RIP Toosmartwatch (temporarily at least)

With the ASA Nationals less than two weeks away I thought we'd introduce a bit more quality, and after consultation with my other half who pointed out that we should be swimming the quality stuff nearer the beginning the 4 x 100's were put in straight after the warm up.

It was all a bit painful especially the 3rd and 4th rep and the exertion (pulse rate 160+) was obviously too much for the toosmartwatch which stopped working pleading "low battery". I know just how it felt!

As a result there is no print out today to fill out space in today's blog, however a trip to ASDA last night located a new battery and normal service will be resumed for Sunday's session.

warm up
12 x 50's @ 5 sec RI
8 x 25 @ 35 progressive 1-4 & 5-8
4 x 100 @ 3 mins no 1*
25 @ 30
50 @ 60
75 @ 90
100 @ 1.45
200 @ 3.30
300 @ 5.15
200 @ 3.30
100 @ 1.45
75 @ 90
50 @ 60
25 @ 30
6 x 50's kick @ 10s ri
6 x 50's drill @ 10s ri
6 x 50's @ 40s
200 swim down
3500 total

*no 1 was 1.39, no 2 was 1.38, no 3 was 1.42 and no 4 was 1.43ish

Smile Breathe and Go Slowly

Aargh teenagers! having been relegated to the position of taxi driver I spent a frustrating 15 minutes trying to encourage her out of the house on time and then a further 20 mins stuck in traffic fuming as the start of my swim session ticked past.

As it turned out I was only about 7 minutes late for the start and practising my Zen mantra helped except as I've mentioned before going slowly is a concept that just isn't recognised in this session and despite the late start I covered almost 3k in 55 mins which was more than enough for the afternoon.

I spent the session chasing a 16 year old (well a bit like yesterday trying to stop being lapped). Even with the painfulness of the session, it makes such a difference having a coach on the side calling out your repeat times as you come in. (even if they were getting slower!)

I think the aim of the set was to try and hold the same repeat time in the second set with less rest. Yeah right Martin!




200 warm up
200 @ 4 mins
2 x 100 @ 2min
3 x 66 @ 1.40
200 @ 4 mins
2 x 100 @ 2min
3 x 66 @ 1.40
400 free
2 x 100 @ 1.45
3 x 66 @ 70
6 x 33 @ 35
2 x 100 @ 1.45
3 x 66 @ 70
133 swim down
2933 total

Suicidal Badgers and Saturday Rugby Gloom

Bit of a technical malfunction this morning but normal service (normal?) is now resumed. Or at least it will be once I work out how to change the existing post for this one.

I'm recovering from dicing with death on the run from Teenage Triathlete's session at Wentworth last night, on the back road to Whittonstall the suicidal pheasants had taken the night off, only to be replaced by a suicidal badger who had obviously been taking lessons from them.

There would certainly have been a bit of a dint in my car if the brakes weren't working.

I'm not even going to mention the Rugby result, except to comment that as a Newcastle United fan I am well used to sporting tragedy and pretty desensitised to failure.

So this morning's session...no Fairy Snow Baby (looking after the Fairy Snow Babies) or Matt the Cash, so it was left to me and I naturally chose a pull with paddles set. This went down well with Synchro Dad, I'm not quite so sure about New Guy or Awesome Emma, I moved over and tried to hang off Synchro Dad's feet it didn't work and it became a struggle to ensure that I wasn't lapped by him. The first 4 were comfortably under 6 mins but the last two drifted off to around 6.

700 warm up 25 free 25 back, 25 free, 25 brst
6 x 400 pull with paddles @ 6.30*
12 x 50's alt free and no 1 @ 60/65 up drill down swim
24 x 25 @ 35 in sets of 4, steady alternate with build, 1st half sprint, 2nd half sprint
200 swim down
4500 metres

* slight over statement here cos the first one was off 6.45 as Synchro Dad needed to sort his paddles out.

Binge Shopping?

When the going gets tough... now I had a coach who used to finish off that line with "the tough get going" I personally prefer... the tough go shopping so I was diverted via the metro centre this evening to lash out on an iPad.

I've been resisting the urge to buy one for months but finally cracked, consequently I arrived at the pool almost 40 minutes late and covered a mere 1000 metres. I also had a malfunctioning toosmartwatch as it only started to record my heartbeat in the second 50.

