September will mark a year since our last actual dive at the Philadelphia Quarry in Tennessee. We were completing the Open Water Diver certification through PADI, and hopeful we might get to dive our first salt water dive during our trip to Orange Beach, Alabama. While our vacation plans didn't work out as planned whatsoever, we continued along our way while literally dreaming of diving.
Months went by, spring came to an end and our Facebook group was abuzz with divers planning trips up to the local quarries and nearby Florida beaches. Money was tight and we certainly could not pay for the refresher course, as needed. We continued dreaming and dredging down the path set before us.
One of the instructors who helped us pass our certification program, a PADI rescue diver at the time and, most recently, Dive Master, invited us to visit his pool for a refresher course. His wife, a talented diver in her own right, graciously entertained our toddler to no end while we dove down to the 8ft mark for some fun.
You may feel a little nervous when you are trying something again for the first time after a year. Your heart beats with a little more feeling, and I definitely felt I was breathing a little heavier before my feet touched the water. However, I cannot explain the familiarity that came over me when we were kicking around in full gear. It was the most amazing feeling since we dove in the first place, and I instantly remembered why I enjoyed diving in the first place.
I have always been terrified of water. Even on the first day of our certification, I was still scared. I felt like my mask was my only lifeline, considering it is the only "force" keeping water out of my nose. To this day I still have to remind myself that my regulator is what I truly need to "survive"; I can make it home without my mask and snorkel.
To those of you who may fear the water or diving in general, don't let this fear keep you from getting certified. I am certainly living proof that it is possible, and you will be so happy you worked to overcome it.
Showing posts with label scuba diving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scuba diving. Show all posts
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Thursday, August 27, 2015
An Abandoned Running Track
My husband and I recently expanded our walking and running route to the length of our street, which equaled out to be the distance of a 5k. While this gives us the length we need without running laps or experiencing redundancy, we were constantly running up against obstacles.
Because we run after my husband, Daniel, gets off of work, there is a lot of traffic using our road as a cut through. You literally save two minutes taking this "short cut" down a country road filled with horses and cows. Two whole minutes of driving way to fast down a road known for it's 35 mph speed limit. This road is not exactly straight. It curves up and down, left and right, which I didn't realize until we began using it and tracking it on RunKeeper. Cars don't see any pedestrians, bike riders, strollers or horse back riders until it is nearly too late.
Daniel was talking about the disappointment, of using our road as a route, with some coworkers, when they suggested using a running track at the abandoned middle school in town. While we enjoy the ability to walk straight down our driveway to our "track", this football field is only about a 5 minute drive from the house. It is flat, there aren't any aggressive dogs, and we did not need to dodge any cars.
We wanted to take it for a simple trial run, because we have kind of been rained out for the last week and a half. RunKeeper tracked 1 1/2 miles at a 16:53 minute pace; our best time! It was an overall good experience, very quiet and amazingly no disruptions, besides a few other walkers. I found it rather pleasant to focus on my exercise without being startled by a mule whining for attention.
And, our upcoming weekend should be fun, too! Daniel will be having hand surgery on Monday, so some friends from our Scuba diving group have put together a refresher course for my husband and I to take. They organized another dive member to lend us gear, will be providing the filled air tanks, and even want to grill some burgers while they babysit our daughter. We are so thrilled at the opportunity and feel so blessed to have wonderful dive buddies.
Because we run after my husband, Daniel, gets off of work, there is a lot of traffic using our road as a cut through. You literally save two minutes taking this "short cut" down a country road filled with horses and cows. Two whole minutes of driving way to fast down a road known for it's 35 mph speed limit. This road is not exactly straight. It curves up and down, left and right, which I didn't realize until we began using it and tracking it on RunKeeper. Cars don't see any pedestrians, bike riders, strollers or horse back riders until it is nearly too late.
Daniel was talking about the disappointment, of using our road as a route, with some coworkers, when they suggested using a running track at the abandoned middle school in town. While we enjoy the ability to walk straight down our driveway to our "track", this football field is only about a 5 minute drive from the house. It is flat, there aren't any aggressive dogs, and we did not need to dodge any cars.
We wanted to take it for a simple trial run, because we have kind of been rained out for the last week and a half. RunKeeper tracked 1 1/2 miles at a 16:53 minute pace; our best time! It was an overall good experience, very quiet and amazingly no disruptions, besides a few other walkers. I found it rather pleasant to focus on my exercise without being startled by a mule whining for attention.
And, our upcoming weekend should be fun, too! Daniel will be having hand surgery on Monday, so some friends from our Scuba diving group have put together a refresher course for my husband and I to take. They organized another dive member to lend us gear, will be providing the filled air tanks, and even want to grill some burgers while they babysit our daughter. We are so thrilled at the opportunity and feel so blessed to have wonderful dive buddies.
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