When I went to the Total Immersion weekend course Jai, the lead instructor talked about feeling at one with the water. Today I felt at one with the water for the first time ever!
The last few swims have purely focused on one thing each length and with me that is usually trying to keep my head in the right position bobbing in front of me looking at the bottom of the pool. So I did a couple of lengths with no breathing so I could focus on the technique issues that I struggle with after which I stopped, gathered my breath and got down to doing a few lengths.
After a few moments I started to count my strokes and because counting is also an exercise that forms part of the meditation I'm doing I found myself beginning to completely relax. I continued counting slowly to 10 and then going back to zero, breathing rhythmically with my stroke and I was off. I forgot I was swimming, I just relaxed and quietly made my way up and down the pool. There were only a couple of other people in at the time but I didn't notice them, I was gone, off in another world, a better world where I was born to swim and felt released and entirely free. It felt like yoga / meditation in the water and was without doubt one of the most relaxing and enjoyable experiences I have enjoyed in a while. I don't think it was very fast and I have no idea how far I swam but it was a wonderful feeling of peace and oneness with the water that I have never experienced. I think this is the spirit of swimming that Total Immersion is all about but Jai might correct me on this!
If TI has actually released the swimmer in me I will be forever grateful and as Danielle said when we were chatting later the best investment in triathlon to date.
So to catch up the last few days training, I've done more swimming (today was my first zen like swim!), completed my indoor circuit sessions every day and yesterday ran 9 miles in the rain. My garmin was all over the place but I'm sure the distance was correct.
I'm planning a run in the morning and a circuit session later in the day.
Training, as well as being good for the body is good for the mind. I feel much more positive about myself and life generally when I'm training than when I'm not. This positivity seems to generate an enthusiasm for life that I'm sure can be a real pain for poor Danielle and the other people that are close to me. I'm lucky that I have such a supportive partner and she has put up with all of the madness without a word and if I ever need encouragement she is there with exactly the right words to say. I'm a very fortunate man!
In terms of the body I benefit from a low heart rate. Now I had always assumed that this was due to all of the training until I popped in to see Dad earlier in the week. He is 90 as I have mentioned before and for his age very fit. He is sharp as a tack and has the wisdom of Solomon. So in conversation he told me his heart rate has always been low, mid 40's as is my mothers, and therefore my low heart rate is likely to be entirely through birth and not earned through fitness! My mum, always thinks of our best interests, worries that Ironman is a bit OTT for a 49 year old bloke but she remains 100% supportive when I race which is fantastic. Maybe they gave me a genetic leg up to becoming an Ironman through birth - who knows!!!
Friday, 8 March 2013
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
An Epic Caper in 2010
I've been out training on the bike with Derek again who continues to post fastest times on sections of the road according to his Garmin Edge. These bits of kit are amazing with the ability to record everything from distance, speed, heart rate, height climbed and spit out loads of averages. Combined with Strava you can then compare how fast you are to other cyclist who have completed the same journey - it's not about the bike but about the stats these days!
A lot of our personal bests were set in the period around our failed mission to complete the Cape Epic. The Cape Epic is an amazing bike race with professional and amateur mountain bikers racing over some of the most spectacular and hilly terrain in the Eastern Cape area of South Africa. John Woodrow, a fellow rider from Dunfermline and his partner completed the race in 2011 which is an awesome achievement as it is tough going.
We had gained one of the few places up for grabs exactly one year before the start of the race in early March 2009 giving us 12 months to prepare for what was going to be the challenge of a lifetime for both of us. Derek always has been a great cyclist and a brilliant friend so when he wanted to join me I could not of been happier.
Over the next 12 months we trained like badgers (not sure where I picked that up because I've never seen a badger train!) and we were physically as fit as we had ever been when we set off. The days before the race involved registration in Cape Town, an immense pre-race party where the Scottish contingent ( Derek and I ) got a huge welcome from the assembled teams.
On the morning of the race we were bussed from the hotel into the country for the start of the Cape Epic 2010. A year of training had gone into this point and we were nervous and excited about what lay ahead. 1,200 riders in teams of 2 lined up as the TV helicopters swooped overhead allowing the pilot to display the full array of his skills. There was much hanging around, picture taking and chat with fellow racers. We heard the gun going off and we made our way over the start line - it felt incredible that we had made it, were fit and ready for the challenges that lay ahead.
The first hill was not far away. There was over 2000m of climbing on the 134km first stage and with so many bikes in the chute at the start we were soon frustrated with the stop start nature of the climbing. It was steep and if the person in front decided to stop there was no-where to go so you stopped as well. Things didn't get any easier as we moved into the single track section.
