Prisoner of the blue lines
Joni Mitchell sings of becoming “a prisoner of the white lines of the freeway” and I can’t help but relate this to the “prisoner of the blue lines of the swimming pool."
I really should be thankful for those blue lines because they at least keep me from swimming in circles, something I have been assured is a possibility once I get into the open water of Boerne City Lake or Austin’s Town Lake. Those blue lines at the pool also alert me to the approaching wall at the end of the lane, the opportunity to grasp the edge and catch one’s breath or to simply touch, do whatever degree of turnaround you can manage, then retrace that same blue line to the opposite end of the pool. I haven’t been at this long enough to despise the blue line, but I would guess there will come the time to liberate myself from the enclosure of a pool and try my stroke in open water. The thought of that still leaves me breathless, so for now I am quite content to continue as a “prisoner of the blue lines of the 25 meter pool," at least for the time being.
1 comment:
James! The best thing ever about open water swimming is you DO NOT have to turn around, do a flip turn, etc. you just get to keep on with your journey to the next buoy. Which you will be spotting as you lift your head to breath and locate yourself in open water. Open water is fabulous. Because the swim is the first event it usually takes place around sunrise, and light is at a minimim. Because of this I prefer to wear very light tinted goggles to see the buoys (orange in specific from Run Gear Run). Others say they need darker to keep the sun out of their eyes, or some say dark blue work best to make the orange buoys show up better against the background. What ever your choice, its important to try to get out there for that open water swim before race day with a BUDDY or a group. Susan Ingram of M.O S.T simulates open water swims in her practices by taking out the lane lines and putting up markers to swim around. She also does open water stroke drills and leads a group at the lake on occasion. That would be a great start for anyone. Her websight is listed as Masters of South Texas.
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