Monday, September 15, 2008

Some thoughts on swimming...



Since I decided in a random statement of lunacy to swim until arms come out of their sockets, I have come up with some thoughts about swimming.

- I am intellectually incapable of thinking of anything noteworthy while swimming laps. The second that my mind wanders I lose count. So my time in the pool, almost 9 hours last week, was essentially a water lobotomy. Here is my thought process for those 23,200 meters:

1,1,1,1,1,1,1 (repeat for a total of 44 times) flip
2,2,2,2,2,2,2 flip
3,3,3,3,3,3,3 flip

Unfortunately, during my set today, which was remarkably brutal, it went like this

1,1,1,1,1,1,1 flip
2,2,2,2 I need to do some serious packing for my trip, 1,2,1,1,2,2,3????
2,2,2 am I really on 2?, or is it 3?...
Oh damn

And so it went for my 600, 500, 2 x 400, 2 x 300, and 3 x 200 of the main set. I was amazingly able to count the 3 x 100 (LCM) to finish out the set.

- With the state of my rotator cuff right now, I could be a teaching mannequin for first year medical students. Every muscle of my shoulder is undergoing swelling and hypertrophy. My only wish is that all of this discomfort will result in sexy bikini arms in Hawaii. Oh, and a fast swim at Elephant Man would be a bonus.

- Buying a super cute swimming suit makes you faster

- I would give my left arm to be sponsored by Splish if I didn't think it would slow me down so much



14 comments:

cheryl said...

Jodi - youare a crazy swimmer - first the 100x100's last winter, and now this. You should get the m&m suit, a bag of m&m's and just hang out with Maddie by the pool!

Doris said...

I concur with the swim thing... I can only count when I get back to one end (ie 50m in a 25m pool = 1)... and then I still lose count after about 100m!! LOL!

Love the swim suits!! :o)

Flanagan said...

try using the pace clock. i you are going to swim 1:45 per hundred, then you know you have done 100 when the are is at :45, 200 at :30, 300 at :15, and 400 is back to the top of the clock 0/60.

If you are doing 1:37s, then its :37, :14, :51...etc. That will help you count tons.

Of course, this assumes your pool has a pace clock and that you can teach yourself to see the darn thing while you are swimming.

Brian said...

Is that all I need is a new crazy suit and i'll be fast? I just might look a little odd if I wear one though.

Maggs said...

I think you could make a good case for splish to sponsor you. just keep coming up with crazy swim ideas. At least you are certain to get faster swimming as much as you are.

Maggs said...

I also have a watch that I set the time for a certain time. It beeps every one hundred. It tells me how many laps I've done at the end (how many times it counts down). I have to use it on short course 300 or more and long course 500 or more...my mind wanders way too much, especially long course where I have at least 45 seconds to 'think'

triguyjt said...

1,1,1,1,1,
2,2,2,2,2
3,3,3,3,3
4,,4,4,4,4 mortage??? ahhh yeah
5,5,5,5,
6,6,6,6,6, is this six??
7,7,7,7,7 ahh where was I??

and so it goes...

I can't beleive how much you are swimming... is that to canada and back, yet ??

Anonymous said...

My head is spinning at all the swimming you're doing, wow! My arms would have fallen out of the sockets long ago. Though given my recently-found health issues these days, I might well be writing a similar post in a few months....
I can't keep track of laps either, though for me its more like 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, "um.... yeah, 2", 3, 3,3, 3, 3, (yikes, was that 4 or 5) - it starts getting confused almost from the first lap, lol!

JenC said...

Same here on the counting/pool thoughts.

Saw you swimming in that fabulous suit this morning from the upstairs windows. I lifted weights instead. I also ordered a Splish suit after talking to you. Hopefully, I'll get it soon!

Al said...

I hear ya on the counting laps and it happens to me during running intervals as well. With running I went to fartleks and tempo runs so you don't have to count...I wonder if that would work in the pool?

Unknown said...

Hee, hee, I count too and still forget which one I'm on. ;-) Are those Splish customs your designs? I love the MnM one.
Tracy

Ange said...

hysterical. I've been swimming since I was 8 and I am teh Same way!! I have to concentrate only on the laps or I'm done.
Sexy arms are coming your way!

Nikemom said...

I have to make up funny things to go with the lap numbers so I can remember from one end of the pool to the other what lap I'm on. Really makes you feel like a loser that the laps are so hard to keep track of. :)

Unknown said...

I'm with you on the lap counting. The only way I can keep track is to use my watch and hit the lap button each time I reach one end. When I'm done, the lap function gives me a count. Otherwise...well... it's a bit of guessing.