Well the doctor says that exercise amongst other things is important for mental ill health and is pleased that I get up nice an early each weekday morning and toddle off to the swimming pool.
This week I managed 32, 32, 32, and 40 lengths. This is all well and good until I got chatting again to ‘Doctor’ Georgie. Now Dr Georgie as you can see by observing the single quotation marks is not a ‘real’ doctor. No, far from it, you see Dr Georgie is my Swim Doctor and pretty encouraging too. Or is that pretty and encouraging too?
So I was pretty chuffed with my 136 lengths this week and a lot of physical exercise outside of the swimming pool. That is until Georgie mentioned swimming 220 lengths today in a little over one and a half hours. Ok, so she was a tad angry, when swimming that is and not when talking to me. But come on folks get your head around the statistic; 220 lengths in 90 minutes. That’s better than life saving swim test standard and its being sustained time and time again.
That’s 220 lengths against my best ever at about 85 lengths. I manage 40 in just under 40 minutes; probably a good 38 minutes but that’s a tough session. But in order to reach 120 lengths let alone 220 lengths I would have to swim at my best and sustain that rhythm for one and a half hours i.e. three times longer than normal. Not on your nelly, nope, no way, not a chance. Then having done the impossible I would still come in 100 lengths short. So Dr Georgie I doff my cap to you, you little dolphin you.
Showing posts with label Swimming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swimming. Show all posts
24 March 2012
23 August 2011
Georgie
Now that I'm back from holiday, Dr. Georgie AKA The Swim Teacher, tells me that I have to practice bi-lateral breathing or the muscles on one side of my neck are going to swell right up.
Now I don’t mind listening to Dr. Georgie as she is full of good advice. For example she told me that Breast Stroke is not her favourite stroke at all, and that no one should practice back stroke in a crowded pool. I was paying attention honest, well you can see from what I have written that the information has sunk in so far. But the next bit is a bit disconcerting.
Dr. Georgie wants me to drop the coffee on Tuesdays and Thursdays and enjoy a cup of peach tea instead. Or she suggested; maybe a pot of tea with a spot of lemon instead of milk. Now steady on Dr. Georgie. No breast stroke is one thing, but peach tea? Blooming eck, before we know it, I’ll be drinking water all day while doing the doggy paddle!
Now I don’t mind listening to Dr. Georgie as she is full of good advice. For example she told me that Breast Stroke is not her favourite stroke at all, and that no one should practice back stroke in a crowded pool. I was paying attention honest, well you can see from what I have written that the information has sunk in so far. But the next bit is a bit disconcerting.
Dr. Georgie wants me to drop the coffee on Tuesdays and Thursdays and enjoy a cup of peach tea instead. Or she suggested; maybe a pot of tea with a spot of lemon instead of milk. Now steady on Dr. Georgie. No breast stroke is one thing, but peach tea? Blooming eck, before we know it, I’ll be drinking water all day while doing the doggy paddle!
25 March 2011
Little Fishy's
I had intended to write about 'Zulu Rising' and have a few notes that I put together for that purpose this morning. However, my travels continue and this afternoon we stepped out towards Aberaeron and Lampeter. It was a lovely trip and some March Welsh culture with Cawl, Bread, and Cheese at one of my favourite old time haunts; Mark Lanes Cafe in the high street fifty or so yards from the fountain.
It was very nice of the chap that built the fountain for the folk in Lambedr Pont Steffan (Lampeter). I suppose that providing water for drinking and bathing is an important social contribution. Although it was also a tad pompous of him to emblazon his name for all and sundry to see on the side of the disproportionate stonework. Sometimes people just don't know when 'enough is enough'.
I think that applies to all of those that kept arriving at the swimming pool this morning. As well as the ticket collecting that could have stopped the stampede. I managed 41 lengths, but my 'o my it was a terrible struggle with this person or that moving across my lane, towards me, and sometimes underneath. They were all like little fishy's, and for once I came close to understanding how everyone feels like when stuck in an aquarium. It was mad, simply mad. Can you imagine it being like that every day?
It was very nice of the chap that built the fountain for the folk in Lambedr Pont Steffan (Lampeter). I suppose that providing water for drinking and bathing is an important social contribution. Although it was also a tad pompous of him to emblazon his name for all and sundry to see on the side of the disproportionate stonework. Sometimes people just don't know when 'enough is enough'.
I think that applies to all of those that kept arriving at the swimming pool this morning. As well as the ticket collecting that could have stopped the stampede. I managed 41 lengths, but my 'o my it was a terrible struggle with this person or that moving across my lane, towards me, and sometimes underneath. They were all like little fishy's, and for once I came close to understanding how everyone feels like when stuck in an aquarium. It was mad, simply mad. Can you imagine it being like that every day?
22 March 2011
Reflection
For me, swimming is a reflective process. I always look back at the event and recall how enjoyable it all was, but I never look forward to getting up early and dragging myself to the Pool. This in some ways is a pity, as I do enjoy the swim.
