Swimming with Billy

Because Gary's going on holiday with Diane for three weeks in May so needs some cover for the kids sessions. After a phone call today it looks like I might be able to do three, or four, sessions for him. The only downside is that a couple of the are when I would normally swim, but that's just a minor inconvenience as I'll pick up a few "brownie points" and it'll be a good change.

So that starts in a couple of weeks.

Well yesterday Sally (the current Shrimps teacher) was dishing out little slips of paper and I expected my girl to be one who missed out. But no, she didn't. I think she was the last one to get a slip and was asked by Sally if she wanted it this week or next (this one obviously) and into the changing room she came, big beam, puffed out chest and lots of congratuations and welldones from me.

Not sure what you have to do to get "otter 1" (probably just pay for a hat full of lessons!) but she's clearly getting better and enjoying it so as far as morale boosting goes, now was the right time I think.

We didn't get the badge yesterday, but did that today because she and I went for a swim whilst the boy went to his (four-year-old girlfriend's birthday bash). And all I can say is what an absolute star she was.

We started with a quick play and her armbands less than half full of air and that was cool. Then she wanted her foat and we did one arm dog-paddle and kicking across the pool and she showed that she clearly is much better at this than the last time we played. But now for the good stuff, we took our googles (because she's been playing blowing bubbles in the bath). And asks if we can put them on, so we did and straight away she's dunked her face in the water and humming away. Quickly I duck underneith her and blowing bubbles wave at her from the bottom of the pool.

Up I come and big hugs and encouragement for her. But then she's off - can't keep her face out of the water!! Then I say let's take your armbands off and she's there, no armbands, head right underwater gorping around at anything and nothing. Absolutely brilliant.

And then... "can I (she) jump in?" God I never thought I'd hear the day, so I hoist her up onto the side and she jumps into my arms (more accurately barely lifts her feet of the side) but hey, she did it under her own steam! And wanted to do it again... and again... and again.

So to recap: my girl who doesn'k like water in her face (1) gets her first award badge, (2) can't stop sticking her face in the water and (3) wants to jump in!!

So it was time for me to be puff chested today! Now I am counting my chickens (or should that be fish?) because I recon a couple more sessions like today and she'll be no armbands and self propelling (aka swimming) with out any aids at all... Top day today...

I've just printed some Masters competitions of the ASA site, and it looks like I can (everything willing) do another couple or so this year. So far I'm looking at:

30/06 - Gateshead & Wickham
23/09 - Staffordshire Open (in Wolves)
06/10 - Northumberland and Durham
24/11 - Etwall Open (Derby)

Not sure yet but herself is positive about it, so that's a bonus...

I've got a few books, videos and DVDs about swimming in my collection. And I've decided to give everyone some of my wisdome about them (eventually, but don't hold your breath). The first one I've picked is "Sprinting, A Coach's Challenge" by Sam Freas.

I bought this book a few years back and read it in a couple of days. It's a tiny book coming in at just about 200 pages with big lettering and blank pages in it. Basically it's a book about Freas ethos towards coaching sprinters from the late 1970s to mid 1980s. If you've read a few swimming books, coaching bibles and whatnot the first thing that strikes you is how lightweight this book actually is. I don't need another book with 30 odd pages on dryland exercises and stretching (or may be I do) and I certainly don't agree with all of the stretches used.

There's some stuff about managing/interacting with a US college teams and how he would handle a three season year (fitting around college holidays).

The first time I read this I didn't enjoy it, and especially since most of my reading/mindset is TI based a lot of what he was preaching (when you get past the flannel) seems to go against TI-mechanics.

Any how I picked it up again last night and scan read it in a couple of hours. Again my thoughts seem to be mostly the same as they were previously. Except that I now get some of the message he bangs on about, whether I agree with all, or most, of the book isn't the issue; what I do agree with is the main message which is: to swim quickly in races, you've got to spend (a lot of) time practicing on, at, or above your race pace.

Now Freas deals with 50M (50yrd and 100yrd) sprinters, and does mention that he never got the chance to try his methods on 100M sprinters. And his mantra is "hammer down" (i.e. swimming for broke) pretty much every swim. His idea being that a sprinter who spends a lot of time swimming fast (and well) will when they race... swim fast. I guess the posh word (he doesn't use) is specifity. But now using my worldly experience of the last couple of months and Gloucester. I swum faster than before (both 50M and 100M free) because of the specific training I've been doing.

Yes it helps that I've got reasonable technique, but to go fast you've got to swim fast and aggressively (certainly in short events).

