July into August .... and even some dawn

July 2020 conveniently finished on a Friday (I love it when months end tidily like this - it's even better when they end on a Sunday) and I did a nice long solo swim of 5,333 metres. 

Here's the set. I did a longer warm-down, so that I wouldn't need to wait for the bus too long.

Earlier in the week, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, we were finishing the 'speed block' at squad, so the distances were a little less and I needed to catch up. Actually, the culmination of the speed block was fun. The first part of each session focussed on breathing, or coordination, or shape in the water. We also did sets that moved between doing fast 50s and 100s and longer swims. On the Tuesday we did some 50s that involved changing speed on each 25, and I was surprised that I could knock out some 37s and 36s.  On the Thursday, when we swim long course metres, I felt stiff as a board during the warm-up, and didn't look forward to whatever test set was coming up. As it happens, it went well.  

The set was as follows below, with the goal of treating each fast 100 as if it were the only one, and giving it everything.

100 all-out fast

300 pull

100 all-out fast

3 x 100 kick / swim

100 all-out fast

300 own choice (with whatever gear)

100 all-out fast

300 easy swimming.

For the first two fast 100s I chased two of the young guns in the squad (i.e. teenagers!) One of them is too fast for me, but trying to catch the other one provided incentives. I tried to avoid swimming like a hooligan, in favour of being strong and controlled on the way out, and kicking on the way back. Kicking really works ... The same tactics applied to third and fourth fast 100s, although the final one was probably not an example of elegant swimming. Still, the results were ok, 1.17, 1.16, 1.17, 1.16.1. Surprisingly OK for an old worn-out board.

Surprisingly again, I felt quite energised for Friday's 5km+. Perhaps this was because I knew I'd finish July with 103.981km under my belt, a higher total than January or February, when I was training for Chopper 2020.

However, Saturday was a different story. It began with a wonderful dawn, which I tried to photograph as I walked to WRAC at 6.45am.

My time in the pool was generally painful, however. My neck hurt, my back hurt on ever tumble turn, my legs hurt when kicking. The 2.5km that I managed to eke out never felt fun at all. Thankfully I could get out early, get dressed (in dry togs, and clothes, have some strong and hot coffee, and head to the beach. I took the bus to Freyberg, met Rebecca (who'd also been pool swimming) and headed out into the sea. It was a wonderful, calm morning, although the lack of sun made the overall sensations a bit brisk. We swam to the second yellow buoy, back to the fountain, out to the first yellow buoy, back to the fountain, then to the white buoys marking where the pontoons are in summer, and back to the beach. It was about 1600 metres in all.  Surprisingly, although the sea was probably only just 11 degrees, all my varied aches vanished and I could have swum longer. 

As the kilometres were adding up nicely for the week, on Sunday I took control of my destiny in a mindful fashion and decided I wouldn't go to Sunday morning squad. For some reason, the hurly-burly of 90 minutes in the pool with lots of people didn't apppeal. Instead, I enjoyed an extra 40 minutes of sleep, ate my porridge, took the bus to Freyberg instead of cycling, and did a 1.5km warm-up swim. Then I went outside (where the sun was shining and the sea was flat) and set out on three laps of the fountain, a swim totalling about 2km. The first lap was COLD and I felt full of regrets and remorse; the second lap was wonderful - I felt omnipotent and joyful; the third lap began well, as some of the squad swimmers had come outside for their sea swim, but soon I felt very chilly, and was happy when it was over. Luckily the promise of brunch at Beach Babylon is very motivating in these circumstances. As I'd done three laps, I had a large cappuccino. 

Conditions were  just glorious