Swimmingly

[jack]

I went swimming at Jesus Green yesterday and it was great.

I just did 13 lengths of Jesus Green, but felt quite cleansed after. My legs felt weak afterwards, and my arms ached a touch this morning, from which I judge it to have been actually a decent workout, and yet easy to *do*, not in constant pain like trying to go jogging :)

I hadn't been swimming for years[1], not since I was at school. Dad and I used to swim quite a lot (often and far, in fact, I was briefly quite selkie).

[1] Except last week, I *had* arranged to go in the cam at the puntmoot, in lead up to taking up swimming again.

I thought it might be too cold, it hadn't been a very summery day, and flirting with raining. But the water was cool, which felt pretty good, and to make up for it, the showers were full and hot, which felt very very good. Though it would be nice to be sunny *sometimes*

I thought I mightn't be able to do it any more. In fact, I was AFAICT, pretty slow -- I can still swim, but not with a very efficient technique any more. But I can get up and down enough that it works rather than doesn't work.

I thought I might be embarrassed at stripping off in public -- my sveltness wars with my tact and my constantness as aspects that appeal people to me the least :) I think the same every time I get a new girlfriend, for that matter. But since Ghoti's party, I decided I might be able to improve it, but didn't see any point worrying about it. And indeed, no-one objected, and somehow when everyone's drenched its different.

It was quite quiet. There were at most half-a-dozen people, all circular swimming, so pretty much no-one's in anyone's way whatever happens. A couple of people in mini-wetsuits (which makes you look like you know what you're doing), a couple of middle-aged men who look like they could swim for leagues, a young couple who seemed to come to swim two lengths and shower together :) A young man in red shorts who practised diving with the lifeguards whenever the middle was clear. I met one of the men in the changing area coming out, and he said he came every day, and highly recommended it.

ETA: And I dropped my watch, but it overfulfulls its waterproof rating, and a nice man found it for me, and I can still manage to scoop stuff up from the bottom in a shallowish end.

Comments

[naath.livejournal.com]

Last time I went to Jesus Green it was full of kids prating around ;(

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Ah. I wasn't sure how typical my experience was. Maybe the rain scared them off :)

Of course, I want to spend 30% of *my* time pratting around, so I'm not sure how I'd demark the pool given the choice.

[naath.livejournal.com]

Most pools have a lane or two roped off for people to swim lengths in and then the rest of the area for doing whatever.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's what I'd expect. Here they had 2/3 of the pool for circular swimming, and 1/3 roped off because -- apparently, according to my friend in the showers -- the number of lifeguards on duty was regulated to only be sufficient for a smaller pool, regardless that it would be *safer* to space people out more.

[numberland.livejournal.com]

I'd heard a lot about this last year and knew they were going to rope of about 1/3 at least for a lot of the time, silly, silly government rules. What have they actually done in the end? (i.e which bit did they rope off?)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Yesterday, they'd roped off ~third of the width, on the opposite side to the entrance. There weren't any signs or anything, I don't know if they'd have stopped me or not if I'd gone in to practice diving, but didn't try.

[numberland.livejournal.com]

That makes sense. I'm pretty sure that that was indeed not meant to be used. The rules are very, very silly, including that in terms of how many lifeguards is required for a pool of a certain size, only the area is counted. Beacause obviously you need the same number of lifeguards in a 6x100m pool as a 20x30m one.... Anyway, I could rant about this all for far too long...

Would you like to head down to Jesus Green together at some point? I've been meaning to go for quite a while and I would be nice to go with someone - it sounds like neither of us will be scarily better than the other. Oh, and I second that 13 lengths should not be preceeded by just!

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes. Yes, I assumed the rules had got based on area. Which is a reasonable guess, I mean, it's obviously *about* right. But really does produce a stupid answer in this case -- if the pool had been the full width, it would have been *safer* as there'd have been *absolutely* no need for collisions, and no-one would be any further from the nearest guard; and yet even if there'd been only one person you'd still need more than one guard, as you could probably half-drown quite happily at the far end without really being visible.

Would you like to head down to Jesus Green together at some point?

Yes, sure. I want to go again, hopefully regularly, and certainly would enjoy a little company. Though it'll no doubt be a while before we're both free at the same time, I'll probably just shout if I feel like going and want to see if anyone wants to come with :)

[simont]

If it's entirely based on area, they should have roped off a bit in the centre – so that people could still swim in circles around the entire circumference of the pool :-)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

:)

Though actually, I don't know if that's better; most people seem to go end to end, swimming diagonally at most, I bet they think in terms on lengths rather than "turn right and swim 4m" at every end. And with the current set up, you can overtake in the oncoming lane, as it were.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Of course, with six people there, it's practically impossible for them to get it wrong, free swimming, circular swimming, lane swimming, would all work fine :) I *don't* fancy coping with kids -- but then I don't fancy coping with fast people either :)

[atreic.livejournal.com]

13 lengths of Jesus Green? And you say "just"? Doesn't that get you cross the channel?

I always feel like I've achieved something when I've managed 2! But then I really go to JG to dive :-)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you! *hugs* That makes me feel more competent :)

And of course, checking, I see that it is parkside which was 25m, (which was the size of the pool in Worcester where Dad and I went, after they rebuilt it), not jesus green, which is actually *90* metres, which means that I didn't swim 0.3km in just under an hour, but 1km, which is more like what dad and I used to try to do -- I was mainly pleased I could still move *at all*.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

(Oh dear, does that smiley look patronising in context of the next paragraph? It isn't, I'm pleased I did more than I thought, but am still generally Not the Physical Guy :))

Doesn't that get you cross the channel?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

LOL. No. Dad and I *did* swim that far once, but it took us all summer.

