Intermediate Session 3 – Active Streamlining

Back to the pool this evening. I should really have swum in the outdoor pool, but I fancied a longer swim, in the 25 rather than 20 metre pool. Anyway, the lane emptied as soon as I got into it, and I was away.

2x SGF
2x sweetspot
2x sweetspot to skate practice
4x CBP (breathing in CBP sweetspot)
4x skating – relaxed hand
4x skating – wide hand
4x skating – bullseye wrist
2x lengths
2x spear-switch
2x spear-switch – best skate position
2x spear-switch – trip wire
2x spear-switch – hip drive
2x spear-switch – race timing
2x spear-switch – smooth swimming
20x swimming with trip wire focus. All at 12 spl

56 lengths in total. The last 20 lengths felt great: I really felt the wrists pushing through the bullseyes tonight. Keeping the SPL down at 13 throughout, great. Not sure if I’m quick, but I’m feeling efficient.

My new toy arrived.

New Toy

It’s charging…

Back in the pool

I was going to go to the pool to do session 14, but I’ve given my training program to jedgcombe. So I made up my own on the back of an envelope, stuck it in a sandwich bag, and off I went to the gym.

2x SG
4x SGF
Skating
2x Fingers
2x Hand width
2x Hand depth
2x Laser beam
2x Bullseye
Spear Switch
2x Best skating position
2x Trip wire
2x Hip drive
2x Race timing
2x No splashing
2x Catch
Swim and Nod
2x Quarter turn
2x Half turn
2x Full turn no breathing
2x Full turn with breathing
Pyramid
1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Cool down.

Definitely Kaisen – I felt quite ropey to start off with, but by the swim and nod, I had started to find the balance point quite nicely. The pyramid was nice and easy, relaxed and full of glide. So I was pretty pleased with it.

Day off tomorrow. I’m sure I’ve deserved it.

Dundee-Gump

Do you remember the bit in Forrest Gump where he starts running, and just keeps on going? It was kind of like that.

Practice 9 – Overswitch.

I did all this in the outside pool at the gym, so the lengths are all a bit squiffy, but I just did it length for length – the outdoor pool is 20m, not 25, but who’s counting?

Swim an easy 2 lengths. SPL is 11.
(Fist gloves on) – all the breathing done in sweetspot for the drills.
2x skating; relaxed hands
2x skating; laser beam
2x skating; wide track
2x skating; bullseye
2x lengths; wide track focus
2x spearswitch; best skate position
2x spearswitch; trip wire
2x spearswitch; hip drive
2x spearswitch; race timing
2x lengths; smooth focus
4x Zenswitch; elbow crook
4x Zenswitch; mid forearm
4x Zenswitch; wrist
4x Zenswitch; fingers
(Fist gloves off)
2x lengths; circle the elbows
2x lengths;relaxed neck
2x lengths; wide recovery
2x lengths; early entry
2x lengths; patient lead hand
2x lengths; weight shift

At this point I was meant to do the easy, faster, even faster 50s, but when I set off on the easy 50, if felt very nice. The sun in the sky, few clouds, no wind, and the water a very comfortable 26 degrees. I just started swimming, and carried on, Gump-like.

I swam for 90 minutes. I didn’t have my pool-mate on, so I don’t have an accurate lap count, but I averaged a very consistent 38 to 40 seconds for every 2 lengths, so some quick maths leads me to, vaguely: 5,400 seconds, 40 seconds per lap, 135 laps, 40m per lap = 5.4K.

I was aware for the last 15 minutes that my form was falling off. Mainly I wasn’t able to maintain my best skating position – this was due to arm muscle fatigue, I think, but reassuringly I was able to concentrate on it for the last 15 minutes without everything else falling apart.

80 days ago I started this journey of learning to swim. And I’ve gone from 2 lengths of struggle, to 5.4K of fishlike-like swimming.

If only I’d put on some sunscreen – my back looks like a lobster…

Red Hand Gang

Another session with the fist gloves, session 7 for the first time, and this time with PW in the DL pool. Session 7 is looooooong. A lot of spear switch, and the introduction of zen switch.

A full session of an hour, with the fist gloves on is hard work, but as with wearing ski boots, taking them off feels so good! The benefits of the gloves are obvious – concentration on the rotation, the hip drive and the timing with them on, and a big catch once they’re off.

PW and I managed to clear the lane with our red gloves – a couple of folk asked PW if it was OK to join the lane, or if it was a special class….