We were moving well when I heard a pop and realised I had punctured. I jumped off the bike, pulled into the scrub at the side of the path and was about to start repairing the wheel when a voice shouted across ' I wouldn't do that there - too many snakes!' You can imagine I had the bike back on it's wheels and over my shoulder quicker than you could say snake bite! I had no choice but to run which with my multi sport background was easy. I managed to keep up with the bikes and after a coupe of kilometres found some space to change the tyre. We did it pretty fast and got back on the trail. We were down in the vineyards and the trails had opened up so it was much easier to get moving.
As we started the next long climb we passed loads of bikes eventually finishing the climb on the smooth tar road that went over the pass. The decent on the other side was exhilarating and we were soon off the smooth tar and back on what we call in Scotland, stalkers tracks. These are rough landrover tracks that allow travel through the wilder hills of Scotland. In South Africa the tracks were full of soft sandy patches that it took some skill to negotiate.
This is when disaster occurred and a rider jumped across the track and caught Derek's back wheel, knocking him headfirst into a wall. When I got to him he was just coming round and completely disorientated. As I was wondering what to do a medic appeared over the hill and suggested he would patch up Derek if I sorted out his mangled bike. The handlebars were at 90 degrees and the damage was mostly superficial with a few scrapes mechanically his bike was ok. Derek on the other hand wasn't in such good shape. The medic walked behind Derek and gave me a signal that it was all over. I was ready to head for the pick up when Derek told me that we were going to carry on and he set off. I hung back and had a word with the medic who told me about the damage to Derek's arm and legs and told me he would keep an eye on us.
We charged off and setting a good pace made our way to the next water point. The trouble started with cramp. Part of the reaction of a big crash is shock and Derek's body was telling him the same message that the medic had shared with me and he shouldn't be riding. We must have looked a right pair as Derek cramped up time and time again, each time me trying to massage the legs and Derek in excruciating pain. He fought on and we completed the last big climb of the day. The relief of reaching a point that was only 25km from the end was evident and we were cheered by the volunteers manning the point as we set off to the finish. The cramps were coming every mile and lasting longer and on top of that Derek's left arm was badly staved and he couldn't brake or control the bike with his left hand.
I realised that even if we did finish today it was going to at the cost of completing the race so at the next bout of cramp I persuaded Derek to call it a day and sadly our race was over. We sat in the pick up truck disconsolate and stunned.
Derek went off to the medical tent and I took the bikes to the cleaning bay. He appeared at our tents looking like he had been 10 rounds with Mike Tyson.
About an hour later we were sitting in the food tent, alone eating what was left of supper when a Belgian racer wandered in and sat down. He confessed to being the rider who had knocked Derek off and apologised for wrecking our race. We had no animosity to the guy, accidents happen and it obviously wasn't intentional although 'beware of Belgians' has become our coded warning if there are any dodgy riders out in the pack!
We decided the next day that there was no purpose in not making the most of the experience so hired a car, found a route and set off to the wine lands!
Every cloud has a sliver lining!
The 2013 race begins this weekend I think and would I go back and do it again - not a chance!
A lot of our personal bests were set in the period around our failed mission to complete the Cape Epic. The Cape Epic is an amazing bike race with professional and amateur mountain bikers racing over some of the most spectacular and hilly terrain in the Eastern Cape area of South Africa. John Woodrow, a fellow rider from Dunfermline and his partner completed the race in 2011 which is an awesome achievement as it is tough going.
We had gained one of the few places up for grabs exactly one year before the start of the race in early March 2009 giving us 12 months to prepare for what was going to be the challenge of a lifetime for both of us. Derek always has been a great cyclist and a brilliant friend so when he wanted to join me I could not of been happier.
Over the next 12 months we trained like badgers (not sure where I picked that up because I've never seen a badger train!) and we were physically as fit as we had ever been when we set off. The days before the race involved registration in Cape Town, an immense pre-race party where the Scottish contingent ( Derek and I ) got a huge welcome from the assembled teams.
On the morning of the race we were bussed from the hotel into the country for the start of the Cape Epic 2010. A year of training had gone into this point and we were nervous and excited about what lay ahead. 1,200 riders in teams of 2 lined up as the TV helicopters swooped overhead allowing the pilot to display the full array of his skills. There was much hanging around, picture taking and chat with fellow racers. We heard the gun going off and we made our way over the start line - it felt incredible that we had made it, were fit and ready for the challenges that lay ahead.
The first hill was not far away. There was over 2000m of climbing on the 134km first stage and with so many bikes in the chute at the start we were soon frustrated with the stop start nature of the climbing. It was steep and if the person in front decided to stop there was no-where to go so you stopped as well. Things didn't get any easier as we moved into the single track section.
We were moving well when I heard a pop and realised I had punctured. I jumped off the bike, pulled into the scrub at the side of the path and was about to start repairing the wheel when a voice shouted across ' I wouldn't do that there - too many snakes!' You can imagine I had the bike back on it's wheels and over my shoulder quicker than you could say snake bite! I had no choice but to run which with my multi sport background was easy. I managed to keep up with the bikes and after a coupe of kilometres found some space to change the tyre. We did it pretty fast and got back on the trail. We were down in the vineyards and the trails had opened up so it was much easier to get moving.
