The Zen of Swimming

    I am struggling through the frustration and depression of being unable to cycle and run. My knee continues to give me grief, even after 5 weeks of taking it easy. I have been going through KT Tape like a teenage boy goes through a gallon of milk. I'm keeping it taped, and often adding a compression wrap. I'm careful to wear supportive shoes, and mindful of how I walk, step, and kneel. And still it reminds me of my frailties with a random, hot, stabbing pain. Not a dull ache, mind you. This is one of those pains that really lets me know that there is something wrong. Something wrong enough that it is making me be sensible, and cautious, and shit like that. Not to mention pissed off.
    At least I have really upped the intensity of my upper body, core, and dryland training. Before too long I will have the shoulders of She-Hulk, which is kinda awesome. I have been doing leg work, but it focuses on hips, glutes, and calves, while avoiding load bearing the knee. Yeah, that is not all that easy, and my quads are going to suffer from it. Sunday morning I got on the bike, to do a little easy spinning while watching NCIS. My knee told me to stop at 23 minutes. 23 MINUTES! Fuck. I'm used to going for at least an hour or two, or more, with hard gearing and sprints. So, cycling is still out for now. So it was off the bike and into the no-knee leg work.
    I was forced to take a week off from swimming while they drained and cleaned the pool. It needed it. But it meant a whole week of no swimming. Last night I was back in the water, and it felt good. But even there, my knee reminded me of the damage done. I like to do my Individual Medly workout for overall swim strength and stamina: 2 laps each breast stroke, back stroke, freestyle X 6 = 1 Mile. My knee was not happy with the scissor kick of the breast stroke, so I had to modify the set, and be very mindful of my kick. Nonetheless, it felt fantastic to get back in the water. I swam a mile and a half, and felt strong and comfortable.
    Swimming is a form of meditation for me. The steady, repetitive movement. Stroke mechanics. Controlled breathing. The need to be always mindful of what my body is doing. The only sounds are the bubbles of my own breath rumbling past my ears, and the quiet swish of my arms entering the water. Sometimes I hold my breath and swim as silently as possible. Smooth and silent. Last night, letting my brain fall into the Zen of Swimming allowed me to get past the angst of not being able to bike and run. I had the image of me becoming a distance swimmer. A distance swimmer. Why not? Why not train for longer distance while my legs are forced into standby mode? I have already swam a 5K (granted, it was at the beginning of a 250K Tri), so why not aim for longer? It gives me a training goal, which I don't have right now. Something to push for. I need that. I need solid goals to each for, even if it only ever happens on my own time, in my own way. This is the beauty of the Zen of Swimming, it helps me push past obstacles and see the path ahead.