100 x 100m Boxing Day Challenge

DONE...with hand paddles from 5km too...

Last Swim for 2014

Vald Swim 10km event at Balmoral...better time this swim

Not the best result for my first event

My first event for the new swimming season produced a time i was not expecting.  The 2 hour 40 min 9.5 km swim was definitely not what i wanted, but after some sole searching and reflection it really should not have been unexpected considering we have been concentrating on picking up my speed and not spending time on endurance.

The first 5km saw exceptionally good 1km split times but that is where it ended and i came home with a very 'dry sail'.

  

Easy lake swim today

First swim back after a slight shoulder injury. Everything felt good, no pain and i managed to get through just under 8km in just over 2hours.

Back into the pool tomorrow for some more long distance speed work.

Niggle...

First shoulder niggle for the year has seen a 3 day hiatus from the water. Up until then the training has been uninterrupted with good improvements seen, especially lately in the 1km pool splits and 100m sets.

I have been lucky with my shoulders so far but i put that down to a lot of shoulder strengthening and stretching exercises. Once or twice a week, depending on which week in the phase it is, i am in my garage gym. I have about 20 exercises to do that takes about 90 minute to complete. About 15 of the exercises use bands are focused on the shoulders and associated muscles and the rest on my core and lats. To ensure improvement I keep track of all the exercises i do, here is a screenshot.

 

I suppose injuries are all part of this journey and it how they are managed that will be the key to getting back in the water ASAP.

Time Trail...

After a week of only a half training it was nice to get into the pool today and measure how much all this work has improved my swimming.  My time in today's 1km time-trial saw an improvement of just over 20 seconds...obviously the training is working.

This month is all about speed training again, then two 10km swims and then a few weeks off over Christmas.  

Rest Week

After 3 gruelling weeks of nose to the black line and nose to the weight training equipment it's now time for a rest...or half week.

This week is all about letting my body catch up, rest, consolidate the training whilst giving me a chance to focus my efforts elsewhere i.e. Family, garden, cleaning etc.

2 days in to rest week and I feel like I am a spring all wound up with this energy I usually expend. It's hard to sit back, relax and ignore those feelings.

A Sunday afternoon set

It felt so good to knock out a decent set today at Civic Pool. About half of the 11km was speed work, a quarter one arm drills and the rest continuous swimming at 75% (that's my favourite part of the swim). Best of all, even toward the end my times were holding steady, meaning there is still lots left in the tank.

This coming week is the 3rd 'on week' of the monthly program (I call it cranky week). I do 3 'on weeks' in a row, each comprising of about 25km swimming, one weights session and one Pilates session. The 4th 'off week' is half the swimming distance, Pilates and no weights...the 4th week is the most important week as the down time is letting my mind and body rest and consolidate that hard work, thus becoming stronger!

What has happened?

Lots of swimming and strength training is the answer to that! Since my last post I have swum two series in Samoa, done lots of technique work, done lots of upper and core strength work and in the last few weeks been back in the lake for a few cold water swims.

What's all this work for...........The English Channel in August 2016!!! Yep I have decided it's time to challenge myself for the ultimate prize, to become a channel swimmer!

Since July I have expanded the Rottnest team to include a sports Phycologist, a nutricitionist and an open water swimming coach.

With the long term goal is in place we have lots of sub goals (10km events) that are focused on enabling me over the next 22 months to build a mind and a body that can swim that haloed stretch of water.

It's all very exciting...overwhelming, tiring and bloody scary...buts it is the right time in my life to complete this challenge!!!

Change of plan...coming together

....i am getting closer to confirming the ultimate swim...only a month or two wait.

The training has already started with lots of shoulder strength work out of the pool and a focus on increasing my speed in the pool. Within the month i have already seen the benefits with 16 minute kms becoming the norm.

On Wednesday we are off to Sydney to begin the process of working with a Sydney ocean swimming club. 

A Change in Plan

There are some forced changes planned for my Europe to Africa Swim...

Long swim after technique work

Second long swim back after Rottnest and it seemed easier than usual and I think I know why.

For the last 4 weeks I have been working hard with Andrew and Suzy on improving my stroke to improve efficiency and relieve some right shoulder tension. With an increasing training load coming up for the Gibraltar Swim starting in October now is the time to do this much needed technique work.

So it's been a few weeks of changing the angle of my right hand entry and eliminating my trademark right arm stretch before starting my catch. It was a weird feeling to start with but as the weeks rolled on the feeling became one of 'just been' normal.

All the training has been short sharp sessions designed at getting the feel before getting tired. There was strictly no long sets or no speed work until I could instantly feel if I reverted back to that 'old stroke'.

So today was the first long session where a 10km swim was planned. I decided to break the swim into 6 x 1km and then a 4km swim once I started to get tired. I decided it was about completing the swim and forgetting the times. Lucky, as my watch was showing some terrible splits. But I walked away from the set feeling full of energy and best of all no shoulder joint pain.

So it's onto the 10km Roughwater swim in Sydney next weekend to give my new stroke another good work out before going back to the pool for the winter.

Time out for technique over Winter

With my right shoulder giving me grief its time to take a few months out over winter to fix this ongoing problem up.

After the first lesson it is was clearly obvious as to why this injury reoccurs. Here is Andrew's summary:

• the time taken to complete my right arm stroke is slightly longer than my left arm stroke
• my right arm glides then surges directly forward
• this also creates a slight deadspot which,
• means considerably more pressure on the shoulder as i start the catch

The cure is really pretty simple but getting an old dog to change is challenging. However, after two swims by myself I can now start to feel an improvement.  Best of all i have very little shoulder pain after both swims, although both swims were only 2.5km.

So what are the techniques to fix these stroke issues:

1. To even up the stroke rate. I have borrowed a stroke beeper that makes a noise every 0.X seconds. I am practising entering the water with both arms at exactly the same time. This has helped enormously.
2. Feel as though i am diving my right arm into the water not placing it ontop of the water
3. Resist surging forward with my right arm before catching
4. Use the freestyle snorkel as much as possible; this helps to 'just' focus on the arms.          

Maintaining a Training Base

So, feeling as fresh as a daisy i am back into training.  The next 6 months or so is about maintaining a base level of swim fitness whilst working hard on technique with the aim of improving efficiency. So its back into the pool for 4 sessions a week:

• Tuesday: 30 min aerobic swim followed by squad training
• Wednesday: 5km strength work (paddles, band, etc)
• Thursday: same as Tuesday
• Sunday: Longer Sets at Swim Squad

Swimming this 15 to 20km per week is a breeze compared to the milage i was doing in the months leading up to Rottnest.  About October i will lift the time spent in the pool...in preparation for the opening marathon swims in late November.

Next dream has started - only just though

Today i started to put some effort into learning about what it will take to swim the Straits of Gibraltar.  There appears to be a bit of information out there but its one article i have found the most helpful and its titled "No BS Guide to Swimming the Gibraltar Straits" on one of my favourite websites: Marathon Swimming Forum.

So what i have read today it appears as though most of the planning will be done in early 2015 for a swim in July/August.  I have sent an email asking a few questions including the chance of booking a July or August neap tide.

I also came across one of the more unusual attempts to cross the Straits by two Australians...Hamish and Andy. I actually listen to these two comedian podcasts whilst swimming my longer Wednesdays sets, quite ironic!