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Oh yes, another crack at that Swimfit session:

14 lengths easy front crawl
Rest up to one minute
6 x 1 length moderate front crawl, rest for 20 seconds
5 x 2 lengths fast front crawl, rest for 20 seconds
8 lengths fast breaststroke
Rest until breathing returns to normal
8 lengths fast front crawl
Rest until breathing returns to normal
12 lengths easy front crawl

This time was probably the best I’ve done at it. I shall do it at least once more next week and then move on I think. Oddly I noticed that although my feeling is that I’ve struggled with this set, the estimated time to complete it is given as and hour and I don’t struggle with that at all. In fact I can probably do it in 45 minutes. It’s just being able to do eight lengths of fast breaststroke continuously that is the killer.

After this I made up the distance to 2,300m with front crawl.

Total distance for the month: 47,100m
Total distance for this year: 104,700m

Feeling a bit weary today (I even overslept despite an early night), so I just stuck with front crawl today, racking up 2,800m. It was very quiet in the pool and I even ended up having it to myself for a fair bit of my swim.

I’m quite some distance behind my target for the year at this point. More than 20km I reckon. That’s going to take a fair bit of catching up, and it’s probably going to get more awkward with school holidays over Easter. To be fair to myself however I did take two weeks out on my Swimming Coach course and that would account for a hefty chunk of that 20km.

Total distance for the month: 44,800m
Total distance for this year: 102,400m

(Yet) another repeat of the last Swimfit session:

14 lengths easy front crawl
Rest up to one minute
6 x 1 length moderate front crawl, rest for 20 seconds
5 x 2 lengths fast front crawl, rest for 20 seconds
8 lengths fast breaststroke
Rest until breathing returns to normal
8 lengths fast front crawl
Rest until breathing returns to normal
12 lengths easy front crawl

after which I made the distance up to 2,200m with front crawl.

The breaststroke is becoming easier at last, but I still think I need to repeat this once or twice more before I can consider to have completed it adequately.

Total distance for the month: 42,000m
Total distance for this year: 99,600m

Just front crawl again today as I wasn’t feeling particularly lively (club swimming gala on Saturday and coaching on Sunday didn’t help there). 2,500m including some more practice on turns. I need to start working the turns into my normal swimming more I think, so I can develop more control over breathing before and after the turn at the pace I want to swim.

Total distance for the month: 39,800m
Total distance for this year: 97,400m

Missed a session on 23rd unfortunately, so this session I just did 2,200m front crawl in the time available. One of the swim teachers congratulated me on my turns, but had to ask what happened to the dolphin kicks on the way out. I was let off on the grounds that I was feeling a bit tired by then 🙂

Total distance for the month: 37,300m
Total distance for this year: 94,900m

Late to the pool today, so I just got in and got on with what I could in the time available. Swam 80 lengths front crawl and then covered another 400m practising turns again, attempting them at the shallow (1m deep) end of the pool for the first time in quite a while. Last time I tried I usually bumped into the floor of the pool on the way out of the turn. At least that didn’t happen today, though I was still quite close.

Not being able to breathe bilaterally is something of an embuggerance and I’m going to have to face up to learning to do so at some point. At the moment I find myself reaching the “T” without the appropriate time for another breath to my left (the only side I can breathe on) before the turn, which can leave me gasping for air on the way out. Of course handling that may also become easier with practice, or perhaps that’s just wishful thinking.

Total distance for the month: 35,100m
Total distance for this year: 92,700m

Another attempt at the previous Swimfit session. I’m determined to get to the point where I can manage this set competently, even if it doesn’t come easily.

14 lengths easy front crawl
Rest up to one minute
6 x 1 length moderate front crawl, rest for 20 seconds
5 x 2 lengths fast front crawl, rest for 20 seconds
8 lengths fast breaststroke
Rest until breathing returns to normal
8 lengths fast front crawl
Rest until breathing returns to normal
12 lengths easy front crawl

Once again the breaststroke is the killer. It’s a little frustrating that I can swim 1,000m front crawl with comparative ease, but 100m breaststroke is a real fight. More work on technique required, I guess.

After this set I made the distance up to 2,300m with some front crawl turn practice.

Total distance for the month: 32,700m
Total distance for this year: 90,300m

Was feeling a little tired after a fairly busy weekend, but everything seemed to get easier once I’d started. In the end I swam 1km non-stop, followed by two 500m swims, ten fast 50m swims practising turns and a final 500m easy cool down, all front crawl.

Might be time to try some turns at the shallow end. I’ve avoided this in the past because I was hitting the bottom of the pool on the way out of the turn, but I think I have things under a lot more control now.

Total distance for the month: 30,400m
Total distance for this year: 88,000m