Swimming after silence

Swimming is one of those simple pleasures in life. Since becoming a runner earlier this winter I have been waiting for that moment when running feels just as natural and relaxing as swimming. I hope that one day I will be able to duplicate that feeling.

Living on the east coast of Canada, it is extremely difficult to avoid being near a body of water. Luckily, my parents recognized how important swimming would be in a province full of lakes and surrounded by ocean. From an early age I was in swimming lessons, followed by synchronized swimming and then eventually lifeguarding, teaching and coaching. Honestly, making swimming a priority was such an important choice. Through swimming I not only stayed active, but found a job, found volunteer opportunities, made lifelong friends and created amazing memories. Swimming is also an escape for me, and each year as summer approaches I anxiously await the moment when I either don my wetsuit or my bathing suit and take my first plunge into the water. There have been many a party-goer who has jumped at the sight of a wetsuit hanging on the back of my bathroom door.


Medford Beach, Nova Scotia

This year it was a little later than expected, June 21, but it did not disappoint. Each summer I spend as much time as humanly possible in the lake, a little less this year due to the injuries. I swim occasionally throughout the winter, normally when my back is bothering me or to prepare for summer swimming. However, nothing compares to swimming outside. My way to achieve serenity is to drive to the lake early in the morning when no one is there and go for a swim. At that hour the water is pristine. It is so calm there is barely a ripple. It is so quiet that the only sound is the slight splash your body creates as you glide through the water.



Early morning silence at the lake

Swimming is one of the gentlest forms of exercise on your body. It is low impact and serves as an ideal option for runners who are trying to crosstrain. If you are injured you should seriously consider going for a swim, especially if you have back or neck problems. This is one of the first things I do when I have an injury as it helps to promote healing.



Working at a lake each summer throughout high school and most of university completely spoiled me. I spent hours and hours each week in the water, and since starting my career I have been chasing after every spare moment to spend time swimming. I have become jaded though, I am forced to swim after work amidst all the young bucks and screaming children. I love children and have nothing against young adults, but, they cramp my style out in that lake. I want to swim in silence. I am selfish; I want the whole lake to myself, and call me crazy, I do not want to worry about a hooligan stealing my towel and car keys!



Chocolate Lake, Nova Scotia





Tuning in and raising a glass

Listening to your body – this is a skill I do not possess, but one that I am scrambling to develop.  If I had only mastered this seemingly simple skill earlier on in life I could have avoided many unpleasant situations.  

As a runner, I have come to learn this lesson the hard, and expensive, way.  I am still recovering from the crushing blows to my IT bands, knees, hip flexors and hamstrings.  I have been in physio for several months and have seen improvement, but I am still in pain and still not allowed to run.  I continue be outpaced by the geriatric crowd in the row of recumbent bikes at the gym.  I am capable of taking my legs out for a spin in the evenings, but the crunching noises when I do my calf raises, quarter squats and lunges remain worrisome.  

All of this could have been avoided if I had heeded the warning signs – the limping during or post-run, the leg stiffness that never seemed to end and the searing pain throughout the upper portion of my lower body.  All of this because I was afraid of looking like a wimp.  Well, now I am the wimp who listens to her knees snap, crackle and definitely pop going down a flight of stairs, who is too sore to handle a foam roller.  Instead, I am armed with ice and a rolling pin to treat the pain.  I spend at least an hour each day doing my physio homework to atone for my sins.  

This is not the only time I have been punished for not listening to my body.  My whole existence as an IBS sufferer exemplifies this.  My biggest issue with IBS has always been tuning in early enough to what my body is trying to tell me.  Specifically, I have difficulties realizing that I am stressed and/or sick.  I never clue until I am already in the midst of a full-blown IBS episode.  

Since my last episode in late 2009 I have been trying to pay more attention to these signals.  Yoga is certainly helpful – first and foremost, by the end of a class I am utterly relaxed.  In addition, the yoga breathing has helped me through many close calls and through the pain often associated with IBS.  Yoga breathing is a small miracle, I kid you not.  Finally, yoga encourages you to pay attention to your body and to relax targeted areas.  Through yoga I am slowly but surely tuning in and trying to listen.  

What I have learned since my injury is that I should not be too proud to slow down when trying to achieve a goal.  It is certainly more worthwhile to slowly improve than to go out guns blazing and injure myself.  I have also learned that patience really is a virtue, even though I curse patience on a daily basis as I diligently stretch and roll my way to an injury-free body.  I have also learned that a glass of wine can cure a multitude of problems – like “I feel sorry for myself”, or “I cannot face doing another clamshell” or “no, I cannot go for a run, I am still injured”.   With this, I raise my glass of Nova 7 and propose a toast to being a wimp.  

Blogger Spotlight!

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of being featured in the Blogger Spotlight portion of Fitblogger.  Fitblogger is an online community where health and fitness bloggers can connect.  It is also a fabulous spot for you, as the reader, to discover new blogs and articles relating to health and fitness.  As a perfect example, I received a comment on my spotlight from the Ethical Athlete, which in turn exposed me to a blog I had not yet discovered.  He has a great, thoughtfully written blog, and because of this experience I added a new name to my blog roll! 

It was an absolute pleasure to write the article, and Fitblogger founder, Rita, was wonderful to deal with and extremely helpful and professional.  I encourage other bloggers to seek out this opportunity and check out the site.  I guarantee you will not be disappointed! 

In terms of the article, I was a little unsure as to how to position it, honestly, I did not want to scare away any new readers with my cavalier references to all things derrière.  I did, however, endeavour to give readers an idea of what to expect when reading this blog.  So, a big thank you to Fitblogger for allowing me the opportunity to contribute and feature my blog!