January 2016 Week 6 Session 1

I managed to leave work early enough to do the routine before the Triathlon Club have their training session and the pool becomes a maelstrom. In previous weeks I've been getting gradually faster in the 200m warm-up and today I made a step improvement in achieving a time of 5:14 minutes; it's not so long ago that I was thrilled to beat 5:30 minutes! I know it's supposed to be a warm up but a gradual effort seems to be repaid.

The main section of 7 sets of 400m was hard going, as last week and I tired distinctly  through the hour. I was also very aware of the current in the pool and it's shown nicely in the data.

This is constant effort...

These length paces and strokes/length look just like  my fast/slow data. Luckily I'm now doing those pairs so this effect can be dissected out. My reduction in pace and stroke power is obvious across this 1600m excerpt, not too bad within each 400m set though.

January 2016 Week 5 Session 1

After work I had enough enthusiasm to start the swims for week 5. It called for 7 sets of 400m and I started with 200m warm up.  The latter wasn't on the programme and I think I might skip it in future! I thought I did it sensibly although the water was calm and I had an empty lane so that I could go at my own pace. This combination resulted in a clear 200m warm-up PB:

I started the main sets gently knowing that there was a lot of work ahead but even then I lost pace through the 75 minutes from 2:20min/100 to 2:32min/100m. I suspect that I found the session hard because I haven't done Session 1 consistently though the first 4 weeks.

January 2016 Week 4

This week's swims have tended to be cut short due to a clash with some other event in the pool. Nonetheless I've made a fair effort and completed the core of the three routines. Today was session 3, with 2 sets of alternating fast and slow lengths. The second set was a bit scrappy but the first was good.

Pace is blue and strokes/length in mustard

I managed to get a clear demarcation between my fast and slow lengths and the fast ones were nearly all under 2:10min/100m. The 8 minute time trial is still a bit away! Importantly, I managed to keep my stroke length as shown by the consistent strokes/length. The faster pace was a little slower than I have done recently but those 'records' were at the expense of shorter strokes. This is getting closer to the goal.

January 2016 Week 4 Session 1

I'd forgotten that Monday is Triathlon Club at the  Goodwin pool - when they arrive the 2 remaining lanes become very congested. Last time I gave up but today I persevered and did nearly all of the routine.

The overall pace was good at 2:21min/100m over 2.5km, especially considering that I had a few slow lengths. I was able to counter these by a handful of lengths under 2:10min/100m. Across the session there was a clear loss of pace from an average of 2:13min/100m to 2:35min/100m linked to a n increase in stroke/length from 21 to 27. My arms felt tired and these data show that they weren't working well by the end.

January 2016 Week 3 Session 3

I've been thwarted in my efforts to keep to a routine this week through a combination of work timing and miscellaneous irritations. Today's swim was OK but nor more than that. It all felt adequate but I could tell that my pace was down. My best 'fast' length was at a 2:10min/100m pace which isn't great. On the plus side, I did manage to keep a clear pace distinction between 'slow' and 'fast' lengths all the way to the end of the session.

Too much, too soon...

With a warm-up like this really it was never going got be a great session.

January 2016 Week 3 Session 2

Yesterday was nominally a rest day. Except that by the time I'd helped a client find a taxi and walked home via a DIY shop in a rain storm and sloshed through puddles it felt more like a #microadventure.

The storm appeared to have reached the swimming pool as it was choppy and I was bobbing around like a cork. The timings went fairly well anyway, I faded from 2:18min/100m in the first recovery set of 200m to 2:22min/100m for the fifth which is reasonably consistent. In the progression sets I managed to make gains in the intensity except in the second set where I did two mid-set lengths at 2:00min/100m.

A bit grim

It's never great when a run starts in rain, double worse when your guts hurt as well. Anyway I made it to Oxstones along the sloshy tracks and returned on the road.

It was the first trip out for a pair of size 9 Roclite295s and it was only near the end of 15km that I noticed any catch on my ankle. The size 9.5 do seem to be more irritating to my right ankle but they offer more toe room! Hopefully the uppers will stretch as those of the 315s have done to make them a bit more comfortable.  I'm beginning to think that a size 9 right and size 9.5 left might be the top combination. Buying them in different colours so I could tell them apart now seems less of a good idea.

January 2016 Week 2 Session 3

It's been a light week of running as I don't feel very well (I'm blaming a late effect of radiotherapy) but swimming seems fine. I'm even wondering if the medication is giving me an edge!

A PB length, good stroke count too!

Today's fast/slow sets went well. In the first set I managed 3 lengths at a 2:00min/100m pace whilst in the second set I was 10% slower but still managed to achieve a distinction between lengths. As required by the plan, I made an effort to keep a long stroke on both slow and fast lengths. Previously greater-effort lengths have suffered from a high arm turnover and little improvement in pace. Today I managed to go faster whilst keeping the stroke count down. As usual it increased even as pace fell as I tired but early lengths showed promise. A two minute 100m is in reach.

January 2016 Week 2 Session 2

Today's swim went well! There alternating sets of supposed increase in effort and pace together with a constant pace set. That switch was repeated five times.

This excerpt of my data shows that I was managing the increase fairly well and in these early sets actually pushing the pace up in the steady sets. There was a typical loss of pace across the session but importantly the last length on my first 'fast' section took less than 40s meaning that I achieved 1:59min/100m for 1 length.