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Swimming leaves Kimra cold
I
read in the newspaper today that a woman named Lynne Cox just wrote a
book about challenging swims. I don't know what prompted me to read the
article- I enjoy reading the newspaper but let's face it: swimming as a
subject matter leaves me cold. Brrrr. Literally. I am one of those
chicks who need the water to be good and WARM before I'll even dip in a
big toe. And I rarely dip in far beyond that. I am the floating around
the pool on the raft kind of gals. (I don't actually enjoy the sensation
of a wet, dripping head all that much). My kids make fun of me- they
think it is really weird the way I'll spend the summer out BY the pool,
or maybe ON TOP of it (my King Kool raft is a sweet ride, I tell ya)-
and never get my hair wet. Try explaining the hazards of chlorine
on forty year old hair to a bunch of boys- they can't seem to grasp the
severity of the punishments to the hair shaft. Anyway, back to Lynne
Cox. It seems this chickee doesn't share my fear of the wet head- she in
fact has swum some of the most bitterly cold waters in the world- sans
wet suit.
Seems old (actually she isn't much older than I) Lynne there doesn't
believe in using technology to aid her swims. She swam across the Bering
Straight and also traversed, IN A BATHING SUIT- to the frozen shore of
Antarctica. Cox said that when she reached the shore in Antarctica, she
was greeted by a flock of penguins. HELLO! That's just way too brutal
for me to even comprehend. She said in the article that she had to
undergo a series of fluoride treatments to prevent her teeth (get this:)
FROM SHATTERING in the extreme cold!
I am at a rare loss of words just trying to comprehend this fact- it was
so cold in that water that her teeth would have shattered without
preventative measures, and yet, there she was, swimming in a bathing
suit? I am the kind of person who shivers for HOURS if I take a shower
after the hot water heater has unexpectedly run out of steamin'
hot H20. You know what I mean? And this woman, this Lynne Cox (don't
mean to go on and on here, but I am just stunned by her lunacy), says
she LIKES pushing her body like this- she ENJOYS seeing just how far the
human body can stretch.
To look at her pictures; Lynne Cox looks like a normal person. She could
be any mom at my son's school. If I stood next to her at a PTA meeting;
I would never imagine that even as we stood there, nibbling chicken
tenders and re-thinking the budget for the Spring Fling, she was
processing massive amounts of fluoride to protect her teeth from
shattering while swimming in arctic waters!
I wonder what makes a person decide- 'nah, I don't want to go lounge in
the hot tub with the rest of those losers- I think I'd rather go take a
dip in a vat of ice cubes in order to get ready for that winter swim to
Nova Scotia.'? Probably the same gene that allows people to push
themselves beyond the threshold of pain into winning a marathon,
becoming a world-class gymnast or saying,"No thank you; I would NOT
care for any dessert tonight."
I don't have that gene. Even as much as I exercise, I never like to take
it to the point where I am in any way compromising my personal comfort.
I don't mind a bit of sweat or a tug of a muscle, but while others
around me are nearly drowning in their own sweat, I'll towel off and
slow down so as not to smear my make up too badly. Plus I have a big
problem with pain. Not liking it that much, I mean. I have a bruise on
the back of my calf from a biking injury that doesn't hurt unless I poke
it. Which I do, constantly..... so I can say "OW! and make pitiful
faces to my hubby until he asks what is wrong."
"You know." I say sadly. "My bruise is acting up
again."
Only the man is on to me, and he replies: "Stop poking it."
Sheesh. I wonder what a woman has to do to get some pity around this
joint. Probably swim the English channel or something, but THAT's NOT
going to happen. No sirree Bob; I am staying right here on my King Kool
float and maybe one day I'll write a book about THAT. I'll call it
Staying Cool on the King Kool and address such super issues as
picking the proper bathing suit and how to keep your ice tea cold in
ninety degree weather. Lynne Cox might just pick up a pointer or two and
be amazed by strenuous and arduous preparations for a day of lounging-
and me looking so much just like a regular old mom and all.
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