Hitting new swimming targets
Last night I cycled straight to the lake after work. When I got there Stu was waiting with my swimming kit, so I got changed as quickly as possible.
We headed down to the lake and I zipped up my wetsuit. Unfortunately, the rip in it is getting worse and every time I bent over, I could feel it rip further :’-(
I decided to try out the ear plugs that Stu bought me a while ago (Love is… some ear plugs from your partner!)
The water felt a bit chilly as I got in, but I think that’s because it was very warm outside and I had been standing around with my wetsuit on for too long. After a minute or two of floating, I decided to start swimming. My last long swim was 10 laps of the lake, but I’ve got a 5km swim in just over a week, so I wanted to push myself and go for 12 laps, which would be about 4.2km. I decided to aim for a more continuous swim than last time as I need to get used swimming non-stop. My plan was to swim 4 x 3 laps.
I quickly got into a rhythm and decided not to look at my watch. After three laps, I was feeling strong, so I decided to do four laps. By the time I had done four laps, I was feeling good, so I changed my challenge and went for six laps.
After six laps, I was still feeling good, so I decided to push on for as long as I could. I could feel that my wetsuit was rubbing my neck (I had failed to put any bodyglide on), but decided to push on as there was nothing I could do.
Although I had been sceptical about using ear plugs, I found that I was enjoying my swim much more when using them… and I couldn’t feel them, which is what I had been concerned about. (I never wear earphones as I hate having things in my ears!)
By lap 9, I was starting to get tired, but I realised that my longest ever continuous swim was in my sights, so I pushed on. At the end of lap 10, I saw Stu getting ready to get out of the lake. I thought about speaking to him, but didn’t want to stop, so I gave him a smile and carried on.
Finally, nearly 2 hours after I started swimming, I had done my 12 laps. I staggered out of the lake and looked down at my watch: 1:54:09. I was a little disappointed that it had only recorded 3789m, but that’s still a PB for me. My previous longest continuous swim was 3111m at Eton Dorney and my longest ever swim was 3750m during a double tri club session, so I beat both of those. It was also nearly 30 minutes longer than any other continuous swim that I’ve done 😀
This weekend, I’ve got my first sea swim of the year at the BustinSkin Gu Weymouth Triathlon (1500m) – I hope I can beat my time from last year. Next weekend, I’ve got a 2.5km sea swim and a 5km lake swim. I might be slow, but I think I can do this!
That is terrific! It is crazy what our bodies are capable of when we don’t let our minds get in the way 😉
Great job!!! That easily beats the IM cutoff. Your swimming is getting stronger and longer! Way to go!
Thank you. It was a massive confidence boost – especially as I didn’t get bored and managed to keep my mind occupied 🙂
Nice PB. Like Dorey says just keep swimming.
Bravo. What watch are you using to time and measure your swims? For now, my swims are measured by the pool length, or in a race. Sounds like a handy device (pardon the awful pun!)
Hi! I use a Garmin 910XT. It’s tri specific, so it has a detachable face that allows it to be mounted on my bike when cycling. I love it… although I’d love to have the newer model 920XT even more. 🙂
Cheers for that. I sensed it must be something from Garmin. I’ll have to put one on my wish list (and then wish VERY hard!)