May 3-6

This was a really tough 4-day period for me, partially reflected by the fact that I took virtually no pictures and no videos at all. And the pics I did take are inexplicably (to me) of a bird in a tree at A’s school. Enjoy.

Training

After writing in a previous post about my reflections on pushing limits and finding clarity, I was reading “The Art of Resilience” by Ross Edgley. (You can find my conflicted feelings about the book in my Goodreads review, if you are interested.) Anyway, on p. 56 he notes that “the Yambushi believe you learn best when you push your mind and body to its limits.”

I was doing a lot of meta-thinking about training during this time period – not only was I reading Edgley’s book about swimming all the way around Britain, but I also did a podcast with a cold researcher about my training. In addition, several people asked me about my training plan during this time.

What I realized was that my plan has always been pretty simple (and somewhat subliminal) – Train as much as I can, as hard as I can… without breaking myself.

I’ve spent a couple of years (and especially the last eight months) bouncing up against that limit. Thanks to a lifetime of pushing myself until I broke, great coaching, a lot of stretching, and a great chiropractor, I’ve stayed intact so far.

But something else codified in my brain as I read “The Art of Resilience.” I have, half consciously, half unconsciously, understood that (for me) staying entertained, engaged, and happy is more important than following a theoretically ideal training plan. Instead of a personal plan, I do the workouts my coaches give (which are NOT designed for what I’m doing, here or in the US). But I get to be with people – and that is both far more fun and pushes me harder. In my open water training, I frequently swim with people who are going a different pace and or doing different distances than I would if alone. But it’s way more fun! (Plus I didn’t have someone who wanted to just follow me around on a kayak for the last two years.)

I have always had some direction in mind – how much pool swimming, how much open water; when to focus on speed, when to focus on distance. But I’ve done a LOT of it by feel, and I don’t think that has been a bad thing.

Above all, this experience is supposed to be fun. And I have the luxury of only training for a mildly insane swim, not something completely off the charts like Ross Edgley or Sarah Thomas. But even if I were (and I don’t see that happening), I’m not sure but what my eclectic program isn’t great training. And the bit where I now run everywhere… we’ll that’s crazy enough to train for crazy. At any rate, we’ll find out in July if my theories are sound.

Oh Poor Me

So you remember the towel I bought, because one was not enough for swimming 8 times a day? It sheds blue fuzzies. Like, an insane number of blue fuzzies. More fuzzies by weight than the towel originally contained. This is a physics-defying towel. And because we don’t have a dryer, it continues to shed blue fuzzies. Or maybe “blue dust” is the way to put it. All over the bathroom. So when I clean the bathroom it takes forever. And E’s socks leave little fuzz balls all over the carpet. And the vacuum that came with the flat is terrible – if I want the carpet to be clean, I have to vacuum it with just the stick part. Very. Slowly. The fact that it is stupid to buy things plus the lack of car is eating up my life. But it won’t last forever.

Anyway, if this time period was hard, we can put at least part of the blame on the stupid towel.

Strange or British?

I had a realization about my efforts to understand my (briefly) adopted people. One of the few places that I just get to listen to people talk is the women’s locker room after lap swim at the gym. And I was listening and thinking, “OK, this is how Britons talk and what they are like.”

But then I thought about the American locker room conversations I’ve heard over the years and realized I probably shouldn’t draw too many conclusions here about “normal.”

Rude or British?

I thought I wasn’t going to have any potential rudeness questions this time around. Either I am becoming more familiar or more inured. But then I got on the bus one day and said “Queen’s Park and return – one adult, one child.” And I couldn’t hear for sure, but it seemed like my driver repeated that back and then sarcastically said, “PLEASE?” I repeated it again with a please and he gave me the tickets.

Was my bus driver instructing me to say please? I’m normally big on please and thank you, but on the bus I’m usually just trying to go quick and be understood – no extra words. I’m writing this whilst still on the bus – kinda want to ask him 🙂. So the question is… is it rude to order someone (aside from your kids) to say please? Was I being rude or was he? 

Of course there is always the possibility that I completely mis-heard him. The drivers here are an interesting set, but mostly a surprisingly jolly crowd, considering what they have to deal with all day. Every passenger does say “thank you” when getting off the bus – I love it and love doing it.

I will tell you this – I have said “please” when getting tickets every time since then.

