I was talking to a friend about my Catalina swim in August. She said, “so let me get this straight…you are swimming a crazy amount every day?” I said “yes”…”to swim for over 10 hours in freezing cold water?” I said “yes”…”and the expense is high?” I said “yes”…”and you’ve gained 13 lbs. and are still gaining while you are training?”…I said “YES.” She said, “well I just don’t understand this at ALL!” I told her I really couldn’t explain it either because I don’t understand it myself sometimes. I thought I would be one of those “too vain to gain” swimmers but it turns out I have no problem eating my face off. As a matter of fact I can’t stop even when I try to control myself. I am not eating any more than I usually do when I train but for some reason, add the cold water and, the pounds seem to pack on. My coach says “your body just knows what it needs to do.” My husband says, “I don’t remember signing on for this cold water acclimating, weight gain business.” I think to myself, ‘I distinctly remember you promising ‘for better or for worse’ and although he did stutter over ‘for richer or for poorer,’ he did promise to all of the above so he’s in for the ups and downs, even if the ups mean a 10-15 pound heavier wife. It’s not like he sweeps me off my feet and carries me around so I don’t know what he’s complaining about. The good news is, the wrinkles around my eyes are not as bad:) So here’s the question part of my thoughts…Is it considered cheating myself if I wear an extra tight swimsuit on my IM days? Does anyone else ever get nervous before a practice when they know it will be a hard one? Did you ever do a long swim and daydream so much that you almost smack into the wall? Is chugging a coffee right before you get in the water at 6 AM considered hydrating? Is anyone actually reading this?
I’m reading!!! lol
That is interesting about the weight gain while training in cold water. I never heard that before. Remind me to never training for a cold water race 🙂 I have never day dreamed so much that I smack into the wall, but I have a super hard time counting my laps b/c of the thoughts running in my head. Keep up the good work!
I love the comments. Thank you so much Melis! Once a teammate always a teammate. Xoxo
The coffee thing, not so much.