First day back in the pool

Broke two ribs in June, would've been back in the pool by September but then broke two fingers (open breaks, no swimming) so today finally decided to take the plunge and get back into the weekly habit.

Having learnt to swim late in life I was curious to see how hard and how unco it'd be. Turns out it's like riding a bike even for a late learner. Straight into a smooth stroke, breathing bilateral without giving it a thought, not like when I was learning and every single movement required conscious thought.

Didn't do a lot of distance, just enjoyed the perfect temperature water, did all my usual strokes and tread water for several minutes, might even go tomorrow.

Wonderful!

Hi Tom!  What have you been up to, to get such injuries?

  My wife, while out on her bike just before Xmas, slipped on "black ice" and broke her wrist - the plaster cast is now off, but she is in a lot of nerve pain from it still - and moaning about when she can get back to swimming/cycling again.  It's gonna be at least 2 or 3 months after cast came off - will she "survive" that long???  No hospital Physio session or advice yet,  so "surfing the web" for info.  She is reduced to just sitting on the exercise bike and pedaling-away, also using treadmill in our garage, plus walking some 2 or more hours daily - except she has now damaged the heel of one foot while "jogging" . Oh these fitness fanatics, it makes me feel quite tired just thinking about it!


  I liked the recent SS blog's clip of Shinji's apparently effortless 2 beat kicking FS - although the gliding was overdone.  I've "come back" to trying that style with a whip-like action of a lower leg as each recovered arm enters the water, to offset "pushing drag" as the arm extends.  But old "muggins" takes it a stage further by delaying the recovery of the arm on the non-breathing side, leaving it momentarily by the hip with elbow poking out of the water.  It gives me more time to complete an exhalation, then a quick recovery and "breathing stroke", to do an in inhalation again. It helps me by giving a moments muscular rest for the weary arms during the glide phase!

Redecking 300 metre Pedestrian bridge, carrying flooring offcuts, stepped on flooring overhanging a beam, threw me forward and landed me on the chest on the next beam, broke 6 and 7, can't afford impacts higher up, Aorta may not take it.
Fingers loading steel City Bench seats from truck to forklift, intended to pick up two, fork almost had the third so I went to roll it on, awkward things with legs that go a foot into the ground, so they all slipped and crushed two fingers over the edge of the tray, nails have nearly grown back.

No good for the Wife, hope she's prepared for the stiffness and time getting full range of motion back, that was a shock to me and my breaks were pretty simple.

I still haven't played with 2 beat kicks etc, I hope my natural rhythm isn't to inefficient.

Hi Tom!
 How did the medicos treat your broken rib injuries - was it just a case of placing a big sticky patch over the area to minimize movement - and then hope that natural healing would take place and new connective bone would form?

It brought back memories of my post-op consultation 6 weeks after heart surgery.  I nearly had "kittens" when the consultant pushed the heel of his palm against my chest, to see how things were going! (I didn't know it at the time but they pull back into place the pulled apart sawn-up-the-middle sternum  and "lace" opposite ribs together - so lots of "shoe-laces" (well probably they are just plastic-covered short wire ones inside now!  I  only discovered that after seeing an X-ray!

 I forgot as a long-time retired bloke, that some are still working hard!!!



Very best wishes for your full recovery!


  Am hoping to try out another of my "FS variants"  at the pool this morning - but some hopes get dashed when I discover the latest ideas just don't work in the water, and it's "back to the drawing board" once more!

MRI to confirm 2 breaks nondisplaced, three days later swelling collapsed lung, three days in hospital on pain killers to allow deep breathing to prevent Pneumonia. Healed up fine.

Pain was something else, getting out of bed was the hardest thing to do.

My regular pool and everything associated has been demolished, supposed to be opening late this year, just mud and PVC pipes on site at this stage. My daughter is a swim instructor now at the pool I was going to prior to the accident, so will be swimming there to get back ion the habit.

Hi Tom!  That "collapsed lung" business sounds scary to me - hope it doesn't impinge on your swimming later.  All the very best for your full recovery, and hope that your pool re-construction is done in good time! Is there some other, not too distant, pool you can use?


My wife is due to go for her first "Physio" session at the hospital tomorrow for her broken wrist, now free of the plaster.  It will be interesting to hear their opinion as to when Jill might be able to do the pull/push FS arm action when swimming, and when she might be able to put pressure on that wrist when clutching a bike handlebar, or trying gentle "press-ups" etc (I did say earlier, that she is a "fitness fanatic! ) She is hoping to gently resume normal activities after 2 months.  - Hmmmm?  We shall see!

