2 up, 2 down.

Back to the pool for a late night swim. It’s nice swimming at 20:30, there’s no-one in the fast lane, and I can drill, swim, drill-swim, and not get in anyone’s way.

Beginners’ Session 3 again. It went well yesterday, so a second go at it today.

Easy 50 to loosen up.
2 x SGF – still bunged up with snot, so no 2 breath lengths today.
2 x Easy swimming with plenty of glide
2 x sweetspot – at this point, Mrs Coach wanders past waving wildly. Hopefully my form was tip top.
4 x Core Balance Position – this exercise must look completely ridiculous to the casual observer, but it’s a great exercise.
6 x Skating (2 x Laser Beam, 2 x Wide Track, 2 x Rotation). Snorkel.
4 x skating-swimming – alternating skating positions, lengthening the stroke, taking it easy.
10 x spearswitch (2 x best skating position, 2 x trip wire, 2x hip drive, 2 hand race, 2 x smooth strokes). Snorkel useful here again.
4 x single lenghts, trip wire focus.
Easy 50: SPL 14, 51 seconds, EFF 33

Then I did 4 x 100 again, just to see if I could maintain consistency, like yesterday.

1. SPL 18, Speed 101, EFF 34
2. SPL 18, Speed 100, EFF 34
3. SPL 18, Speed 99, EFF 34
4. SPL 18, Speed 100, EFF 34

So yesterday I had consistent EFF 34, but with a SPL of 16, and 3 or 4 seconds slower per 100. Today I have a consistent EFF of 34, but with higher SPL and quicker. Interesting. My focus during the swim today was the trip wire today, I think it might have sped me up a wee bit, tomorrow I will focus on marionette hand, I think, try to slow it down a bit, but keep the speed.

When I rowed we had a concept I really liked, and used to coach later on: “Easy Speed”. The kind of speed that comes with minimal effort, maximal efficiency, relaxed and, well, “easy”. I am trying to find a similar way of swimming – easy speed. I think currently I find it easier to swim a bit more quickly, at a slightly higher SPL, and keep “tapping it on”. Terry Laughlin talks about maximising the speed “below the curve”: when I drop my SPL to 14, which I can do, I slow down a wee bit too much, and lose momentum. Anyway.

After the 100s I did another few lengths trying to sort out this 2 beat kick thing. I can do the right leg going in both directions, but the left leg only when breathing to the right. Grrr. So snorkel, concentrate on the legs, and try to embed the left foot kick. After 8 or so lengths with the snorkel, I could do 8 without, and it was definitely better. More progress!

Swimming smart, if not massive distances at the moment. But certainly swimming smart.

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…..

Dolphins Don’t Do Interval Sets

A tired, stressed out dolphin today.

I had a really shitty day at work. I don’t usually get stressed out at work, I find it easy to leave it at work, go home and do other things, and keep chillaxed. But I had a hard day today – too much work, and only one of me. But an offer of a swim with PW perked me up, and we went to do session 2 of the training program.

A session of two halves, I think.

The good stuff:
Easy 50 – SPL 14, 58 secs
Superman Glides x2 – improved after yesterday’s focus on hand position
Superman Glides with Flutter x2- again, improved over yesterday. 2 breaths per length in both directions today, despite current.
Sweetspot practice x2 – I’ve not done a lot of sweetspot for about a week, so nice to do it again. Remember how much coughing and spluttering there was the first time I tried it?
Skate into sweetspot x2 – Roll like a log. Roll like a log.
Skating practice x12 – essentially the same as yesterday. Not so much revelation, but bedding in for me today.
Swimming! 8 lengths. I’m jumping ahead of the programme a bit, but I use this time to alternate focus between the catch, and two beat kicking.
Easy 50 – SPL 12 (!!!!!), 56 secs.

So at this point, all good. Felt really happy with it, and had actually relaxed a fair bit.

Intervals. First interval going great, interrupted by some kids mucking about in the lane. Shouty DundeeChest, kids scarper, rhythm totally gone. PW did his intervals (45, 48, 56), then I had a second go. 38 (!), 41, 43, 46, 50. Disappointed. Very disappointed, actually. So PW and I had a chat about getting some positives out of it.

1) I was shattered by the end of the 4th one, and PW suggested I finish off there: I finished off all 5. This is a good thing.

2) On the 3rd interval PW told me I was lifting my head, rather than half goggling – 4th and 5th lengths much better focus on breathing.

3) That first set was really nice, SPL 17, 38 secs, and felt great.

4) Doing intervals like this one two days running is probably daft.

5) PW says that I lost time on the turns as much as anything, and the form on the 4th and 5th was still nice.

So what have I learnt? Doing intervals on consecutive days might not be the best course of action. Stressful days cannot be entirely cured by swimming, and are likely to impinge on training. My arms hurt.

After the disappointment of the Intervals I did 2 x 100m, steady swimming, concentrating alternative lengths on catch, and two beat kick, only to discover that eagle-eyed PW had been spying on my kicking throughout – “You’ve done 2 beat kick all session”. I still think I can do the right foot much better than the left, but it’s certainly coming along!