As we started the next long climb we passed loads of bikes eventually finishing the climb on the smooth tar road that went over the pass. The decent on the other side was exhilarating and we were soon off the smooth tar and back on what we call in Scotland, stalkers tracks. These are rough landrover tracks that allow travel through the wilder hills of Scotland. In South Africa the tracks were full of soft sandy patches that it took some skill to negotiate.
This is when disaster occurred and a rider jumped across the track and caught Derek's back wheel, knocking him headfirst into a wall. When I got to him he was just coming round and completely disorientated. As I was wondering what to do a medic appeared over the hill and suggested he would patch up Derek if I sorted out his mangled bike. The handlebars were at 90 degrees and the damage was mostly superficial with a few scrapes mechanically his bike was ok. Derek on the other hand wasn't in such good shape. The medic walked behind Derek and gave me a signal that it was all over. I was ready to head for the pick up when Derek told me that we were going to carry on and he set off. I hung back and had a word with the medic who told me about the damage to Derek's arm and legs and told me he would keep an eye on us.
We charged off and setting a good pace made our way to the next water point. The trouble started with cramp. Part of the reaction of a big crash is shock and Derek's body was telling him the same message that the medic had shared with me and he shouldn't be riding. We must have looked a right pair as Derek cramped up time and time again, each time me trying to massage the legs and Derek in excruciating pain. He fought on and we completed the last big climb of the day. The relief of reaching a point that was only 25km from the end was evident and we were cheered by the volunteers manning the point as we set off to the finish. The cramps were coming every mile and lasting longer and on top of that Derek's left arm was badly staved and he couldn't brake or control the bike with his left hand.
I realised that even if we did finish today it was going to at the cost of completing the race so at the next bout of cramp I persuaded Derek to call it a day and sadly our race was over. We sat in the pick up truck disconsolate and stunned.
Derek went off to the medical tent and I took the bikes to the cleaning bay. He appeared at our tents looking like he had been 10 rounds with Mike Tyson.
About an hour later we were sitting in the food tent, alone eating what was left of supper when a Belgian racer wandered in and sat down. He confessed to being the rider who had knocked Derek off and apologised for wrecking our race. We had no animosity to the guy, accidents happen and it obviously wasn't intentional although 'beware of Belgians' has become our coded warning if there are any dodgy riders out in the pack!
We decided the next day that there was no purpose in not making the most of the experience so hired a car, found a route and set off to the wine lands!
Every cloud has a sliver lining!
The 2013 race begins this weekend I think and would I go back and do it again - not a chance!
Monday, 4 March 2013
Spring has sprung!
The weather in the last week has been brilliant which has allowed a few trips out on the bike. I took my mudguards off on Wednesday after another 30 miles of continual rubbing drove me mad. I probably didn't fit them properly but every trip out mud gathered between the wheel and the guard. When I finally removed the guards the wee stones that had gathered in the mud surrounding the guard had completed shredded my tyres. So now got 2 new tyres to fit sometime.
This left me with a problem so on Friday I headed out with Derek on the Mountain bikes. It was a pleasant change to be sitting up but you sure notice the difference in resistance between the skinny road bike and the chunky mountain bike tyres. So this week it's been good to start building the bike fitness again with 19 miles on Wednesday, 29 on Thursday, 35 on Friday and 55 on Saturday.
For Saturday's ride I went up to the garage and pulled out the old vintage road bike. It's a Reynolds 531 tubing with shimano chnagers and campag hubs all from the early 70's. I love it! A pal of mine gave it to me a few years ago when he was clearing his garage and I'm now thinking I might get it re-sprayed and refurbished. Shame to let classic engineering rust!
We set off at 9am on Saturday. It was a stunning morning. I had travelled about a mile from the house when an SUV pulled out of the Crossford turn off right in front of me. When he eventually saw me he slammed on his brakes, mine were full on as well, and I squeezed past him with the heat and smell of his engine close to my head. Not a great start to the day. It shook me up especially when you read of another young rider who lost his life in a race yesterday. There seem to be more and more issues on the road with bikers involved in grisly accidents.
The ride up from Dunfermline through to Dunning was just awesome, well apart from the odd icy patch and by the time we reached the top of the climb it felt like a summers day. The decent into Dunning put an end to that as the icy north westerly blast chilled us quicker than a masterchef ice cream! From there we turned and headed to Cafe Kisa in Auchterarder. I consider myself to be quite an expert in the various cafe stops around our various bike routes and can safely say that Cafe Kisa is top of the list.
