Monday, February 25, 2008

Missing Without Action

Dear Blog,

I wanted to tell you that I have missed writing to you. I hurt my knee and missed a few days in the pool. Then, I started my workouts again, and a few days later I got the flu. I'm still sick and plan to start blogging again in a couple of days. I've gotta get feeling better soon. Right now my throat is wider than the grand canyon and my fever makes me confuse dreams from reality.

I miss you. I will get back to writing soon.

Thanks for everything,

-Miles

Monday, February 11, 2008

Day 38 - Brrrrrr

When I got to the facility on Saturday, Feb 9th. The pool was open, so I got right to my workout. Oh, my the water was cold. It felt like low 70's. Sure enough, when Brook used her handy dandy combination whistle & thermometer it read 75 degrees. Usually pools are kept at 82 - 90 degrees. Hot tubs 10-20 degrees warmer. If there is a swim team they might drop the pool to 80 degrees, but that makes it a little cool for normal use.

I did my routine, but I felt chilly the entire time. Even after I got my blood pumping I felt cold. I thought about Dad and decided that he was lucky to have missed the pool because of work. He would have been shivering. Saturday, normally a high family use day, was relatively calm.

Today, Monday, well the water was still chilly. I figure it will probably take another 2 or 3 days for the water to get up to the normal temperature. Pool heaters are designed to maintain water temperature, they are not able to handle large changes of temp over short time periods. When a pool is filled up it can take any where from one week to one month for the heater to get the temp to normal ranges.

How did I do? Well, aside from normal cramps and stiffness from the cold water I did pretty good. In fact, today was a pretty good workout. I finished my routine and still had almost 10 minutes to go before my hour was up. I kept moving anyway. My goal is not just to finish the routine, but it's to do at LEAST one hour of exercise 5 - 6 times a week.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Day 36 - The Spill

As I was doing my workout today one of the staff members came into the pool area, from the back door. Which is unusual because the facility entrance is out front. She was saying something to another staff member that sounded like "OK I turned it off and checked to make sure everything is out." What in the world did that mean? I dunno, so I kept doing my routine.

A while later I noticed that the pool seemed to be a little cooler than normal, not a big change. I put my foot down to the water inlet and there was water flow, but it was not being heated. I figured that the heater was just kicked off. I also assumed that I was imagining things about the water temperature changing.

As I was getting dressed there was small talk about pilot lights being shut off. At the front counter, where we exchange keys, I asked what was going on and I was told that the Fire Department had told them to shut off all Propane use, including pilot lights. There had been some kind of a spill or something. Now I was curious. I left the building but didn't see any Fire trucks, Response Units, or any other evidence of a problem.

I decided to drop off at the Shell Shack, which is across the street from Island Athletic. When I got up to the drive through window, I noticed a Fire truck in a field. I asked the teller if she knew what was happening and she told me that they were being closed down at 5 pm. There had been a Propane fuel spill, a 13,000 gallon tank was being transfered and it fell off the truck and tipped over. For safety reasons all businesses in the area were being closed and propane sources were being turned off. Mystery solved.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Day 34 - Fuzzy Logic

I ran out of an important pharmaceutical, last week, that helps me manage my Blood Sugar. Guess what happens when a person runs out of their Blood Sugar medication? In my case it means my eyes have a hard time staying focused. My right eye starts to develop a life of it's own. I get to learn how to cope by seeing two of everything, and one of the pair keeps moving around. Can I use the keyboard? Well, that is debatable, since I am not smart enough to do it by feel yet, I'm a two finger type of guy. Or at least I have to look at the keyboard while I hunt and peck at the keys.

Some day I will get one of those programs that teaches typing. I think one of the most popular is Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing (r). My kids used it and they are able to scream on the computer keyboard. In fact, Bryce actually has to wait for the keyboard buffer to catch up with him. He has to slow down because many programs get angry with him for being so fast. Speedy Gonzalez (AKA Saturday Morning Cartoons as a kid) would not be able to keep up with my kids. Am I a proud parent? What do you think? Of course I am!

