Yes, yes, I know. Another journal. Sorry!

It makes sense to begin a new one here as my training and activity is going to be very different from now on. I've been focusing entirely on losing body fat (and am virtually at target of 16-17%, about 1% to go there) and building some much needed strength.

Now the swim season is looming, and I realise how much I miss swimming and I have come up with a plan to prevent fuck face from ruining my training and love of it, it's all moving into a different phase.

My season of events is looking like this for 2009. A bit leaner than I would like because of finances but it might do me good this year to make sure I get out of it injury free. This is of course all official events, my friend and I are planning to do other swims ourselves if we can organise support boats, crews etc.

APRIL

* 19th - Swimathon (Pool) - 5k
* 26th - my loony friend and I are gonna get in the lake!!! We want to officially be the first from our club this year!

MAY

* TBC - Masters Competition (Carlisle - Pool) - Distance etc not yet known
* 30th - Budworth Mere (Warrington) - 3 miles

JUNE

* 7th - Wykeham Lake (Scarborough) - 5k and 1,000m
* POSSIBLE - Dover Harbour 5 mile - not sure yet, the sea terrifies me!!!!!

JULY

* 19th - Coniston - 5.25 mile (just the best event ever!! LOVE IT)

AUGUST

* 15th - Derwentwater - 5 mile
* 23rd - Ullswater - details TBC

Not sure which I will do of these, possibly both depending on cost, distance and how body is holding up

SEPTEMBER

* 3rd - Cross Windermere - 2k

I did want to swim Windermere this year but the official event costs £150, gone up from £80!!!!!!! We are trying to organise an individual/unofficial attempt.

TRAINING

This is my plan for training:

Monday - 45min pool swim with club
Tuesday - Off
Wednesday - 45min pool swim with club
Thursday - Weights (full body)
Friday - Off
Saturday - 45min pool swim with club
Sunday - Weights (full body) / lake training (one or the other)

It might need tweaking as I go along as this is the first time I have properly tried to work out my training and to combine swimming, weight training and resting properly.

Let's rock and roll!!!!! Woo hoo!!! The water is calling me!!!!

You must be getting really excited about getting into the water again this year. I'm hopefully going to get back on an MTB and do some riding through the Rugby off season for keeping a good fitness base and it's been around 10-12 years since I last rode and was racing. Gotta sort out a bike first though!

I am babe, I'm like a little kid!!! I got very drunk while planning this last night with my friend and despite being hungover and having 3 hours sleep I'm still bouncing now! Woooooo!

Get yourself a good bike Alex, you know it will last you forever (unless you trash it when MTBing of course!). It would be excellent off season training for you, I should think the nature of MTB with its constant changes and type of force required would translate superbly for your rugby fitness. I tend to do steady state endurance road biking but that fits well with what I do (I too used to race time trials).

Definately good for fitness no doubt. Still got my old custom race bike but I'd need to spend £500 or so to get it back to spec for off road and I worried I'll damage it as it was built for me when I was only 9 1/2 stone. I'll put the rigid forks back on it and use it as a road cruiser instead and buy a Full Suspension.

That would be a good idea....you are just a weeeeeeee bit more than 9.5 stone now!

Heh, yeah. Kinda scary really.

That's awesome Pingu!
But why are you uncomfortable at swimming in the sea?
I am a sea product yself, and have always found it easier!

Well, it stems from being 7 years old watching Jaws and having a lifelong serious phobia about what's in the sea ever since! Plus jellyfish freak me out. And salt water is horrible, I've seen what it does to swimmers, it's not pretty!

Still...I will do it one day...one day I want that Channel to be mine....

[quote="Pingu"]Well, it stems from being 7 years old watching Jaws and having a lifelong serious phobia about what's in the sea ever since! Plus jellyfish freak me out. And salt water is horrible, I've seen what it does to swimmers, it's not pretty![quote]

It's too cold for any of the above to survive in this water!
And most of the things that live in the sea are cute and funny: when we went on a holiday with my useless ex, we used to bring bread in the sea and let fishes eat it from our hands... we stopped when kids noticed what we were doing, and started following us tho
The only reason why I don't swim here is that it's full of sinking muds...

Yeh I am not a fan of swimming in the sea. Although the only sea available to me is the Irish sea its probably good that I am not a fan of it lol. But swimming in crystal blue would be quite pleasant.