When we arrived it was pretty packed but a couple of sweaty, smelly bikers can always make a bit of room in the crowd! We got the windows seats and Derek fired up a full breakfast order of bacon and egg roll, a scone and to keep it all healthy some Earl Grey Tea. Not to be outdone I went for the bacon roll, scone and latte option. A belly busting treat!
We climbed back onto the bikes for the trip home rather bloated but the big man was in the mood for the Glen Devon climb. He went off like a shot and I clung on to his back wheel like my life depended on it. He texted later to let me know it was his fastest ever ascent of the climb which didn't surprise me as my legs were toast by the top. I hadn't quite got round to oiling the gears so every gear change on the front cog involved the use of my right heel to return the chain to the smaller of the two front cogs and I couldn't get the back derailleur to change to the smallest back cog so Derek flew off down the hill with me in slightly chilled pursuit.
The ice was still sitting on the top of the river that flows through Glen Devon which surprised me but I suppose the height and lack of direct sunlight prevented the thaw. It was then a blast back to Knockhill and home. It was a brilliant day out with 975m of climbing and a few PB's for Derek.
Entries for the race in August have opened and I'll sort that out sometime soon. The weight loss is still on track despite the bacon rolls and scones and I'm still doing my circuits which I'm loving. I enjoyed a full rest day yesterday which was brilliant but my sinuses have blown up a bit today so may need to take it easy later. We'll see.
Let's hope the summer is not the usual damp squib this year!
The photo is from the top of the Dunning climb looking out towards the Cairngorms. Such beauty so close to home is something I'm continually grateful of.
This left me with a problem so on Friday I headed out with Derek on the Mountain bikes. It was a pleasant change to be sitting up but you sure notice the difference in resistance between the skinny road bike and the chunky mountain bike tyres. So this week it's been good to start building the bike fitness again with 19 miles on Wednesday, 29 on Thursday, 35 on Friday and 55 on Saturday.
For Saturday's ride I went up to the garage and pulled out the old vintage road bike. It's a Reynolds 531 tubing with shimano chnagers and campag hubs all from the early 70's. I love it! A pal of mine gave it to me a few years ago when he was clearing his garage and I'm now thinking I might get it re-sprayed and refurbished. Shame to let classic engineering rust!
We set off at 9am on Saturday. It was a stunning morning. I had travelled about a mile from the house when an SUV pulled out of the Crossford turn off right in front of me. When he eventually saw me he slammed on his brakes, mine were full on as well, and I squeezed past him with the heat and smell of his engine close to my head. Not a great start to the day. It shook me up especially when you read of another young rider who lost his life in a race yesterday. There seem to be more and more issues on the road with bikers involved in grisly accidents.
The ride up from Dunfermline through to Dunning was just awesome, well apart from the odd icy patch and by the time we reached the top of the climb it felt like a summers day. The decent into Dunning put an end to that as the icy north westerly blast chilled us quicker than a masterchef ice cream! From there we turned and headed to Cafe Kisa in Auchterarder. I consider myself to be quite an expert in the various cafe stops around our various bike routes and can safely say that Cafe Kisa is top of the list.
When we arrived it was pretty packed but a couple of sweaty, smelly bikers can always make a bit of room in the crowd! We got the windows seats and Derek fired up a full breakfast order of bacon and egg roll, a scone and to keep it all healthy some Earl Grey Tea. Not to be outdone I went for the bacon roll, scone and latte option. A belly busting treat!
We climbed back onto the bikes for the trip home rather bloated but the big man was in the mood for the Glen Devon climb. He went off like a shot and I clung on to his back wheel like my life depended on it. He texted later to let me know it was his fastest ever ascent of the climb which didn't surprise me as my legs were toast by the top. I hadn't quite got round to oiling the gears so every gear change on the front cog involved the use of my right heel to return the chain to the smaller of the two front cogs and I couldn't get the back derailleur to change to the smallest back cog so Derek flew off down the hill with me in slightly chilled pursuit.
The ice was still sitting on the top of the river that flows through Glen Devon which surprised me but I suppose the height and lack of direct sunlight prevented the thaw. It was then a blast back to Knockhill and home. It was a brilliant day out with 975m of climbing and a few PB's for Derek.
Entries for the race in August have opened and I'll sort that out sometime soon. The weight loss is still on track despite the bacon rolls and scones and I'm still doing my circuits which I'm loving. I enjoyed a full rest day yesterday which was brilliant but my sinuses have blown up a bit today so may need to take it easy later. We'll see.
Let's hope the summer is not the usual damp squib this year!
The photo is from the top of the Dunning climb looking out towards the Cairngorms. Such beauty so close to home is something I'm continually grateful of.
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
Commonwealth Swimmer
The commonwealth games are a year and a bit away in 2014 so I went up to test the refurbished pool in Edinburgh in full expectation that I'll be selected for Scotland following my weekend TI course!
