Swimming towards a Half Century

[PeterPan09]

Hi guys! I just found this section and it is a GREAT idea to help stay on track.

I just turned 48 and I'm fatter than I have ever been or ever thought I would be. I was a swimmer as a kid, swam EVERY day. When I was in HS and College I was putting in 3000 yards a day, 5 days a week and I wore skinny jeans, bikinis on the beach and I LOVED how athletic I felt. I also could eat pretty much anything I felt like eating, which was even more fun.


Now 30 years later, my athletic body is buried under over 40 pounds of excess lard and I have made the commitment to myself that I will NOT start my next decade carrying all this around. I WILL have my athlete's body back before I turn 50. I will be back to swimming those 3000 yards a day, and I will be wearing skinny jeans again. (Not so much on the bikini's-I'll leave that for the younger set)

I've been doing some walk/run work as well, but it doesn't feed my soul the way a good swim does. I'm going to continue to do that and do a few 5k's just for variety. I'm going to be walking the Half on Sunday-we'll see how that goes. I broke my foot during training and lost a LOT of training time so I'm going to do the best I can for as long as I can and hope I don't get swept.

 

[inkkognito]

Good for you! I'm in a similar situation...at 45 I decided to commit to fit by 50. It sounds like the swimming will be a great way for you to get back into shape. I love the water, although I generally do aqua jogging in the health cluib pool. I admire the power and grace of swimming...it's a great workout! And whew, great ambition with the runs!

 

[PeterPan09]

I did NOT order Pizza this weekend!!! I did NOT eat fast food this weekend!!!!

I even got out and did some "wogging" during the warm parts of the day. The cold snap is keeping me out of the pool. I can do high 30's-low 40's in the outdoor pool-but 28 degrees is just way too cold.

The hard part is during the week, if it stays this cold. I'm hoping to get another "wog" in tomorrow after work-the wind is supposed to die down and that will help considerably.

 

[PeterPan09]

Ok, this week has gone pretty well so far. Got to the gym Sunday and Monday and worked HARD on treadmill and weights...hard enough to need a rest day to let my muscles heal. I learned the hard way this summer about consecutive tough workouts-and I still have the boot in my closet from the stress fracture. Tomorrow I go back at it, getting ready for the ESPN 5 k at the end of next month.

Hopefully I'll be back in the pool on Friday and the weekend-the temps should be down to a manageable level by then and I miss my first love.

 

[PeterPan09]

Back on the treadmill again today-but my speed is improving!!! My swim coach called me a wimp for staying out of the pool in the freezing temps-then praised me for my hard work on the treadmill and weights! I promised to be back in the water on Friday morning when we get back to normal Central Florida temps. I haven't been the only one staying on dry land recently, and I think we're all in trouble when we get back to practice-she has a little Jillian in her....

 

[PeterPan09]

I'm really happy with the workouts I've been doing. I started the C25K program on Monday and I really enjoyed it. I'm hoping that it will be the method I need to push through the wall and move from "wogging" to running.

Being back in the pool is WONDERFUL too. My speed is improving, which is something I'm really looking to do. My hope is that the swim workouts will be good "active rest" on the days I'm not doing C25K.

 

[PeterPan09]

Week 1 of C25K is in the books!! I'm down 6 pounds since the holidays, which also gives me something to smile about. Haven't gotten on the scale yet for this week, but I'm hoping to drop a couple more....we'll see.

Long course swim up for tomorrow....

 

[PeterPan09]

Well, long course swim didn't quite work out-the pool was set up for short when I got there. And it was COLD in that water!!! Yikes, did someone forget to turn on the heater??? Did 2300 yards or so anyway, but it took a good 100 or so to warm up.

Started week 2 of C25K yesterday and it went really well. I'm being very careful this time, not pushing too hard. I don't want a repeat of last year's stress fracture and 12 weeks of inactivity.

 

[PeterPan09]

Ok, cold pool deck is one thing...but cold pool water is NOT ACCEPTABLE!!! Hey, if I can't get warmed up after 100 yards it's too cold!! No matter how hot the shower afterwards, my feet stay like bricks of ice all day.

Thankfully, today was a running day. W2D2 of C25K started tough but got progressively easier as the runs went on.

I'm really starting to notice the effects of the workouts. I think it's the weight training that is helping me see muscle tone. Not much good news on the scale front, but if I can improve athletically I will be happy with whatever weight I am.