So taking these thoughts I kind of understand where he's coming from. I am not sure that I'd really get that much out of a "hammer down" existence (my stroke isn't up to it, and my body isn't up to it). But taking on board the message that I need more specifity and more very fast short workouts, I think there is some good stuff in the book. Sadly I guess you could write that in maybe 20 pages...!

So things I found important/useful from it:
Hammer Down - !&"! or bust swimming, you've got to use it or loose it. Which makes sense to me. So more practices with fast swimming in.

Super Fast Swimming - as well as hammer down work, he advocated faster-than-race swimming for short sets (distance varies depending on where you are up to in your season). So today, as an example, I did 8 x 25 super fast with paddles (coming in around 13s). His idea here is that your body will eventually learn to feel the water better as you swim at these speeds so you can apply it to normal propert swimming.

Starts and Turns - no supprise, but you've got to get these down to stand out in the crowd.

In Summary

Would I recommend this book? Erm, not sure I would. It is very American and really too lightweight to be of much benefit. And as said earlier some of his drills/mechanics I think go against the grain of modern day swimming.

Would I buy it again? No I don't think so (perhaps that's unfair because I have got stuff out if it)

Today was the first time for ages where I've swum in the public bit of the pool, mainly because I've been swimming in Craig's group. However because of the cost and the particular *!&!ness of Serco it appears I have to pay twice as much as everyone else!!

So after a chat with Craig yesterday I did an aggressive set today on my own. It was kind of funny and it's easy to lapse back into the old ways, but you(I!)'ve got to be strong. So being mindful of lazyness I took to the pool.

It's clear I've not been in for a while because there was no training lane there to start with (added whilst I was warming up). There were not many people in today so I got on okay on my own (Craig waved from the "other side" which was nice).

So today I did the following:

Warm up:
1 x 300 (free, back and breast)
1 x 100 kick EZ
2 x 100 kick (1st 10M fast, 2nd 15 fast, 3rd EZ, 4th 25M fast)

Main set:
4 x 100 free on 1:45 aiming for sub 1:15 pace
8 x 25 free on 1:00 super fast with paddles
3 x 100 free on 1:45 aiming for sub 1:15 pace

Warm down:
1 x 100 EZ

The 100 free sets were very challenging, my first was 1:05 and I dropped to 1:12 on the last of the four. The second set I'd have done a bit more but got chatting with Mike (fitness swimmer), so the last one had a bit more rest (I guess I was aroung 1:10 on these).

The super fast with paddles stuff was something I read in a book last night (because I'm sad). More about that in another post. But basically it's supposed to be faster-than-race pace, mine wasn't it was just about race pace coming inf aroung 13.5s.

Now what about the title of this fine article? Well whilst resting before finishing my 3 x 100 set, Mike arrived. My "aqua blades" (goggles) were still on my face and they've got some danglie nose-bridge elastic either side of my nose. So his first comment was a dreadful quip about me looking like Mr Manchu. (Cheekie bugger)

... that's the new target. Feeling uncharacteristically bullish about last weekend, I had a look at the ASA rankings in my age group. And the current best time for 2007 is 26.69. So I've got to loose about 2.3 seconds!!! Mmmm, may be too much, but it's the new goal. So training's going to be targetted towards dropping the odd second or so... We'll see how it goes.

Also having looked at the open Masters events available this year, it looks like my set of 50 free/fly, 100 IM/free is a good set for most of these events. Now I've got to work out how to fit a couple of these in before the year-end, and how to fit them in around the kids and holidays and trying not to be a selfish male...

Introduction

I came, I saw, I concurred. Well may be not the last one, but I did concur that fear of would my swimming stand up under (serious) stress. As it turned out the answer was mainly a yes it did (stand up).

We went as a threesome: myself and Gary and Dianne (head and assistant coaches from Buxton). They are on a mission, aiming for the World Masters in Perth (Australia) next year. Me I was on a mission to get a proper racing swim under my belt.

Now I've been training pretty well with Craig in Stockport, but still had a number of nagging doubts (would I be fast enough? Would I look silly? Would it be worth it? ...) And last week I had a bit of a "wobberly" over diving, something that joe-public-swimmer doesn't get to do very often (i.e. ever).

My diving consisted of a couple of kids practices, diving from the side and a couple of Craigs sessions diving from the sides. Now I arbitarily picked the track start style over the traditional dive, but when trying this with Gary last Wednesday, he said I'd be disqualified for wobbling, so I swapped to the traditional dive - still rubbish, but no wobbling. And then on Friday I used Stockport's blocks and couldn't stay upright on them, so went back to a track start - altogether more stable...