BTW the little experiment I mentioned, was not very successful! I was trying to "match up" normal FS arm action with both legs together doing dolphin waggles.  Tried that idea 'cos one of my fairly successful FS variants (aimed at  keeping my inflexible feet out of the way) involves thrusting the hip on my breathing side, down vigorously as the recovering arm on that side makes water entry - letting the relaxed legs do their own thing!  So muggins thought "How about giving the legs something positive to do" (other that is, than my normal pathetic flutter kicking) by adding some body undulation - pushing the head down momentarily ("pressing the buoy") at the arm's water entry, so as to start an upward ripple along the back, with the legs following on with a dolphin kick downbeat (although that may be more of a diagonal action, rather than an straight up/down one)  I wont discard the idea yet, but do some more "tries"!

Bloody Hell, other than cutting a few laps in the Outlaws Pool at Christmas I haven't had a swim.

My old Pool I learnt to swim in is getting completely rebuilt and should be ready to go when I am.

I'll be ready when these bloody Covid lockdowns end.

My Daughter is a Swim teacher now, so she has been working on and off as he rules allow.

My preferred Swim Centre.

Hi Tom!  Sorry to read of your mishaps in breaking bibs/bobs - I haven't been doing well either.  It's the loss of balance problem mainly bugging me - inner ear labyrinth problems.  Had a bad fall in my kitchen, thought I had damaged my rib cage in crashing against things on the way down - mercifully just badly bruised.  

Have been using a Nuffield gym/pool since the DW chain collapsed financially.  Can't say that I like their pool - 25m, 3 lanes each about 7 foot wide, but just a black ceiling with nothing to help swim a straight course when on back doing back crawl or old English back stroke.  Furthermore, no more thn 4 to a lane allowed and pairs of ladies like walking up/down - one waling backwards and the other forwards as they chat to each other, taking up half of a lane. not much swimming going on - so can't do wide arm strokes.


  As I get to the end of each lane and past the walkers I get a chance to do a few wide arm strokes  - am still battling to make a success of inhalation to the side in fly stroke!  I can't do fly inhalation to the front now, due to old-age spinal stoop forwards, the water-line comes about mid nose level - so have got to master side inhalations! With front crawl, I seem to have settled into inhaling on every 4th arm stroke, rather than inhalation on the usual 2nd arm stroke.  I tried FS with a snorkel for a while - and it proved to me that it wasn't just breathing problems that meant I couldn't swim more than 2 lengths without a rest (aka my old "SWIM SMOOTH" era "pit stops").  It's the old story - my ambitions exceed my capabilities!!!


Have heard "on the grape vine" that "TRU FITNESS" may be buying my preferred old DW gym/pool - so may be going back to that in a while

Hi chaps!

We have dipped a toe at last; our local 25 m pools having a web booking system for limited numbers in extra wide lanes.

Mrs C has been twice, doing 22-24 laps of straight crawl and I went on Thursday doing the same distance.

Fearing muscular pain the following day I did a mixture of breast stroke and crawl but had thankfully no ill effects. Swimming after 14 months felt just about normal. It was wonderful.

Anyhow, I have since realised that I had forgotten all the lovely drills that I like so much and have since looked up Dave Scott and Global Triathlon Network videos for inspiration. Roll on Tuesday!

Our daily keep fit routines over the last 14 months have really paid off.

Another mishap! As with most bods that are elderly, I have poor balance and recently  some falls (mercifully none serious).  The latest ridiculous event was in the garden, trying to kick something out of my way - lost my balance, falling back against a water butt, sliding down the side of it, grazing my lower leg badly on the edge of a planter pot, - then to to cap it all, knocked over a partly used tin of "Autumn Gold" fence preservative and fell on it.  The lid came off and my weight squashed the can so that the seam burst apart, and I ended up lying  in a puddle of "Autumn Gold" - chinos, shirt,  underpants and socks all a wet delicate shade of beige.  My wife  came out to help me get up and "disrobe"! Fortunately we have no neighbours overlooking our rear garden to view a "nuddy"/dripping/bleeding/shaken wretch go in the back door to be cleaned up by my ever caring wife!

No swimming for a while until the grotty leg is better. At  the mo it feels very sore with a big black patch (just  dried blood I hope - not gangrene!) across the shin bone.

New Pools all done, lockdowns are over.

Got a quick swim in this morning.

New facility is fantastic, water temps indoor and outdoor perfect, 150 bux for a 25 swims pass, get a wristband that lets you in and operates a locker in the change room.

Covid QR code at the door, vax status proof one off with getting wrist band, all pretty smooth.

Time to get some miles up.

Bloody hell, that last post was a while ago, only got back to the pool Sunday, all got too hard with staff shortages etc because people that test positive for Covid here have to isolate at home with their close contacts ensuring most of the Family get it.
Most people must have had it now and lifes finally getting back to normal.
Need to get to the pool more often now to get some swim fitness back.