5 50s at the end. 43 secs average, with an SPL of 16, which is the most satisfying thing. Terry Loughlin does 20 50s, and improves from 45 secs for the first 5, to 35 for the last 5. But he’s doing 50 yards, not big boy metres, like us.

Some land training at the end of the week, with an open water swim on Sunday.

Driving with the brakes on… like swimming with fist gloves on

Back into the pool after yesterday’s very cold outdoor swim. I have taken receipt of the fist gloves (Fetching red numbers), so from now on it’s drilling in fist gloves. At first it seemed like it was just a bit harder, and pressed me into focusing on the technical points. But after 40-odd lengths of drills with the fist gloves on, it started to get really quite hard(!) Session 6, again. I decided to wear the silly hat for all my swims from now on – to get used to wearing it, for when I need to, outside.

I found the spear-switch exercises particularly good with the gloves on – the only way to make progress is to really spiral through the water; in fact it’s more like a corkscrew, really. Letting the hip fall to initiate the drive forward, really patient lead hand, and race timing, all really important when swimming with no hands.

I had some companions to swim with – some folk swimming in the lane next to me. Being able to give them 2, then 5, then 10 metres head start, and swimming with the gloves on, yet still beating them to the end. I know it’s not a race, and it’s not about being competitive, but it is very nice being able to bring the SPL down, not kick, wear the gloves, and still be the “fastest boy in the village”.

Did my 50s at the end. Gloves off. The pull I could suddenly generate was amazing. I found that I was comfortable at SPL 16 for the 50s, but with loads of glide, and loads of drive, it felt great. The times weren’t great, but very consistent over the 5: 43, 44, 43, 43, 43.

Afterwards I was knackered. Very sore shoulders, pecs and, most of all, abs. No pain, no gain, as they say.

Session 6, and some 50s

Session 6. Moved on from 5, having done it a few times.

Yet more spear-switch. I’m managed to learn how to snatch a breath between sets of 4 switches, so I don’t have to stop every 6 strokes down the pool. The trip wire, and Race Timing are coming, and I feel it’s integrating into my normal stroke a lot more now. I just need to relax more at the front end, and take my time with the breathing. Half goggle. Half goggle. Half goggle.

It’s interesting that revisiting the basics can make such a difference – today’s “reboot” was the skating focus on pointing the fingers down at the front end. It’s too easy to forget about it, and have a “knife hand”.

The 50s were fine. 42, 43, 44, 43, 42. I could have done more. Slightly slower than Wednesday, but the “fast” lane is definitely slower than the “slow” lane, due to the currents. I reckon 2 secs slower. But the issue is consistency, and those 50s were pretty consistent. I was kicking too much, but hey.

Definitely Kaisen today.

PW has bought his wetsuit, it should arrive tomorrow. Elie on Sunday!

Session 5, and 6 fifties

Session 5 again today. Stroke development lessons going on whilst I was swimming, so I felt particularly smug whilst drilling.

Session 5 is all about the spear-switch.

2 x SGF
4 x core balance thingy
8 x skating with various foci
10 x spear-switch with various foci
Some swimming
10 x spear-switch with various foci
10 x lengths with race timing focus
12 lengths just swimming, just because

Felt pretty good after all that, so I decided to re-instate the fitness drills we started way before I got sick. 1 minute fixed intervals, 50 metres, aiming for about 40 seconds swim with 20 seconds rest. I didn’t have my Pool Mate, but judging by the sweep-arm clock:

1. 42 secs
2. 41 secs
3. 42 secs
4. 40 secs
5. 41 secs
6. 34 secs

I’ll be trying to do those 50s at the end of each session from now on. It’s amazing how much more relax I feel with the 50s now – only 4 weeks ago they were a real thrash, no quicker than now, and my consistency was appalling; now I just lengthened out, tapped over at 16 SPL, and felt fine. I went silly on the last one because some lads were in the pool and offered me on for a race. I gave them 15 metres head start, and beat them by about 15 metres at the 50 line. I tried not to gloat….

Lovely swim, felt great throughout, and after, and definitely Kaisen.

Morning Swim

A morning swim for me. 08:30 in the pool. It was surprisingly busy, so training session 5 went out of the window, and I just swam. For 30 minutes.

