The maintenance work at the Local Pool finished yesterday bringing the week-long closure to an end.  I don’t usually swim on a Saturday, but I was keen to get back in the pool, particularly as we have visitors this weekend and an early morning swim seemed like a good way of getting some exercise without impacting our plans for the day.

Not being a regular on a Saturday, I didn’t quite know what to expect.  Given it had been shut all week I assumed the pool be busy.

I arrived to find 6 lanes marked out.  Normally the swimming team would have been using 4 of the lanes but today they were all available to the public.  There were some early comings and goings, but shortly after my arrival there were only three of us in the pool, and it stayed that way for the duration of my session.  What a difference it makes to have a dedicated lane.  A rare luxury.  Bliss!

Sharing a lane can be frustrating!

After the session, one of my fellow swimmers asked me a question:

“What are you training for?”

I thought this was a fantastic question to ask in a Swimming Pool / Gym type setting.  There’s no real downside… if you’re not training for something you’re likely to be pleased that someone considered you might be, and if you are it’s obviously a good conversation starter.

Personally, I was really pleased to be asked.  It’s the first time anyone’s openly mistaken me for someone who’s fit for a long time.  I took it as a sign that I’m making progress.

As it turned out, the chap I was speaking to is training for an Ironman event in South Africa in April next year (2.4 km Swim, 120km Cycle and a 28km Run).  Clearly he has a little more conditioning under his belt than me!

The delights of competitive Open Water Swimming!

I have to admit, I was a little bit jealous.  I suspect I’ll never be in a position to take on such a gruelling challenge.  I’ll continue to set myself challenging goals, but they will always be within the context of my medical history, long term medication, etc.

I was recently asked a question about what I can’t do as a result of my Heart Attack.  The list of things didn’t extend much beyond “some rides at Disney” and “scuba diving”.  I suspect in reality the list is much longer, but I’m not going to add Ironman events to it just yet.  Instead I’ll focus on doing what I can, taking it one step at a time.  Who knows where the journey will end up!

Probably a step too far for me right now!