Splish splosh, with added paddles

Post work swim session tonight. I got swim paddles from of off Wiggle – they have no instructions. That sounds ridiculous, I know, but there’s a long bit of elastic to fiddle around with: not sure how many hoops to make, how tight for them to be, how high up the fingers etc. Anyway, I managed to cobble something together and have a crack.

Warm Up
———-
400m swim
8x50m alt kick/drill
———-
Main Work
———-
4×200 swim
1×400 paddles
1×400 swim descending pace 100-400
———-
Cool Down
———-
200m easy

Total distance was 2600m. The paddles really accentuate the catch, and isolate the lats. When I took them off, it was like the opposite of taking off the swim gloves. It certainly allows a more fluid stroke when the paddles come off.

Hard work. Sore shoulders now.

Glutes have ached all day – this must be a good sign.

Session 16

Last go at session 16. The last session of beginner! It went well. The catch exercise is great, and I managed the stroke timing sessions better this time.

N = 15 down, 13 back
N-1 = 14 down, 12 back
N-2 = 13 down, 11 back

I just about managed the N-2, but it’s too slow for me to be efficient. The ‘stream’ is quite strong, evidently.

Session 16; last, but not least.

I didn’t fancy it tonight. I had a very long ward round last night, and a long day made longer by work that’s not really mine to do, so when I left at 5:15, the decision to go to the pool, or just go home for tea was more tricky than it should have been. I went, of course.

Session 16. The last of the beginner sessions. After this, I’m an Intermediate, it says on the drill sheets. This session is about lengthening out the stroke. The instructions make pretty much no sense, so I took the opportunity, once the main drills were over, to use the new tempo trainer to try to get my timing sorted out. The blurb on the packet says to start at about 1.1 seconds as it is hard to take more time than that per stroke. It turns out that my standard rate is 1.4 seconds per stroke. So I set it at 1.4, and did 400m to try to get into a steady rhythm. Next time I think it’ll work on moving it around 1.3 – 1.5. Perhaps look up some of Terry Laughlin’s tempo trainer drill sessions.

I’m still lacking in some fitness, but the swim technique is slowly coming back. I certainly feel the surge when the catch works right, and I was feeling the glide for most of the session. The catch exercise really uses the anterior deltoids a great deal more, and as a consequence, I can feel it this evening….

One more go at session 16, and then I’m an Intermediate.

3 months out? Really?

My last post on here was in November. That’s pretty rubbish. But Winter at work was madness. Then we were away for Xmas, then New Year was madness. And then I got Ophthalmic shingles.

In this time, I’ve been swimming a few times, but I’ve really just been teaching the kids how to swim, rather than doing any actual training. And pottering about in the pool is not the same as a training session, at all.

So today, on the way back from Arbroath clinic I was able to drop in for a swim. Session 14 again, as it was the session in the bag! When I got in, the fast lane was rammed, so I just swam a gentle 800m so I didn’t get in anyone’s way. It felt OK, 14 – 16 SPL, but clearly I’m not fit. HR a good 20 bpm higher than it should be, and more breathless than I really should have been. But, I’ve not trained for months, it seems.

After the 800m (ish) the lane emptied, and I was able to get the session completed. The catch exercises are really very helpful. I can really feel that extra push (or pull, really) when it works. Work in progress, obviously. The catch exercise, and the single arm spearswitch require a snorkel to get the most out of them so I should remember that next time.

Fixed Interval Training, The Catch, and Two Beat Kicking

Today, a dolphin.

10:30 session in the pool with PW and coach. Outdoor pool rammed, indoor pool lanes free, so indoor swimming on this lovely day.

Began with a wee warm up, then a new drill – of unknown name – working at making a positive catch at the front end. This is much like the rowing catch, making a positive action to lock on to the water, then lever past the water, rather than moving the water ineffectively past the arm. The drill feels weird, but putting it into the swim felt great, when it catches (!) right. Of course I need to drill some more, to get the muscle memory sorted, but I now get what all the on line chat about the catch is on about.

After that, some time on two beat kicks. I spent two lengths *really* not getting it at all. But then I worked out which leg goes with which arm, and suddenly, got it every 4 or 5 strokes. Arms went to cack, of course. And forget breathing! I suspect the snorkel will be the tool of choice here for a while.

Then, some fixed intervals. 50m, 1 minute starts. I flew off, of course, and managed to do the first 50 in 35 seconds. Not entirely sure how fast I was doing the next 5, but I was pleased with the speed – not worked on speed at all, just the technique, but the speed seems to have appeared. 4 weeks ago I did some timed 25s with Fiona, and managed to do a best of 19 seconds. So that tells it’s own story really.

100m warm down, felt nice, trying to incorporate the 2 beat kick: more like a 2, then 4, then 2 again kick, but I definitely feel when it’s right now, so there’s hope.

We have our training plan. It’s half a ream. I’ll be photocopying, then.

After was caffeine, chat, talk of sponsored swims, half iron man’s in Switzerland, and fitting shoes properly. So off to SweatShop.

Fiona analysed my gait to discover I have a wobbly left ankle. I think this is a consequence of all the rowing on Stroke side. Whatever, it means I need more support in a running shoe, so it’s Asics Gel 1150 for me.

The new running shoe - mild support for my floppy left ankle

And I might have bought a Pool Mate too.

Feel great. Bring on the week of swimming.