forced at gunpoint into 86 degree water. But I deal well with heat and 86 is within my range. So I went to give it a try. Not only is the heater out, but the motor is not working well either. It would only get the current up to four miles per hour. When attempting to push beyond that, the motor simply shut down.

Four miles per hour sounds fast enough. I swim at two or slower. But in that pool, I had to stroke unnaturally slow to keep from hitting the front wall. That’s not good but it’s better than a poke in the eye. I needed some water time in the worst way, and I got 1:21 after a hard weight session. When I left, I could tell I had done something.

I went back the Tuesday morning and John Cooke told me they are getting the motor replaced after the first of the year. That is good news. Surprisingly, the water temp was 90. That is really warm, but I can even do 90. In fact, I can swim hard at higher than that although I prefer cooler water. This time I swam 1:46, and although the tempo was necessarily slow, I still got in some work.

Now I feel a lot better, like I am not a danger to myself or others, and I am no longer stressed about DSU being closed. Not only that, but I look to the future with a lot more hope than I have in the past. January and February have been, for the past several years, months of growing anxiety. With my big swim drawing nearer and my only real water access being Delta State, having a shot at this Endless Pool means I can build a better base in January, February, and March. Last year, I went wild on April the 1^st swimming a 10K in a fish pond while wearing a wetsuit. That led to one of my very few swimming injuries that led to reduced training that led to a lot of stress that led to anxiety that led to scheduling the Challenge a week later than usual. I hope to do it all better this year.