My Last Thoughts on Sidewalks…. Probably.

Subtitle: Things that are only important to you when you have to walk/run everywhere you go

This is my last installment of “People Walking on the Right in England.” It was too hard to get pictures of people that were reasonably unrecognizable. Suffice to say – so, so many people do it and I still don’t know what’s up with that. Perhaps it is not a problem for people less clumsy than I, but I am totally going to collide with someone. Hopefully they won’t be on a bike or other mode of transport (electric scooterers are the scariest bunch) that will significantly injure me.

I will now stop yammering on about it and turn my attention to not running into anyone. At least this is not a problem in the sea. Although perhaps it should be – when there are a lot of us out there, we do sometimes almost run into one another. That’s it – open water swim lanes for everyone!

Channel Prep

Not a lot this week as I recall – mostly getting ready to go to Ireland. At some point in here, Ali offered to crew for me – yay!

The [Time Period] in the Water (Tuesday 5/3 – Friday 5/6)

Summary

Pool Yardage ~  23,500 M 

OW Yardage ~ 9000 M

Total Yardage ~ 32,500 M

OTHER:

 miles of running – 7.9

 miles of walking (plus, you know, a lot more) – 21.8

I’m including our Ireland walking here, since that post will just be touristy. This is from E’s watch – 4.4 miles on the 7th when we flew over, 7.0 miles on the 8th, and 10.4 miles on the 9th. (Plus a good bit on Tuesday the 10th, since they wouldn’t let us past security until after midnight, and we walked a few miles getting through the airport and trying to find somewhere to sleep. (Dublin’s airport apparently being set up to make sure you get your steps in.)

 miles riding – 4

In retrospect, this was probably the toughest week of training. I was really tired, the sea was still quite cold (which takes it out of you more than you might think), and I hadn’t seen what seemed like progress in a while. My most important swim was probably Thursday’s fun swim out to the reef. I desperately needed to be reminded that I actually enjoyed what I was doing. And it worked.

And getting in 32,500 whilst so beaten down AND keeping up with Will for 4K in 1h5 (feeling crappy, with a headache, and with the return 2K being very choppy – his strength, not mine) – well, it feels good weeks later 🙂

The Gory Details

Tues May 3 (~6100 M) 2 h; .5 mi run, 2 mi ride; 3000 M OW swim)

I become reluctant to write more things down when I am behind on posting. But I will also get mad at myself if i don’t get this down and forget it by the time I’m caught up again. So, maturely, I record:

(Oooo, and shiveringly. Felt fine during and after my OW swim, but now I can barely see the screen I’m shivering so much.) [I’ve removed the typos – they were kind of hilarious though.]

Masters (~4700)

• 800 as 200 free / 200 IM (25 k/25 s) – missed about 200, but made it up in easy 50s throughout the practice)
• 4×150 (odd – paddles & breathing pattern which I ignored. It is going to be tough to ever make myself care about turns, sprinting or holding my breath again; even – descend by 50)
• 5×200 on 3:10
• 12×25 on :30 stroke/fr (alternated bk/br)
• 4×200 on 3:05
• 6×50 on :50 stroke/free (bk)
• 3×200 on 3:00
• 4×75 on :70 IM/fr

Lap swim (~1400)

• 400 ez
• 5×200 ez
• 50 ez

Boy did I feel like I got whacked with the old stick this morning. A consequence of a stellar Sunday performance and a Monday rest day that mostly comprised lying like a dead thing. I know that motion is lotion, but sometimes I’m just too tired. They shouldn’t call it “rest day” if they want you to move. Anyway, I felt like a sea slug. And was tired. And hungry. Like, as soon as I got there. Oh yeah, I didn’t eat enough yesterday either. Cooking food is not resting! I need a chef.

I adjusted the intervals upward accordingly.

OTHER: run/ride to practice; walking A to school and walking to and from bus stops; the hike down to the sea and back up

OW Swim:

58 min, 3K, 11.5 according to guards, 57 degree air, wind on the way back up to the flat.

