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I wasn’t sure what I’d find today when I got to the pool as it’s half term week and there are holiday clubs running at the sports centre. As it was, the pool was empty. My daughter had joined me for the set, though hers was a good few seconds faster than mine, which was:

400m front crawl warm-up
25 x 50m front crawl, target time 51s, rest interval 24s
200m front crawl swim down

Last time I failed this on rep 11, so I was very pleased this time to make it all the way through the set with all but two reps under 50s.

USRPT distance this year: 70,650m
Total distance this year: 167,550m

I wasn’t entirely keen to swim today as there was a lot of tension in my neck and back, I think as a result of sleeping badly, but just to keep the momentum going I made myself go anyhow. And it was a new set today:

400m front crawl warm-up
25 x 50m front crawl, target time 51s, rest interval 24s
200m front crawl swim down

Things started well and I was happy with how it was going, but on rep 11 I dropped outside 51s, so sat the next one out. I don’t really know why I didn’t make that one. I felt as though I was doing ok, so perhaps I just lost focus a little. After that I was back on it and completed rep 24 with no further failures, only to touch outside 51s on the final rep 🙁

Still, I was expecting this one to be tough so perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised. Hopefully I should do better next time.

USRPT distance this year: 69,400m
Total distance this year: 165,700m

It was busy at the pool today. My son and I both went to swim and I had to ask the lifeguards to put in a second lane for us as we were clearly going to be significantly faster than the swimmers already in the first lane. As they did so a group of women decided they’d have the lane for “old lady breaststroke” (you know what I mean) so the lifeguards then had to move them over.

Anyhow, today was a repeat of yesterday’s set:

400m front crawl warm-up
25 x 50m front crawl, target time 52s, rest interval 23s
200m front crawl swim down

My first rep was 44s! No idea where that came from. I didn’t get down that low again. The first 13 reps were all sub 50s though, which was pleasing. The remainder were a mixture of 49s and 50s with the exception of one where I stopped at the turn to allow my son to pass. I didn’t make the time on that one, but I’m actually I’ll ignore that fact for the purposes of the set. I’m sure I’d have made the time if I hadn’t stopped as I was less than three seconds over the target time anyhow.

So, a new set for next time: target 51s, rest interval 24s. I’m thinking that’s going to be tough, but I do that every time I lower the target and seem to be able to pull something out of the bag, so who knows? It does at least get me back to where I was in the first week of July.

USRPT distance this year: 68,200m
Total distance this year: 163,900m

Back on the USRPT wagon again today, with a new set:

400m front crawl warm-up
25 x 50m front crawl, target time 52s, rest interval 23s
200m front crawl swim down

It was a busy weekend so I didn’t exactly feel full of energy at the start of this session, but I still put in a few high 40s reps before settling down to sub 51s reps with a single rep over 51s and completed the entire set, rounding off with a final rep of 49s.

I felt quite tired when I got home. Same thing again tomorrow though, if all goes well.

USRPT distance this year: 66,950m
Total distance this year: 162,050m

Didn’t entirely feel like going swimming today thanks to general tiredness and a bit of stiffness in my back, but I dragged myself along to keep the momentum going. This was my second attempt at:

400m front crawl warm-up
25 x 50m front crawl, target time 53s, rest interval 22s
200m front crawl swim down

I was surprised when without apparently trying particularly hard my first two reps were below 47s, and the first ten were all below 50s. I had a few excursions into the 50s after that, but kept below 51s for the entire set and even my last two 50s when I was feeling quite tired were still in the 49s, so overall I was very pleased with how things went.

I suspect the improvement in speed may be to do with getting my hips and legs a little higher in the water so they’re creating less drag. When I focus strongly on doing that my times seem to drop even when I’m getting tired, and there’s a definite change in the feel of the water as it flows around me, almost as if it’s slipping around me rather than me having to push through it.

Tomorrow is a short public session and often further reduced by a school session not finishing on time, so I think I’ll have a technique session tomorrow and then get back to a new set with a 52s target time and 23s rest interval next Monday.

USRPT distance this year: 65,700m
Total distance this year: 158,900m

My set today:

400m front crawl warm-up
25 x 50m front crawl, target time 53s, rest interval 22s
200m front crawl swim down

This all went pretty well. I had one rep slower than 52s but still under 53s, most of the rest being 50s or 51s.

Same again next time.

USRPT distance this year: 64,450m
Total distance this year: 157,050m