Tough swim!

Today's swim session included some fin-based short sets in which I managed lengths in under 50 seconds without really trying. That shows why fins can be seen as a 'cheat'. However by providing drive I could focus on the front quadrant arms and even feel a little glide with the leading arm on a breath. Also the broad, floating fins lifted my legs and gave me a better feel for how my head should lie in the water.

After that I had to complete 3 sets of 400m. The splits on these were 12.3, 12.4 and 12.8 minutes; far more than the 10.4 minutes I achieved with Julian. I think I must have been really pushing it then! Anyway, even adding back in the 3 minutes of rest between these sets I managed an average of 3:22min/100m for over 1800m which is pretty good going as far as I'm concerned.

I did try to commit to the stroke and rhythm as much as I could and redoubled my efforts as I felt myself tire through a set. On the first set I did get delayed in the lane a little so feel I could have made 12minutes, but then again it wasn't a time trial!

Training aids for swimming

Over the last week I have exchanged a number of emails with senior staff at the Goodwin centre about the use of training aids in the pool. It seemed that I was pushing at an open door as they quite readily agreed that it would be reasonable to allow fins, paddles and snorkels in some lanes for some of the time.

I was told that new signage would appear once team briefings has taken place. Well, when I went for today's swim gold stars had been placed on the Medium and Fast lane boards stating that aids were allowed. Since I wasn't sure when this permission would occur I'd not taken anything along but now I can do next time. Perhaps the faster 2 lanes are not ideal for me as certainly initially I know I'll be slow with the hand paddles as they are quite distracting to use. Fins do speed me up however.

During the students' vacation period the pool isn't too busy so perhaps this will be a test period for the  pool and a time for me to get my act together in the effective use of the aids.

Fins!

What a contentious issue. I've looked online and the prohibition of training aids is widespread and often ridiculed. It seems there are genuine concerns about injury but also many coaches advising their use!

I have contacted the manager of the Goodwin centre at Sheffield and he is willing to discuss the matter with his colleagues. That might be a step forwards. I have found that Birmingham University are far more reasonable.

You can't bring those in here!

Today was the first session of my 8 week programme from Julian and I managed to fit an hour in between two work commitments. I had a problem in that the Cofield pool at the University doesn't allow either fins or hard paddles.

Soft, glove-style paddles are allowed. Julian had told me that council-operated pools usually didn't permit stroke training aids due to 'Health and Safety' concerns but we'd both hoped the University would be more up-to-date in its thinking.

I also enquired at King Edward's pool that is run by a private Trust and they don't allow anything except floats. I'm still waiting to hear from Hathersage, supposedly a triathlon club trains there...

By the way, I did ask before attempting to use the things so I was spared of the embarrassment suggested in the title!

It is widespread panic!

The crazy thing is that such training aids are sold widely often with 'professional' endorsements.