Swimming

I’m a swimmer… At least that’s how I used to identify myself. In High School I used to be able to do at least 64 25m lengths a day and up to 120 lengths during the holidays. Thinking back I can’t believe that I did the Midmar Mile four times. But since coming to Rhodes University I have lost track of my training and I’ve only recently realized how much I missed it.

I started training again this month and I can tell you for sure that I feel very rusty. So far I’ve managed to get it up to 32 25m lengths. (Half a Mile.) Once or twice I’ve managed to do 40 length, which is 1km. Any more than that and I think I’ll pass out. Being back in the pool has been the best experience though. All the memories of the hours spent in my high school pool come rushing back to me.  I grew up surrounded by swimmers and my gran was a swimming coach so I’ve basically been in the water since just after I could walk.

The only thing that pops into my mind is: Muscle memory. Even though I feel unfit it is as if my body remembers the comfortable feeling of the different strokes. There is a strange sense of peace that comes over you as you move through the water. Unless you’re a swimmer you can’t really comprehend how beautiful the specs of light that radiate through the water looks the moment you diving in. The feeling of the water like velvet. The smell of chlorine on your skin later.

As much as I know that I have to exercise, running is not to for me. It always feels like I am not in control of my body when I’m running; too many bits jiggling around. Swimming is different. It’s all the exercise without the strain (and the public embarrassment.) I love the way in which you can just dive in and forget about everything around you. All sense of time and place is lost in the blur of the different strokes.

During this morning’s training session I realized just how much I loved being a swimmer. I took much better care of myself when I was a swimmer. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep this up. 

Songs about swimming: 

"And so I started my love affair with water..."

Water by Brad Paisley:

Swimming by Florence and the Machine:

Swim Until You Can't See Land by Frightened Rabbit: