Swimming lesson #1

Since retiring I've been swimming regularly but, despite an attempt to plan sessions to build pace and endurance, I consider that my performance has plateaued. Admittedly (like everyone) I'm aging but I feel I could do better. A few weeks ago I signed up with Swim Now and my first session was this morning. I discussed objectives with the coach, suggesting that I'd like to achieve a 2 minute 100m. I thought this might need less than 10% improvement but actually I need more like 12% as I have been judging myself in a 25 yard pool.

In today's session I was given a few tips, mostly to reduce drag:

• Keep arms closer to my head when reaching, especially on the left
• Keep legs closer to each other - note a bonus when toes touch
• Aim for a slightly faster kick
• Don't rush reach, make an effort to pause whilst arms ahead
• Be more snappy with turns to save time

During today's session I managed to take a few seconds off and achieved 2:09min/100m twice. The hotel pool is only 18m long so there is a potential advantage over a 25m pool if turns are fast and powerful. I suspect that a high proportion of today's gains came from more timely turns.

My practice will be to  try some intense 100m sets and then close with 'steady' longer sets for endurance. I'm also going to aim to improve flexibility around  my neck and shoulders with the goal of being able to improve my streamlining, if only marginally. I've downloaded a video from Siska Systems and will see if that helps me at all. 

After yesterday's circuit class my arms feel quite heavily worked with a swim and stretch.

First snow of the winter (for me)

Today's weather forecast predicted a high probability of rain but I didn't let that put me off my regular run/walk to Oxstones. Recently I've been tired and not managed to reach the stones in an hour, or on one occasion, not even completed the run. I'd even wondered if lugging 500g of camera uphill was slowing me down, I didn't have that excuse today.

This time I was happy to continue to the moor although I was delayed a little by the jacket off/on/off/on ritual due to getting warm in the woods whilst ascending and then being cold in open fields. In the plantation, a warm ascent phase, it started to snow, not a lot, but enough to show that winter has arrived.

Snow time in Lady Canning Plantation

There was a little more on the ground at Oxstones but it was cold and my fingers were too numb to bother with a photograph.

 

More Unstone paths

My post-Ilkley ankle pain resolved quickly and I suspect that it was more of an inset bite than shin-related injury as it responded well to topical Ibuprofen and the pain was more in the skin than deep in my ankle.

I've been run-walking more local paths although I'm feeling out of condition. I'm partially blaming having work going on in the house which stops me from going out at my usual times. But perhaps that's an excuse? Nonetheless, I went to Unstone this morning, towards the south east of my map in the hope of covering all remaining rights of way between the bypass and B road.  Progress was slower than I'd hoped due to a combination of a lack of fitness, detailed searching for paths between houses and muddy fields.  Some footpaths through housing seem to have been incorporated into the roads, whilst others persist as tortuous ginnels. The A61, the Dronfield bypass, also cuts through some rights of way, without any means of crossing.

This was a safe and easy way to cross the tracks

The farmland has more hills than one might expect and with autumnal colours the majority of the run was picturesque. I returned to the car with a few paths still to visit in this small area as I'd spent as long as I'd planned. Next time I'll have to revisit Whittington as well as completing the paths adjacent to the A61.

 

 

Ilkley moor

On Friday I had the opportunity to spend a day walking from Steeton, near Keighley. I readily planned a route northwards to Addingham High Moor, down to Ilkley and back via Ilkley Moor and the Leeds-Liverpool canal.

Near a footbridge over Holden Beck

The ascent was generally easy-going although with twists and turns through farms and their associated land. The view from the moor wasn't great due to low laying mist, which persisted all day. From the old bathhouse I descended into the town for a coffee and to buy some fresh socks as, for some reason, the right sock seemed to be at risk of causing a blister. I suspect that my brisk descent of the steps initiated an ankle problem that I noticed later.

After a break and a spirited march back up to the moor I crossed the potentially wetland without problem. Lengths of stone pavers have been laid making the walk far less swampy than one might expect. Even the gloriously named Yellow Bog was dry underfoot.

