Training for Life
Mrs. Swaim and I were sitting at Quinn's pond in Boise last Saturday on a park bench. I was drip drying from having gone for a dip and as usual, I didn’t have a towel. Or my flip flops. We had just finished a hike and I was dusty and hot. But now I was sort of clean and not even a little hot! So, we sat there in the sun, watching people loading paddle boards, plastic kayaks, setting up shade structures, just normal summer Saturday things. Like Saturday In the Park, by Chicago.
But then..
But then two middle aged folks, I’ll assume husband and wife, came with a boat load of gear, but they didn’t have a boat. They had arm loads of swim gear. Fair enough, I had just gotten out and could vouch for how chilly the water was.
So they start the laborious process of getting ready. To go swimming. Not to jump out of an airplane, or scrub for surgery, or work on a buick, but to go swimming.
They were dressed in jeans, and cotton hoodies, and they wore some sort of water type shoes. They put the arm load of gear onto the bench next to us, giving us great seats to watch! And so they began. Undressing. Slowly and methodically. They had put their suits on under their clothes at home. So that was done. Check. Good plan.
As I sat there dripping, watching, I asked “Are you training for a race?” I have done enough open water swimming over the years to feel qualified to ask the question. Based on all the preparations and knowing that Quinn's pond routinely has people training for open water races and triathlons, it seemed pretty obvious but I had to ask.
“No,” the woman said in all seriousness, “training for life.” “Good plan.” says I, smirking a little.
Really it was all I could do to not burst out laughing. I somehow held it together and kept watching as they “prepared” to train for life. Training for life can be a good thing, but is it possible to overtrain?
Next came the ear plugs. Two sets, each. Eight total. Swim caps? Two each. Four total. Wool socks? One pair each, to go under the neoprene booties. Check. They then did something I thought was clever by putting a plastic grocery bag over the wool socks, before the neoprene booties, to make it easier to put on the wetsuit. If you have ever put on a wetsuit before, you know what a hassle it is. You wiggle and struggle and fight and adjust and wiggle some more. They don’t go on very easily. You really have to want it because it is work. Wetsuits are a great idea on paper. I haven’t worn one in years because they are so dang hard to put on. Once the wetsuit is on, however, then the neoprene booties can finally be put over the wool socks.
Getting the idea?
I kept staring in amazement. “This is a heck of a lot of prep,” I thought, “this training for life business.”
But they weren’t finished.
Next came the goggles, which from experience, I know they tend to leak. So, they fiddled and fussed and eventually got them suctioned onto their eye sockets perfectly. Next came the blowing up of their life saving buoys. These buoys float behind the swimmer and strap around the swimmer's waist. Buoys all blown up? Check. And finally out came the nose clip that plugs the swimmer's nose. It has a strap that looks like a pair of sunglasses. Oh yes, and don’t forget the neoprene gloves, lest your hands get wet and cold.
20 minutes goes by. And there they stood, on the greenbelt, all tricked out and the lady said, to no one in particular, and I’m not making this up, “How are we going to get to the water’s edge with all this goose poop everywhere?” I wanted to yell, “What, you forgot something? Like a red carpet that insulates you from the environment even more?”
Her husband was very non-communicative, with us and with her. Apparently training for life requires intense concentration lest you forget a detail.
They gingerly tiptoed around the goose poop, and believe it or not, made it safely to the waters edge. And then they got in. And then they waited around for a few more minutes waist deep. Finally, they set-off, I’m not sure what triggered it, but they did. I kept thinking, I hope those geese have not been pooping in that water! Giggle giggle.
By now I'm completely dry, and barefooted still, enjoying the sun, the goose poop, the outside world! I love being outside, prepared or not, and I think being outside is one of the healthiest things we can do and if we do it on a regular basis, our wellness score goes way up, no matter the activity.
Equally important however, is actually forcing your body to adapt to the environment. Adaptation is the currency of health and wellness. If you are able to adapt to the environment, you live better. If it is hot, you sweat. If it is cold, you shiver. These are necessary adaptations and they can and should be cultivated.
Look folks, having a plan is fine, but it is not always necessary. Having a sense of adventure is the best training for life because it teaches you how to be adaptable. Again, adaptability is a skill to be cultivated; and managing every possible outcome and having multiple contingencies and redundancies, doesn’t promote adaptation. It promotes predictability. Predictability is not always the healthiest thing on the menu.
Training for life?
Expose yourself to nature and quit closing all the loopholes. You will survive and be the healthier for it. That is the best training.
Cheers,
Dr. Swaim
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay