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The last few days I have been somewhat busy and have felt strangley unable to get to the point of actually writing up my open water swim last Saturday. That might suggest that it was not a good experience when in fact it was quite the opposite. No, the problem has been that I have been reading other blogs and absorbing all the interesting stuff that my eclectic mix of blogs provide.
But now I am at last starting to capture the latest update.
So the open water swim.... It started a little confusingly as I arrived at Leybourne Lakes at just before 10 and Mike was nowhere to be seen. After trying to call him I stood by the edge of the lake and realised that there were a number of swimmers in the lake coming towards me. After some slightly nervous questions of them as they emerged from the lake I shook hands with Mike and he organised me with the car park ticket and I went off to bring the car round. That sorted we discussed wetsuit and he suggested using one of his old ones. I headed to the back of the container and changed into the suit and emerged feeling like an awkward teenager not quite comfortable in their surroundings. Mike took me through a comprehensive Health & Safety routine and we stepped towards the edge of the lake. I was going to complete a lap with Mike and then repeat it again on my own. This involved swimming to a number of staging points - a small boat, a buoy, another boat and then back towards the starting point via another buoy. This was some 300 metre distance in total.
I am not sure what exactly I was expecting. Suddenly the moment was upon me and I thought to myself 'what the hell am I doing?'. No going back now though and we stepped into the water.
It was cold but not that cold and as we went in deeper the wetsuit kept me dry so it really was not so bad. The feeling under foot was strange in that the floor of the lake was slightly soft. Mike started to talk me through some acclimatisation steps so hands were held in the water; then he showed me how to fall backwards whilst blowing out to avoid the gasp of breath as you submerged into the cold water; and then finally to duck down holding the neck of the suit open to collect water inside.
These steps completed it was time to start swimming. I was following alongside Mike and the buoyancy of the suit was apparent but as we swam I had a feeling of panic and the natural desire to breath was hard to regulate. Swimming faster was counter productive, slow was better. There were moments where co-ordinating it was hard and I just had to stop and breathe and recompose myself. It was fine but the cold was having a strange effect. At one point I felt dizzy and Mike explained it was the head movement and sight of the horizon being from a different perspective. Also it was hard work and although I am fit it required more effort than I expected.
We completed the circuit and spent a few moments discussing it and I asked if he would accompany me around the circuit again. This time there was less feeling of panic but by the final stage I was feeling very tired. I had wanted to complete the final element without stopping but I needed to tread water and re-compose myself about 2/3rds distance and then swim the final 1/3rd.
Swimming kept me warm(ish) but when we stopped and got out of the water I quickly started to shake with the cold. Swiftly across the path to the container and stepping out of the suit and drying myself I was getting colder even with the heater on. I dressed but was still cold, even after a cup of coffee I had that involuntary shake. The air temperature / slight breeze was making me feel more cold now than when I was in the water!
I think it took about 20 minutes for me to overcome the shiver but even then I knew I wasn't warm through. The heater on in the car on the journey home was the final warming up process.
The after thoughts were about how exhilarating the experience had been and how I had really enjoyed the swim but was tempered by the fact that I did not enjoy being so cold afterwards. I want to go again but equally feel that some pool based swim training might be beneficial before returning to the lake. I should improve my swim fitness.
I spoke to Mike on Monday and he chatted about equipment, particularly wetsuits, and returning soon to the lake to practice. I need to make the commitment to go at least a couple more times to consolidate on the induction and make sure I feel calm and relaxed.
I have an excuse for this Saturday as I am at parkrun in Bromley early and then afterwards leading a fitness session / outdoor PT workout for my sons youth group football team. I am going to enjoy putting them through a tough session to see how fit they are feeling.
This weeks exercise so far / planned is:
Sunday: cycled to London / back as a route familiarisation journey (fairly leisurely pace)
Monday: 30 minute off-road lap of Scadbury Park
Tuesday: cycle commute to London and back (but felt bad as I skipped club night)
Wednesday: 54 minute off-road circuit of Hawkwood, Petts Wood and Scadbury for just over 7 miles
Thursday: cycle commute to London and back
Friday ... will be cycle commute
Saturday ... cycle to parkrun / back + outdoor PT with youth team
Sunday ... 10 miles with as much off-road as possible in about 75 mins or thereabouts.
Will try and blog again over the weekend to update on how things go particularly at parkrun and with the youth team PT session.
:-)
A few weeks back after many many months of deliberating about entering a triathlon I have taken the plunge, so to speak, and booked an open water training session for this Saturday morning. Whilst most triathlon events have now ceased for the winter, and in their place are Duathlons, I am going swimming in a lake. There is an obvious reason for that curtailment of the swimming as anyone who has been out early any morning this week. It's cold!
My cycle to work on Tuesday and Thursday were fantastic early morning blasts. The air was cold and crisp and it was a pleasure to work hard because the body stayed cool. The journeys home were much warmer.
But I digress. The swim element of the triathlon has consistently put me off entering as I first went to the London Triathlon back in 2007. The sight of the mass start of swimmers in the London docks just scared me if I am honest. I am a swimmer in that I enjoy swimming lengths of a pool and although not fast feel reasonably strong. The last time I recollect being in fresh open water would have been at school when I capsized a canoe!
Now my logic for going for a swim now is that whilst the air temperature is falling the water temperature will not have fallen so fast and, secondly, there won't be such a large differential between water and air temperatures . Well that is the logic. I am apprehensive even though I know I am going to be with an experienced coach and will be working with him on a one to one basis.
When I made the booking he asked 'Have you swum open water before?' I said 'No, never' to which his response was 'Good, so you won't have developed any bad habits!' Interesting.
Well I am heading down to Laybourne Lakes to meet Richard from Team Outrageous for my swim training tomorrow morning. A post on how I got on will follow later this weekend.
The London Cycle Show ran for the public for 3 days and I visited on Saturday arriving in mid-morning and staying until mid-afternoon. The show seemed quiet with no huge queues or throngs of people around key exhibitors which did suprise me a little. Nonetheless as evidenced by the time spent inside Earls Court there was plenty to see and although in a somewhat random fashion we visited most if not all of the stands.
There were major brands in attendance including Specialized, Shimano, Scott, Cannondale and Condor for example. Also a substantial presence from TfL with examples of the new cycle hire bikes as well as other major manufacturer bikes that could be riden around the demo area.
We enjoyed our time on some other stands particularly the Polaris Apparel, British Cycling and Sugoi where the people had time to talk and provide lots of interetsing thoughts. It was interesting to see that although some of them had a presence in the cycle store area the opportunity to sell directly from their stand was excluded by the organisers and as a result a few impulse purchases were avoided due to the restriction.
Another stand that we spend time on was the Gocycle which was one of a number of electrically powered / assisted bikes but stood out due to a combination of it being both lightweight, exceptional high quality design and functional. I really hope that the product continues to be developed and is a huge success.
And finally there was a strong presence for the holiday concept of the Italy Bike Hotels which showcased destinations in Italy for cycling holidays. An idea that would work equally well in the UK.
Overall an enjoyable dayout with some interesting conversations and a great opportunity to see some new bikes at close quarters, particularly Specialized, Scott and Wiggle who had some very expensive bikes on show.
Up early this morning and attended a spin class at the Spa this morning. A 45 minute session on the bike having not had time for anything other than a quick cup of tea meant I was not entirely flat out but certainly worked up a sweat. Then after a drink of water and change of shoes I was out onto the road to run home.
I had forgotten the chest strap for the Suunto so with my Nokia set up on the Sportstracker software I started the GPS and pressed 'Go'. It was cold this morning so I headed off at a steady pace guessing it was about 8 minutes per mile. The planned route home was to follow the Green Chain but as I often get lost trying to go through the local park I stayed on the road until I knew I was on the Green Chain route.
The early morning weather was not idea and actually I felt I could have done with gloves to combat cold fingers. Nonetheless having the trail running shoes on gave me more confidence to head through the leaves and puddles without fear of falling. Early morning the roads are busy but I was not held up too much and later as I passed local schools I greeted people with a cheery 'good morning' and for the most part was responded to. The later part of the route takes me through woods and along paths well away from roads and I always prefer these sections but I did wonder if the GPS would lose its signal.
About 3 miles from home I checked the Suunto and estimated about 24 minutes home. When I stopped the Sportstracker it was a couple of minutes ahead of my earlier estimate. The summary said 6.94 miles in 54'16 at an average of 7'49. Not bad for a mostly uphill run home after the spin.
Todays journal entry is more of a non-training running update as I am not following a plan at the moment and besides a end of year Christmas Caper race there will be no big distance races in the remainder of 2009. So running is for fun and general mental relaxation.
Yesterdays weather was not 'normal' or typical for October. The morning cycle to London was mostly wet and when it rains it means that both the bike and me get very dirty as the roads in London are coated with fuel residue and general muck. I had to be cautious as the roads are slippery when wet and a 45 minute journey took more than 51 minutes. On the way home the weather had changed to being windy and warm so although I was quicker on the return it was hard work and I was much more tired than I would expect. The consequence was when it was suggested not going along to the evening club run I was easily persuaded to skip going for the usual training run.
So after a rest on Monday and only the cycle commute yesterday I felt the need to run this morning so headed out just after 8am to follow the local parks trails. The warm up over to the first park was relaxed and the Asics trail shoes were the right choice as the ground was as expected after the recent heavy rain. The park lap was completed in 20 minutes, which was a reasonably quick time, and then I headed across the main road into the the National Trust land to follow the bridal paths. These woods are undulating and have a variety of surfaces but again the trail shoes were the right choice to stay gripped to the mud. I was back home in just over 52 minutes and felt tired but refreshed by the run. I am not sure on the distance but it is likely to be about 6.5 miles based on about 8 minute miles.
So I am disappointed that I was so easily convinced not to run last night but then this mornings run was very enjoyable and running off-road is so much more enjoyablable than the usual suburban roads.
