I hit the pool at 4:00 a.m., well, not really, I had forgotton my pool running hand floaties (they look like dumb bells), so I drove home, got them and came back at 4:15 a.m. I had the entire pool to myself until 5:50 a.m. The pool at Saratoga Springs is a private community outdoor pool but is a large 25 meter pool with six swim lanes. It is heated by thermal heating from the springs so they don't worry about the cost of heating it, thus it can get too warm for hard swimming. This morning it felt like it was about 92 degrees, a bit warm. It actually helps me somewhat by adapting my body to hot-weather running. The pool is open year-round. I've have swam in it when it has been below zero outside. (It is cool too see your hair freeze solid).
I first did 40 minutes of pool "running" in the deep end, doing mostly a cross-country ski type exercise with both arms and legs. To keep me from being total bored, I rigged a mini radio on the strap of my goggles and listened to Mike and Mike in the morning on ESPN radio.
After that I did a one-mile swim (64 lengths) in 44 minutes without stopping to rest. Not blazing fast, but very good for only my second day swimming in over one year. I was surprised that it felt pretty easy. Obviously my cardio fitness is already at peak, so that isn't a problem, but I thought my upper-body and shoulder strength would be a problem and it would take my quite a while to work up to a mile. Not so, it went very well.
One reason my pace isn't that fast is that I have quite a bit of drag in the water. I choose to wear knee-brace sleeves while I swim. With all the kicking, I have found that my knee caps get loosened. When I go back to running, that becomes a problem as the knee caps slide around. So the sleeves keep the knee cap tight into place and I can kick as hard as I want. But it does create lots of drag making me slower. Also, I'm not doing flip-turns. As my upper-body strength improves, I'll add those in. But it isn't about speed, it is about workout.
I've never been a great swimmer, but swimming does seem to be in my family genes. All my kids have been on the high school swim teams, being good enough to be captains of those teams. I had a daughter to placed very high in the state. I was on a swim team for a couple years when I was 10-11 years old, but didn't really excell. I'm just better than average and can swim very far if boredom doesn't kill me.
The morning was was fantastic as I finished up. I heard and saw a couple geese honking overhead. I looked out across the lake and could see Venus rising before the dawn glow. It really is an impressive sight at the pool in the morning.
The foot continues to improve. Tomorrow I will see the doctor. | 