Normal(?) Service Will Resume Shortly

Hi there remember me, I haven't quite given up swimming but we've had a catastrophic broadband failure at home.

You don't realise how dependant you are on the Internet do you? It's nearly as bad as being without the leckie.

Anyway I'm currently esconsed in a trendy restaurant on the Quayside as Billy no mates. It's very pleasant and I'm really enjoying the background Harry Connick Jnr but I probably should have checked out the arrangements and venue before departing.

Sort of sums up my day really when the highlight was collecting a parking ticket at that unfortunately named "Civil and Family Justice Centre"
Aah company!

Never tried blogging from my phone before. An update on the yardage challenge and my first open water swim of the season to follow over the weekend.

Cheers
Binge

Mm Mm Mm Mm My Corona (or Clarkie nearly gets the Knack)

Now I had an inkling as I drew up at the pool this afternoon that I wouldn't be seeing Clarkie! I wonder where that came from?

The silver lining was that his absence allowed Evil Mutant Swim Coach 1.0 to subject us to the session that he'd covered yesterday morning. (lack of imagination there Martin!). Leaving Cloughie, "Hungover Paul" and myself to drag ourselves through this little lot!

400 as 200 swim, 133 pull, 66 kick
2 x 200 steady @ 3.30
1 x 66 hard @ 80s
3 x 66 easy @ 80's
2 x 66 hard @ 80s
2 x 66 easy @ 80s
3 x 66 hard @ 80s
1 x 66 easy @ 80s
4 x 66 hard @ 80s
2 x 200 steady @ 3.30
3 x 33 @ 40s hard
2 x 33 @ 40s hard
1 x 33 @ 40s easy
1 x 33 @ 40s hard
2 x 33 @ 40s easy
233 swim down
2800 metres

If you think the title's a little bit obscure you are obviously way too young to remember this bit of classic pop/rock 

A strange Steve Jobs look, (sartorially speaking)

I had a very strange day at work on Friday; as most of you will be aware I am not noted for my sartorial elegance, and my usual attire (jeans, T shirts and hoodies) drives my ever so cool, sophisticated and a la mode daughter (aka as Teenage Triathlete) to disowning me.

I was interviewing for a new practice administrator so no clients and I thought whoopee! a dress down Friday; couldn't be too sloppy though, so donned, black jeans a black silk cowl neck top aspiring for the "Jobs" look (without the facial hair thank you, but it seemed  an especially appropriate look given my task for the day.) I hasten to add that it was not an Issey Miyake design and I paid nowhere near $175 for it either.

I stepped out of the shower to be met by, "oh you look nice" from TT, and it didn't stop there, my assistant at work commented "Oh wearing your Christmas Party clothes" and then our current practice manager weighed in. What was going on? I felt a bit paranoid and maybe I need to rethink my usual work wear..................

A  rather poor link coming up here but from business suits to rubber suits; the Open Water season has started, and although I haven't been brave enough to dip a toe or any other part of my anatomy in the rather chilly (11degrees or thereabouts) water; about 100 brave (and foolish) souls turned up at Woodhorn on Thursday evening for a spot of open water training.

Fairy Snow Baby and Marie Helene had both taken the plunge and survived with frost bitten toes and faces and scalded nether regions as they shook so violently trying to hold cups of tea afterwards. Despite this they gamely turned up for this morning's little paddle. The session was a Binge/FSB collaboration and we both deliberately ignored Matt the Cash's request for some kick!

8 x 75's @ 10s RI alt 25 back, 25 breast & 25 free
400 @ 6.45 pull with paddles
300 @ 5 mins pull with paddles
200 @ 3.20 pull with paddles
30 seconds rest
400 @ 6.45 swim
300 @ 5 mins swim
200 @ 3.20 swim
8 x 4 x 25 IM @ 2.05 drill half fly
6 x 100 @ 2.05 free swim 25, drill 50 10s RI max last 25
400 swim down
4200 metres

Lack of discipline and arithmetically challenged

Great session tonight everyone got stuck into the 100's and although it seemed like a lot, when I opened my mouth and the main set popped out, it went over pretty quickly. I was holding 85's/86's without much bother.

I did find it easier to draft off the back of the guys lane rather than lead the second lane (thanks Matt the Cash), but I must say there was a worrying lack of discipline in the lane, and that doesn't include the arithmetically challenged Proudy being unable to count to 12 (well he's only got 10 fingers you know).

All the guys kept stopping before the wall and standing up, so I reckon I was only swimming about 98 metres per repeat. It was like being back in the junior squads when such a heinous crime as standing up before hitting the finish would be met by a roar from the coach and the mantra "Gold medals hang on the wall" which I'm not sure if that was really true but as a kid I believed it. The screaming would probably be classified as child abuse or bullying now.....

