Okay, so I’ve always been a bit of a swimming fanatic. I love the feeling of gliding through the water, and it’s a killer workout. But I’ve also always been kind of hazy on the specifics – like, how far am I actually swimming? I kept seeing people talk about swimming a mile, and I thought, “Hey, I want to do that!” But then I realized… I had no clue how many laps that actually was in my pool.
Figuring Out My Pool
First things first, I needed to figure out the length of my local pool. It’s an indoor pool, and thankfully, I easily found its length, it is a 25-yard pool. (whew!) If it was some weird custom length, I don’t know what I would’ve done. Maybe measured it myself with a giant tape measure? Haha!
The Math (Ugh)
Next came the slightly painful part: math. I’m not gonna lie, I’m not a math whiz. But I knew there were 1760 yards in a mile. So, the basic plan was this:
- Start with the total yards in a mile: 1760.
- Check my pool is 25-yard.
- Divide the total yards (1760) by the length of my pool (25 yards).
I grabbed my phone calculator (no shame in that!), and punched in the numbers: 1760 / 25 = 70.4. Okay, so 70.4 lengths of the pool. But we don’t swim 0.4 of a pool, so this is where it gets a little tricky depending on if you want to swim exactly a mile or just around a mile.
Down and Back = One Lap?
I always counted a lap as one length of the pool. One way equal one lap. But, I’ve heard some people say a lap is down and back. But to get my mind, down and back is two laps!.
My “Mile” Swim Plan
So, here’s what I decided to do:
- 70.4 lengths is about one mile.
- I will count a lap as the length of a pool.
So, 70 or 71 lengths will be a mile for me. It’s not rocket science, but it works!
Hitting the Water
I jumped in the pool, feeling all prepared and math-savvy. Keeping track of 70+ lengths was a little daunting at first. I tried counting in my head, but after about 20, I started losing track. Then I remembered a trick a friend told me: using a kickboard to keep count. Every 5 laps I grabbed the board and did some kicks. It’s a great way to break up the monotony and also helps keep my lap count!
I finally finished my “mile” – and I felt great! It took a while, but it was definitely worth it. I checked my fitness tracker. Now, I can confidently say I swam a mile (or very close to it!), and I have a solid plan for doing it again next time. No more guessing games!
