FFC 2014 minus 7 and counting

It's 7 days and counting to the start of the annual madness that masquerades under the guise of the February Fitness Challenge.

I've registered to do this again in my continuing quest to achieve some semblance of fitness. This is a great idea simply swim every day in February. 4 weeks of putting swimming first and trying to establish swimming as a routine activity.

I failed last year having found myself stuck in the police station and crashed and burned on day 21. But I'm up for it again this year and hopefully it will help me really cement the swimming habit which I'm beginning to get back into.

The weather was disgusting this afternoon as I set out for the Consett Masters session, heavy winds and horizontal sleet turning to snow once I crossed the snow line (somewhere around Hassockfield dentition centre). The rather wintry conditions must've put everybody off as only 4 of us turned up and there was no EMSC 1.0 either.

I must say I was a bit worried as I parked up outside the pool that they'd cancelled the session as the usually crammed car park was virtually empty but I was assured that it was on and made my way to the pool side. Where I encountered the first hurdle in my quest to swim every day next month as I was told next weeks session had been cancelled. I now have 7 days to find somewhere to swim next Sunday then.

As for today EMSC 2.0 stood in and set the work out I only managed the 200's because I was swimming pull and the rest between the 5th and 6th repeat was around 7 seconds.

400 warm up
6 x 200 pull @ 3:30
4 x 100 pull @ 2 mins
3 x 66 pull @ 1:20
2 x 66 pull @ 45 secs
6 x 33 breast kick @ 50 secs
233 swim down
2700 metres

Beckleberry Dad 1 Beckleberry Son 0 (It's all about timing)

I know last Saturday's post left you on the cliff hanger as to whether or not Beckleberry dad safety made it to the airport, on time or at all, and whether or not the dispute with Beckleberry Son was really about a flight departure. see here

Well I'm pleased to report that Beckleberry dad caught his flight without any hassle. His destination... Rimini probably a bit better weather than the North East.

He was back for Saturday's session and in great form, as the usual lane 2 inhabitants had to contend with Custardy Sgt Mark deciding that he would drop down a lane and lead us.

Definitely a bit different session to what we usually do and would set for ourselves and the quality stuff number 1 was not very pleasant particularly by the third time around. The session was notable for the return of son of toosmartwatch. See paragraph 2 and 2.1 in the glossary page for an explanation.

Whilst I managed to successfully change the batteries on the watch and the chest strap, I haven't managed to locate the little widget thingy which plugs into my laptop to download the data from the session. So no fancy heart rate graphs at the moment but watch this space!

800 warm up as
150 fr swim 50 kick
150 br swim 50 kick
150 back swim 50 kick
50 fr, 50 br 50 ba, 50 kick

50 fly 150 back @ 30 sRI
50 ba 150 brst @ 30s RI
50 brst 150 free @ 30 s RI
200 free

3 x 500 no 1 (ish)
150 brst as 100 hard 50 stretch @ 3:30
100 brst 25 kick hard 25 DPS @ 2:30
50 brst max  @ 90s
200 steady @ 4:30

2 x 200 broken @ 4:00
No1 10 secs @ 100
no 2 10secs @ 100, 10 secs @ 50

300 pull swim down

3800 metres total

Technique Tuesday for the Third Consecutive Week

Back to the grind on Tuesday with my third consecutive Gateshead masters session at Blaydon.

And there it was in the middle of the workout yet another technique set and again building on the stuff we'd done in the previous two weeks.

Am I detecting a master plan here from EMSC five point zero (or has he just been reading some book?)

I have to say I do enjoy the change of pace, even though I'm pants at lateral kick, (hell I'm just pants at all types of kick and I feel like I've swum more kick in the last three weeks then I have in the last three years.

All in all a tidy 4.2k

300 as 100 swim free, 50 swim back
200 IM kick 25, drill 25
400 (can't remember what this was)
8 x 25's progressive 1-4 5-8 @ 45
2 x 25 lateral kick, skull right arm @ 60
2 x 25 lateral kick, skull left arm @ 6-
4 x 25 skull 4 strokes, swim 3 strokes
50 free for technique

2 x 25 lateral kick, skull right arm @ 60
2 x 25 lateral kick, skull left arm @ 60
4 x 25 skull 4 strokes, swim 3 strokes
50 free for technique
4 x 200 @ 3:40 free hard last 50
1 x 200 IM @ 4:00
4 x 200 @ 3:40 free hard third 50
1 x 200 IM @ 4:00

2 x 200 @ 3:40 free hard second 50
200 swim down

4200 metres

Binge catches up (and wot no hundreds?)