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On to the real battle, life in the workout lane. I did go to the facility on Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (today).

Tuesday was amazing. There were so many people in the pool when I arrived that I wondered if there was even room for me to do any kind of a workout. Both lanes were full. Physical Therapy was running top speed, as were swimming lessons, kids playing like mad, and other trying to do laps in between the crashing waves. It was fantastic. Nothing better than a busy pool. The noise can be overwhelming at times, but the smiles and excitement are intoxicating.

I was forced to modify my normal workout routine. It just did not fit the locale. No problem, I adapted and kept moving anyway. I just kept in mind the words of Dr. Call to move for one hour. That is exactly what I did, I kept moving, avoiding, swimming, walking, bobbing, jumping (sort of), and splashing. It was really great and actually refreshing to have the challenge.

Today was more like normal. There were a few people in the pool working out or relaxing. Nothing like the day before. Oh, yeah, today is Adults Only, that is why there were no children. Well, it was really quiet and most of the waves were made by me.

I did have a challenge though. For the last few days I think I have been accumulating water in my body. Which has radically effected my buoyancy and motor control. It has been difficult to move in a straight line, just keeping moving has been a struggle. Add to that, my right hip, leg, and ankle have been sore. It was a less than delightful day. I'm not wanting to sound like I am complaining. However, it's important to document my experiences so later on I can look back and hopefully see a positive progression in experiences and results.

Some good things have developed. I have not felt like hiding from people this week. Nor has there been fear for me as I approach time to go do my workout. In fact, I have been looking forward to the process. I am starting to enjoy what I am doing. Who knows, I may just keep working out, I will go tomorrow and see what happens next.

Dad has been going with me most of the time. He said today that his knees were not hurting, before his workout. Which is fantastic. Recently he has had a reduction in discomfort after his workouts, but today he felt good before. When he started last month, he barely did 20 minutes, now he finishes an entire 60 minutes and feels good. On our way home he said that he no longer feels like the workouts are a struggle.

If Dad can improve that much in a month, so can others. The hardest part is getting started. Some people need company or motivation. If a friend or family member will go with them, they can get started. After a while it can become a habit, then good things start to happen.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Day 30 - Glad I'm a Blond

I am Glad I'm a blond. I was in the locker room and I realized that when people have dark hair all their hair is dark. Their arms, legs, chest, and so forth. Some guys have tons of hair and look like gorillas. If my hair was darker in color I would probably not reach the gorilla stage, but it would surely be a difference for me. There are others that have gray heads and dark hair below the neck line. My head may never go silver colored. Being blond, I cannot even see the gray hairs that I probably already have.

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Yesterday, when my workout hour was almost up, staff members were quickly bringing in chairs, moving tarps, and setting up timers. They were getting ready for a swim meet. It reminded me of the swim meets I participated in 30 years ago. There was always someone as fast or faster than me. To win the heat I had to swim so hard that my chest was ready to burst. During my daily workouts I thought about the competition and pushed myself harder and harder. I wanted to get my body ready to move faster the next time. Eventually, it no longer mattered if I was going to win, it became a competition against my own limitations. I fought to beat myself, day after day.

Now, I am doing my best to hold back and not push so hard. Each time I get in the water, that internal desire to push harder jumps out. I do want to improve and get stronger, but I am battling the Pain Monster that is always lurking in the shadows. I seek a balance between improvement and going too far.

I do feel that I am getting past the Red Zone and that I will be able to continue working out 5 - 6 time each week. Which is a wonderful relief. But I know that failure is hidden behind pushing too hard or only a few missed days away.

As I look at others in the pool, doing their own workouts I see varied levels of determination. Many get in the water and attack with a vengeance. Others seem to be taking their time, enjoying the swim. Others start moving but quickly slowdown and go through the motions without exerting energy or raising their heart rate beyond the normal resting rate. As I move back and forth in my lane I realize that my workout is only as effective as the effort I expend. When I push my body beyond it's resting state, I force it to improve. The challenge is to push enough to cause the change but not so hard as to bring the Monster out of the shadows.