As I blogged yesterday, Saturday I decided to try swimming for cross training while I am laid up with heel problems. The first day there I was actually more interested in the logistics of getting into and out of the pool. However I also wanted to get a baseline for how much swimming I can actually do.
I didn’t have a real good plan, but as I was doing laps one materialized. I decided after about 3 laps, I would do 2 sets of 10 laps. I felt good when it was over, but I also felt like I had been doing an exercise I was not accustomed to. I then hit the bike for 20 minutes and then did some back and shoulders lifting.
Today, Sunday, I decided to take it up a notch. I set out to do 3 sets of 10 laps. It says online that the pool is 25 yards. I would have guessed the pool would have been built with meters as the measurement, not yards, but whatever. All I know is that it was taxing, and by the last set I was feeling fatigued. I did another 20 on the bike, and then crushed my legs with a ton of lifting.
I am usually afraid to do a lot of leg lifting since it takes away from my ability to run, but I figure this is the perfect time to really pound my legs.
So, on the whole I am digging it. It’s a tough workout, and afterward I feel like I feel when I run, spent. This is good. Though, and I will post about this later, my form has a lot of room for improvement.
I do worry with all the little kids in the pool the water makeup is 5% urine.
Happy swimming!
Umm… 5% of an olympic pool (25yards by 10 yards by 1.5 yards = ~10K cubic feet) = 500 cubic feet of piss. Say you pee at a rate of 1 cup / second, that means you’d have to piss like a racehorse for over 16 hours to fill the 500 cubic feet. ;)
Swimming uses different muscles than typical landlubbing actions, so as your body gets used to the motions, your lap stamina will jump. You might want to try varying your pace as part of the boot-up process while chowing down on protein and pasta.
I race like a piss horse!
I’m really glad that you have found a way to get a good workout during the temporary hiatus from running, but 5% is icky.
Thanks Maggie! Yeah, I am pleased as punch to have an activity to do some stand in while I am convalescing.