Swimming

[ghoti_mhic_uait]

I forgot my goggles yesterday - it remimded me how much I really appreciate them (they're prescription).
I swam a mile : 10 lengths breast stroke, then one breast, one front crawl, one back stroke for 12 lengths, then 5 breast, then 5 back, then the 12 in the alternating pattern, then 5 breast, 5 front crawl, 10 breast.

Hopefully I'll do that every wednesday - that's about all I have time and energy for at the moment.

I used to be quite good at swimming; I got the ASA gold award, for example. I don't quite remember the criteria, and unfortunately I can't find it on the ASA website (although I could find a book which would tell me) but it was a certain distance in clothes and a certain distance not in clothes, and you have to do all four strokes (I haven't done butterfly in years) and diving and so on. The number 1500m sticks in my mind, but I can't remember what that's for. In our club, the next level up was lifeguard training., although apparently some clubs award theiur onw 'platinum' level.

Comments

[sashajwolf.livejournal.com]

I did the German equivalent of those awards, up to what I think must have been the equivalent of either your gold or your platinum - it included all the things you mention, plus some lifesaving training, but not enough to qualify you as a professional lifeguard. I loved them because, unlike most of what we did in PE, they focused on broad competence rather than "higher, faster, better" measures. They gave me a rare experience of succeeding at something physical.

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes; we did swimming with someone pretending to be a dead weight. I can still carry an adult the length of a pool, but only on my back.

[naath.livejournal.com]

When I can be bothered to go swimming I do sets of 5 front, 5 breast, 4 back and 1 'fly if there is space to do it in (because, er, I'm really really bad at 'fly and make lots of splashing etc.).

I should really find time to go swimming more often, I'm not sure how much useful swimming I could fit into lunch break though (and is the pool open for normal-people swimming after 5pm?).

Prescription goggles... where did you get them?

[badriya.livejournal.com]

I belong to a health club with pool again now and am trying to swim twice a week. I time it rather than counting. I got bored counting. I do ten minutes front crawl there and back crawl back and then ten minutes breast stroke both ways and then another ten crawls. I don't know how many lengths it is, but began doing 20 in half an hour and worked up to 30.

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

Yes, there is open swim every evening, including a late-friday adults only.

I can't get it to load right now, but try http://www.chestertonsportscentre.org.uk

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I got the goggles at my optician (Taank Optometrist on Mill Road). http://www.simplyswim.com sell them too, and they were entirely reasonable when I bought Jon's goggles there for his birthday.

[naath.livejournal.com]

cool, thanks