My plan was to go swimming twice a week this summer at my local outdoor pool. It’s a short bike ride and with my new daytime availability I figured that was a very achievable plan. That would have given me 20 swims!
It started off strong with an evening swim with Michel on July 2 and I went the next day at lunch. It felt great to be back in the pool.
The next week I went twice and started finding my breath again. The strokes started feeling more natural. I still had to concentrate on breathing and form but I was struggling less.
My schedule got interrupted when I had a mole removed and I stayed out of the pool until the stitch was removed and the wound healed.
There were also missed days from the weather, lightening and smoke kept me away more than I had planned.
What struck me is how much my endurance and distance recovered over the summer, even with inconsistent effort. I had started the season covering about 500 meters and not being able to swim for 30 minutes. At the end of the outdoor swimming season I easily swam an hour covering 1,300 meters.
More importantly, I got into the meditative headspace where my attention no longer needed to be on my breath or technique and just stayed in the moment. Swimming is the one sport where time falls away for me.
I especially enjoyed outdoor swimming with the rippling sunlight dancing across the bottom of the pool.
This summer taught me that cycling to the pool is convenient and easy, especially with a bike rack inside the enclosure.
Next year I will keep an eye on the opening date, it was before Canada Day because the pool is heated, so I can get more workouts in.
I will also get a 3 month pass instead of a 10 visit pass. I think I can find time to go 3 or 4 times a week.
I really love swimming. I don’t have any goals other than getting a full body workout. I find that quite freeing.
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