Swimming

In a moment of insanity I thought that this winter I would start swimming in a local indoor pool for aerobic fitness.

My reasons were clear.

1) I have always enjoyed swimming, as I thought I was better than average

2) Little chance of injury, as so well pointed out by Fatty and his article about the perils of running. Every runner and lifter I know has suffered from some strain.

I had two fears

1) In the olden days...swimming was thought of as a sport no cyclist should ever do. Something about building up muscles not necessary for cycling

2) I could hear my old Belgian Coach "If you feel good enough to (swim,run,lift...) you feel good enough to ride. Of course that tends to burn you out a bit maybe.

I decided to look the other way and try swimming.

I did my research and decided to try THIS plan

My feelings so far

1) Swimming sets the low bar for exercise excitement. Basically its the same view, music is not possible (uh without spending mucho $ on THIS )

2) I had swimmer's ear within a week. Ok its not as dehabilitating as a bummed knee, but nevertheless it was worrisome. I've fixed this with ear plugs, and actually wear them all the time now, especially around the kids.

3) The local pool has convenient hours for laps 5:30AM to 7:30 AM. Wow two hours available, and what a nice time....Arghhh

4) With the cost of building heat going up, I think they have decided to turn off the pool heater.

5) My arms give out before I give out of breath. In other words I have to build up muscles in useless areas before this become anaerobic.

6) Turns are still a problem for me and I am sure my style has a lot to be desired.

7) I feel like I could eat a buffet of Denny's Grand Slams after 45 minutes. From a staying lean perspective, I'm not sure I am going the right way.

8) The process of driving to the pool changing, showering is no more efficient than riding.

9) I do like the idea that I can't flat or have a mechanical, and I guess not having to put on 14 layers of clothes is nice.

From Here
1) I will finish out the routine, which will take me a couple more months.

2) I am just as confused as ever about what to do in the off season. Part of me says, hell just ride the bike. Part of me says no, too much riding when I am not trying to build up to something is just a recipe for burnout.

3) This whole guilt thing caused by am I riding too much or too little is anything but peaceful.