And then there's the contact lense issue. I am slightly "blind" but it doesn't normally bother me when swimming because I know both pools I swim in, where to go and what to do. But a new pool where I've got to be in the right lane at the right time... that calls for a day in my lenses. Okay no problem, I've swum in them a few times before, but never dived in them. And my old favorite goggles were starting to leak. So new goggles (Speedo aquablades) and I love them, practiced in them all last week - no leaks and they survived all my dives, so I've a solution to my main worry.

Sunday Morning - Arrival and Intimidation

We spent the night in the Holiday Inn Express and got to the pool at about 9:15 and here started the butterflies! I got out of the car and there were a good number of "big" athlete types (you know the ones who have that athletic "lope"?). And when we got in to the pool (very nice is GL1 in Gloucester) and found ourselves some pool side seats, just looking around and there were "professional" groups of swimmers in matching team tracksuites, or t-shirts (saying things like Portsmouth Masters Club, or Bristol University...). Even Gary and Dianne (and why wouldn't they) were wearing matching Buxton club/PTI t-shirts. I guess a good 60-70% of people looked the part. And then there was me: wearing trendy shorts (that's okay) and a "Shawn-the-Sheep" from Wallace and Gromit t-shirt (mmm not so good).

So yes a touch intimidated, or may be in awe (if at 38 that's allowed). And then it was warmup time

Morning Warm-up, a knotty problem

9:30 female warm-up, followed by 10:00 mens. Gary said pick a lane that you're going to be swimming in and get used to the pool, the walls and so forth. So I did, and found that it's a "proper" pool - with no guttering!!! So how the hell am I suppose to turn in my butterfly and IM?!?! Tried a couple of open turns and...not good. The swimming itslef was okay and at least stopped the main worries. And even managed three or four practice dives with goggles intact and no one laughing).

10:30 - "bully off" time, so it's out of the pool to dry off and watch the mixed 200M free. And here some more intimidation starts as the middle heats where people had put in times of 3:00(ish) were being won in 2:40/2:30. And one chap who was in my age group and swimming the 100M free posted a 1:08 for his first 100M. So I'm thinking they're all much faster than there times and my times were about as good as I could do (When I submitted them), so I'm going to get pasted...

Anyway I couldn't worry for too long because my left calf suddenly knotted right up (and is still incredably painful now). Oh bugger, thinks I, not only is everyone faster than me, I'm going to flounder with cramp half way through!!

Mens 50M Fly

My first event was at 11:30, so at about 11:00 I decided to start warming up and try and remove the knot from my leg. Oh yes and change into one of my pairs of Jammers. Oh, forgot to mention the number of body suites, long tights and stuff on display. Still at least my jammers looked the part (but didn't cost anywhere near the price of some pieces of kit). So warmed up and very tense, it's up onto the blocks for my heat, which happend to have Gary in as well. Into my track start position (did I hear someone giggle?), and don't wobble... don't wobble. Well I didn't and dived in when told and... my !")!ing goggles had a fit and suddenly both lenses are full of water. So I swim the race in blurred vision, not knowing where the wall is, not knowing whether I've still got my lenses in and completely missing my finish because I could risk another stroke and smashing into the wall (no depth perseption).

So 31.75s later my event one is over and I later find that I've come 4th in my age group. Well not bad, and very good coonsidering the goggles fiasco. The depressing bit was I can go faster because I've done just over 30s with Craig. Still I didn't loose and noone laughed (that I heard).

Mens 100M Free

I had about half an hour between the 'fly and the 100M free. So after drying myself off I decided to tighten my wonderful goggles, just a bit. Now I am really scared that they are going to fail me for the rest of the gala, and the 100M free is goign to be swum very badly indeed.

But I shouldn't have worried (too much) because this time, perhaps it was the tightening, or a better dive. But the relief when I surfaced and they were still on my face, where I wanted them, with no water leaks was pallitable! As far as the race went, the first 50M was good, the second was bad. Afterwards Garry said I've got to stop breathing every stroke cycle when sprinting. He said the first length-and-a-half I was ahead (at 50M I was winning my age group) but then the second half, breathing every two killed my speed. I finished with an official 1:03.50 which is about the time I last did with Craig. I went out in 30.3 but lost in on the second half. But I got a medal - because I came third in my group!!

