The Great North Skinny Dip



Sunrise over Druridge Bay, Northumberland

 September is obviously the silly season for outdoor swimmers in the North East, as following hard on the heels of the Tyne River Swim last weekend came the North East Skinny Dip in Druridge Bay yesterday.

The swimmers who attended were forced to contend with an air temperature of 5.5 degrees which made the North Sea possibly balmy, possibly as barmy as the 146 souls who bared all and braved the conditions to raise money for MIND. Respect!

And why I hear you ask was Binge not there? well I must admit that I took the Facebook page rather literally and decided that there was no way I could possibly stretch the adjective "skinny" to cover my current ample frame so I dipped out.

Seems I misunderstood that judging by some of the pictures (see below) but what a gloriously life affirming and slightly eccentric event. Maybe one to put in the diary for next year.

I've had an interesting Sunday which included making my third Sunday Swim session in a row, it's a pity about the rest of the week as I can see my mile a day challenge for 2012 may need to be postponed until 2013. I think Binge needs a serious Mojo hunt.

Busy session though as Proudie turned up fresh from a similar 3 months out, and Cloughie (another veteran of the Tyne River Swim)

4 x 100 @ 2 mins warm up increasing pace 1 -3 lengths
4 x 66 @ 80 secs pull
4 x 33 @ 60 secs kick (hard)
266 free @ 5mins
2 x 133 @ 2.20
266 free @ 5 mins
4 x 66 @ 1.10
266 free @ 5 mins
8 x 33 @ 35 s
266 free
2600 metres

I really need to swim through the week as well.

Flog on the Tyne 2012 (not mine not mine)

Once you fall out of this swimming habit it proves darned difficult to re-establish your regular trips to the pool.

But inspired by watching Sparkie Clarkie et al set off on the 10 mile trek to South Shields I struggled to Consett to follow in the wake of the Awesome Sparkie Walton, this afternoon.

As if the effort of swimming in extremely cold and salty water for over 2 hours wasn't enough, Graham was also sporting the war wounds (significant wetsuit rubs) to prove he had completed this particular Flog on the Tyne. It had been a bit of a mad start as the swim just happened to coincide with the Junior Great North Run and I received a couple of stern looks from event security  for stopping in the wrong place to take these pictures.

Slightly less of a struggle than last Sunday, and EMSC 1.0 even took pity on me and suggested that I miss out the middle 100. Further evidence he's going soft?

2 x 200 133 swim 66 pull
             133 swim 66 kick @ 30 s RI
4 x 66 @ 90s
            no 1 16.5m max rest easy
            no 2 33 m max 33 easy
            no 3 49.5m max rest easy
            no 4 66 max
3 x 100 @ 2mins
2 x 100 @ 1.45
33 swim *
2 x 100 @ 1.45
3 x 100 @ 2 mins
4 x 66 @ 90s
            no 1 66 max
            no 2 49.5m max rest easy
            no 3 33 m max 33 easy
            no 4 16.5m max rest easy
2 x 200 133 swim 66 pull
             133 swim 66 kick @ 30 s RI
2300 metres

* this should have been 100 @ 90s

Evil Mutant Swim Coach 1.0 goes soft? (whilst Sparkie and Clarkie get tough*)

My comeback last month was just a bit short lived as it's taken me nearly a fortnight to face enduring the pain of a second session, but I couldn't avoid it today, having bumped into EMSC 1.0 in town yesterday and assured him I would be there.

I turned up (late) to be met by EMSC 1.0 collecting the fees, and he advised me that I was the only one in as the rest of the squad (proper hard swimmers in Consett!) had done a couple of miles at Ellington lake this morning.

Now I know the dynamic duo of Clarkie and Sparkie are down to do the waterfied version of the Great North Run in a couple of weeks when they swim from Newcastle to the mouth of the Tyne during the world's most popular half marathon. At a mere 10 miles it's a bit shorter than the run and probably a bit cooler. I had been following their training on Facebook and was dreading the ribbing I was going to receive for finally daring to show my face at a session.

Sparkie, Clarkie and Cloughie with AN other!

Anyway survived that ordeal, as they'd obviously opted for the Great Outdoors leaving just me, Dazz and Queenie to plough through this rather benign little set. It may have been benign for them but it was torture for me, I was struggling to complete the technique swim within the repeat time and dipped out of one of the 66's on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th repeat.

Unsurprisingly I am regretting my slothful summer.




Warm up 200 swim 133 pull 66 kick
133 swim 66 pull
266 @ 4.40 steady for technique
1 x 66 @ 80
200 @ 3.30 steady for technique
1 x 66 @ 80
133 @ 2.20 steady for technique
2 x 66 @ 80
66 @ 70 steady for technique
3 x 66 @ 80
266 swim down
100 loosen
2100 metres

* Clarkie and Sparkie het hard didn't really sound appropriate!