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I am a swimmer
If you had to describe yourself in a handful of words, which ones would you choose? I’d include “swimmer” in my list.
Even though I run a few times a week and ride my bike to work, when it gets down to it, swimming is how I define myself. It doesn’t mean I’m particularly fast. It’s just that it’s that big a part of my life.
I love the water. I love the way it presses in all around me, offering up a full-body hug the whole time I work out. Something about that cool resistance brings me alive in a way nothing else does.
And I love the way I feel when I’m done with a hard workout — a delicious sense of fatigue soaking my body and a clear mind.
The water’s forgiving. It doesn’t jolt your knees or give you road rash when you fall. It sparkles when you dip your hand into it; it muffles the sound of the outside world.
Swimming makes you look inside, too. I can sort through problems or flesh out a story I’m working on all in my head, while I’m knocking off laps. And what other workout can you do while fully reclined?
That’s why I swim at least four times a week. I show up at practice before the sun rises, eager for a coach to holler instructions at me. Coaches can push me to swim faster and stronger than I ever thought I could.
Many of my favorite memories involve swimming: Plunging into an ice-cold lake at the top of a mountain in New Zealand, leaping off a dock into Echo Lake near Lake Tahoe, skinny dipping in Lake Austin, chugging up and down the shoreline during camping trips in Michigan, swimming clear around Manhattan Island with a relay team last summer.
Swimming makes me happy.
What words do you use to describe yourself?
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By Marvin Jansen
January 28, 2012 4:03 PM | Link to this
I am a runner. I run for the zen of it. I focus on breathing rhythmically, on my feet striking the ground, on other physical sensations, on the stimuli from my surroundings, and on where my head is. I work to remain in the moment in my head. It’s hard work to stay focused on now and ignore thoughts of the past or of what might be the future. Early morning runs set the tone for the day. I find myself alive and focused after a run. In mid-afternoon I tend to drift and find that returning to the moment (as I practiced running) renews my concentration on the task at hand. I finish the day at home with family (some runners and others not) talking about our day and what we experienced. The zen of running supports my goal of mental and physical fitness. It supports my desire to stay in the moment.
By Sam
January 29, 2012 8:16 PM | Link to this
I am a swimmer too, I focus on the rhythm to move my weist and roll my arm, I like the feeling of water flow on my skin. It will make me feel better and wake up my energy. What’s your favourate public swimming pool? I have traveled 2 times to Austin, I only found small pool in hotel.
By Pam LeBlanc
January 30, 2012 9:34 AM | Link to this
Sam, Austin’s got some fantastic public pools. Barton Springs, in Zilker Park in the middle of the city, is a huge spring-fed pool that’s open year round. Water temp there is about 70 degrees year round. Another favorite is Deep Eddy Pool, but it’s closed for another six weeks or so for renovations. Stacy Pool a few blocks off South Congress is outdoors and heated year round. There are dozens open in the summer. Here’s a website with info: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/pools_schedule.htm.