I would have liked to have done some messing about, but I wasn't really sure of the etiquette; everyone else was swimming up and down, until just before I left. I did some swimming underwater at the end, which is what I used to like.

Re: Doesn't that get you cross the channel?

[numberland.livejournal.com]

There is a big hard core group of people who go to jesus green most days and generally are the plow up and down type. If I want to mess around in this sort of situation I tend to go to the side (as opposed to end) and play there - no one minds if you aren't really getting in anyone's way. Have spent a lot of time in Jesus Green/ talking about Jesus Green of the years - my mum has been one of the above mentioned people... I even went 3+ times a week one year. Anyhows... should stop brain dumping at you.

Re: Doesn't that get you cross the channel?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

LOL. No, please. Keep it making me laugh for preference, but feel free to think away at me :)

And yes, that makes sense, thanks. Though I'm not sure what would be *best* -- obviously using the other 1/3 for *something* would be better, but probably not on the cards :). Sometimes I'd like to just swim, sometimes I'd like to chat, and sometimes I'd like to mess around with games/diving/underwater, I'm not sure how I'd divide it up if I had the choice :)

Re: Doesn't that get you cross the channel?

[numberland.livejournal.com]

I'm assuming the it in the first sentence shouldn't be there....

Re: Doesn't that get you cross the channel?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Which first sentence...? "LOL"? "that makes sense"?

Re: Doesn't that get you cross the channel?

[numberland.livejournal.com]

That should have been paragraph...

LOL. No, please. Keep *it* making me laugh for preference, but feel free to think away at me :)

Re: Doesn't that get you cross the channel?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Doh, I just didn't see the "it", I thought you said "assuming the first sentence shouldn't be there". And, I'm not sure, but I think that's what I meant -- "LOL. No, please [continue]. Keep [ensuring the braindumping] mak[es] me laugh for preference, but feel free to think away at me"..?

Re: Doesn't that get you cross the channel?

[numberland.livejournal.com]

Ah, that makes more sense. I was not particularly aiming at funny to being with (not that finding it funny is in any way bad or completely unintended) therefore my brain failed in grepige...

Re: Doesn't that get you cross the channel?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

LOL, yes. Not that that was especially funny, but talking uninhibitedly leads to amusement in general, so is good :)

[hmmm-tea.livejournal.com]

thethirdvoice and I went down there on Friday. It was quiet then too. She didn't believe me that lido was a real word until we got there...

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

thethirdvoice and I went down there on Friday.

Oh, cool.

She didn't believe me that lido was a real word until we got there...

LOL. I have to admit, I've never been 100% convinced. I generally hear it used jokingly, I think, rather than for real :) OTOH, if she wasn't convinced before, I wouldn't have trusted linguistics written on the walls at swimming pools :)

[mair_in_grenderich]

stripping off in public? :o

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

I mean, down to swimming shorts. (And *off* in the changing cubical, but that does have a door.) It's the size of my body as a whole I'm potentially embarrassed about, not anything to do with my thingies so they're equivalent for that :)

[mair_in_grenderich]

naked swimming for all on jesus green!

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

When searched cam.misc for reviews of swimming pools (and opening times, and timetable interpretations), there *were* several threads about naturist swimming days, I can't remember if there *were* any.

One shower block was out of commission, so the other was being unisex; I did not attempt to nakedise myself in it :)

[mair_in_grenderich]

ending of hackers comes to mind

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

What was that? When I first saw it (or read the book? no, that was after :o), I just thought it was stupid and didn't remember it very well -- only in retrospect did I consider it might be so bad it was really [80s chic retro] cool, so I don't remember it all. I think maybe it was the perfect example of a film which is as a whole engaging (good characters, exciting fast-paced plot, etc), but where every single fact portrayed was painfully imaginary :)

[mair_in_grenderich]

best. film. ever.

swimming pool scene.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

*thinks* She trapped him on the roof with a phantom swimming pool, and he set off all the fire alarms, but I thought they were near the start? And I remember something about moonlit swimming when they were being cute at the end? But not what.

[mair_in_grenderich]

I remember something about moonlit swimming when they were being cute at the end?

that's about all there was to remember.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

They got naked in a unisex shower block? Or they went naked swimming?

Wait, does that mean there really was a swimming pool?

Mum and Dad's romantic story is after they met they walked up the river together and swam across to the pub in their underwear.

[mair_in_grenderich]

no nakedness at all. it's not that kind of film!

O_O did they then go into the pub in their underwear?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

So they just went swimming?

Wait, but what about the existence of the swimming pool?

Well, they were young and in love :) (Or made it up for all I know :)) (PS. Hi mum, I hope you don't mind my relating, I think it's sweet...) AIUI they rolled their clothes up and carried them mostly out of the water, and then put them back on.

(Though, eg. when we go punting and jump in the river in T-shirt and shorts, or swimmming things, you may dry out in the sun quick enough you don't mind hanging around wet. It's only when it's a cold wet day that you really get soaked through and feel miserable from then on :))