The pool is impressive and the refurbishment has improved the facility considerably from the dingy place it used to be. I parked the car up outside and was amazed to see a fox relaxing in the sun right by the path. He didn't flinch as I was within a metre of him and cast me a glance in the hope of some scraps.
I arrived, excited to put all that I had learned to the test. The pool is a 50m pool all 2m deep and kept at a decent temperature. I had no nerves, no anxiety, no fear just enthusiasm - what a change from a couple of weeks ago. Jai kept saying focus on one thing so that's what I did. I started with a few balance drills, they were a bit tricky in 2m deep water but I just headed for the side each time. Then I moved on to swims few lengths. I have decided for the next few weeks to forget about speed and completely focus on technique with one thought on each length.
First length was head position, let it bob out in front of me and that was ok. Breathing seemed better with half of my goggles in the water and half below, using the roll of the body from the hips to reach the air. Next length was the skating position to make sure my leading arm was relaxed and in the right position. I stuck with that for a few lengths as I worked on my timing and hand entry position. Then it was on to wide arms which helps release the stroke into the right position. All up I felt things were going well.
So I decided to count my strokes, total of 44 for the 50m pool. Now I used to take 27 or 28 for a 25m pool so that means if I build and sustain my current stoke length I will use 3,344 strokes in an ironman. This compares to 4,180 with my old stroke which means that if I even do the same time I will be 836 strokes better off and less tired for the run and bike which equates to a 20.14% improvement in my swimming efficiency. Not bad for a weekend away!!! You can't take the quantity surveyor out of me!
The interesting thing was that the more I relaxed and just let the calm envelope my stroke the easier it became. I wasn't pulling hard on the catch part of the stroke, I just chilled out focused on the one thing each length and let it happen. I may have looked rather odd in the pool but I don't care. Practice makes perfect and I enjoyed today.
After I posted the blog last night I spent 40 minutes cross training to completely toast my legs. I've started taking recovery shakes, no idea if they make a difference but I'm prepared to give it a go. So once I'd finished my work I headed into the gym and did another 40 minutes cross train tonight followed by 20 minutes on the abs. They are still well hidden but with the inches coming off the waist I hope that they will make a summer appearance!
I'm enjoying the training this time. I suppose because I've finished 3 ironman races in the past the pressure is off and I feel that although the schedule is a big commitment I have time to relax and enjoy the training time I have. After all a few hours out on a bike or running on a day like today is hardly a hardship is it?
My head is full of exciting ideas for this year but more of them later.
Let's make 2013 something special!
The pool is impressive and the refurbishment has improved the facility considerably from the dingy place it used to be. I parked the car up outside and was amazed to see a fox relaxing in the sun right by the path. He didn't flinch as I was within a metre of him and cast me a glance in the hope of some scraps.
I arrived, excited to put all that I had learned to the test. The pool is a 50m pool all 2m deep and kept at a decent temperature. I had no nerves, no anxiety, no fear just enthusiasm - what a change from a couple of weeks ago. Jai kept saying focus on one thing so that's what I did. I started with a few balance drills, they were a bit tricky in 2m deep water but I just headed for the side each time. Then I moved on to swims few lengths. I have decided for the next few weeks to forget about speed and completely focus on technique with one thought on each length.
First length was head position, let it bob out in front of me and that was ok. Breathing seemed better with half of my goggles in the water and half below, using the roll of the body from the hips to reach the air. Next length was the skating position to make sure my leading arm was relaxed and in the right position. I stuck with that for a few lengths as I worked on my timing and hand entry position. Then it was on to wide arms which helps release the stroke into the right position. All up I felt things were going well.
So I decided to count my strokes, total of 44 for the 50m pool. Now I used to take 27 or 28 for a 25m pool so that means if I build and sustain my current stoke length I will use 3,344 strokes in an ironman. This compares to 4,180 with my old stroke which means that if I even do the same time I will be 836 strokes better off and less tired for the run and bike which equates to a 20.14% improvement in my swimming efficiency. Not bad for a weekend away!!! You can't take the quantity surveyor out of me!
The interesting thing was that the more I relaxed and just let the calm envelope my stroke the easier it became. I wasn't pulling hard on the catch part of the stroke, I just chilled out focused on the one thing each length and let it happen. I may have looked rather odd in the pool but I don't care. Practice makes perfect and I enjoyed today.
After I posted the blog last night I spent 40 minutes cross training to completely toast my legs. I've started taking recovery shakes, no idea if they make a difference but I'm prepared to give it a go. So once I'd finished my work I headed into the gym and did another 40 minutes cross train tonight followed by 20 minutes on the abs. They are still well hidden but with the inches coming off the waist I hope that they will make a summer appearance!
I'm enjoying the training this time. I suppose because I've finished 3 ironman races in the past the pressure is off and I feel that although the schedule is a big commitment I have time to relax and enjoy the training time I have. After all a few hours out on a bike or running on a day like today is hardly a hardship is it?
