Spike turns up with toys

By Virginia Winder
When I went swimming with an old friend this morning, she brought along a bag of aids.
"You've got to have toys," she says, placing paddles and fins on the side of the pool and grabbing a dumbbell flotation device for drag.
It was great fun and I learnt a whole lot of new things because Spike's a swimmer from way back. She's been on a website called swimplan.com and got a schedule for 1500 metres. We kicked, dragged, did one arm training, push glides, used the paddles (and made seal noises - well I did) and worked on style.
Not only are toys great for training, they also add variety.
In the end we both did 40 lengths and then ran for four lengths, pretending we were slow-motion superheroes.
You see it appears I'm not the only one who lives in an athletic fantasy world.
Afterwards we talked about the delusions and disillusions of maturity.
Spike's way older than me (alright, just by 15 months) and says she's struggled getting back into swimming because she immediately expected to perform like she did as a teenager and 20-something-year-old.
That's like me with my transition from walking to running.
We both agreed, over salads from Tank, that we will get there, one step or stroke at a time.
Or one spin class.
Yes, I did a double dose today - swimming in the morning and indoor cycling at the gym tonight.
Annoyingly, I'm having a bit of difficult with my right foot.
Years ago, when backpacking around Greece, I went over in a pothole when leaving the island of Kos.
My ankle was excruciatingly painful, but thought it was just a bad sprain.
My dear fiance (now husband) was a bit grumpy with me for holding us back from sight-seeing. I had to lie in our hotel room in Athens while he explored the city by himself.
Not to be a drag, I hobbled around on it for days, including limping to the top of the Acropolis.
It's never been 100%.
Earlier this year I twisted that same ankle at Womad and was sent for an x-ray.
"You've broken this one before," the technician told me, looking at the film.
That was news to me, but it did explain some things.
Like why I was in so much pain after doing it, why it took so long to mend and why I can't sit cross legged.
I'm sure stretching, proper positioning in the bike foot straps and good walking shoes are helping.
Or perhaps there's a new toy I need that will help me.
Because, as Cindy Lauper says: "Girls just wanna have fun!"

Today, I:
Swam 40 lengths of a 50-metre pool
Ran 4 lengths
Did a spin class
Drank a good amount of water
Ate three nutritious meals
Have continued to cut down on carbohydrates
Worked for 1.5 hours
Slept for 9 hours (blissful and much needed!)