Questions for Coach (Who’s poncing about in Covent Garden this week, by all accounts) – should we alternate the training sessions in the plan with just some swimming, or stick with the plan as written? Should I do the intervals every session, even if it’s two in two days, or should I aim for 3 a week? I don’t want to stuff myself up, get injured, etc. Cheers mate!

EDIT: I’ve had time to think about things now (Trip to TESCO to buy petrol and some more clear zipper bags for the training plan).

I was really dehydrated earlier. I noticed how concentrated certain bodily fluids were before I left. And 2 % dehydration affects performance by 10 to 20 %, they say. So that’s something to think about.

I went off too fast, didn’t I? Tomorrow I’m going to aim for 5 sets all at 45 seconds, and aim for some *consistency*, not blistering speed. I’m such a dufus.

I would like to go and just swim at some point, though, no drills, no intervals, just swim. If it’s sunny at the weekend, outdoor pool, just swim….

Quick Swim

A long day at work, but we managed to fit in a short session in the pool by the evening.

Not a lot of time, but the snorkel speeds up the drills considerably.

4 x warm up
4 x Superman flutter
8 x UnderSwitch (!) – doing this with the snorkel is great, focusing on keeping the head down, and the shoulders out, but not too rotated
ZenSwtich – 4 x elbow, 4 x forearm, 4 x wrist, 4 x dragging – SPL doing the last 8 lengths is 14 with the snorkel. Being able to focus on the rotation, and not the breathing, helps loads.
12 lengths of swimming, then I had to get out.

One thing I do struggle with is getting the timing right when I first get it. I SPL way over, and it’s just feels too rushed when I do those warm up lengths. This time I was able to put the brakes on after a length, and try to calm down, but even by doing that it’s only after the drills that I ‘get’ it.

Positive side – breathing is getting better. I really feel I’m breathing out of the pocket now.
Negative side – still not managing the tumble turns very well. They’re too flappy, splashy, and over excited. I really feel spluttery after the tumble, and take 4 strokes to get back into my rhythm. I will persevere.

Tried on some Mizuna Wave Rider trainers – it appears running shoes have come on some way since I got my Saucony Trigons 8 years ago. I wonder if Saucony know what a Trigon actually is….?

Swim, don’t sink

First chance to swim with the snorkel today. The genius of it is that it’s not that long, so if my head goes too deep, I’m breathing water. I like it – it allows me to really concentrate on the technique, rather than worrying constantly about breathing. SPL is better with the snorkel – down to 14, nice long strokes. Zen switch is much better with the snorkel, allowing me to really focus on the switch, and not reaching for a breath all the time.

Once the drills were done with I could try to get on with some pyramids. They are definitely getting easier – I did 3 this time, and I even threw in the occasional tumble turn, on the 2 length limbs usually (The tumbles wipe me out, can’t get relaxed enough on them, need more practice).

The swimming was nice and relaxed today. SPL is still pretty much 16, but I’m able to string more and more lengths together now, and certainly it’s feeling better.

PW tells me it’s looking smoother now, so that was a really nice boost for me today. I do actually find myself breathing in the pocket created by my head now. Today was the first time I *really* felt that I actually might be able to swim a mile without stopping in 4 months time.

I’ve been doing alternating lengths breathing every 2 and every 4 strokes – the 2 stroke lengths are good for practicing the breathing, and give me back some energy; the 4 stroke lengths make me more patient with the strokes, and feel the glide a bit more. Nice.

I need to get some more running shoes, and I need to sort myself out with some better cycle shoes (Coach has ideas on these, but is not back until the weekend, so I’m virtual window shopping until then)

Tomorrow – more snorkel, more nodding practice, and more pyramids with tumble turns.

In Lieu

Went for a swim today in lieu of our usual session.  I don’t have a training plan, as such, but this is what I did:

2 x superman
4 x superman with flutter (nearly managing that in 2 breaths now)
4 x skating to sweetspot rotation
4 x underswitch
4 x submerged to elbow
4 x submerged to mid forearm
4 x submerged to wrists
4 x dragging fingers
2 x nodding
2 x top of goggles
2 x one goggle

Then I think I did about 20 lengths of “just swimming”, stopping every length to think about things.

SLP: I am averaging about 14, when I get it “right” I’m down to 12.  Feels great when I get it right, than I get annoyed that the end of the length has come. Worked a lot on getting into the skating position during each stroke, tucking my head in, shoulder out, a bit more today.  Felt I got more rotation, perhaps too much….?

Coaching session due on Thursday.

4 in 3

Back to the pool with the kids. The boys were desperate to play in the toddler pool, so I didn’t have a lot of time to get into any drills, so straight into a few lengths. Went off too quickly, got SOB too early. Felt pretty good once I slowed it down, though. SPL is down to 14 – 16, depending on how hard I push off, I think.

Trying to focus on a marionette hand, with a bit more hang. Perhaps it’ll slow down my SPL a bit…