The Pool

Today, I got in the pool twice, once at 5:20 AM and once after school. These days, I swim more than I run in the water which might seem odd to say unless you read below. This is from November 3, 2008.

For years I've read about athletes rehabilitating injuries by running in water. The upside to water training over typical therapy is the lessened jarring on recovering joints and muscles as the body heals. Last May, as I became increasingly bored with the aerobic portion of my workouts, I decided to take advantage of the apartment swimming pool practically outside my door. Since May, I have faithfully run in the Braesridge Apartments pool at least twenty minutes and sometimes as high as fifty minutes both morning and night. It was easy when the temperature was in the nineties and 'plunged' into the high seventies during the overnight hours. As spring turned to summer and now into autumn, it has become increasingly difficult to get into the water. On consecutive mornings last week, the temperature plummeted into the low forties and high thirties and I passed on the pre-school sessions. Still, I was able to make my nighttime workout and have not missed an entire day due to the weather. Increasingly, I am an oddity to my neighbors who are not used to seeing anyone running in the pool, much less when the temperature dips to the fifties. Truthfully, once you are in for thirty seconds, your body adapts to the water temperature and it is like taking a bath. It's also amazing how eerily silent a dark pool is at 5:30 AM and how it is not overwhelmingly difficult to focus on prayer as I run back and forth in water at a depth of five feet, six inches. Admittedly, it has become a matter of pride with my students as I see how deep into the winter months I can endure; something about guys and proving their toughness. Regardless, it is a great replacement for the three+ cups of coffee I was drinking before school and I make fewer trips to the bathroom between classes. Cathy Caputo is afraid I'll suffer cardiac arrest one of these cold mornings but you know, I am never sick. Paul spoke about physical training having some benefit- I think with me, it goes well past that. I find myself going to bed earlier as I have to heed the 5:00 AM alarm. I am wide awake in school and, like I said, it is good to start the day with meditation It's not for everyone but hey, it's only November 3rd. Check back with me when the snow is flying in Houston, or December, whichever comes first.

PS: For those of you not keeping up with the sports pages, Cleveland Browns wide receiver, Braylon Edwards, asked his buddy, fellow Michigan Wolverine Michael Phelps, for some off season conditioning advice. (You may have heard of this Phelps guy from the recent Olympics and almost every television commercial.) Phelps helped design a training regimen that was based primarily on running in the swimming pool and Edwards followed it this past summer. Not coincidentally, Edwards scored a touchdown yesterday for Cleveland in their contest against Baltimore!


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com