22 laps

First of all, I am pretty sure that post title should have 22 spelled out, but then it loses the impact. Second, I am referring to swimming, not running.

I have not gone running (other than running in the pool) for over a month now, which is my longest layoff since I started running again in September 2009. But I have been swimming three times a week (four during a good week) the entire month of January, so I am hopeful I am keeping in shape.

Knowing that I have not been running, I have really been pushing myself while in the pool. I used to do five laps, six on a good day. Eventually I starting swimming 10 laps, with 12 coming on a good day. Last week, I surpassed that, and today, I swam 22 laps!

The pool I swim in is a junior Olympic-sized pool (so the hotel says), which is 25 meters long (so the internet tells me). Assuming all that to be true, that means today, I swam 1000 meters. In full disclosure, I would swim two laps at a time, stopping anywhere from two to five minutes in between each "set:"; since I come to the pool with my kid, I need to keep an eye on her as well as play with her. But in all honestly, it would be difficult for me to swim more than two laps at a time, unless I am doing the side stroke or "T" back stroke, two easy strokes.

On the one hand, I am super proud of myself. I know that swimming is very challenging, and it uses so many muscles. Plus it is low impact, so it is really good for you. But what bothers me is that even though I can and have been completing a lot of laps in the last few weeks, I feel out of shape because I can't swim for more than a few minutes without needing to take a breather. For someone who does not regularly exercise, that may not seem like that big of a deal. But for someone like me who can run for 45 minutes without stopping (or at least I could before Christmas), it seems odd and makes me wonder if I am not in as good of shape as I think.

Once it stops snowing or sleeting for more than two days at a time, so I can feel reasonably sure I won't slip on ice AND once the temps are above 30, I plan to get back out there and run. I guess that will be the true test.

Until then, I am just going to be proud of my 22 laps!