A small step towards some normality

[HeavyFoot]

Before the Apocalypse I had a nice routine of alternating days of running and swimming.

Without the latter, I’ve been increasingly aware of the loss of upper body strength over these 18 months. Due to a shoulder injury (mentioned later) things like weights and planks are out of the question.

Well, today I visited the pool as a a first step. A few changes: appointments only, roped lanes, arriving “swim ready” and leaving bags by the poolside. But the showers and dressing rooms still available.

Because of a rotator cuff strain which has plagued me for 10 months, I just did a leisurely ten lengths’ breaststroke but it felt good and worked out the leg muscles a bit.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10]

Good swim for you today HeavyFoot, not heard from you for a while, I hope you are enjoying your 🏊 swimming and 🏃🏾 running 👍.

[HeavyFoot Graduate10 in reply to AlMorr]

I’ve still been running, Al. Coming to terms with gradually getting slower, although looking at an earlier post I am average for my age. I console myself after Parkrun by seeing how far up I am in my age category. You must be a star in your category (no rudeness intended!)

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10 in reply to HeavyFoot]

Certainly not HF, I am more interested in my age grading than the time that I run, I have now ran 17 official Parkruns and 60 (not) parkruns, most of my age grading is around 55%, for example on my 60th not parkrun I ran it in a time of 34.10, my age grading was 55.46%.

[HeavyFoot Graduate10 in reply to AlMorr]

I’d be well pleased of an age grading that high. I’m just happy to be second or third in my age grade. That does beg the question of how many my age were running! But I’d prefer not to look.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10 in reply to HeavyFoot]

Ha, you don't look, never mind, there is a man at my home parkrun who regularly runs it in a time of around 26.30, he is in the 75/79 age group, his age grading is usually +70%

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

Sounds good! Watching the Olympics I see they clearly teach a different breaststroke to the one I was taught, and they really come out of the water now whereas in my day we were told to keep our heads low and in the water.

I hope the swimming helps your shoulder 🤞

[Birdlady64 Graduate10]

That sounds perfect and I bet it felt really good to be back in the water again. I really missed my swims when the pool was closed.Like you noticed the loss of upper body strength - my investment in resistance bands proved to be rather a short lived novelty however.Probably best to keep away from the freestyle, backstroke and butterfly for a while with that shoulder injury. Hope the swimming helps

[HeavyFoot Graduate10 in reply to Birdlady64]

I tried a little bit of crawl - too painful. A local lady has lent me a band to stretch while I’m watching TV.

[Oldgirlruns Graduate10]

Good to hear from you HF - sorry to hear about the shoulder injury. Like you, I try to alternate swimming and running although with being away with family and then having a visitor, I haven’t done much of either in the last couple of weeks. And it’s amazing how quickly I start to feel sluggish! I hope the swimming helps the shoulder - enjoy being back in the water again!

[HeavyFoot Graduate10 in reply to Oldgirlruns]

Thank you Ogr. You sound really busy.

[Oldgirlruns Graduate10 in reply to HeavyFoot]

Finally able to see family again after the black hole that was last year! So I’m making the most of it - while we still can!

[HeavyFoot Graduate10 in reply to Oldgirlruns]

So important.

[Martlet76]

Hi HF, thanks for the details on the swimming, you are encouraging and inspiring me. 👍M76

[HeavyFoot Graduate10 in reply to Martlet76]

A pleasure. We slowies need to keep together.