Swimathon, Wetsuits and Bikes

I completed the 1.5k Swimathon on Sunday 17 April at the Aquatics Centre in Leeds. I decided to swim the shorter distance than originally planned as my enthusiasm for training for more than 60 minutes at a time had waned and 1.5k is 60 lengths, which I easily swim in an hour.

The event was swum in a 50m length pool, which was quite daunting as I am used to 25m lengths and it made me really think about how it will feel swimming outdoors at Salford, with a mile stretched out in front of me. It was quite a sobering thought, however I swam the distance without stopping and in 44 minutes which was a fast time for me and the first time I had swam more than 10 lengths without pausing.

My husband swam the 2.5k in 1 hour and 4 minutes which was a great time for him too.


So wetsuits ... given that I work for the major sponsor of British Swimming (British Gas!), I did expect it would be easy to obtain a wetsuit for a good price as has been the case in previous years. With 4 weeks to go, I had read about no deals at all and got a few colleagues searching for me with no real luck. Last week, I received an email to say staff who were entering the Great Swim Series could apply for a limited number of FREE wetsuits, so I immediately responded. Only to receive an email a few days later to say they were overwhelmed by the response and had run out! This was very disappointing because I knew NO ONE else at work who was entering any of the swims and because I had responded immediately. Oh and because I had limited funds!

I enlisted the help of my husband and his triathlon knowledge/links and hired a wetsuit made by Foor by a company who help triathletes get the gear they need at a good price. It cost £100 including deposit and posting and I have it from March- September so it can be used for both swims. If I decide to keep it in September it is mine for the money I already paid which is still a good price.

Given that I am short (4'11") and, um... curvy, finding a suit to fit is no easy task.. but it arrived today and it was easier than I thought it would be to squeeze myself into. The sight of it though set my stomach churning... I am really going to swim in a place which is cold and deep and outside!

I don't think there will be opportunity to give my wetsuit a go before the Salford Swim so I am just hoping I can manage to swim in it. It does feel quite restrictive and it will no doubt still feel cold, but given the time I have left to work with, it's going to just have to do!

I have been out on my road bike a few times this month too and I am finally feeling at home with it and learning to adapt to the differences between it and a mountain bike. It feels fast and fluent in comparison (now I no longer wobble every time I change gear!) and I can feel myself getting stronger much quicker. It was clearly designed to be ridden!

My husband has finished building his triathlon-road bike. His first triathlon of the season is on Monday so I will be keeping everything crossed than his new sleek, carbon fiber road bike pays off.

Spring is here!

It's been a while since I updated and my enthusiasm for swimming has waned somewhat over the last 4-5 weeks, meaning I am now considering swimming a reduced distance in the Swimathon event in 3 weeks time (eeek!) I think I will now be entering the 1.5k distance which is 60 lengths. Quite simply, if I do distances further than this, it is likely I am in the pool for more than 45 minutes and I am finding my boredom threshold being challenged. So instead of getting bored swimming up and down, I am concentrating on shorter distances.

I am certain now that I will quit swimming once the Great North Swim event in June, I need a break from it; though I do expect I will start again in the Autumn and I have plans to swim with a Masters Group next year.

I have maintained enthusiasm for Zumba though and have been twice every single week since it started in January!

And now Spring is here, and the lighter nights start happening from TONIGHT.. it was time to get back in the saddle properly! I took my road bike out today for it's first proper run and I did about 6 miles. I could feel the adrenalin pumping through me as I was pretty nervous about riding this fast, skinny-tyred, bumpy little bike which allowed me to experience very fast speeds with very little effort! The slightest movement from my hands (braking/changing gear) meant I was wobbling out on the front wheel. The gears were a dream compared to my mountain bike, if not a little odd to change because of the shape of the handlebars. Overall, it was fun, I AM BACK ON MY BIKE and this year I will be faster!

My husband has now completed his build-a-tri-bike project and he is the proud owner of a self-built carbon fiber road bike. I will post a photo as soon as I get my camera back from the insurance people who are trying to decide whether it can be fixed or needs replacing..... He has entered 4 triathlons this year and I will hopefully be attending them all with him and capturing the days on camera (once it is repaired... I feel lost without it!) He has already calculated how much faster he is this compared to his first year in triathlons last year, so expecting great things :-)

Salford Swim..

