Swimmingly

Jun. 25th, 2007 01:24 pm
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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.

Doesn't that get you cross the channel?

Date: 2007-06-25 02:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 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?

Date: 2007-06-25 03:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 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?

Date: 2007-06-25 03:30 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 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?

Date: 2007-06-25 03:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 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?

Date: 2007-06-25 04:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com
Which first sentence...? "LOL"? "that makes sense"?

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

Date: 2007-06-25 04:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 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?

Date: 2007-06-25 04:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 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?

Date: 2007-06-25 05:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 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?

Date: 2007-06-25 11:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com
LOL, yes. Not that that was especially funny, but talking uninhibitedly leads to amusement in general, so is good :)