Swimming with Billy

I hate it - enough said.

(Posted for someone who occasionally reads what I say, it'll make no difference as we'll be doing 3, 5, 7, 3 hundreds again).

A long time ago, I did a set in Stockport where I wore fins and paddles. In that set, by virtue of these mechanical devices, I just sneaked in under 30 seconds for 50M free. That was before I started entering competitions. And I remember talking with a (much older) chap who said I should enter Masters events, I retorted that I couldn't swim "fast" because I had never broken the 30s barrier. But on that day I did, but only with some help from my "friends".

Fast forward to last Thursday, I was completely full of cold so had a shorter/less intense session, but we ended with a 50M free wearing paddles and fins again. Martin went 24.something and I went 25.high with a bad start. What's hopefully interesting about that is that I remembered my first sub-30 swim (above) and thought I just couldn't understand what it'd feel like to swim _that_ fast. And here I am again, through artificial aids, I hit a sub 26s time for the first time ever. And that felt odd, and again I can't (yet) understand what I need to do to achieve this kind-of speed, and may be I won't but with a new record of 27.59 "unaided" it looks like my next "challenge" is to get really quick - sub 27s. Perhaps I've bitten off more than I can chew, but it's time to step up to the plat...

A couple of weeks back the Southport Masters Sprints took place. I didn't enter them last year, but did this time and had a really good time. I had a good time for a couple of reasons, firstly my swimming was amazing (for me!) and secondly I used to live in the Northern end of Southport, so going back after a good number of years was nice. I got to meet up with a couple of old friends, sadly not as many as I'd hoped but time was against me.

As far as the swimming went it was all 50M events and the 100IM, I have to say that the IM is rapidly becoming my least favourite event. I swam it okay but just can't get any speed into it (turns are the problem, and I'd rather concentrate on something else, other than my IM turns - sorry!). So I have a feeling that the IM is going to loose favour over the next few events.

But what about the swimming? Well other than IM I hit four new PBs - and a couple of those were quick:

I can't explain how chuffed I felt getting under both 30s for the fly and 28s for the free. To win those heats was a bonus, but to hit both my main goals of the year... well pleased