As in, the pool deck.
Well, it’s finally happened. I’m officially old – because my metabolism and ability to lose weight quickly is officially gone. It’s a bummer.
After weeks (okay, months) of trying to get into a normal workout/running routine (I even signed up to run a road race at the end of August!), I decided I needed to up the ante a bit. In addition to wanting to throw the scale out the window every time I step on it, my clothes are getting a bit snug and I refuse to purchase new clothing to accommodate my expanding waistline! Since running clearly hasn’t been working, I decided that I should consider getting back in the pool.
I used to swim competitively when I was younger – from the time I was around 6 until my senior year of high school, when I quit. I loved swimming, but it had become completely un-fun for me, and practices/meets were turning into torture sessions rather than something to look forward to.
So – yesterday right after work I went down to the sporting goods store to buy a training suit (yeah, it’s been so long since my swimming days that I didn’t even own a one piece suit anymore!), goggles, a swim cap, some deck shoes, shorts and a t-shirt to put on after my workout, a towel, and a lock. (Oh – did I mention that even though I had been thinking about doing this for a couple of days, it was kind of a spur of the moment decision?)
My next stop was the local health club (much more than just a “gym”) which is one of the only two places around that has a pool for use. As an added bonus, one of my friends who used to competitively swim as well also belongs here. It happens to be one of the priciest gyms around – but I figured my monthly membership (and my initial clothing/equipment investment – a grand total [first and last month of membership + enrollment fee] of just over $200) would be far, far less money than buying an entirely new wardrobe.
After signing up and getting my tour, I hit the pool. And was entirely shocked that I didn’t drown! I mean, the last time I swam laps was literally 2005 (my senior year of high school). My friends insisted that swimming “is like riding a bike” – but that’s also something I haven’t done in years, so I have no idea if I could do that anymore either (ha!).
But swimming, it seems, does just come right back. My form might not have been great – and I was getting winded easily, but I felt good. And the workout is amazing. I was trying really hard to not keep count of how many laps I was swimming, because I wanted to just focus on getting used to it and not turning it into some weird competition with myself (which I have a tendency to do) but I’m pretty sure I swam about 800m. And I was sore by the time I got home. And still am right now – the sign of a really great workout (and a really out of shape Courtney).
Today I’ll start keeping track (presuming it isn’t raining – it the summer months the pool is uncovered, and the rest of the year they put the roof over it – but I’m not sure how I feel about swimming in rain… especially if there’s the potential for thunder/lightening).
Oh, and this particular health club also has squash courts, a spin room with classes going almost continuously from 6am to 8pm, pilates, yoga, Zumba, and CrossFit classes that go pretty much throughout the day, the pool (obviously), tons of cardio machines and weight machines, a sauna, a hot tub. So look forward to posts about me trying everything – maybe even squash!