I’ll start with the good news: I ran on Sunday for the first time in months. I did two loops of Clissold Park, running solely on grass, and walking over the odd stretch of pavement. It was something like 2 miles.
While the run wasn’t hugely difficult muscularly or cardiovascularly, I could definitely feel it in my joints, especially my knees. But fortunately not my ankle.
This was supposed to be a light jog to get me used to running again, so I was really surprised when I woke up (after a very broken sleep) with very sore legs on Monday morning. I usually like this kind of physical feedback, but instead I immediately thought “Ugh, I don’t want to go to my swim lesson tonight”. All day I had this on my mind, feeling dread at the thought of going, but guilt at the thought of skipping.
Eventually I decided that these mind games were stupid and I should just do what would make me and my body happiest. So I skipped my swimming lesson in favour of rest. That night, I slept 8 hours straight, and went for a swim at the London Fields Lido before work on Tuesday morning. It was only the second time I’ve been to the Lido this year, instead tending towards the closer and newer Clissold Leisure Centre. But the CLC doesn’t beat the Lido in length (50m) or ambience (outdoors, heated). And on Tuesday morning, the Lido was enshrouded in fog, so much fog that I couldn’t see the few brave swimmers around me (unless I looked under water). And after such a good sleep, the swim felt great. My legs were still sore but the swim loosened them up. For those 26 laps (1300m) and 35 minutes, I focussed my thoughts on swimming, breathing, kicking, the task at hand. At the end of it, I felt totally relaxed and wondered why I ever traded this pool for anything else.
This is what swimming is about for me: the relaxation, the quiet, the peace. It’s not fun when I’m swimming back in forth in a crowded pool, thinking more about not bumping into people than on the swim itself. These quiet spots are hard to find in London.
I started with good news, which usually means some bad news to follow. But now that I’m at the end of the story, I realise there is no bad news at all. If anything, it’s that the Lido will become more crowded as the days get longer and the weather gets warmer. Even so, the atmosphere is so completely other from the rest of London that it’s impossible to complain. And more people in the pool is a sign that winter is ending and summer is on it’s way. Good news triumphs again!
The best news of all is that I’m looking forward to swimming again. Tomorrow. In the morning. At the Lido.
I find it very frustrating that there are so few decent pools in Brighton and Hove. Near me (and I use that phrase loosely) there is just one – the King Alfred Leisure Centre, and that’s closing in August for rebuilding – for 2 or 3 years. That leaves just one decent pool that I know of – and it’s going to be absolutely heaving. And 40 minutes away.
I worked out it’s actually quicker for me to take the train to Worthing, and go to one of the leisure centres there, than to go into Brighton.
Then there’s the sea, but that’s a little nippy at this time of year. And not overly pleasant.
I’d really like to do more swimming, but Brighton and Hove council don’t make it easy!
I feel VERY fortunate to live so close to TWO pools that are open year round. I definitely wouldn’t be swimming if it wasn’t easy enough to do so. (If the traveling takes longer than the swimming, there’s no way.)
Always great to see good news about lidos! Have just recently returned from the World Winter Swimming Championships held at Tooting Bec Lido on the weekend of 8th-10th Feb (2008)amidst glorious sunshine, where I was helping out as a volunteer.
My own fight has been for the Ipswich lido, Broomhill Pool, which closed in 2002; a continuous campaign has been fought since that time to save it and a Heritage Lottery bid will be made by the Broomhill Pool Trust very soon now.
In April, Broomhill Pool will be celebrating its 70th anniversary (1938 – 2008) and hopefully will be on its way to being truly ‘saved’ for future generations.
Sally, thanks for the comment, and for posting a link to the yahoo group (I’ve signed up!). World Winter Swimming Championships… sounds like fun. I’m not really ready to go competitive but I’d love to find a club. Any ideas?
Good luck saving Iswich and Broomhill… anything we Hackney folks can do?