PROTEIN SHAKE?

Written 6 January 2012

This Saturday 7 January 2012 I will be swimming the 2012 Pier to Pub (P2P). The week beginning 2 Jan saw me commence a strict training routine. Preparations had a scare when a tooth filling of mine fell out.  It meant that I ran the risk of a bad tooth ache which could have blown my chances of swimming the event. Fortunately I was able to book a ‘last minute’ appointment with the dentist before the ocean swim.

Much of the time I spend in the pool this week has been spent thinking of ideas to promote the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) at the Lorne P2P. The first idea that came to mind was to wear a red suit  alike the one my Healthy-Living-Loving, Bike-Share-Nuts alter-ego ‘Mibsy’ wears. When I thought back to the ’30 in 30’ swim celebrations at the City Baths (the one where I swam a celebratory lap of the pool as ‘Mibsy’) , I remembered how uncomfortable it was to move and breathe when swimming in the blue suit. I think I might settle on some red body paint; head to toe in red, and with red speedos. I know Tony Abbott (Australia's Prime Minister in waiting) likes those and I might even catch his eye as he’ll be there. 

Swimming is a good place to think, and I’ve done it regularly for a long time. I often swim 20 lengths of a 30 metre pool, but sometimes I’ll struggle to reach 12 lengths, partly because I find swimming incredibly uninteresting. The ‘One, Two, Three, BREATH! is hard to keep exciting after 5 minutes even though I do enjoy the overall experience of being in the water.

Over the years I’ve often thought how pleasant the swimming experience would be whilst listening to something; music, chatter… noise.   Anything to keep your mind off the mechanics of the exercise. For Christmas my good friend Margaret got me an underwater IPod shuffle.  It’s early days and it’s already changed my life.  Nowadays I only  get out of the pool because I have stuff to do rather than being fed up.  I’ve been listening to a variety of music and podcasts, and have recently started listening to ‘This American Life’ with Ira Glass.

As I often say, swimming has been a TITANIC PULLY for me since I joined the Melbourne City Baths (MCB) in 2008. In November I swam everyday of the month.   I spent so much time in and out of the water that I contracted Tinea Pedis (Athlete’s Foot) which is a common fungal  infection of the feet. This type of fungus is contagious and is often got through visiting public places (such as the natatorium showers or locker rooms). Yes, I suspended my membership whilst I was infected and am now fighting-fit.

Earlier in the year I bought  a ‘Special membership offer’ of 3 x Personal Training sessions and 10 x visits to the Gymnasium for $69. I’ve never been a fan of gym workouts but with my intended involvement in fun runs / swims in 2012 I thought I’d take up the offer. This week I turned up to my first Personal Training appointment and was introduced to my trainer ‘Ross’. It’s great working with someone who shares the same name as you,  and it turns out that he’s as big of a fitness fanatic as me! Trainer Ross showed me the ‘ropes’ (literally, it’s a new exercise at gyms these days), the Express Lap Pull Down, Slosh Ball, Seated Row, Kettle Bell and we went through a range of other exercises.

Midway through the session a voice shouted from across the gym “Hey Ross, did you finish off that protein shake?”. I immediately turned around ready for a confrontation. Trainer Ross laughed when he realized my confusion “Don’t worry, he’s talking to me” and I continued my reps.

Preparation seems to be going well, I’ll need to book in a day of rest and recovery between now and Saturday. This summer break is going well. A nice break from work. 

Written 6 January 2012

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