Swimming for Hammers and Spoons

14th March here. I’ve been helping out at our open water venue that opened (for members only as per BTF rules) last week but haven’t gone in myself yet.
Think next Wednesday may be the day once I’m happy all the new procedures are working OK.


Such a shame.

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That was the same for me up until a few weeks ago, but I have now been able to get in OW three times now. I definitely miss pool swimming though.

Yeah well, fuck em and their pools filled with arseholes pushing off as you hit your turn.

And you heard the “no overtaking” rule right?

Ill see if I can swim under 70mins for IM this season on OW alone. I only averaged 6600m going into IM last year so not nearly the same but I can get that in two lake swims per week.

Felt pretty fired up after the swim today, roughly 200m breast, a warm up lap of 600 at various speeds with a bit of breast and maybe 50m FLY thrown in :sweat_smile: Then main of 4x600 ~ 10min alternating sides breathing, 9:30 hard, 10min alternating, 10min moderate.

Seemed pretty fast for me, but its hard to donthe maths in the water sometimes…10/6 1.4min, 0.4 of 60s is 24s…1min24/100? Yeah that would be a record for me for 100 so their 600m loop mustve been short…or I was lost.:slightly_smiling_face:

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Just heard that Swim England are on Talksport later airing their frustrations about not being allowed to open pools. I’ve got a few calls but will try and catch it if I can.

Anyone used a swim tether and anchor…with a paddling pool?

I think its deep enough for FC and Im already bored with the 30-45min drive to get to a lake.

I was hoping my slow OW swim times were largely GPS pace issues. Nope!

Managed to squeeze in a quick swim. 90% odd 100s, off nearly a minutes rest, we’re coming in mid 1:30s. I was doing 2k continuous aerobic swims at around 1:33-1:34 pre-lockdown. I did a flat out 100 to finish and just eeked under 90s.

Nice to be back in the water, but no getting away from the fact the time out of it has hurt.

Nice setup at the Clapham pool. One way in and out. Arrive ready changed. 3 double wide lanes - a slow, med and fast lane. I can see work days being pretty easy to get slots. So I can at least hopefully start swimming more regularly again

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Ive seen some varied evidence that you could be upto 20sec / 100 slower at an aerobic (A2) pace, so a steady swim could be 1:50 easily for you at this time. Train the athlete you are today not the athlete you was 4 months ago. It’ll come back. Consider mixing up strokes or doing more shorter reps, ie 25’s with a 5 sec reset but fully aerobic and focussing on what you are doing more.

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Just in case anyone is struggling to get to a pool, you could consider copying this design:
Hardly need to get out of bed
(with apologies, I wasn’t sure where else to post it, )

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I cant imagine anything politically correct happening in that apartment.

:sweat_smile:

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ah. um. I hadn’t even thought of that. Must be a very successful film company!

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Anyone else who’d forgotten what ear wax was, until lockdown? :joy:

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Guilty! :joy:
Although oddly I’ve developed athletes foot by not swimming.

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Bit of an odd place init. Glass ceiling on the pool so people in the lounge can see you swimming?

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I swam! Managed about 300m before I felt finished, plodded on to 35 minutes before stopping. All just easy 100s and 200s, and swimming 5s/100 slower than normal easy pace. Going to be a long way back, a mile continuous in a month is actually a scary thought!

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You are such a sandbagger!

I was at 1:30/100m, I’m now at 1:40/100m…but that’s open water…not sure what I can do in the pool.
Just seen your Strava - OUCH!
How was the whole pool situation?

:rofl: I’m still saying it’ll take 21 minutes if it is a mile (rumours it’s sometimes short). But that’ll be swimming 3x a week for 4 weeks to try get there. I’d be miserable trying to finish it today even if still took similar time.
I hated 1500m when I was swimming properly and thought it was too far, my arms used to give up after 400m, distance doesn’t come natural.

Edit: Strava includes time spent not moving, I never pressed lap or stop. Although strangely garmin and TP have cut some time off I guess to make it a moving time, but nowhere near enough so just somewhere in between.

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PHEW!
I thought 1:44/100m was a pretty savage drop off for you - I don’t think even I was that bad after a 5 year hiatus.

I’m sticking with 26 minutes - see if I can make up those 5 minutes on you in transition :speak_no_evil: :clown_face:

An actual pool swim.

First visit to Crystal Palace in thirty years since I was rejected for a life guard job as a teenager :smiley: I like to think that Ive aged slightly better. :stuck_out_tongue:

Big pool closed sadly, so this was the 25m training pool I havent seen before. The online app had lost my booking. Not accepting any payments in person and their app doesnt request card details so couldnt use my eWallet and had to phone the mrs to read out the ling number 🤦🏻

Never the less, it was a good experience. Walk in in your trunks, follow the arrows, no doors to touch, put your stuff on the side, swim in a double lane anticlockwise, then out and only about ten meters walk and you’re outside again.:+1:

Only one person there when I arrived, about twenty when I left. Everyone was courteous.:+1::+1:

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