I am a brick

Grump. Disappointing session in the pool. I am determined to take the positives from it, though.

4 lengths warm up.
Snorkel work:
8 x UnderSwitch
16 x ZenSwitch (4 of each)
8 x full stroke with the snorkel, concentrating on leaving the lead hand out there…
8 x full stroke without the snorkel, concentrating on breathing
3 pyramids (1234321) with tumble turns.

PW commented that it just didn’t look as smooth as Wednesday; it certainly didn’t feel as good. My analysis of it:

I think I overdid the drills – by the time I’d finished all that ZenSwitch, my shoulders were pretty tired.

I was tense; stressed about all the tumble turns, I think. No rational reason, of course, but I can’t quite time them correctly, can’t judge the breathing correctly, and get tense when I near the end of the pool. In the third pyramid I was better, but only a bit.

Positives. I was able to do 92 lengths in total today; I would not have been able to swim 32 lengths 6 weeks ago, so this is a major achievement for me.

I did all tumble turns for the pyramids. They were ropey, they were splashy, and they messed up my form for the first quarter of each subsequent length, but I did them. Got to start somewhere.

The drills went well, even if I did overcook them.

Plan: I am hoping to have a session with Ian on Sunday, so I want to have a light day tomorrow. I think I will do only a couple of drill lengths, and focus more on some technical issues for the man portion of the time.

On Wednesday it felt great – PW said “A Quantum Leap” in my technique. Tonight is was more of a struggle. But I know that I can do it right, and I CAN recreate Wednesday’s swim again; it’s in me. Perhaps sometimes it’s about doing the distance, and breaking a few barriers, so I can concentrate on the form and technique tomorrow.

So. I’m a brick tonight, but tomorrow a dolphin shaped brick, or perhaps a brick shaped dolphin.

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.

4 forward, 2 back…

90 minute session in the pool with Coach.  Clever sod.  He set me up (in the nicest way) for a fall, letting me get on with 12 lengths however I wanted to, and I went off like a rocket, got totally breathless within 5 lengths, and then felt very very stupid.

The last few times in the pool by myself, I’ve started with drills, and not swum any “real” lengths until really settled.

I felt very much that I’d stepped back a long way from the end of the last session.  I have to admit to being somewhat disheartened by it.  Coach was, of course, encouraging, but the undercurrent of “I told you so..” with a dash of “You’re  a wally…” was just detectable.  Just.

We used the only acceptable toy in the pool today: central snorkel.  Very strange sensation: I managed to get water in my sinuses, despite breathing through my mouth.  I’ll get used to it.  I’ve bought one from off of Amazon.

First pyramid today.  I suspect I’ll be doing a lot of them from now on.

And the tumble turn exercise is ridiculous.

Hopefully I’ll get a shot in the pool on Sunday after my on call.