800 warm up as
4 x 200 @ 20s RI alt 100 free, 100 kick, 100 free 100 pull 100 free 100drill
4 x 50's free @ 60 descending
3 x 4 x 100 @ 1.45, 1.40, 1.35, 1.30*
200 recovery
2 x 4 x 100 @ 1.45, 1.40, 1.35, 1.30
200 recovery
1 x 4 x 100 @ 1.45. 1.40, 1.35, 1.30
200 recovery
4 x 50's free @ 70 no 1, stretch, no 2, max 1st 15 m, no 3 max 15m around turn, no 4 max last 15m
4 x 50's IM @ 70 as 25 fly, 25 back, 25 breast, 25 free
4 x 50's no 1 @ 70 no 1, stretch, no 2, max 1st 15 m, no 3 max 15m around turn, no 4 max last 15m
4 x 50's IM @ 70 as 25 fly, 25 back, 25 breast, 25 free
200 swim down
5100 (*coz Proudy did 13 of these)

Bitter and Twisted?

There was some serious ribbing about this at today's Consett session. Fresh from his holiday Clarkie eventually made it to the pool and enquired whether or not I was still bitter and twisted?

Fortunately I was able to assure him that I would remain bitter and twisted probably for the rest of my life. (I think the technical term is Mentally Scarred)

Busy session this afternoon with Proudy, the Mighty Morgan, and others struggling with the speed work and left the pool with an extremely red face and totally knackered.

6 x 100 warm up @ 1.50 alternate 33 easy, 33 hard
33 @ 35
66 @ 70
100 @ 1.45
133 @ 2.20
166 @ 2.55
200 @ 3.30
166 @ 2.55
133 @ 2.20
100 @ 1.45
66 @ 70
33 @ 35
33 @ 40
100 @ 2.00
166 @ 3.20
100 @ 2.00
33 @ 40
33 @ 45
66 @ 90
100 @ 2.15
66 @ 90
33 @ 45
333 swim down
2800 metres

Hello Dino Il Bagnino (Cheesy Mascot and new Facebook friend)

So a month to go to the World Championships and Dino Il Bagnino pops up on Facebook. (Dino the lifeguard for the unlinguists amongst you).

The organising committee also began to release details of the entry. Over 8000 swimmers registered for the pool events and almost 2000 have signed up to do the open water.

So with the other aquatic disciplines there are over 10,000 competitors. 430 Brits amongst them. This is going to be a monster event. (even if it has the cheesiest mascot)

I reckon this'll present the Italians with a teensy weensy logistical challenge trying to cope with these sort of numbers and perhaps it explains why they haven't managed to respond to the frantic e-mail queries.

I'm predicting chaos and lunacy but it's going to be great fun, simply can't wait. I just need to do some training first.

To that end I made training this morning and it was back to sessions by committee. I moved into the guys lane again, and valiantly hung off the back, dodging Mark Hindhaugh Wanderoff! whose directional sensors during the backstroke bits were seriously all over the shop.


100 back, 100 breast, 100 free, 100 drill
16 x 50's @ 55
8 x 125's @ 2.20 50 pull, 25 kick, 50 swim
8 x 50's back @ 70 s recovery
3 x 100 no 1 stroke @ 3.30 no1 swim, no 2 broken 10s @ 50, no 3 broken 5s @ 25
6 x 50's medley changeover @ 65 s recovery
3200 metres

Fairy Snow Baby ratchets up the pressure.

Made a Tuesday night session tonight, the first for a while, although I missed the warm up. Fairy Snow Baby had set the workout, and I think he'd had too much red meat for tea.

Having arrived late, it was straight into a fairly fast and heavy set. There were already 7 swimmers in my usual lane, so I slid in behind the guys in the fastest lane and spent the session drafting off Matt The Cash.

Pleased with my swimming although I was hanging on for grim death by the end. Great way to blow out the cobwebs after the weekend. Need to knuckle down for the next 5 weeks build up to the World Championships.

6 x 200 @ 3.10 averaged sub 2.50's
8 x 100 @ 1.35
4 x 100 @ 1.50 steady 75, 5s RI 25 hard
50 back *
8 x 50 @ 50 5s RI @ 25
200 swim down
16 x 50's IM order drill @ 65s
150 swim down
4000metres

* should have been 200 but went to the loo

Road Trip 2012 Day 3, Harsh Decision?

Grrrrrrr, spit, fume, swear, gnashin, rashin fashin rick rastardly!

My best 50m breaststroke for about 7 years and then bugger if they don't disqualify me for a flyer. Video evidence attached here (careful it's ugly!)

