Today was by far the worst day in the pool, but I was able to get 2.1k done in 1:42. That leaves just 2.15k for tomorrow, the day of the swim in the Severn, where a few people are also aiming to do the 25.8k distance.
The others will be doing the regular 12.8k route.
The reason for today's troubles can be attributed to a pool that seemed to hold half the population of Oakville. Well, I exaggerate. Maybe 25 per cent of the town.
That meant great water turbulence and having to try to get past other swimmers, while staying in my correct lane, which alters as you go up the pool and then return.
Some people figure anywhere between the markers is okay.
But the slow, medium and fast sections have four lanes each. You're supposed to swim up the pool beside one of the section dividers and come down a body width away from the divider.
If two people are each swimming up one of the two slow-swimmer lanes, one along the left marker and the other along the right, they are supposed to return side by side back down, thus leaving room for other swimmers to proceed up along the markers.
With all the people in the pool, though, and with all the turbulence from heavy splashers and just from every stroke, I swallowed water about a third of the time that I came up to breathe.
I think I drank three to four cups of the pool. It was bad enough thinking about what was in that water, but with a banded stomach that can hold only eight ounces until food/liquid passes through the barrier, I was always burping up water, which I had to reswallow because you just can't vomit it back into the pool.
This resulted in loss of breath, a feeling of tightness in my band area and lots of burps and hiccups.
Meanwhile, I use my nose (not my mouth) to breathe out underwater, which is the recommended way, and the inside of my nose was affected, resulting in bouts of sneezing. It was similar to the sneezing of a person with an allergy.
While the sneeze is pending, you are also trying to breathe, and that pushes the sneeze back a bit but makes it stronger. It's better to sneeze underwater because you are not attempting to take in air at the same time.
I'm hoping tomorrow to get permission for someone to come into the pool area and take a few pictures of me when I finish the swim, which will be about 10 to 15 minutes before lengths time ends.
After that, if there's still time, I'll keep swimming for the exercise. I intend to keep up the steady pace and work on my crawl after the distance event ends.
But that doesn't mean you don't need to pass on the address of this page to anyone who would be glad to pledge.
The page is staying open for another week to allow the swimmers to wind up their campaign for funds.
Every other swimmer who has a pledge page is doing the same thing.
Those who collected cash or cheques as part of their fund-raising efforts will be turning those in tomorrow to Cancer Society representatives who will be on site to issue paper receipts.
Because I won't be there, I am able to collect pledges only online.
For those of you who want to read my daily posts, and who may be interested in my weight-loss journey, please click on http://blogs.maplegroveunitedchurch.org/ -- you do not have to log in to read it.
Thanks to all who have supported this cause, and for spreading the word.
Bless you all.
One last thing: Oakvillians, stay away from the Ridge pool for a while tomorrrow. It would be greatly appreciated by this old body.

by Debbie Shallhorn King on Fri, Jul 23, 2010 @ 2:02 PM. To pledge,
please click on my personal page.