My head is full of exciting ideas for this year but more of them later.
Let's make 2013 something special!
Monday, 25 February 2013
from a stone to a fish - is it a miracle?
Well it's been a few days since I've been around to blog.
This weekend I was fortunate to be able to go on a swim course to help my freestyle. Anyone that has seen me swim will know exactly how unfreestyle my swimming was. My previous approach was firstly change to enter water, stage 2 grow increasingly uptight, stage 3 become stressed, stage 4 thrash up and down the lane to a point of exhaustion and final stage was to get out of the pool depressed at my inability. So this weekend I bit the bullet and went to a swim course on Saturday morning.
There were 12 of us in the group all with different objectives and targets - mine was fairly simple I wanted to come away with the belief that I could swim and not get completely stressed every time I go near water. When I went to Lake Placid I had a panic attack in the water on the Wednesday practice before the race and it shredded my brittle confidence. At that point a personal coach talked me round and gave me some ways of tackling the problem should it arise on race day. It didn't and I somehow pulled off a 1:35 swim which was pretty fast for me.
So the morning started with an explanation of what was ahead, how the process would work and a chance for us all to talk about what we were aiming for. There were a couple of folk starting out on the triathlon journey, a couple more aiming to Ironman and few that just wanted to swim more efficiently. The course was led by Jai Evans of Total Immersion with support from Salka Hintikka and a local coach Jan Moffat Osband, they were all excellent.
You could see everyone was itching to get in the pool and show there swim techniques off. Apart from a couple of folk who had little freestyle experience I reckon that 90% of the rest of the people secretly hoped that the first video review would be a pat on the back and told that they were excellent and only need a minor change to reach perfection!! So the first session included the video recording and we started with the drills that would become the focus of the weekend. I should of said that the programme is geared up to give you the tools to go away and with practice improve your swimming. The journey to perfection starts with the weekend training.
So the start was easy - pretend to be superman in the water. Sounds easy because it's not superman as we know him but a drill to get your hands into the right place in the water and part of the balance drills. Balance I have learned is very important in swimming and finding your own balance point will help. I would get the DVD's that Total Immersion sells to get you started. Anyway after the initial drills and having spent time in the pool it was back to the classroom to review the techniques. This was again not as I expected because Jai picked out a lot of positives with everyone as well as some of the challenges that they faced. The chap I was sat beside was called Heston, not the Blumental version, but a really nice guy who was a regular and very competent swimmer.
So after the reviews it was back to the pool - sadly I missed that session due to a prior dinner engagement but Jai took me through the work that was going to be done. Day 2 started bright and early and we were in the pool just after 8.30. It wasn't very warm but 2 inches of fat and a rash vest kept me comfortable!!
We went back to some of the earlier drills to reinforce the balance stuff before progressing into being able to understand slipping through the water efficiently, relaxed hands, point of entry and timing. There were more classroom sessions which reviewed effective training and the good and bad of group practice sessions before heading back to the pool for more drills before we put it all together and started swimming.
I felt brilliant. Everything that we had been taught made sense and the tip of only focusing on one thing on each length gave me a few victories as the session went on. We then had the final video shoot and headed back to the class for the final review and advice of what to work on.
Jai had a iPad with sports video software so he could move quickly back and forward and show everyone the good and not so good parts of their stroke. One chap, a would be Ironman, seemed to have improved significantly and Jai drew a dolphin shape around him, I wondered if I would get a dolphin shape around me! Sadly not but the improvement is significant. Most of swimming is in your head and if you open your mind, forget the years of poor technique and free yourself from over thinking and trying too hard suddenly it seemed easier. To me the challenge was the messages that my brain sent when I go swimming were all negative. I enjoyed swimming at the end. The style of coaching suited me and because the learning experience was relaxed and good fun I think I approached the pool more relaxed and prepared to enjoy myself.
I look forward to my next pool session and I got the belief that I can swim and go on to be a better, more confident swimmer in the future. I've not explained it all very well but I remember the drills and will practice to improve my technique.
Our coaches in Jai, Salka and Jan all brought something different to the learning experience and I enjoyed working with them all. I think everyone will go to these sort of course with different expectations. My expectations were exceeded, I didn't expect to come home swimming like Michael Phelps and of course I didn't but I have now got all the tools to improve and be the swimmer I know that I can be. So no longer will I be the stone and soon I hope to be the fish! If you want to swim better then I'd happily recommend Jai and the team at TI because as you know if I can do it anyone can!
I kept it all real running 10 miles in the afternoon sun this afternoon. It was stunning! Maybe the miracle will be complete if I can run the 2.4 mile swim section of the Ireman! Ok that's impossible but maybe I might just enjoy it now!
