Sport

In the time pandemic, when external factors forced me to stay at home, I have appreciated the importance of exercising, physical movement and keeping fit. I believe socialising and sport are the two main activities that bring on endorphins. As the everyday part of the former, i.e. working in the office, had to be contained (and will sadly remain so), the deficiency of good vibes had to be made up for with the latter. At first I took long (5 – 10 kilometres) walks every day. With time and inspired by some people, I have decided to get my act to together and do more.

Firstly, I have stepped up cycling. I began the season in late March, with a 51-kilometre ride. On most weekends with moderate temperature (day-time high below +25C) I took trips longer than 50 kilometres. My lifetime one-day record is 95 kilometres (set in 2017) and I aim to beat it and ride 100 kilometres within one day. The trip will be split into 3 or 4 passages, with some breaks to a have a rest, including a lunch break at a bar for cyclists. If possible, I find company for cycling, but the record-beating ride will need to be a lonely one, so that I adjust the pace to my body. Besides, I have purchased a solid bicycle U-lock that will allow me to use the bike to take short (below 10 kilometres) trips which I used to take by public transport when I had a valid travelcard, but recently I had to cover them on foot or by car, if I was short of time to walk several kilometres (shame!).

Secondly, since the swimming pools opened, I go there more or less regularly. I have unfrozen my Multisport benefit card, which allows me to enter a swimming pool once a day free of charge and the renewal takes effect on 1 August. Since then, motivated by not having to pay 16 PLN for a single ticket (but paying a monthly surcharge of 40 PLN deducted from my salary), I aim to go there some three times a week (time and other obligations permitting). This resolution remains conditionally valid, until swimming pools are closed again*.

On Thursday I took up running. For starters, I bought a pair of running shoes. I ran again yesterday and plan to do it every second day. At the beginning, not to overstrain myself, I march one kilometre, then run one kilometre and do so in intervals (equipped my smartphone in an interval timer application) for over 20 minutes. From the next week I will run 2 minutes and march 1 minute, then run 3 minutes and march 1 minute, then keep on running for 20 minutes, then 25 minutes, then 30 minutes. Jogging at the beginning might be uphill (not literally), yet it gives me pleasure and satisfaction.

We might be in a for a return of restrictions on social life, the private life might not shape up well, though prospects are good at the moment, days will be getting shorter and colder soon. Many factors might get us down, but exercising has a healing effect on mental and physical health, comes rain or shine.

* After relaxing social distancing rules the number of new COVID-19 infections rises in several countries and I believe some restrictions will need to be imposed again to clamp down on number of new cases, but they will not be as harsh as in March or April 2020, as no economy can afford a second all-out lockdown. The coronavirus deserves a separate post anyway and I promise to write up one in August.

It's weekend, time to move your a**e

And in the summertime there’s no excuse for not doing so.

Back to work from holiday on Wednesday, after a short shake-down, I got back into the swings of things in the corporate world. Working in front of a computer and sitting in the same position a few hours a day is hardly ever conducive to keeping fit. Sitting in the same position on the first day turned out to be tiresome for me, and on my way back home I somehow remembered I have a card (also paid by my employer) that enables me to enter thousands of sport centres all across Poland, so why not use it… After sorting out things with the card (first one came with a spelling error in my surname, therefore invalid, had to be replaced) it was a sin to keep it unused for two months in a wallet. Financial incentive proved to be the best incentive…

I decided it would be nice to return to swimming. I used to swim a lot back in times of middle school, but at the age of 15 I was forced to give it up due to circumstances beyond my control, what in simple words means I had a severe allergy to chlorine (added to water in swimming pools for… yes, maybe you know for what reasons?) – my whole back and face were covered with rash and seared. I tried to return to swimming in pools two times and allergy relapsed. So from the beginning of my studies I would only swim in lakes during holidays, last time in July 2009. But after all, why not give it one more try? In the worst case the skin would sear for three of four days and then the pain would be gone.

I decided the best facility to visit would be the town sports centre in Piaseczno (a partner of an issuer of my card) where I can use the swimming pool totally for free. I chose to go there early on Saturday in the morning, to avoid droves of people that turn up there as soon as small hours are over. I arrived there at 6:50 a.m. and at that, for many, ungodly hour six tracks of the pool were occupied by some eight people, so I had one track for myself. The facilities haven’t changed much since the times when I used it often (and lived 50 metres from there). I swam for forty five minutes. Upon covering the distance of 150 metres I felt my heart and lungs were telling me I wasn’t fit enough. Unabashed, I carried on and, to my surprise, after swimming over one kilometre I felt much better than after 150 metres. As I was leaving, there were even fewer people around than the time I was coming in.

Until now the allergy has not made itself felt (may farewell to it be ultimate), I didn’t forget how ‘one does it’, just like in the case of cycling, swimming is a skill one doesn’t forget, just at the beginning I had some minor problems synchronising all body movement and breathing in air above water and breathing it out under water.

As I walked back home the dearth of people in the swimming pool reminded me of game theory. I wondered how many people would have to think ‘I’ll come earlier because there’ll be fewer people’ to throng the place. Apparently the temptation to sleep early on Saturday morning is much stronger than the desire to enjoy swimming without shouting children and teenagers and having to share a track with a few other people… Most people go for sleeping.

Swimming a sport has some advantages that have to be underlined:

1. you can’t get sweat,

2. most muscles work when you do it,

3. you can easily keep fit, or bring youself back fit, without running risk of overstretching yourself,

4. doesn’t require high financial outlays – of course not everyone can go to a swimming pool for free, but charges aren’t that high (ask me how much an hour costs and I’ll plead my ignorance), but compare it to skiing,

5. you can do it all year round, although in the winter when you wear a lot and have to dry your hair carefully it is a bit of a nuisance,

6. is an alternative to gym (but slower) method of body building .

Later yesterday I tidied up the garden after recent rainfalls and washed the car, so I had a very reasonable dose of physical exercise. Today in the morning I felt a bit sore thighs, arms and nape, but now the ache is gone. I planned cycling around 15 kilometres today in the morning, but the weather has put me off. Around 8:30 a.m. it was damn hot (some +25C) and air was terribly humid. I was soaking with sweat before putting my backside on the saddle, so the trip was assigned the “put back” status. As it turned out later, morning was the time when the chance to cycle could be taken. After 10:00 a.m. stormclouds set in from the west and around 11:00 a.m. rain lashed down. Clement weather doesn’t wish to come back today, but may it come the next weekend – I’d be glad to see sunshine and warmth (around +20C, no more than +25C in the warmest moment of the day).