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Yet again I was late to the pool today, but at least this time it was due to the arrival of a dumper truck that I’ve rented for the week of half-term so I can shift a load of spoil from building work we’ve had done. More of that in another post perhaps.

So, yet again just a front crawl swim, this time of 2,600m, instead of the repeat of the Swimfit session I did earlier in the week that I had in mind. It felt quite tough, though wasn’t that fast based on the time taken. Given the heat today it was very pleasant just to be in the pool, a fact particularly brought home by spending two hours poolside coaching in the evening when it would have been far more relaxing to have been in the water.

I’m very keen to keep up the distance at the moment. If I can I could reduce the distance that I’m behind target by quite a big chunk.

Total distance for the month: 45,100m
Total distance for this year: 192,500m
Distance compared to annual target: 15,500m under

Very late to the pool today and missed about a third of the session, so I just got on with some front crawl and swam until the bell went for the end of playtime, which turned out to be 2,400m so I wasn’t at all displeased with my performance. I could possibly have squeezed another 100m in, but I’d have been taking the mick in all honesty.

Total distance for the month: 42,500m
Total distance for this year: 189,900m
Distance compared to annual target: 16,100m under

Today I finally decided to move on to the next Swimfit session, which was comparatively short, but involved quite a few pairs of fast/slow lengths:

20 lengths front crawl
1 minute rest
6 x 1 length front crawl, 20 seconds rest
6 minutes front crawl, alternating slow/fast lengths
rest until breathing returns to normal
same number of lengths as previous set, but faster, 15 seconds rest after each length
3 minutes breaststroke, alternating slow/fast lengths
1 minute rest
6 lengths easy front crawl

I made up the distance to 2,500m with more front crawl and 300m front crawl kick practising breathing to the right.

This wasn’t a bad session at all. I think I managed twelve lengths in the six minutes of front crawl, but was slowing down quite noticeably towards the last. In the breaststroke I think I only managed four lengths. I feel as though I could justify repeating this session once more later this week and then moving on again.

Total distance for the month: 40,100m
Total distance for this year: 187,500m
Distance compared to annual target: 16,500m under

I was contemplating another SwimFit session today, but didn’t get myself organised in time and was feeling somewhat jaded having spent another weekend at Millfield pool, so took the easy option and ploughed through 2km of front crawl followed by 500m of front crawl kick practising breathing to the right and finally back to front crawl for a 300m swim down.

I still don’t really feel very relaxed breathing to the right though that may just be residual stiffness in my back from the weekend. I shall continue with the kick for another session or two before swapping to pull.

Total distance for the month: 37,600m
Total distance for this year: 185,000m
Distance compared to annual target: 17,000m under

A slightly different session today. I’ve decided it’s time to actually put some work into learning to breathe bilaterally. I didn’t learn to do so as a child and now find that if I try to breathe to my right I just can’t get my head to move in co-ordination with the rotation of my body. I’ve decided the first step must be to get myself used to moving my head to the right to breathe by whatever means possible and then try to work that into the full stroke.

After 1,000m of front crawl to warm up I got my float out and kicked up and down the pool with my left hand resting on top of the float, pulling with my right arm every eight to ten kicks and attempting to breathe to the right as the arm recovered. At first it was quite awkward and I was having trouble getting my mouth clear over the water, but over the course of a few lengths things improved and whilst I was still not wonderfully synchronised by the end of the session (still exhaling fairly strongly as my head came out of the water) there was a definite improvement over the course of twenty lengths or so.

My intention is to continue with this drill for a few days, then either attempt it without the float or if it’s going well switch straight to pull (with a pull-buoy) and attempt to swim lengths breathing only to the right, gradually working my way up to the full stroke.

And if all else fails, 500m or more of kick each day is hardly going to do me any harm 🙂

Going back to free swimming for 100m swim down after the kick did feel very strange. I was so much more relaxed in the shoulders. I don’t know if that’s just a side effect of working with the float, or just an indication of how hard I was concentrating on the breathing.

Total distance for the month: 34,800m
Total distance for this year: 182,200m
Distance compared to annual target: 17,800m under

[Just realised I’d understated my distance behind target by 800m since 12th May. Now corrected.]

A return, probably for the final time I think, to that same Swimfit session today:

12 lengths front crawl
8 lengths breaststroke
4 lengths backstroke
1 minute rest
2 x ( 2 lengths each of front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke ) 15 sec rest after each length
8 x ( 1 length each of front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke, 30 sec rest )
10 lengths fast front crawl, 30 seconds rest every 2 lengths
8 lengths easy front crawl

I’m still finding the breaststroke and backstroke tough, but it’s time to move on now. I think I’ve done this one enough. I made the distance up to 2,400m with front crawl. I was hoping to get to 2.5km, but they kicked me out of the pool for the lessons that started afterwards which I wasn’t entirely happy about as I’d started late because I had to wait for the pool staff to find a lifeguard. Hey ho.

Total distance for the month: 33,200m
Total distance for this year: 180,600m
Distance compared to annual target: 16,600m under

Slightly late to the pool today and immediately I got in the water the nosepiece of my goggles broke. Fortunately I carry a few spare pairs including some for the children when they’re training, but it took me five minutes or so to find a pair that fitted and didn’t leak. In fact I still wasn’t that happy with them, but more on that later…

Given the late start I just cracked on with front crawl, working on keeping my elbow high during the pull and overall it went pretty well, though I lost count in the middle and may actually have done ten more lengths than the one hundred and twelve I eventually counted.

Now I just need to go and order some more goggles.

Total distance for the month: 30,800m
Total distance for this year: 178,200m
Distance compared to annual target: 17,000m under