Saturday swimming

As opposed to the previous Saturday, yesterday I woke up at 6 am, feeling fresh and sharp. I took the dog for a 3.5 km walk, had breakfast, put chicken drumsticks and frozen vegetables in the slow cooker for lunch then got ready for swimming.

This time I swam 30 lengths, being prevented once again from swimming any more by the need to urinate. I looked this up on the Internet and here is an explanation in layman's terms.

1. The cold water [in the pool] leaches the heat of the blood vessels that lie near the skin surface.
2. The blood vessels constrict, hence there is decreased flow of blood in the body’s extremities in a bid to conserve heat.
3. This prompts a quick increase in blood pressure.
4. The body responds to this by compensating for the increased arterial blood pressure by relieving itself of liquid.
5. The quickest and easiest way for your body to do this is to pee. 

I get out of the pool and make my way swiftly but in a dignified manner to the toilet in the changing rooms. On my return, I drink a bottle of water, thus countering the mild dehydration which occurs in the pool. I seem to be the only swimmer affected by this: maybe the others pee in the pool (although I doubt it).

Yesterday I tried something new (not connected with urination): instead of simply moving my arms as part of the swimming motions, I tried stretching them out and tensing the muscles. The idea was to have a little more exercise. I've noticed that this year I'm swimming with much less effort than before: in the past, I had to concentrate on matters like breathing properly but this year the swimming seems effortless. Despite this, my throat dries out: that's what happens when one breathes through the mouth all the time. This is unpleasant when I have to swallow, but then I don't swallow when I'm swimming, only when I have a brief rest after every ten lengths.