O.C.L.D. – Obsessive Counting Laps Disorder
O.C.L.D. – Obsessive Counting Laps Disorder
What?
My daughter Anna commented that Laur (Dad) and she are more obsessive compulsive than I am. I was tapping my FitBit as she said this, seeing how close I was to the 10,000 steps I HAVE TO GET EVERYDAY or my day isn’t complete.
“How is that?” I asked. “I OCD over everything.” Anna gave an explanation that went something like this. “You obsess over everything - true, but that’s more like anxiety. But when Dad and I obsess over something, we tend to pick one or two things and go very deep with them.”
She gave as examples, her love of sewing and Dad’s love of learning about the Welland Canal. Both Anna and Laur could spend the entire day doing this one thing and rarely come up for air. And she is right. I have many strong interests, but not the “one thingedness” that they do when it comes to hobbies.
OK, Laur has a second obsession. Swimming. Specifically - increasing his rate of doing the front crawl. I tell him to remember that last year he couldn’t “crawl” one length, and now he can do 20 laps (50 metres each) in 30 minutes That’s a 1000 metres! A kilometre! Woo hoo! It takes me 40 minutes, and that’s with my flippers on!
Laur has taken to going to Coach Google to improve his technique and to see where he fits in with most swimmers his age. He went to the website Quora where “someone” (ahem!) posted the following question, “If I swim around 1000m in 45mins, am I a slow or moderate-speed swimmer?” (At this point Laur had done the distance and time incorrectly – no surprise. He’s a numbers-phobe.)
Here are some of the responses and they are HILARIOUS! And the compliments hurt as much as the criticism.
*****
So Monday, Laur felt quite humiliated about his swimming. But by Tuesday, while I was writing this story, Laur redid the math. 25 m X 2 = 50m X 20 = 1000m… Hey! Turns out he actually swims 1000 metres in 27-30 minutes, and does 2000m (2 km!) on Fridays in 55 minutes! (Give or take…) Now he’s feeling like an almost Mark Spitz...for his age. Har har! (By the way, if you needed to google the name “Mark Spitz,” you’re not a senior.)
I confess, I am now obsessing that I don’t have a hobby that I can go deeper and deeper into. I used to have a cat rescue in Sudbury and that was the ultimate obsession. There was always another cat to rescue; another way to raise money for spays and neuters; another way to bring vet meds and vaccinations to my house – without going through a vet; and yet another cat matchmaking to do.
But those days are over. We cannot afford it and we are limited in our apartment to two fixed cats. I was sharing my glumness about this on facebook with a crazy cat lady friend in Sudbury – she has just taken in a mom with a litter of kittens. And she has “X” number cats of her own, most of which she got through Small Things Cats.
I wrote, “Indeed. I miss the cats; I miss having an obsessive vocation (aka a hobby.) I really don't have something I could do for hours or days at a time. Ah well.”
Laur inserted this comment –You’ve got me, babe!” – including music symbols.
Well, I do like the line in the song that goes, “Then put your little hand in mine. There ain't no hill or mountain we can't climb.”
Though I’m not sure Sonny and Cher were referring to biking and hiking. 😊
What?
My daughter Anna commented that Laur (Dad) and she are more obsessive compulsive than I am. I was tapping my FitBit as she said this, seeing how close I was to the 10,000 steps I HAVE TO GET EVERYDAY or my day isn’t complete.
“How is that?” I asked. “I OCD over everything.” Anna gave an explanation that went something like this. “You obsess over everything - true, but that’s more like anxiety. But when Dad and I obsess over something, we tend to pick one or two things and go very deep with them.”
She gave as examples, her love of sewing and Dad’s love of learning about the Welland Canal. Both Anna and Laur could spend the entire day doing this one thing and rarely come up for air. And she is right. I have many strong interests, but not the “one thingedness” that they do when it comes to hobbies.