My main worry is not being able to carry on swimming for distance without getting too breathless to carry on. I’m about 1000 % better than I was when I started off on this path, but I still find myself wanting to have a 15 second pause every 4, 6 or 8 lengths to get a drink and a breath. Perhaps I don’t really need to pause, but I have a real mental block over it. I started off too quick, despite making a real effort to start slowly. But having done a mile, or so, I can now feel the speed I *should* be going at, and I will try on Sunday to keep that sort of pace, rather than the speedy pace I was setting off at.

On the positive side – I was faster than Mr Plinky Plonk, by a good 1/4 length, I would say. Also felt nice and streamlined, the spear switch working well. And my legs were fresh as a daisy when I got out, which is a major plus point, and the whole point of this training, triathlon wise.

Saturday – buy a wetsuit
Sunday -swim in Elie

We’ve registered for the Derwent swim May 23rd. Cripes.

Gear + Session 5

A suburban Sunday for me. DIY, fixing kitchen cupboards, towel rails, that sort of thing.

Got the Cannondale Bad Boy out – I think it will suit PW as a training bike until the next cycle to work scheme comes around and he can get a road bike. Tyres flat, and rubber all cracked. SPD pedals, but PW doesn’t have shoes. Gears working, but in need of oil. So an afternoon of oiling and tweaking, followed by a swift trip out to Cycle World in Arbroath to get new tyres, some toe clips, new SPD cleats for me, and an irrationally expensive water bottle cage. It is aluminium, though. The bike is ready for PW’s fitting tomorrow.

Then a swim.

Session 5 in the beginner’s training plan.
2x SGF
4x CBP
8x skating (Plan asked for 6, but I cocked up the left hand on one set)
10x single spear switch
10x multiple spear switch
6x lengths concentrating on the “Race” timing
Easy 50

Then about 8 lengths of just swimming.

Felt GREAT. Not sure what happened, but suddenly starting to feel both arms out there at the front end, trip wire, patient leading hand, and loads of glide. It just felt really nice. I think doing the spear switch properly, and not using the snorkel has helped a lot – pause and think!

Can’t swim tomorrow, on call for ward 15. Plan is to see PW at home and fit him for the bike, feed the boys, and then get back to work for 7pm ward round. Might manage a run at lunch time, but Monday is a busy day with two clinics, and loads of teaching to fit in too. What I wouldn’t give for a gym at work, with a treadmill, ideally.

Talking to PW about doing some short distance Tris in June/July to get into the swing of things. Don’t want to just jump into whatever mammoth distance coach has lined up for August without at least knowing I can do a 400/12.5/2.5, then a 750/25/5…. PW is still keen on the Derwent Water swim in May. I want to do it, but I still have the long distance swimming fear….

Ill, so chill.

Still ill, but it didn’t stop me getting into the pool for some drills, and some re-inforcement of good muscle memory.

Beginners session #3.

2 x SGF – unable to manage in two breaths due to bunged up viraemic nonsense, but just did it in 3 instead.
6 x skating – 3 different focuses (Laser beam head, hand depth, hand width)
4 x CBP – new one. Core balance point. Basically skating, but with no leading hand. It feels *very* weird, but after a couple of lengths of it, I can see the point.
8 x Spear-swtich – again, a new one. I’m not entirely sure I’m getting the form right, but once I’ve got my ear to my goggles, the pause, spear, switch movement is nice. I see is as bridging the gap between underswitch and zenswitch. Each pair of lengths a different focus – trip wire and “reach out before putting into pocket” the most useful
2 x lengths of skating swimming, getting the balance point right. Snorkel useful here.
8 x lengths, each a different focus point.
Easy 50 – SPL 14, 30 secs, easy easy easy. EFF 34, a recurring theme…

This was the end of the session, but I wanted to get a bit more out of the session: 4x 100, nice and easy, swim golf. Efficiency, and consistency

1. EFF 34, SPL 16, 102 sec
2. EFF 34, SPL 16. 103 sec
3. EFF 34, SPL 16, 104 sec
4. EFF 34, SPL 16, 102 sec

(The watch is awesome, btw.)

So certainly consistent, but not sure if I should be a wee bit more efficient. I can get my SPL down to 14, but I swim about 2 seconds slower, cancelling it out…

On the positive side, the two beat kick is becoming more second nature, so that’s energy in the tank.

After PW’s 2k swim at the weekend, he’s talking about an open water competition swim in May. Although my swimming is so much better than 6 weeks ago, I’m still focusing on swimming better, not for longer, so there’s apprehension in me about long distances. But. I want to do it, and I think it will be awesome to swim in open water. It’s 5 weeks away, and think what I have achieved in the past 8 weeks…..