A dreaded DQ darn, blast, bother (well actually I wasn't anywhere near that polite), not that I could've controlled it mind, I just twitched completely involuntarily;

All of that after a weekend of pretty mediocre/downright disastrous freestyle swims, it provided a mere 5 seconds of satisfaction as I came second in my heat (behind a 25 year old) looked up smiled at the time and was then plunged into despairing and swearing as the scoreboard confirmed the result and my eradication from the event.

Nice exchange of words with the referee though who was surprisingly unsympathetic. But did give me a whole new character for my blog........enter Evil Mutant Swim Ref 1.0. (sour grapes?) There were some interesting officiating decisions, including the roundly booing of the disqualification of all of the swimmers in the first heat of the 400IM.

Great weekend of swimming and chatting at everyone's favourite venue, and some top swimming (although not particularly from me) to nicely warm up for the World's in 5 weeks time. OK rant over normal service may resume in the future.

700 warm up
50 breast 39.43
800 free 11.55.87
650 swim down
2200 metres

Road Trip 2012 Day 2, Sheffield

Day 2 of the British Gas British Masters Championships, a 400 free to look forward to after yesterdays "dissaaaster darling" in the 1500, I can report it didn't get any better in the quarter mile. But things looked up a bit this afternoon in the 200m breast and free which were better than I've swum for the last 3 years or so.

Aunty Nic shares the spotlight with Toby
Max & Zoe

I had a great chat with Eddie Riach about his 1500, we were discussing the mental approach to the event which always starts off the programme, We both thought you sort of have this mental dilemma, that if you really go for it, you're going to compromise your whole weekend and perhaps more to the point..... it'll hurt like hell. So you back off a bit and once you do that you;re knackered anyway.

The event is great though, the entry is about half the ASA National's in Sheffield and it's pretty laid back, I enjoyed presenting medals to the record breakers including Nic Latty who was joined on the podium by her very proud nephews and niece.

A mere 50 breaststroke tomorrow morning followed by an 800 free to round the weekend off (and finish me off) although I'll be pleased that I no longer have to stick handfuls of surplus flesh into my Diana kneeskin or roll the extremely tight top part of the suit simultaneously over bum, hips and stomach, it's not a pretty sight trust me!

700 warm up
400 free 5:42.57
700 warm up
200 Breast  3:17.02
200 swim down
200 Free  2.39.83
200 swim down
2600 metres

Road Trip 2012 Day 1 Sheffield British Championships

So Teenage Triathlete got an unexpected day off school for acting as my chaperone and coach and we travelled down to Sheffield for the British Championships.

First up 1500 m free, I was hoping to go sub 22 mins but suffered a minor aberration, after leading at the 200m stage I think I sort of panicked and backed off a bit (well ok a lot).

I was a bit hissed off at  the time, so hissed off that I gave up on the swim down; but things looked up in the 100 breast with a sub 90 for the first time in 4 years.

400 free first up tomorrow, so shortish blog tonight.

600 warm up
1500 free 22:38.69
600 warm up
100 breast  1.29.43

Too Little Too Late?

Panicking a teensiest bit about my lack of effort for the approaching (fast approaching) British Championships, and having been sent to a non existent meeting I found myself with an opportunity to skulk off to the local pool.

Not a particularly clever move as an officious life guard advised me that wearing paddles was forbidden! Like since when? I've been using them for about a year at that pool, and there were only 3 other swimmers in the water at the time.....health and safety fume. So a bit of a truncated sesh...


400 warm up mixed strokes and drill
400 pull @ 6.45
2 x 200 pull @ 3.30
6 x 33 brst kick @ 50s
200 swim down
1600m

Even Shorter? Not quite!

A bit of a quiet Sunday session but EMSC 1.0 couldn't quite resist sticking in the odd 100 here and there just for forms sake. A bit concerned about how I'm going to survive Sheffield next week.

400 warm up
3 x 33 hard @ 45s
100 steady recovery @ 2 mins
3 x 66 hard @ 90s
200 steady recovery @ 4 mins
3 x 100 hard @ 2.15
300 steady recovery @ 6 mins
3 x 133 hard @  3 mins
400 pull steady
2400 metres

Binge Swimmer's shortest post

 A bit of catch up blogging going on here, starting with last Thursdays session at Gateshead Leisure Centre the only good thing about it was that there was no kick.

250 warm up alternating free and back
2 x 200 free @ 3.15
4 x 50's free progressive @ 60
2 x 200 free @ 3.15
4 x 50's free progressive @ 60
2 x 200 free @ 3.15
4 x 50's free progressive @ 60
5 x 4 x 25 @ 2 mins
150 swim down
2700 meters