OK, Laur has a second obsession. Swimming. Specifically - increasing his rate of doing the front crawl. I tell him to remember that last year he couldn’t “crawl” one length, and now he can do 20 laps (50 metres each) in 30 minutes That’s a 1000 metres! A kilometre! Woo hoo! It takes me 40 minutes, and that’s with my flippers on!
Laur has taken to going to Coach Google to improve his technique and to see where he fits in with most swimmers his age. He went to the website Quora where “someone” (ahem!) posted the following question, “If I swim around 1000m in 45mins, am I a slow or moderate-speed swimmer?” (At this point Laur had done the distance and time incorrectly – no surprise. He’s a numbers-phobe.)
Here are some of the responses and they are HILARIOUS! And the compliments hurt as much as the criticism.
- The world-record on that distance is about 9:30 - so in the time you use for one lap, a world-class swimmer will manage more than 4 laps. Compared to such a swimmer you're not just slow, but indeed pretty much standing (floating?) still.
- If you compare yourself to ALL of humanity, not just the regular swimmers, then being capable of swimming 1000m continuously at all, at ANY speed, already puts you in the upper bracket, since most people are not capable of doing that.
- If you want to know if 45 min for 1000m would make you competitive against other competitive swimmers, I would have to say no.
- …if your goals do not lie in competitive swimming, then swimming 1000m in any amount of time is good. Swimming is a great way to get exercise…
- In eighth grade, my 1650m (or mile) time was around 24 minutes, while your 1000m time is 45 minutes. Don’t be discouraged by this.
- Yes, 1000m in 45 minutes is quite slow. Not gonna blow sunshine up your b*tt about it.
- Don't worry about being slow. We (Masters Swimmers) are experts at passing. ;)
- 1000m in 45 mins is slow. I swim about 2200M in 45 mins and that is also slow. I am swimming to get a good cardio workout. If you are swimming to get into a competition, then you have a ways to go.
- Keep at it. You can only improve!
- Hi! It really depends on how you feel and what your age is. Not to burst your bubble but that is slow. I usually swim 20–30 100 m laps in 45 min.
- I hate it when I need to tell people this, but yes. That is slow. But if it is not competitive swimming that you are doing. That's fine. No one will care if you can crawl the fastest if you need to bleed to death afterwards.
- Congrats...not many people can swim even across the width of a standard pool…let alone 1000m
- Well you are SLOW (wait did you stop for a snack or something) keep doing it while paying attention to your technique. Hope this helps
- Your speed is fine – FOR YOU! [Ouch!]
*****
So Monday, Laur felt quite humiliated about his swimming. But by Tuesday, while I was writing this story, Laur redid the math. 25 m X 2 = 50m X 20 = 1000m… Hey! Turns out he actually swims 1000 metres in 27-30 minutes, and does 2000m (2 km!) on Fridays in 55 minutes! (Give or take…) Now he’s feeling like an almost Mark Spitz...for his age. Har har! (By the way, if you needed to google the name “Mark Spitz,” you’re not a senior.)
I confess, I am now obsessing that I don’t have a hobby that I can go deeper and deeper into. I used to have a cat rescue in Sudbury and that was the ultimate obsession. There was always another cat to rescue; another way to raise money for spays and neuters; another way to bring vet meds and vaccinations to my house – without going through a vet; and yet another cat matchmaking to do.
But those days are over. We cannot afford it and we are limited in our apartment to two fixed cats. I was sharing my glumness about this on facebook with a crazy cat lady friend in Sudbury – she has just taken in a mom with a litter of kittens. And she has “X” number cats of her own, most of which she got through Small Things Cats.
I wrote, “Indeed. I miss the cats; I miss having an obsessive vocation (aka a hobby.) I really don't have something I could do for hours or days at a time. Ah well.”
Laur inserted this comment –You’ve got me, babe!” – including music symbols.
Well, I do like the line in the song that goes, “Then put your little hand in mine. There ain't no hill or mountain we can't climb.”
Though I’m not sure Sonny and Cher were referring to biking and hiking. 😊