Mens 100IM

This was my first event of the afternoon. we went to Asda for a sandwich lunch and only got back with 10 minutes of warm up left. I hopped in and did 200-300M in my second pair of Jammers. Again for this race Gary was in the pool with me. And again my goggles stayed on for the dive. I didn't think I swam this particularly well and came in with a 1:13.60 which was way behind Gary. However it was enough for second place in my age group - a silver medal to me!

Mens 50M Free - bring on the speed merchants

There were 93 entrants (across all ages) for the men's 50M free. In my age group there were four who'd got entry times way ahead of my PB. But for this one event, because I knew there were several much faster than me, I relaxed and just wanted to set a PB, just get under 30s proper.

I warmed up quite well, and decided that I'd breath at most every four strokes (two cycles instead of one). Also Craig, this last week, had been saying dolphin kick off the turns, and in the 100M I didn't I just reverted to type (streamline and kick into my first stroke).

Now when I got to my lane there were two full body suite people being zipped up and a third saying he wasn't bothering with his suite for the 50M. This last chap went in the heat before me and posted a 30.03 - fast I thought, but I wouldn't buy a body suite swimming at that pace! And then it was me... I got up and did a good dive (I think) goggles intact and charge. I hit the wall on a proper full stroke (that was rare) and four dolphins off the wall. I was aware the chap in the lane next to me was right up with me, which forced me not to be lazy keep to my breathe every four, or more, tactic. And I think I hit the wall on just about a full stroke as well. Panting, I turned and looked at the score board, and for that heat I was FIRST!!! in 0:28.92!!!!!!! Oh my God I'd done it, best swim ever (by me). So when I got out I was chuffed to bits. And better yet that was eventually good enough for my second silver (the winner did 28:09), but hey I did it - one very happy bunny here

In Summary

So in the end a really good time. Things to remember - in these events you are really only swimming against yourself; don't be intimidated by good looking athletes - if there better so what? But some of them won't be; turn better and breathe less and you'll do alright.

So between us we entered 14 events and got five golds, four silvers and four bronzes. We came, we saw, we did alright actually.

And I think I can almost start calling myself a speedie, because one of my criteria was sub-30s for 50M and 28:92 sounds under 30 seconds to me!!

Well it's been an interesting couple of weeks swimming. I've had a "lot on my plate" in terms of stuff outside of swimming (still on going) and the myther (still on going) of double-payment. But this week I've been on a tapering program (apparently, having never tapered before I wouldn't know).

Anyway this week in Stockport it's been mainly gentle work with some drag stuff (i.e. swimming in bermuda-shorts) and today some speed work of sorts. Today was a touch different and the kind of thing I don't mind paying (extra) for: some bungie cord work, some diving and other stuff.

The bungie cord stuff was swim fast whilst being pulled to the shallow end. The diving was because I can't really dive (which is a problem if you're going to race). On Wednesday I did a bit of dive practice and Gary suggested that a track-start isn't for me because I dive too flat (which I do/did). However today off Stockport's blocks I almost fell in when getting ready with a "normal" start, so lest I want to get disqualified I think it'll have to be a splashie track-start this time.

So I am ready... well almost, except that I need to pack my bag, apparently I can't have too many pairs of trunks/jammers (one pair for each race and a spare for warm up(s)), nor can I have too many towels. I guess the only thing I know I've got enough of (fateful words) is goggles.

So here I am, to coin my boy's favorite movie: "Focus, I am speed... one winner 'umpteen' losers, I eat losers for breakfast". Wish me luck...

I feel the world's against me again, well more specifically the Stockport swimming world. For those of you reading will know I've been swimming with Craig's active swim (actually called Swim Fit) sessions, because some time back he asked if I wanted to. And they've been good fun (and I've gotten more focussed/faster). Now it transpires that these sessions are run by Stockport Metros (I think), well I know (now!) they are not run by Serco (who run/manage the pool). Now this has become an issue, because I pay a direct debit for the pool (in the region of £240) and I'd assumed that this entitled me to swim in Craig's group.

Nope that's not the case, because Craig's group is part of the Metros so costs extra. Well actually it costs less than a normal swim! Because a normal swim comes in at £3.10 and Swim Fit is £3.00. So people who swim casually pay just £3.00 a session and people who pay by DD pay... well it would appear another £3.00 on top!! I thought this doesn't seem right so I went to the pool last night and asked them to explain and the upshot was: it's a different session so you have to pay and because your a member of the pool you basically pay double?! Uh? Excuse me? How does that work? When is that fair? I pay monthly because I can't afford to pay £3+ each time I swim so a DD better/cheaper - if you swim a lot, which I do. But the evening manager said well you could cancel your membership and only pay once, but then I can't swim when I want to on other occasions. And anyway it take's "weeks" to cancel, so basically I'd need to plan 4-6 weeks in advance. And then there's summer, where there isn't any Swim Fit...

