Swimming laps

Norma Jean on her way to .6 mile swim

Well, this morning I swam a half mile in the Betmar Acres Olympic sized pool. After checking on line to see if I was truly going the distance, I discovered the following information:

A "Swimming Mile" is shorter than a "Real Mile." 
If you want to swim a "REAL" mile read below:
1 Mile = 5280 Feet
5280 Feet divided by 3 feet/yard = 1760 Yards
1760 Yards / 25 Yards / length of pool = 70.4 Lengths
70.4 laps / 2(Down+Back) = 35.2 laps
Since it would be odd to just swim .2 laps at the end I typically swim 36 Laps (down and back) to cover 1 mile = 72 Lengths of the pool to cover 5280 Feet

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_laps_do_you_need_to_swim_to_make_a_mile#ixzz1Fk0tDF5z


I misspoke when I said I had swum 24 laps in my previous post. It was 24 lengths, 24 times up and down the pool. A lap is out and back. This morning I went 36 lengths up and down the pool, so I figure it was really and truly a "real" half mile. Norma Jean usually swims 42 lengths, or .6 of a mile.

It took me about a half hour to swim that far, and in answer to some commenters who think I am Superwoman because of my ability to swim that distance, I have to confess that our fellow pool users thought, when I first began swimming with Norma Jean, that they would have to call 911 before I collapsed. When I first started, I tried to swim too fast, and I was nervous about the feeling of not getting enough air.

Years ago, I swam laps for exercise, but it had been thirty years or more, and I had forgotten all the techniques I learned. Since a pool was rarely available, I moved from swimming to jogging, which only required me to have a good pair of running shoes, and I could do it anywhere, anytime. I had not been in a pool for exercise in decades.

When I started swimming two weeks ago, I could only make it up and down the pool 4 times (2 laps) before stopping to gasp for breath. I rested and tried again, swam another lap, gradually making it up to 10 lengths while NJ  swam her 42. When I got out of the pool, my legs felt like jello. My arms were sore. So much for being in good shape!

But I kept at it, since my usual exercise routine is out of reach. A few days ago, I reached a milestone when I was able to swim 24 lengths without stopping. The two things I learned in order to swim a good distance is (1) slow down, way down; and (2) relax about breathing. I like to breathe every other stroke, on my right side, but I remember when swimming long ago, I was able to take three strokes and breathe out slowly, using the opposite side every other breath. All my efforts to do that these days are for naught, since I tend to think I'm going to drown.

But, once I return home and try out the pool at my own local YMCA, I think I'll work on that. I notice that I swim differently on each side because of breathing only on the right. But today I am smiling because of the addition of yet another way to exercise, even though it's not weight bearing, it sure feels good!

We then put a leash on each the two dogs and took them for a short walk. Chester is a delight and I get a warm fuzzy feeling every time I think of him alive and vital and not exterminated as an unwanted creature. (It would have happened last week.) Babe is afraid of everything: she cringes when walking across a bridge because it makes noise, and she cowers at every small change in the environment. When the garbage truck came down the road, Norma Jean picked her up and held her as she trembled. She was also targeted for the doggie Auschwitz, but I knew someone else would have adopted her, since she's young (somewhere around two). Chester's senior status makes him VERY unwanted, but that's just so wrong. Chihuahuas live a long, long time, and I am glad to have been part of his rescue.
:-)