I tend to average 150+ lengths a week, and a fair few Sauna's to boot. Popping into the Sauna is my way of adding some relaxation and further extending the workout period. The heat maintains the raised heartbeat from the exercise; well that's my theory anyway. Plus of course there's the Social Intercourse. Like many people, I enjoy a good chat, and popping to the Pool enables me to exchange a few words with some friends. Routine, motivation, dialogue, exercise, warmth, and reflection.
It's all very civilized. Elias mentioned that we are unable to understand the "civilizing of conduct" and the transformation of the structure of mental and emotional life without "tracing the process of state-formation" within the advancing centralization of society. Elias also mentioned that this "first found (...) visible expression in the absolutist form of rule." So our development links to those 'power chances' that were gifted to a central authority. Now we can trace this state formation back to the middle ages, and enforce our understanding of later events, by reviewing 15C records. But in many ways this 'central authority' mechanism operated throughout the 20C and is still visible today. This is evidence that the civilizing process is a continuum. What one person thinks is civilized is not, and what many believe to be civilized; is still subject to improvement as gradual changes are introduced. By inference, this latter model cannot be 'civilized' because if it were, then there could be no room for improvement. Better still, our understanding of the process is based on ‘reflection’ in that we have to look for evidence in order to determine if improvements or advances were made. I wonder what future historians will think of the current turmoil in Arab countries. Will they believe that UN intervention was correct? Will they regenerate the Crusader against Islam theory? Or will it all boil down to a mere side show. It is quite upsetting that conflict through choice, has displaced the Humanitarian disaster in Japan from the front pages. But this is all too often the case, a side show steps in and prevents us from executing our intention or necessary actions.
The problems always seem to happen through a craving for power. For these persons the money sector of the economy is all too often the driving influence, and this craving allows the actors to seize their ‘power chances’. Be it 'oil', 'Land', or other wealth; the names of the actors never matter. Yes they will be noted in history, but in real terms the names don't matter as the sequence seems to happen time and time again. Sometimes it all ends with a fight between ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’, conflict or force exercised by those that consider themselves to be ‘Civilized’ against those, who for no good reason, they consider to be ‘un-civilized’. I'm not saying that what we are doing in Libya is wrong, only that I truly believe that dialogue and negotiation is better than conflict. Mind you, that requires both parties to be listening, and all too often that is not the case. Then again, even when people appear to be listening and agreeing, we have to remember the farce that was the Munich Agreement.
I don't know much about what I have written, but I do know that in this 'civilized' (sic) era, it’s awfully civilized being able to pop along to the Swimming Pool most mornings.
I tend to average 150+ lengths a week, and a fair few Sauna's to boot. Popping into the Sauna is my way of adding some relaxation and further extending the workout period. The heat maintains the raised heartbeat from the exercise; well that's my theory anyway. Plus of course there's the Social Intercourse. Like many people, I enjoy a good chat, and popping to the Pool enables me to exchange a few words with some friends. Routine, motivation, dialogue, exercise, warmth, and reflection.
It's all very civilized. Elias mentioned that we are unable to understand the "civilizing of conduct" and the transformation of the structure of mental and emotional life without "tracing the process of state-formation" within the advancing centralization of society. Elias also mentioned that this "first found (...) visible expression in the absolutist form of rule." So our development links to those 'power chances' that were gifted to a central authority. Now we can trace this state formation back to the middle ages, and enforce our understanding of later events, by reviewing 15C records. But in many ways this 'central authority' mechanism operated throughout the 20C and is still visible today. This is evidence that the civilizing process is a continuum. What one person thinks is civilized is not, and what many believe to be civilized; is still subject to improvement as gradual changes are introduced. By inference, this latter model cannot be 'civilized' because if it were, then there could be no room for improvement. Better still, our understanding of the process is based on ‘reflection’ in that we have to look for evidence in order to determine if improvements or advances were made. I wonder what future historians will think of the current turmoil in Arab countries. Will they believe that UN intervention was correct? Will they regenerate the Crusader against Islam theory? Or will it all boil down to a mere side show. It is quite upsetting that conflict through choice, has displaced the Humanitarian disaster in Japan from the front pages. But this is all too often the case, a side show steps in and prevents us from executing our intention or necessary actions.
The problems always seem to happen through a craving for power. For these persons the money sector of the economy is all too often the driving influence, and this craving allows the actors to seize their ‘power chances’. Be it 'oil', 'Land', or other wealth; the names of the actors never matter. Yes they will be noted in history, but in real terms the names don't matter as the sequence seems to happen time and time again. Sometimes it all ends with a fight between ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’, conflict or force exercised by those that consider themselves to be ‘Civilized’ against those, who for no good reason, they consider to be ‘un-civilized’. I'm not saying that what we are doing in Libya is wrong, only that I truly believe that dialogue and negotiation is better than conflict. Mind you, that requires both parties to be listening, and all too often that is not the case. Then again, even when people appear to be listening and agreeing, we have to remember the farce that was the Munich Agreement.
I don't know much about what I have written, but I do know that in this 'civilized' (sic) era, it’s awfully civilized being able to pop along to the Swimming Pool most mornings.
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