So I am resigned to pay extra until the end of the week (so my competition training isn't upset) but I guess that's it, because I am not going to pay twice - it doesn't seem right!

I feel a Victor Meldrew moment/letter coming on. But generally I feel a little +!##ed off with them all at the moment...

And there was much rejoicing. After a good week of "blowing bubbles" in the bath, today's (shrips) swimming lesson finally saw my girl stick her face in the water!! I counted three times I think and one where she didn't mean to. The last she was on her back with a float on her tummy and she lent back (to see where the wall was) and she lent too far and SPLASH a face full of water (well eyes and nose from what I could see). And best of all... she didn't stop she kept going to the end!!!

So next week she's been told she's down to one arm ring a side, which she can already do but the teacher I think was waiting for more water on the face before she reduced them.

The only thing she didn't do was jump in (properly), she still needed Sally's helping hand. It was close but not quite. May be next week. But this week I bask in the glow of face in the water.

Got home from work yesterday and there on the door step was a parcel for me - my new jammers. Very excited I ripped open the packet to find two new pairs... but the wrong colours?! I thought I'd ordered black, and red-and-gold. So when I openned the packet and found navy blue (not black) and blue and yellow (not red and gold) I was a tad disappointed. Especially as I haven't got the time or inclination to send them back.

Still on the plus side, the Swedes wear blue and yellow and they are really quick...

Got some new goggles as well, the cheaper Speedo racing ones - you have to tie the bloomin' google strap in a knot!! The cheap skates! But luckily I have a pair of cheap Decathlon ones that don't fit (so what was the point in buying them?) that do contain a plastic threaded clasp thing that I've borrowed, well the Decathlon goggles don't fit so there's no point keep them "whole". So now I have a cool pair of racing goggles - just need to try them out (diving and wearing contact lenses...)

So there's eleven days until my first swimming competition proper. This week in Craig's lot it's supposedly lots of intense stuff, and it is... but it's not helping my morale.

Last week was good, because I PB'ed my 100M free, but this week - yuk. Yesterday we (I) did Craigs favorite 100, 75, 50, 25 set three times. The first and third were free and the second fly. Well the fly was a killer, I was... crap, I died on the 100M and lost the plot from then on. In my defence we'd just done a hard fartek-style kicking set for 10 minutes and I am usually in no shape after that. And it showed and I wasn't.

So to today, the main set was 8 x 100 free on 1:40 supposedly negative splitting and keeping under 1:15. And again I died a death. The first one came in on 1:12, the second 1:14, and then... well to say I finished on 1:20 would be pushing it - dreadful is the word. So may be I should be wearing Birmuda shorts rather than my yet-to-arrive cool jammers.

So to save the day I only hope that herself is back in time to let me go swimming and that it's a good session and that I manage to work out the travel and sleeping arrangments for Saturday-week.

BTW, because when my wife was younger she was into pony riding, she's called my swim competition a "gymkhana"!

If I have a weakness (other than the obvious) it's pool toys. Today, because of this (becoming expensive) competition approaching, I decided to splash out on some new jammers (trunks that look like cycle shorts). So after perusing the swim shop catalog I decided on two pairs: one just black (those endurance/chlorine resistent ones) and a well jazzy pair of... bugger forgotten the colours!!!! Red and gold I think.

Som Sunday week I might be slow, but I'll look well cool (in my eyes!). Now just got to hope they do look cool, I don't look like a prat, they arrive on time and, oh yes - they fit!!

Oh I also bought a new pair of "racing" goggles, which was a waste because I've never worked out how to fit them and I'll end up buy a cheap pair of Speedo ones from Decathalon and wear those (because I know they fit).

Yuk, today was the first swim with the general public I've done for weeks. And it was horrid. I've clearly gotten used to Craig's group. So today, being a Monday and Easter holidays, saw be both in work and in the pool but without Craig's group.

At least they'd openned the other (my?) side of the pool up, but no lanes

Having said that I had a plan today to just do some kicking, so I wasn't too bothered not having any lane space. But it wasn't really very pleasant.

Still tomorrow's back to normal I think...