203 days later

January 14 was my last swim workout and the funny thing is that I remember exactly what I did that session. Now if you were to ask me any other year the specifics of a swim I had done 8 months earlier, I would have no clue. Have I missed swimming much? Yeah, I'd say so.

The x-rays I had done last week showed some good healing (FINALLY!), but the fracture line was still visible so things are not quite 100% solid. I did, however, get the "ok" to hop back in the pool for a SLOW introduction to swimming. Slow was definitely emphasized, as was the importance of avoiding paddles for quite some time (just in case I decided to put on the big red ones and smash it out from day 1. Dr. Keeler, would that be a bad idea? ;)

I was nervous for my first swim. Very nervous, but the nerves were only partly because of the metal holding my collarbone together. I have been coaching/observing the squad swim for the past month. I have been a "student" of the sport, learning the fundamentals of a proper stroke. I was nervous because I knew the "old" me was not an exact master of these basics and I worried that when I got in the water for the first time, my stroke would resemble a combination of my old bad habits and someone flailing, desperately trying to stay afloat. I pictured looking over to the deck after the first length, seeing the pool door closing as Darren left the building. Would my swimming be beyond hope?

Thankfully things were not quite so dramatic. I was not given permission to simply "swim," as the technical lesson began immediately. It was a bizarre feeling to use my arms again. It has been so long and one arm has been so utterly useless and immobilized for so many months that losing "feel" for the water doesn't even come close to what I felt. At first, I honestly felt as though I had started swimming for the first time in my life.

After two days of my intro to swimming, I am starting to feel some soreness in the right muscles. It's a little sad to think that only a handful of lengths can put my body in this state, but I am embracing this feeling more than I ever could have imagined.

And here's a sight I haven't seen in a very long time....

A WET BATHING SUIT!

A Good Omen?

I laughed aloud when I had a closer look at the art on the outside of the Davos Hospital. A plate and screws!!!
(you know you're in a ski resort that has a hospital specializing in "difficult" fractures when....)

Now if I were reading this like abstract art, I would say that I also see waves that represent swimming, and a spiral that represents coming full circle. I say this could be a good omen because the screws are perfectly aligned, solidly fixated and in the shape of a smile :)

I had my 9 week post-op x-ray done today. I don't know what the verdict is on swimming, but if it's not time yet, I'm accepting and prepared to be a little more patient.

Choose your roommates wisely

Truthfully, I can't take credit for choosing my roommates. Darren found this room for me through the local bike shop and when I was changing my arrival date every week and unsure if I was even going to get the go-ahead to travel, I had to jump at this last-minute opportunity.

The two girls I'd be living with were described as "sporty." We joked that it sounded like I was responding to a personal ad ("two sporty Swiss girls looking for a like-minded female roommate"). Anyway, sporty was a good description to go off, but what would have really sealed the deal is knowing that one was a MASTER BAKER. The Swiss know how to make a good pastry, so when the word "master" is in the title, I think that's a very good sign.

When I left for my ride yesterday this was the scene in the kitchen:


And, when I returned, it was bread carnage. Not sure where the other loaf of "Zopf" went...