This weekend I was fortunate to be able to go on a swim course to help my freestyle. Anyone that has seen me swim will know exactly how unfreestyle my swimming was. My previous approach was firstly change to enter water, stage 2 grow increasingly uptight, stage 3 become stressed, stage 4 thrash up and down the lane to a point of exhaustion and final stage was to get out of the pool depressed at my inability. So this weekend I bit the bullet and went to a swim course on Saturday morning.
There were 12 of us in the group all with different objectives and targets - mine was fairly simple I wanted to come away with the belief that I could swim and not get completely stressed every time I go near water. When I went to Lake Placid I had a panic attack in the water on the Wednesday practice before the race and it shredded my brittle confidence. At that point a personal coach talked me round and gave me some ways of tackling the problem should it arise on race day. It didn't and I somehow pulled off a 1:35 swim which was pretty fast for me.
So the morning started with an explanation of what was ahead, how the process would work and a chance for us all to talk about what we were aiming for. There were a couple of folk starting out on the triathlon journey, a couple more aiming to Ironman and few that just wanted to swim more efficiently. The course was led by Jai Evans of Total Immersion with support from Salka Hintikka and a local coach Jan Moffat Osband, they were all excellent.
You could see everyone was itching to get in the pool and show there swim techniques off. Apart from a couple of folk who had little freestyle experience I reckon that 90% of the rest of the people secretly hoped that the first video review would be a pat on the back and told that they were excellent and only need a minor change to reach perfection!! So the first session included the video recording and we started with the drills that would become the focus of the weekend. I should of said that the programme is geared up to give you the tools to go away and with practice improve your swimming. The journey to perfection starts with the weekend training.
So the start was easy - pretend to be superman in the water. Sounds easy because it's not superman as we know him but a drill to get your hands into the right place in the water and part of the balance drills. Balance I have learned is very important in swimming and finding your own balance point will help. I would get the DVD's that Total Immersion sells to get you started. Anyway after the initial drills and having spent time in the pool it was back to the classroom to review the techniques. This was again not as I expected because Jai picked out a lot of positives with everyone as well as some of the challenges that they faced. The chap I was sat beside was called Heston, not the Blumental version, but a really nice guy who was a regular and very competent swimmer.
So after the reviews it was back to the pool - sadly I missed that session due to a prior dinner engagement but Jai took me through the work that was going to be done. Day 2 started bright and early and we were in the pool just after 8.30. It wasn't very warm but 2 inches of fat and a rash vest kept me comfortable!!
We went back to some of the earlier drills to reinforce the balance stuff before progressing into being able to understand slipping through the water efficiently, relaxed hands, point of entry and timing. There were more classroom sessions which reviewed effective training and the good and bad of group practice sessions before heading back to the pool for more drills before we put it all together and started swimming.
I felt brilliant. Everything that we had been taught made sense and the tip of only focusing on one thing on each length gave me a few victories as the session went on. We then had the final video shoot and headed back to the class for the final review and advice of what to work on.
Jai had a iPad with sports video software so he could move quickly back and forward and show everyone the good and not so good parts of their stroke. One chap, a would be Ironman, seemed to have improved significantly and Jai drew a dolphin shape around him, I wondered if I would get a dolphin shape around me! Sadly not but the improvement is significant. Most of swimming is in your head and if you open your mind, forget the years of poor technique and free yourself from over thinking and trying too hard suddenly it seemed easier. To me the challenge was the messages that my brain sent when I go swimming were all negative. I enjoyed swimming at the end. The style of coaching suited me and because the learning experience was relaxed and good fun I think I approached the pool more relaxed and prepared to enjoy myself.
I look forward to my next pool session and I got the belief that I can swim and go on to be a better, more confident swimmer in the future. I've not explained it all very well but I remember the drills and will practice to improve my technique.
Our coaches in Jai, Salka and Jan all brought something different to the learning experience and I enjoyed working with them all. I think everyone will go to these sort of course with different expectations. My expectations were exceeded, I didn't expect to come home swimming like Michael Phelps and of course I didn't but I have now got all the tools to improve and be the swimmer I know that I can be. So no longer will I be the stone and soon I hope to be the fish! If you want to swim better then I'd happily recommend Jai and the team at TI because as you know if I can do it anyone can!
I kept it all real running 10 miles in the afternoon sun this afternoon. It was stunning! Maybe the miracle will be complete if I can run the 2.4 mile swim section of the Ireman! Ok that's impossible but maybe I might just enjoy it now!
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Stone shifter!
Well it's been another cracking day! Weather turned a bit cloudier and cooler but a text to Derek established a 12.15 rendezvous to go over Cliesh round to Powmill and back over Knockhill.
Derek fessed up to 3 PB's on our Sunday afternoon ride which explains why I was left trailing in his wake. The roads were quiet, the wind was out of the East and my legs felt like lead. I couldn't understand why every pedal felt like I was wading through treacle but I soldiered on. The climb up Cliesh is one that we know well and Derek was in fine form leading the way and setting a cracking pace.