Good luck & have fun

Coop_de_Ville wrote:But swimming in crystal blue would be quite pleasant.

It is indeed....
Can be bloody cold but it is soooooo nice!
You can even spot all the tiny fishes that come to see whether they can eat you or not

@ Pingu: what's the height requirement to enter the dwarf Empire?
I am considering joining if I can fit in

Swiming in a lake would scare the hell out of me.

Cat - I reckon 5ft 4in would be acceptable!

SCOTT GALTON wrote:Swiming in a lake would scare the hell out of me.

It scares me sometimes! I find being able to see the bottom difficult, I had to learn some psychological techniques last year as I kept getting panic attacks at certain points! Now I don't mind it so much. It was scary last year when we got pulled out of WIndermere because of the conditions (4 ft waves and even bigger swells), but on the whole it's just the most wonderful, calming experience.

Except when you get chased by frigging evil swans that is! Bastards!

lol i hate swans!

Pingu, why did being able to see the bottom freak you out? I would have thought the other way round would have been worse, fear of the unknown etc.

I'm not entirely sure to be honest. I thought it would have been the other way round too. I just found that after swimming along quite happily, not being able to see anything but darkness, all of a sudden being able to see the bottom with all the reeds, weeds and small fish just totally freaked me out! Perhaps I'm just weird...

Pingu wrote:Cat - I reckon 5ft 4in would be acceptable!

is 5ft 5 (nearly 5 6) too much?

Pingu wrote:Except when you get chased by frigging evil swans that is! Bastards!

Jellifishes scare you, but swans are ok???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzrIBut8Fo8&feature=related

Noooo...swans are not OK either! But they don't appear very often thank god! And they aren't slimy...

Probably is a bit big babe. To be a dwarf you need to be below average height and for ladies in the UK that is 5ft 4in

MONDAY 30 MARCH

45 mins swim training

16 lengths warm up (400m)

10 x 8 lengths (200m) - 15 to 20 seconds rest
1/2/3 & 6/7/8 - Odd numbered lengths = 6 strokes fast & 6 strokes easy / Even numbered lengths = Steady (slightly harder than easy)
4 & 9 - Hard for the full 200m
5 & 10 - Easy for the full 200m

TOTAL DISTANCE = 96 LENGTHS (2400M)

This went well tonight. Just knowing I am able to fit in something a bit different to the so called session put up by the "Coach" made me enjoy it much more. I am limited to what I can do in the sense that I have to make sure I can fit in with the other people in the lane. On the sessions where there are much longer sets I will be able to vary it a bit more. However, pleased with my fitness tonight. I just need to work hard on certain aspects of my technique, especially the recovery and high elbow.

I do need to get some speed work in if I possibly can.... the Masters events on the 16th May are proper races! Woo hoo! Not done them since I was 15! Going to do my beloved 200m Backstroke (was my County event) and the 100m IM just for shits and giggles. Not sure what else if anything, but will do the relay if I can (backstroke leg).

COOL nice to do different stuff

This is what I was born to do.... I love it beyond words!

I can hear the enthusiasm for you swim training. Think switching to a full body routine sounds like a great idea. Make sure you do not try to do too much.

Where did you grow up Pingu? I'm from an Island so love the sea, but swimming in a lake freaks the hell out of me....even before I saw Lake Placid. Jaws scared me the first time but now, being an irritating scientist I end up shouting abuse about inconsistencies at the screen.

I wonder if maybe you do some reasearch into sea life you'll manage to reduce your fear?

Am LOVING it! *jumps up and down excitedly*

I grew up all over the place... Cyprus, Cambridgeshire, Cornwall (by the sea), Turkey, Cambridgeshire and then here (by the sea). I used to (and still do) read and watch a lot about the sea. Still got loads of books and if there is an ocean life programme on TV I always watch it so my knowledge is pretty good.

Doesn't seem to do much about the fear! But I will do the sea swimming thing eventually. One day I want to do the Channel. Would do the Dover Harbour swim this year if I had the holiday and money.

Plus the sea water does horrible things to long distance swimmers, I saw the state of my friend after she had done the Channel! Not pleasant! Fresh water is just so much nicer....

Whereabouts in Cambridgeshire where you living? Ollie and I are both from those ends, I grew up in Stapleford (just south of the city).