Seraphim, the water baby.

I am just over the moon at how well I've done so far at my swimming sessions. I've only been doing a slow breast stroke back and forth, from one end to the other, but I can really tell only after 4 days of doing this what a difference it is making.

I'm starting to get my strokes down, one problem I have is that my frog kick is all over the place so I'm trying to slow down and concentrate on what I'm doing. Stroke to the sides with my arms while I'm pulling my feet up under my butt, point my hands outward and stretch while kicking my legs - propelling me forward. I did about twenty (many twenty-two, I lost count!) 25-yard laps today, then I did some legwork in the deep end, like bicycling, legs stretching to the side, and more practice with my frog kick holding on to the side.

My arms are as sore as can be, not painful, just a dull ache. I'm really feeling some soreness in my ab area (YEAH!!), but I can't really tell with my legs because they ache so much already!

Oh, but the feeling of being weightless for even just the 30-40 minutes I'm in there is just so awesome and relaxing on my joints. Although, I hate having to get out of the pool because once my feet hit solid ground I just feel so HEAVY! I mean, I know I am pretty heavy to begin with but you can really feel the gravity pulling you down once you don't have the water supporting you!

After I finish with my workout, I just bob. I totally relax and just let the water envelope me while I float. Niiiiiiice!

I haven't started going to the fitness center yet. I went over there Tuesday to check things out, but I just wanted my body to get used to the swimming before I added anything else to the mix.

I do so love swimming. I think it goes back to when my mom was pregnant with me, and she was sitting in my great-aunt's pool during a family get-together. My dad was so funny - he told her, "Carol, you better get out of there! You're going to drown the baby!" And he was serious!

My mom also had me take swimming lessons when I was 3, because she got scared after the little girl who used to live next to us drowned in a pond near their new home. To this day, the smell of pine cleaner makes me long for a pool to swim in (that's what they used at the YMCA where I took swimming lessons).

And then I was on the swim team for a few years when we lived in Bainbridge.

Anyhoo, I am enjoying my swimming so much I might drive in on Saturday for a session. I'll miss tomorrow because I have to get my allergy shot. Ah well. 5 days out of 7 is not bad at all!