We were careful on the decent, seen too many folk crash on the way down and then set off to Powmill. The wind was behind and I was struggling to hold Derek's wheel. I shouted as something was rubbing and I thought my mudguards needed a tweak. I turned the bike up and spun the wheels, the front wheel took a second and although still rubbing it wasn't too bad. The back wheel didn't spin at all. I looked and realised that there was a huge collection of mud between the wheel and the mud guard. I found a stick and pushed a wedge of mud out and the wheel run free - what a donkey I was. Everything seemed a little easier after that.
Waved at a DCC rider heading out over Knockhill - say hello if you read this!
Made some sesame flatbread for lunch, did some work and then spent an hour doing circuits and abs work. So yesterday's session was a morning circuits with a 4 mile run later in the day.
Going to rest tomorrow and spend some time stretching.
I had my weekly weigh in today and I've now lost a stone since the turn of the year! Only another stone to go and even then I'll still be obese according to BMI!
Derek fessed up to 3 PB's on our Sunday afternoon ride which explains why I was left trailing in his wake. The roads were quiet, the wind was out of the East and my legs felt like lead. I couldn't understand why every pedal felt like I was wading through treacle but I soldiered on. The climb up Cliesh is one that we know well and Derek was in fine form leading the way and setting a cracking pace.
We were careful on the decent, seen too many folk crash on the way down and then set off to Powmill. The wind was behind and I was struggling to hold Derek's wheel. I shouted as something was rubbing and I thought my mudguards needed a tweak. I turned the bike up and spun the wheels, the front wheel took a second and although still rubbing it wasn't too bad. The back wheel didn't spin at all. I looked and realised that there was a huge collection of mud between the wheel and the mud guard. I found a stick and pushed a wedge of mud out and the wheel run free - what a donkey I was. Everything seemed a little easier after that.
Waved at a DCC rider heading out over Knockhill - say hello if you read this!
Made some sesame flatbread for lunch, did some work and then spent an hour doing circuits and abs work. So yesterday's session was a morning circuits with a 4 mile run later in the day.
Going to rest tomorrow and spend some time stretching.
I had my weekly weigh in today and I've now lost a stone since the turn of the year! Only another stone to go and even then I'll still be obese according to BMI!
Monday, 18 February 2013
Lazy summer days....
What a day! Absolute cracker. It was the sort of day that helps you see Scotland at it's best. The birds were up early heralding the rising sun and walking the pooch was a joy. I decided to get my work done and dusted as quickly as I could so I started at 6.30 and got stuck in. By 12.15 I had most of it out of the way despite my new metallic kettle destroying the tea that keeps me going when I work.
I texted my neighbour to see if she fancied coming out on the bike for an hour. The response was positive and a few minutes later we set off for the cycle track. Anna is a yoga teacher, a very good one at that and keeps herself fit walking and biking so we made good time down the path sharing stories of the last few days. When we found the sun it was warm and very pleasant, out of the sun the frost hinted at danger on the path and it remained cold.
The run along to Forestmill and then back via Saline was stunning, the deer are down off the hill seeking food and I realised how good their hearing is when my rubbing mudguards disturbed there grazing and they shot off over the hill. It was a day to be outside and a day to revel in the fact that I work for myself!
When I got back I finished off some work and then set off for an hour of circuit training. I'm enjoying the circuits and I think it is doing me good. I'm able to do more of the workout as the weeks go by so hopefully I'm building a stronger core which I hope will help my biking later in the year.
Tomorrow is going to be a long run as the weather prediction is that it's going to get colder later in the week so I thought I'd try and get the long run out of the way. I'm pretty convinced the difference between winter and summer in Scotland is a few extra hours daylight and about 5 degrees!
I texted my neighbour to see if she fancied coming out on the bike for an hour. The response was positive and a few minutes later we set off for the cycle track. Anna is a yoga teacher, a very good one at that and keeps herself fit walking and biking so we made good time down the path sharing stories of the last few days. When we found the sun it was warm and very pleasant, out of the sun the frost hinted at danger on the path and it remained cold.
The run along to Forestmill and then back via Saline was stunning, the deer are down off the hill seeking food and I realised how good their hearing is when my rubbing mudguards disturbed there grazing and they shot off over the hill. It was a day to be outside and a day to revel in the fact that I work for myself!
When I got back I finished off some work and then set off for an hour of circuit training. I'm enjoying the circuits and I think it is doing me good. I'm able to do more of the workout as the weeks go by so hopefully I'm building a stronger core which I hope will help my biking later in the year.
Tomorrow is going to be a long run as the weather prediction is that it's going to get colder later in the week so I thought I'd try and get the long run out of the way. I'm pretty convinced the difference between winter and summer in Scotland is a few extra hours daylight and about 5 degrees!
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