Life of Wry

What’s that saying?  Desperate times call for desperate measures?

Here’s desperate: I’m considering taking up swimming.

You’ll not find a person more swim-averse than me.. and yet.. I find myself this close to diving in. I don’t want to make too much of this, because there is pretty much nothing that even remotely hints that I will take to lap swimming… but I’m going to give it a shot. Mostly because I can’t really walk or run or hike or play tennis or do any of the aerobic stuff I’m actually good at. AND, in the last few months, as my legs seem to be getting nothing but worse, I’ve done nothing but gain weight. I’ve become a doddering (and fat) old lady.

Which is a great time to buy a new bathing suit,  let me just say. That was a rewarding experience today.

Add in that nice, new, blue bathing cap and, baby!  I hope I never see anyone I know at that pool. I’ll try to just do my back and forths in some way outside lane. Thankfully, one is naturally incognito in a bathing cap and goggles. And under water.

I just really, really need to find something that works for exercise, or I’m in big trouble.  So… willing to try even swimming.

Nothing is for sure, however. The coach at Davis Aquatic Masters, Stu, says I have to be able to swim four laps, breathing to the side, as they do, without stopping.  I have absolutely no idea if I can do it. I can guarantee you, the last time I attempted something like that was…… never. Never have I officially swam (swum?  god, I don’t even know how to conjugate the verb) more than a lap or two. Ever. He needs to see that I have some potential, and I guess I’m pretty nervous. On the other hand, it’s a win-win (or a lose-lose): either I can do it and therefore get to keep doing it, or I can’t do it and don’t have to keep doing it.

We’ll see tomorrow.

If it works, and I like it, it could be a brilliant move. Swimming’s like the perfect exercise: low impact, great aerobic, full body workout. And the pool’s right across the street–literally a 60-second walk. Would that it was the ocean, instead, and I could go across the street for an hour of nightly body surfing.. now that would be cool. But this could be okay, too.

I’m just not holding my breath.