Did you miss me? I thought about a Gary Glitter picture to illustrate my return but on reflection that's in rather poor taste. So I've been playing some blogging catch up today and I'm finally up to date after a binge blogging session.

This has been a bit of a marathon as I've swum about a dozen times since my last blog, and I've had a pretty good January. I'm well on track having completed over 32,000 metres so far. 

I need to hit 50k per month, give or take a bit. The work out this afternoon was strange. I couldn't work out which was worse; the 66's on 80 hard with a decentish amount of rest, or the easier (allegedly) on the short or no rest. 

As you might imagine towards the end it all became a continuous swim with a the occasional grab turn.


66 free (should’ve been 200)

2 x 33 kick

133 free

2 x 66 pull

66 free

2 x 100 @ 1:45

3 x 66 @ 80 hard

1 x 66 @ 70 steady

2 x 66 @ 80 hard

2 x 66 @ 70 steady

1 x 66 @ 80 hard

3 x 66 @ 70 steady

2 x 66 @ 80 hard

2 x 66 @ 70 steady

3 x 66 @ 80 hard

1 x 66 @ 70 steady

2 x 66 @ 75 hard

1 x 66 @ 65 steady

1 x 66 @ 75 hard

2 x 66 @ 65 steady

2 x 66 @ 75 hard

1 x 66 @ 65 steady

1 x 66 @ 65 hard

1 x 66 @ 60 steady

133 swim down

2800 metres

Beckleberry Barnie

Great turn out at Gateshead this morning for a coachless session, although he'd left our work out for us including a nasty set of 75's started off fine but rapidly deteriorated into a continuous swim.

Beckleberry dad and son were there and got into a great dispute by the time we had reached the 5 x 75's.

I didn't catch the full argument but it was about 9 am by then and Beckleberry junior was berating Beckleberry dad that he had to get out now I think because he had to pick up his passport and tickets and they had to be at the airport for 10:15.

Much to my amazement and totally out of character Beckleberry dad decided that he still had enough time to finish the 5 x 75's. Such dedication.

400 free
300 free (100 drill, 100 kick, 100 drill)
200 IM drill
100 IM
9 x 75 @ 1:30
100 IM @ 2:30
7 x 75 @ 1:25
100 IM @ 2:30
5 x 75 @ 1:20
100 IM @ 2:30
3 x 75 @ 1:15
100 IM @ 2:30
2 x 75 @ 1:10
450 pull swim down
3800 metres

Wednesday Sesh

If Sunday had been quiet then the Wednesday session at Consett was madness with 19 of us in two lanes.

I think I'm beginning to cope with swimming again as for the first time I wasn't hanging off the back and there were a couple of stragglers behind me.

I have to chuckle at the 80%  bit cos at the moment it's all just survival swimming.

Warm Up
200 @ 133 swim 66 pull
133 @  66 swim 66 drill
 66 @ kick
8 x 100 @ 2:00
200 free @80% @ 4 mins
6 x 100 @ 1:50
2 x 100 free @ 80% @ 2 mins
4 x 100 @ 1:40
3 x 66 @ 1:20 @ 80%
2 x 100 @ 1:30
6 x 33 @ 40 secs
300 swim down
3500

Missing Sunday Session and another Cunning Plan from EMSC 5.0

Now for some reason I can't find the session I swam at Consett last Sunday which was the first Sunday sesh of the year, and everyone must've had enough in the first week because there was only about 5 of us in the pool.

My toosmart spreadsheet tells me I covered 2566 metres and also for the first time accepts that my 2014 target for the year is a sensible one. As I finish with a green week having clocked up just over 12,766 metres.

I missed Monday night so on Tuesday it was down to Gateshead and the ministrations of EMSC 5.0. and yes last week wasn't a flash in the pan as the technique set appeared again and followed on quite nicely from last week, (not that it made it any easier.)

3 x 200 @ 30 secs rest, 200 long and strong, 100 kick, 100 drill, 200 DPS,
300 breast kick
6 x 75 @ 1:45  25 kick, 25 drill, 25 swim, IM order
24 x 25 on technique as
          3 x 1-2  left arm extended lateral kicking
                3-4  rt arm extended lateral kicking
                5-6  12 kicks then 3 strikes
                7-8  DPS
5 x 350 @ 6:30
         1  200 easy, 150 hard
         2 100 easy, 150 hard, 100 easy
         3 150 hard, 200 easy
         4 350 hard
         5 350 easy
6 x 50 @ 65s
4000 metres