Valentine's Day 6 K

How was your Valentine's Day? I suppose as a divorce lawyer the irony is not lost upon me as I spent most of today persuading people to be more reasonable in there approach to their ex significant other and now insignificant other!

Bob and I had almost a Valentine's day bypass, although I presume he was responsible for the dozen red roses which appeared on the dining table this morning.

We spent the evening swimming next to each other in adjoining lanes as we ground out our own sessions. I was chuffed when I made it to 6k in the session, it's years since I've covered that distance.

600 warm up change stroke each 25
main set
800 pull with paddles @ 14 mins *
2 x 200 IM @ 4 mins
2 x 400 free pull @ 7 mins **
4 x 100 IM @ 2 mins
4 x 200 @ 3.30 ***
extra 60 secs rest
8 x 50 IM order @ 65
8 x 100 pull with paddles @ 1.45
16 x 25 @ 35 secs
600 swim down
6000 metres

* 11.45
** 6.05
*** 3.20 - 3.05

Nearly half way through

Day 13 and a really solid swim with the guys at Consett, I was hanging on at the back of the fast lane in a pretty relentless and remorseless main set.

The encouraging thing was that like last Wednesday I was swimming very comfortably  under 30 seconds per length, and even churned out a 2.50 for 200 free along the way.

13 consecutive days of swimming is beginning to take its toll on my body and I am wrecked. Its also half term this week so public swimming will be seriously dodgy and probably a bit of a no go area.

8 x 100 @ 1.45
8 x 33 @ 45s odds 25 hard rest easy
                      evens last 25 hard
66 @ 70 free
133 @ 2.20 free
200 @ 3.30 free
266 @ 4.40 free
200 @ 3.30 free
133 @ 2.20 free
66 @ 70 free
1 min rest
66 @ 70 free
133 @ 2.20 free
200 @ 3.30 free
133 @ 2.20 free
66 @ 70 free
1 min rest
66 @ 70 free
133 @ 2.20 free
66 @ 70 free
1 min rest
66 swim
200 pull @ 3.30
133 pull, 66 kick
66 pull, 133 kick
233 swim down
3,900 metres

Day 12 Traffic SNAFU

Today's swim was always going to be a bit problematic, as Consett's session was cancelled. My options were limited as public sessions on a Sunday are normally pretty busy and I really didn't relish a second endless pool swim.

I was saved by the thought of gatecrashing the lunchtime session at Newcastle. Their supremo Peter French okayed my request and I set out in what was normally more than enough time to park up and make the session.

The difficulty was I hadn't counted on or been aware of the closure of the central motorway in Newcastle and I spent a pretty frustrating 40 minutes trying to cross the Tyne Bridge. Pete French's view that it was all part of a greater conspiracy to derail my FFC.

So a pretty truncated session and £5.70 for 50 minutes parking in the nearest multi-storey to the pool; ouch such dedication, On the positive side I covered best part of a mile to keep my years tally moving forward.

150 @ 3.00
4 x 100 @ 1.35
2 x 200 @ 3.05
12 x 25 @ 60 secs
450 swim down
1700 yards

Day 11 Boring Post

Playing a bit of catch up here yesterday was thankfully smooth and free of turmoil. Awesome Emma turned up (pretty late) so we were able to compare notes, she's also determined to hit every day and we're both pretty even having swum all 11 days this month and covering on average about 3K per day.

800 drill every 4th length
6 x 100 @ 1.45
400 free
25 metres to change ends
4 x 100 @ 1.50
400 free
100 swim down
8 x 50's @ 55
2 x 50's @ 60
2 x 50's @ 55
2 x 50's @ 50
2 x 50's @ 45
100 free time trial  1.21.5
475 swim down
4100 metres

TGIF but only 800

Things just went from bad to worse today following the early morning refuelling snafu. My business partner's car conked out, leaving me to step in and deal with a court hearing in the local magistrates.

Grabbing the file I set off to represent a feisty but delightful and selectively hard of hearing (specifically couldn't hear the unpalatable bits of advice ) 94 year old who was being victimised by the DVLA. They had the audacity to revoke the individual's driving licence.

I was eventually saved after 90 minutes of getting nowhere by my business partner turning up to relieve me.

As often is the case lunch time seemed to disappear without me noticing, and be the end of the day I'd well and truly had enough and was desperate to collapse on the settee with the Friday night ritual of Beer, Pizza and Trashy Telly! Teenage Triathlete insisted I took a swim so I dragged myself into the pool for 800 and actually felt better for it, so 10 days 10 swims the challenge is still on

800 free

Binge drops a very big bollock.

Now how's this for karma, if Binge was undergoing the Foster effect in training on Wednesday night, with her average of sub 30's for 33metre lengths, it was quite clear that Mark Foster received a huge dose of the Binge affect as he scored an astounding perfect score of 30 for his first dance on the third night of the Strictly Tour in Newcastle.

Significantly better than I'd imagined he was going to be. I was there with teenage triathlete, treating both grandmas and grandad Jim to a late Christmas present. I know I've mentioned that I have a propensity to be a sad individual so I'm cool with admitting I thoroughly enjoyed my evening...

That is until driving my mother in law home I stopped for petrol at a garage on the Felling bypass, I'd put about 40 quids of unleaded in the tank when the sickening realisation dawned upon me I was in Bob's car and it's a diesel! Oops I'll not elaborate on the following events but I eventually got home around 12.30am and Bob (in full cavalry role) arrived with the car (being towed) about 2 and a half hours later!

Realising I was going to miss swimming I had fortunately found time for Thursday's workout at lunchtime,

1000 metres warm up alt 33 swim 33 catch up
2 x 400 @ 7 mins
6 x 66's up breast down free
6 x 4 x 33 IM @ 2.45
6 x 33's brst
600 swim down
3600 metres

Binge and a nearly close encounter with Mark Foster

Things started to look up today, my cold abated, teenage triathlete was out of the house in time for the early bus, and I had a relatively stress free morning and leisurely drove into Newcastle for a court hearing late this afternoon.

Now the walk from the Quayside Car Park down Broad Chare to the court, whilst architecturally extremely appealing is usually inhabited by Newcastle's barristers and the detritus of the crown court system.

The latter particularly are usually shaven headed and adorned with such works of art as Love and Hate across their knuckles not to mention frequent proclamations of their love for the "Toon" on any other exposed part of their bodies, and that's just the women. So it is unusual in the extreme to see anything remotely attractive on the journey.

But on looking up from my mobile there he was. I had to blink in disbelief as walking down the other side of the street was none other than Mark Foster of "you look like a God but dance like a Geek fame"* (and a notable swimmer in his own right of course). Wow, I was too shy to speak to him and by the time I thought to take the above photo he had wandered off down the riverside, see the above. (I know he's in town for the Strictly Tour)

Well it made my day, and the Foster effect obviously carried on into the swim session tonight as although Evil Mutant Swim Coach 1.0 had set a ridiculously complicated warm up with way too many words and changes of pace for my liking, we all sort of settled down and ground out the main set which was 3K swimming on average less than 30 seconds a length....result (maybe the clock wasn't wrong yesterday.)

10 x 133's ' 2.20s (complex set)
5 x 166's @ 3.20
4 x 133 @ 2.30
3 x 100 @ 1.45
2 x 66 @ 1.10
1 x 33 @ 33
1 x 166 @ 3.20
2 x 133 @ 2.30
3 x 100 @ 1.45
4 x 66 @ 1.10
5 x 33 @ 35
100 swim down
4500 metres total


*B Tonioli