The Great Salford Swim was announced yesterday and will take place on 15 May. This is much earlier than we had hoped and clashes with two other major sporting events in Manchester that day, which means the BBC has decided to televise it live...exciting! But means it may be a logistical nightmare getting there, getting about considering we have children and grandparents tagging along.... however the end result is we decided to enter.

The website is down tonight, maybe they are overwhelmed by response? Hoping to register tomorrow for the 12:50 wave.. woohoo!

So I have the 2.5k Swimathon in April, the Great Salford Swim in May and the Great North Swim in June :-)

I gave myself a target of 60 lengths tonight which is 1.5k and I did this in approximately 50 minutes. I swam about 8 lengths in freestyle. All in all, feeling good, progress is happening!

Miles on bike so far in 2011: 29 Miles
Swimming lengths (25m): 310 lengths.
Zumba (hours spent dancing): 7 hours.

End of January

I have been swimming twice per week throughout the month of January and have just completed my longest distance since I started swimming again in October; 56 lengths, which is 1.4k and this was in 40 minutes, doing mostly breaststroke. It felt good actually, I was really 'feeling' the water and feeling strong and stream-lined. I have been working on my breaststroke and really reaching into it and stream-lining myself during the underwater pull.

I have also entered Swimathon, after a nudge from an on-line friend. It is a national event, taking place in April, where you pledge to swim either 1.5k, 2.5k or 5k for charity. I have entered the 2.5k which is 100 lengths, and I am feeling a little nervous about the distance at the moment, although there IS 10 weeks until it takes place. No wetsuits required for this so if I can do this, I can definitely do the lesser distance needed to complete the Great North Swim (even if taking into account currents, going off-course and wetsuit buoyancy!)

So, I have a goal for the Spring!

It has meant NOT entering the Ride It cycling event taking place in Leeds because the dates clash, but I think this is the right decision.... 30 miles on a bike by mid-April seems very daunting because I simply am no putting in the miles on my bike yet. Plenty of time for bike riding in the warmer months, though I managed 10 miles on my MTB last Sunday.

Miles on bike so far in 2011: 16 miles
Swimming lengths (25m): 250 lengths.
Zumba (hours spent dancing): 5 hours.

The Great North Swim (and the Aquatics Centre. Oh and Zumba too....)

What an exciting week!

Oh Tuesday I went to a new exercise class called Zumba, which in case you hadn't heard, given it's 'latest craze' status.. is a dance/aerobics class inspired by Latin dance moves with a modern/street dance twist. Or something. Anyway, it was full of energy, great fun and a really good workout. I enjoyed it so much I have been twice this week, and I intend to keep going frequently until the weather/daylight hours allow me to cycle more....

On Wednesday, I decided to try a new venue for swimming (and miss my Pilates class.. I am started to feel irritated by the instructor!) so I went to the John Charles Centre for Sport, AKA the Aquatics Centre in the city centre. I was absolutely over-awed by it. In fact I was rather put off from my goal of 40 lengths, because I was so fascinated by everything else going on.

The pool is Olympic size and then has a separate diving area and shallow pool. The pool can be separated off by a moving wall and a false floor, to make it shorter, shallower et al, so different people and clubs can use the pool at the same time. The Leeds Swimming Club were training that night and that in itself was exciting for me, being a former junior club swimmer... brought back happy memories! At the other end there was a diving club doing some spectacular diving. The section I was in was divided into lanes for swimmers to swim 25m lengths, and in fact this was pretty interesting as you were swimming the width of the pool which happened to be 25m across which gives you an idea of the scale of the place. It was also full of club swimmers, coaches, and the occasional gob-smacked person (ie me!) and the atmosphere was absolutely fabulous - nothing like the local leisure centre pool! I plan to make regular trips there from now on, it truly was an inspiring place, full of inspirational swimmers.

And then... I got an email to say the registration process has opened for the Great North Swim in Lake Windermere! I ummed and aaaahed all day about whether I will be ready as it is earlier than I thought and will take place on the 18th June. There is the option to swim half a mile, rather than the mile, but I was brave and entered the 1 mile wave at 11am on Sunday 18th June. Eeek! Feeling a bit scared now in fact. Been planning to do this since last October, and now it will become a reality. Dylan has also entered today so at least he will be there jumping in with me and support me (then no doubt leave me behind!). So I WILL BE SWIMMING IN THE GREAT NORTH SWIM THIS YEAR!!!

