Patrick is an avid swimmer and enjoys swimming in his neighborhood pool frequently. BUT he wasn't always a swimmer and when it was suggested to him.. It didn't sound very appealing.
What started his journey was actually an unfortunate incident.
In 2007 he had an accident on his bike...
“I was cycling and got hit by a dog and my front tire locked my back tire locked and I flipped over the handlebar and it was just not a really pretty sight”
After he crashed, he laid there in shock not sure what to do and not sure of what had happened..
“I ended up going to the emergency room with a lot of cuts and scrapes and a broken left elbow, which was a compound fracture in three places, and pulled some ligaments as well in my left hand.”
He had never had an injury like this before so it was all a little overwhelming. He had to get a titanic rod and some screws in place of his elbow.
He says, “It was just not fun for someone who'd never been in the hospital and had surgery.”
After getting his arm all fixed up, it was time to go to physical therapy to get his strength back up and get used to his new elbow.
Luckily he really enjoyed the PT he worked with and one day he asked him how he could “graduate” earlier.
His physical therapist “says, dude, do you swim? And I said, no. And that was more of an emphatic no..”
Patrick had never been a swimmer and really just got in the water to relax and have fun with his family. He couldn't imagine himself as.. a swimmer...
“I'm not a swimmer, never have been, really don't wanna be.”
His PT said that was a great way to regain motion in his elbow so Patrick took it up as a challenge. He went right to the store and got himself some goggles and “the whole get up”, as he says, to feel like a swimmer.
“So I could look like a swimmer or at least pretend to be one.”
At first he felt uncomfortable in the water and started small in a 25 yard pool that was 3 feet deep. He kept going and trying and started to see improvements day after day.
Years later, he swims in a beautiful neighborhood pool regularly and feels comfortable being called a “swimmer”.
Of course,there is always more to learn and he is looking forward to the day when he can flip turn.
He says the reason he still swims today is because “it's great cardio exercise and especially here in the south where the temperatures get so hot during the summer.”
He recommends it to anyone getting older because it is gentle on your joints and you are still able to get a good exercise.
Patrick says, “I found that swimming with music is so much better than swimming without music.”
His daughter did a science experiment for school about running with music vs not running with music and he says, “you can only imagine the difference in running (or walking, cycling, or swimming) with music and the fun of pacing yourself.”
He ends by saying, “Use your sunscreen and have fun.”
Life has a fun way of making us try new things, if Patrick hadn't broken his elbow maybe he would have never tried swimming and found something he really loves now.
Want to swim with Patrick’s waterproof music player? Click here.
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