Pavers and grass on Yellow Moor

There was more road time than I'd have liked to reach the canal in the Airedale valley but the historical development of industry and housing has built a border between the moor and valley. The canal path has been opened up as a national cycle path which means it's well maintained, but one must keep an eye for cyclists at speed.

Autumn appearing along the Leeds-Liverpool canal

After a few, again easy, kilometres I turned off to retrace my way to the car in Steeton. The last 10km were uncomfortable as I'd noted a gradually worsening pain in my right ankle, or perhaps shin. As mentioned earlier, I wonder if the steps between Ilkley Moor and the town had overload something. I've no better explanation. Ironically, I'd decided to walk rather than slow-run so as not to tire myself before a potential Saturday run. I've not done that, instead taking it easy with ibuprofen gel applied liberally.

It was a lovely 31km walk with a range of terrain and landscape, probably not what many people imagine for the outskirts of Bradford.

Another area of paths completed

My ongoing quest to walk or run all of the local Rights of Way has moved forwards another step today. I've completed those around Barlow at last.

It's taken a number of visits, sometimes from Dore, sometimes from Sheepbridge, to achieve this. The network is fairly dense and a high proportion of paths branched so it's not been easy. This morning I focussed on the southwest of the A61 and determined to fill in the gaps.

There's still plenty to do across the map...

Parkwood Springs

I still have many more miles of rights of way (RoW) to walk or run within the boundary of my local map. Today I took a tram to Hillsborough so that I could explore the network of paths at Parkwood Springs. The area is post-industrial and includes a completed landfill tip and a disused dry ski slope. It doesn't sound lovely perhaps, but it was more picturesque than expected, and with some interesting local history.

I set out from Herries Road towards Wardsend Cemetery where the path passed directly under HV pylons.

It's uncommon for a RoW to be through the ;legs of pylons

The hillside has a fair gradient and in the course of the walk I ascended twice to cover all of the paths. The hill gives a good view across the city with Shalesmoor in the foreground.

Looking Southwest from close to the derelict ski slopes

The ski slope used to be a popular sporting site, and then a night club, but after a fire it became derelict. The land, like the tip is being reclaimed by nature, and even though there are remnants of the ski material on the ground, these are hidden by wildflowers and scrubland.

Even as the bushes are turning orange, Michaelmas daises are flowering

The Pit Stop Cafe served an excellent coffee and after covering all of the RoW I took the long walk home. The parkland has many paths additional to the RoW so I can see myself returning here.

 

Derwent Valley Heritage Way Day 2

I woke with some minor aches and loosened up with a hot shower. After sampling much of the breakfast buffet I was walking before 8am. Despite the early sun, the air was cool and I was tempted to get gloves from my pack, but instead opted to quicken my pace. The weather was forecast to become cloudy but this didn't happen and so later in the day I was applying sunscreen.

The Cromford Canal is easy rural walking

Today's first section around Cromford was familiar although quieter than when I've visited later in the day. The various attractions were still closed. Walking through industrial Belper and Derbyshire was interesting and looked to be worth a future 'tourist' visit. The DVHW guidebook suggests heritage attractions but I didn't have the time for detours and I don't find it easy to mix stops and hiking in a day.

Historic mill houses on a Belper hillside

South of Derby was a tough 8km for me as the path was clear, level and paved. Great for cycling but tedious for a tired walker. Every hundred metres felt like an eternity.

The River Derwent is regulated by many weirs along its length

After some welcome field paths the way passed through villages on the road, once again a struggle. At Shardlow I was relieved to join a canal again with its colourful boats and portside structures.

The Trent and Mersey Canal was a welcome sight

Derwent Mouth is a picturesque ending defined by an information board. It's worth continuing to the footbridge over the River Trent to see the end the the Derwent more clearly, whatever your destination.

The Derwent Mouth is where the River Derwent flows into the River Trent

However, this bridge was part of my route as I continued a few km into Long Eaton to catch a train home. I was very aware of today's 50km with a mild back ache and the beginning of a rubbed toe.

The DVHW was an enjoyable 90km walk, generally easy underfoot and with only a few minor ascents. To a degree its ease might be seen as a drawback as it didn't provide much variation in pace.