On the bike front, I am considering entering a 'Ride It!' event as organised by Evans Cycles, which is similar to the Lake District ride I did last year. There is one held locally, in Leeds in the middle of April and there is again the option of a 30 mile distance. Hoping to make a decision on this in the next few weeks.....

And Dylan's Build a Tri-Bike project is coming along nicely, I will update with some pictures soon.

Miles on bike so far in 2011: 6
Swimming lengths (25m): 106

Hello my old friend....

1st January 2011. I have reunited myself with my MTB after a two month absence. I shunned the new shiny road bike for my old friend, as it was wet and muddy outside. And it felt NICE!

I only did 6 miles, but after a big but short term weight gain, and no exercise for a while, I was pleased with my fitness level. My legs struggled with the up hills, but my lungs felt fit and healthy and I think my cardiovascular fitness levels are actually OK and haven't diminished too much. So just a matter of getting strong again.

My toes were very very cold though. It was about 6 degrees out, so not freezing, yet my toes really felt it. I also didn't feel the benefit of the water in my bottle as that felt really cold.. not used to chilled water, didn't like it much!

So now I think the plan is to go out on my MTB until I feel a little stronger, and then switch to the road bike once the weather is warmer and I am ready to tackle avoiding the potholes (and hell there is a lot of them after the snow!) and getting used to the different riding position.

While I was out today I vaguely thought about giving myself a '100 mile' goal. For example, ride 100 miles by end February, end March? Think I need to think about it a little harder before I commit! Back at work on Tuesday so I have very little time to go out in daylight hours... need to be realistic.

I am starting 'Twelve Diets for Twelve Months' on Monday (made up by yours truly!)... where I will follow a particular diet discipline for the month, in an aim to focus on what I eat, hopefully helping me get fitter and stronger. This month, I will be kickstarting the New Year by calorie counting, so anything goes but no more than 1200-1400 calories per day.

I will blog more about this as I unravel the idea a bit more in my head.....

Miles on bike so far in 2011: 6
Swimming lengths (25m): 0

The End of 2010

Christmas has been and gone and I have become rather slack..... ummm no swimming since the end of November and no cycling for much longer than that. In my defence (!) I have been distracted by Christmas and all things family-related..cooking, sorting, toy removal, present buying and wrapping.. bla bla bla...... And it has been blummin' cold out there, just the weather for sitting in from of the TV/laptop and eat mince pies in front of the fire.....

But as January approaches, I am starting to get back into the frame of mind required to cycle, swim, get fit, lose fat, get strong.

My husband has bought me the best Christmas present (and it was a complete surprise), a road bike! I have been after one for a while but had written it off as I have a decent mountain bike and frankly, they are expensive. So I am over the moon. Here it is:
It is a Specialized Dolce Sport 2010 in extra small. I took it out for a test-ride today; felt very odd - I have never ridden a road bike before! There is no suspension, so I quickly learnt to avoid pot holes. The handle bars feel very strange, even though I had extenders on my MTB. The gears are changed by a small tab next to the brakes... and to change back the other way, it is the gear lever itself which is used. Oh and I could *really* feel that I haven't cycled for a while. My legs felt heavy and I felt heavy.. I guess there's only one way to remedy that!

But all in all, I am pleased with it and have a renewed enthusiasm for getting out there on two wheels. I have found an Evan's Ride-It event which takes place in April, near Leeds and I think I will enter this to give me a goal throughout the Spring. 30 miles, on-road.

My eldest daughter also received a new bike for Christmas, an Islabike, which is a company who specialise and enthuse over decent bikes for children, designed with them in mind, to allow them to take biking seriously. This is the bike we chose for her. Looks and feels very grown up!

As for swimming, it is likely to be another week before I get back to the pool, but I will update as soon as I get there.

I also intend to concentrate on my diet in January. I am going to challenge myself with something different each month, to keep me interested. Focus being on healthy eating, avoiding processed foods and changing the wobbly bits to muscle to make me ride faster! I haven't yet decided what to do in January, but I may well simply calorie count to kick start the New Year. Later in the year I plan to have months without wheat, without dairy, without alcohol/caffeine .. but not all at once. Theory being.... by changing the focus regularly, it won't get boring and I can hopefully stay focused.