Today was 3 K in 58 minutes – felt really good during the swim (the last 5 minutes was a bit rough – I get tired when it’s the second swim of the day), and I felt good getting out. I’m starting to think that the wind chill climbing up the cliffs is the biggest factor – my temp was 34.0 (Taken about 12 minutes after leaving the water). The outside temperature was 57, but when the wind picked up it felt about a million degrees colder 🙂

Wed May 4  (~6000 M) 2 h; 2.3 mile run

Forgot to write it down – I ran there, swam with Masters (3 miserable sets of 3x200s) , swam lap swim (2x: 100 IM kick. 200 ez, 200 IM kick, 200 ez, 300 IM kick, 200 ez, w/a 200 CD at the end), and took the bus home. Caught the bus to pick up A and take him home.

Thur May 5 (~7000 M) 2 h; run and ride to practice (weird Beryl bike local but let’s still call it .5 run and 2 mi bike); A sick, no school transport; 2K OW swim – 1 h 16 (fun swim to the reef)

Masters

• 4×400
• Fr/bk by 100
• IM – kick/drill
• W/fins and paddles
• 4×100 IM

• 4x 100/50 on 1:20 (I made 1 of the 100s for sure) going fast that soon out of the gate is so not my specialty

• 2xDrill:
• 3×25
• 50
• 75
• 100
• Worked on my Florian Wellbrock

• 2×400
• 4×200
• 8×100
• All on 1:30 base

• 2×50 all out on 1:15 (:38 on the 2nd – couldn’t see the first due to the lap swimmers who come out on deck and stand in front of the clock, but I’d guess :40)

So, it seem like I’m getting slower. But it’s hard to tell the difference, since there was never a time when every workout was a great workout. If I am getting slower, is it because I’m doing more? Because I’m gaining weight in the cold? Because I’m running? Because I’m old (what it felt like this week!). Hard to tell. And I keep reminding myself that I’m fast enough to make it across – that won’t be the thing that prevents me. So shut up and swim.

Ugh, which I did today, even though my brain was threatening to leap out of my head with boredom. These practices are starting to seem all the same to me. But hey, great training – people talk about what a mind game the Channel is… I should have the want-to-shoot-myself-just-to-relieve-the-monotony part down.

Lap swim

1700 swim, pretty much. Did most of the 4th laps backstroke. All at what I could call a fast recovery pace (i.e., let me get loosened up, but no slower than that).

OW swim

• 2 K
• 1:30-2:45 PM
• Air – 60?
• Water – 12?

A beautiful day for a swim – we paddled around the reef for a bit and then I did a couple of “laps.”

So, it’s probably pretty clear that I’m struggling this week. So when Ilse posted that they were going to swim out to the reef this afternoon, I ditched my normal solo OW workout, and went out to play. I wish I had pictures – Ilse took some, but I never saw them, so I assume they didn’t come out. We saw crabs and fish and the sea was beautiful and clear and sunny and it felt warm. I may not have gotten in a lot of yardage, but this was absolutely the right decision.

In addition, I finally got to talk to Ali in person, and she is completely amazing and a repository of Channel knowledge.

Fri May 6 (~4400) 1 h 30 m; 4.6 mi run; A sick – no school transport); 4 K OW swim (1h5m)

Masters (~3200 M) 1 h

• 200 swim
• 200 pull (swim)
• 200 – 25 free skull/25 br arms, fly kick
• 8×25 – u/w dolphin to halfway, sprint Tarzan drill

• 2x:
• 200 on 3:00 (sprint the 150 to not get lapped – 8 tall people in lane, Mikey and Paul leading)
• 2×100 on 1:25 (ez w/a draft)
• 4×50 on :50
• 4×25 on :30
• 2×25 on :25
• 2×25 on :20
• 2×150 ez LIFO

• 200 ez

Lap swim

• 200 ez
• 7×100 – odd kick (free/bk); even ez swim
• 300 CD

I realized somewhere along in here that I’d been doing virtually no kicking and that that might be a problem for a couple of reasons. We never do significant kick sets during Masters practices.

OTHER:

Ran to and from practice (felt pretty tired on the way home)

OW Swim

4K in an hour an 5 minutes with Will (according to his watch – forgot mine). We started after 6 on a Friday night and I had a bit of a headache and felt like crap. So I’m pretty happy with that. The upsides were water that felt warmer and a nice air temp. Going out I sailed along (and my head felt better). Coming back we were against that weird wave smacky thing that sometimes happens – my head did not like that.

• Air – about 59
• Water – 11.5
• Temp before: 37
• Temp after: 34.5

Off to Ireland!