Sunday 25 May 2014

25th May - weekly catch up. Already the biggest swimming month ever

To my surprise, I realised about a week ago, that I was on track to exceed my biggest swimming month ever (May 2012).  I passed that marker today, and have already swum 106.5k.  I could well swim another 20k before the month ends, even with a rest day on Friday.  I have been doing A LOT of swimming.  It's about the only thing going reasonably well at the moment, otherwise my mood is low and I have all of the indicators that I have when my depression is very bad.  This week was supposed to be an "easy" week, and although I cut my Monday and Thursday workouts a little short, I didn't swim much less than the previous week.  Bit achy and in need of an osteopath session (booked for this Tuesday), but otherwise ok. 

What swimming did I do?
Monday - 3.1k pool swim am, 2k lake swim pm (entirely non wetsuit as was 19.5C!)
Tuesday - 3k pool swim - recovery, lots of backstroke
Wednesday - 3k pool swim - recovery, lots of backstroke - must do some drills this week!
Thursday - 5.1k pool swim
Friday - OFF
Saturday - 1k lake swim whilst coaching, 6.5k pool swim
Sunday - 8k lake swim (all wetsuit, was too much effort to get out and take it off)
= 31.7k swum.

What's the plan for this week?
Monday - 3.5k pool swim (Bank Holiday, so get a bit longer!), 2 (or possibly 3, depending on tiredness and warmth levels)k lake swim
Tuesday - 3k pool swim *must do some drills* and osteopath
Wednesday - 3k pool swim
Thursday - 6k pool swim
Friday - off
Saturday - coaching, 6.5k pool swim
Sunday - 8 (9??)k lake swim


Sunday 18 May 2014

18th May weekly catch up - biggest swimming week ever

I might need to borrow some new arms to write this post :)  With this morning's 7k swim I've completed my biggest (swimming camp weeks excluded) swimming week ever :) - 32.1k.  Not too shabby.  My mood has been pretty low for most of the week, due to general depression-ness I guess, work stress and overtiredness, but there has been a lot of swimming.  And that has felt good mainly in terms of achievement, but some of the outdoor swimming has been particularly pleasant.

Without further ado, what did I do?
Monday. 3.25k pool swim am.  2k lake swim pm.  That was not one of the more pleasant lake swims of the week, still quite overcast and pouring with rain at various points which makes it hard to change in and out of swimmers outside.
Tuesday. 3k pool swim, my only drills session.  Had quite a good sports massage in the pm which meant that
Wednesday. 3k pool swim was a bit sore.
Thursday. 6k pool swim, I was still feeling pretty tired and in a bad mood, but it was done.
Friday was a rest day but I managed to cycle both ways to and from work since before the accident.
Saturday was the most incredibly pleasant lake swim for a long time.  I was coaching the beginners again, but the sun was shining and the water was pretty warm.  I only had a group of 6 this week and I had a volunteer to help me and it all seemed to go really well, completing drills to make them feel more comfortable swimming with other people close by.  I was loathe to get out I have to say, especially as there wasn't the option for me to do my own swim at the lake then, so it was off to the swimming pool, which was surprisingly busy for such a sunny day to complete 6k.  Unfortunately my wrist was clonked by another swimmer and I spent 40 of the lengths in tears but otherwise it was ok.
Sunday Up early again today

So, this week coming up is a "lighter" week, where I ease off a little before three more hard weeks, an easier week, two hard weeks, and then an easy week ending in Windermere!  Of course, a few weeks ago, I wouldn't have considered a goal of 27k easy ;-)  I'm not quite sure how this 27k will pan out as I am keen to do some longish swimming again next weekend but I know my body does need a little bit of a rest.  I guess it also depends on the weather too.  Other task for this week is to get booked in to see the osteopath before too long.

Monday
3k pool swim am, 2k lake swim pm
Tuesday
2.5k pool swim (outdoor pool perhaps?)
Wednesday
2.5k pool swim.  Physio.
Thursday
5k pool swim
Friday
Off
Saturday
Coaching am
5k pool swim?
Sunday
7k lake swim?

Actually I feel a bit sad and weird about cutting the numbers down this week!  My heart is saying more, more, more, but I know I need to be sensible and listen to my head telling me to have an easier week, certainly swimming wise.  I guess I might try to go between home and work on the bike a bit more.

Tuesday 13 May 2014

11th May - weekly catch up

Except, it's technically the 13th May when I am writing this.  We spent Sunday mostly in the car (going to and from lake and then to Devon and back for a christening) and I did not get a chance to blog at all.  Last week was another good distance week (28k swum), and I'm aiming to put in even more ks this week (aiming for 30!) before having an easier week next week.  I'm starving hungry all of the time which means I am definitely swimming a lot!  My wrist still remains sore, and apparently this is because I have "Complex Regional Pain Syndrome" in it as a result of the accident and that is why it is not improving as fast as might be hoped.  At least I have an explanation for it, and pool swimming mainly seems to be ok.



