Chilly!

Early morning darkness and a 57-degree air temperature heralded my return to the pool this morning. My coaches’ only comment was, “Well, at least it’s not windy too!”

It’s been almost three months to the day since I last swam with my Masters group. This morning we slipped the covers off the pool amid chatter about the weekend, comments on the cold (for us), and the merits and drawbacks of barefoot running. I was pleased to see the usual faces and it was nice to hear the concern in their voices when they asked how I’ve been.

I sat on the edge of the pool, legs dangling in the warm water, and pulled on my cap and goggles. I felt a small thrill as I slipped into the water and prepared for my first 50. I used an awkward, limping kick as I swam my first lap – as much as it is possible to “limp” in the pool – which smoothed out a little bit as I got my bearings. Much of my workout involved the pull buoy since I didn’t want to do too much kicking at first.

I am RUSTY! My back and shoulders are tired from loss of fitness and the effort it takes to retrain my stroke, but my legs feel pretty good although my left leg is definitely weaker. It’s going to take some time to get my left ankle back to its flexible self as well.

Overall, I’m pretty pleased that I wasn’t totally out of it and back to square one. We’ll see how I feel in the morning.