It was a fairly stupid way to start a session a steady 100 and then into eyeballs out sprints! They were pretty hard but not hugely quick, the last one might've just dipped under 40s.....aargh old age.

100 warm up
4 x 50's @ 1.30s
10 x 50's
200 swim down
1000 swim down

Brownie Points for Binge

Usually my Wednesday evenings are spent sitting in the car outside Wentworth leisure centre waiting for Teenage Triathlete to finish her swim session. However having earned a load of brownie points collecting and taking Bob to the garage he had chosen to have his car fixed in which turned out to be in deepest darkest Crook miles from anywhere.

Would you trust your motor repair to a guy who operates from a place called Crook?

In a rare show of gratitude he volunteered to take my place and excuse me from the Suicidal Pheasant run, which left me free to dip into Consett where I was hit with this little set. It felt pretty smooth and controlled. I'm almost sure they were all comfortably under 60 seconds.

200 swim @ 4mins
200 66 swim, 66 kick, 66 swim @ 4mins
200 66 kick, 66 swim, 66 kick @ 4 mins
200 swim @ 4 mins
10 x 66 @ 85 secs
2 x 66 @ 90s Recovery
8 x 66 @ 80 secs
2 x 66 @ 90s Recovery
6 x 66 @ 75 secs
2 x 66 @ 90s Recovery
4 x 66 @ 70 secs
2 x 66 @ 90s Recovery
2 x 66 @ 65 secs
2 x 66 @ 90s Recovery
566 m swim down
4033 metres

So much for Sunday being a day of rest!

I can relate to that

Another Sunday afternoon of mayhem, sandwiched in between Clarkie and Cloughie, struggling with a Cookie set.

I'm not sure what you would call the main set (in polite terms anyway) but the time interval reduced dramatically just as I took over the lead and the second set saw rest becoming a  very brief rarity and completely disappearing by the time we set off on the final set.

I left the pool beetroot in colour, just a bit warm and staggering. A trip to Tesco on the way home and I was conscious of the concerned stares I was receiving from people as I must have looked like I was about to have a heart attack it certainly seemed like it in the pool.

As you can see from the following there was a pretty serious malfuction of toosmartwatch which neglected to collect any data from the first 35 minutes of the session.

The first part of the swim went pretty well and my first 3 x 100's were well under 1.30 which in Consett is a big achievement, but it was downhill from there as far as performance goes.....

266 free
200 up free down brst
133 up free down back
66 free
3 x 133 @ 2.20s
3 x 100 @ 1.50s *
3 x 66 @ 70s
3 x 33 @ 60s sprint
2 x 33 @ 60s sprint
2 x 66 @ 65s
2 x 100 @ 1.40s
2 x 133 @ 2.10s
1 x 133 @ 2 mins
1 x 100 @ 1.30s
1 x 66 @ 60s
1 x 33
200 swim down
2866m total

* 1.25, 1.26, 1.26

Bermuda Shorts, Big Belly Bradley and a Breathless Binge

Had yet another hectic week and ended up not swimming, until this morning. Arrived at the pool musing about the unseasonably warm weather which had brought out an interesting pair of Bermuda shorts on the kid's coach who then began heckling me. He was obviously angling for a nickname and a guest mention in this blog.

I think he's operating under the delusion that getting a mention in this blog qualifies him for celebrity status. Watch out Graeme, Binge Swimming one week, the next you'll be contacted by the Beeb as a body double for Russell Grant in Strictly.

After some discussion between Synchro dad and myself, it just sort of popped into my head..."Big Belly Bradley". Now I may have to reconsider this in the future because the triple B is on a bit of a health kick and if my eye's aren't deceiving me there is considerably less of him at the moment then there was 6 months ago.

Anyway, a fairly steady technical set, with a teensy weensy bit of sprinting.

400 free warm up
8 x 100 @ 1.45 bilateral breathing
8 x 75 @ 85 as 12.5 left arm, 12.5 right arm, 25 catch up 25 swim
8 x 50's @ 60 s turns sprint in and out no breathing in the red zone streamline & dolphin kick off wall
8 x 25's @ 45 first 4 sprint first 12.5m second 4 sprint last 12.5m
9 x 4 x 25 @ 2mins IM prog 1-3*
100 swim down
600 pull with paddles
4000 m total

* these kind of snuck up on you pretty painfully and was extremely hard work