So, what did I swim last week?
Monday.  Bank Holiday again meant I got a 3.5k pool swim in.  In the evening, we went to the lake with Monika, our friend who moved to Germany at the start of the year.  Monika and I swam and cycled together a lot last year so it was fantastic to see her again.  I did one lap with a wetsuit and one without.
Tuesday.  Recovery swimming and drills focussed 3k.
Wednesday. Can't remember exactly what I swam, but it was a pool based 3k.
Thursday. 6k pool swim - longest early morning swim for a good long while.  Didn't feel too tough :)
Friday. Off.  I actually managed to persuade myself to take a rest day.  I felt very tired, as did my arms.
Saturday.  I was coaching first thing at the lake with the beginner openwater swimmers.  It was pleasantly warm with sunshine amid the showers.  I probably swam about 500m with them.  I then headed off to do some training of my own and did a 6k pool swim.  I wasn't really in the mood at first, and could really have done with a snack between the two swims, but it improved as the swim progressed.
Sunday. 4k lake swim, 3k with the suit on and 1k with it off.  Very cold wind and shivered all of the way home!
=28k.

Plan for this week
Monday: 3k pool swim, 2k lake swim
Tuesday: 3k pool swim, sports massage pm
Wednesday 3k pool swim
Thursday 6k pool swim
Friday OFF
Saturday 1k with beginners, 6k pool swim
Sunday 6k lake swim
=30k hopefully!!


Sunday 4 May 2014

4th May - weekly update

I seem, somehow, to have come in at 28.2km for this week.  Not quite sure how that happened, especially as I had a "rest" day.  Inverted commas because "rest" involved a day off from work, but driving 300 miles in pouring rain to attend a funeral.  Which has rather taken it out of me for the week, understandably.  On Sunday afternoon, I'm sitting here exhausted, having slept badly again, and with very low mood, so no idea how the next week will pan out, especially as it involves a busy week at work, and baking for a cake sale on Saturday.  Wrist is still sore, especially after some quite brutal physio on Friday but it doesn't seem to hurt too much whilst I'm swimming.

So how did I swim 28.2k?
Monday:  3.1k pool swim am.  This was probably the best swim of the week.  3 x 1k reps with a little cool down.  Wasn't timing, but someone else in the lane asked what I was training for, and I thought "YES! Starting to look like a swimmer rather than someone with a broken wrist".
2.4k lake swim pm.  Swam with Claire.  We did one of the shorter laps together first, then I went off on a 1k lap, and then I took my wetsuit off for another one.  Pretty chilly but good!
Tuesday: Was feeling a bit tired, so did a combination of recovery swimming and drills, for 3k in the pool.
Wednesday: Because I was missing my usual Thursday am long swim for the funeral, I had to get up early on Weds and do it before work.  Fun.  Not.  In the pool by 6.30, 5k knocked out  and only 5 minutes late for work.
Thursday. Off.  There was a vague, overly optimistic plan, to swing by Portishead Lido and meet a friend and see a lovely pool that I've wanted to swim in for a while, but I was way too tired.
Friday.  Very tired.  Recovery swimming for 3k.
Saturday.  Still tired and most of body pretty achy.  I was supposed to go to Box End and race, but I was umming and ahhing about what distance to do.  I then just couldn't face the thought of getting in the car and driving for 75 minutes each way and then having to fill the car up again.  I felt dreadfully guilty about not swimming inside on such a lovely day, and it was weird me not wanting to race as normally I am itching too!  Anyway, I did want to do a 2 hour swim this weekend, so I went and did it at the University Pool.  I thought that 6k would do the trick, but actually it needed to be 6.75k.  I think it would have been 7, but I was doing 2 lengths of backstroke every 500m to compensate for the achieness.  But it wasn't too bad.  I stopped at 4k for 2 Jelly Bears and some water (could have done with more water, half a bottle isn't enough!  So it felt like an achievement even if I didn't gain any endorphins.
Sunday.  I felt TERRIBLE when I woke up.  Continuing low mood, a very bad night's sleep, bad IBS...and it was another sunny day which somehow seems worse when you're depressed because of the "should" that you should be out enjoying it.  However, Mr was due to go out on a 100 mile sportive, and had to leave at 6am, and I didn't want him to worry about me too much.  So I got up and went to the lake.  I swam 4k with my wetsuit, 1k without.  2nd lap was best speedwise.  I felt terrible when I got out and went back to bed when I got home.   But at least I didn't have the guilt of not having swum.  I can't even begin to think through what all of this lack of motivation and insufficient non wetsuit swimming is going to mean for this year's plans.

So....plans for this week.

Monday. 3k pool swim (I sadly have to work the bank holiday, but at least the lake is open!), 2k lake swim.
Tuesday. 3k pool swim
Wednesday. 3k pool swim
Thursday 6k? pool swim
Friday. Off
Saturday. Openwater beginners coaching (1k?), 6k pool swim
Sunday. Early lake swim 3k (off to a christening, Devon again, so don't have too much time and mustn't be too tired, although I can sleep in the car!)

= 25k for the week.