The Man from Atlantis

Friday night at 6pm and I've had a bad day at work so its time to hit the pool and get back to normal. On the way home I've purchased new goggles, a nose clip and a new swimming cap. My Retail Therapy has a total cost of €28. I now at least look the part. I've been reading a few fitness books at the moment and one of the methods offered up was doing one training session a week with no carbohydrate intake beforehand...so its in the back of my mind. I'm in desperate need of a haircut as Alison had said I was starting to look like Rick Astley during his 80's heyday (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Astley) so rather than lunch on Friday I got a haircut...When I hit the pool I am fuelled up only on tea,chocolate and sports drinks, a rather interesting mix..I'm looking to do 3km, the furthest yet and under the banner of train hard race easy I'm looking to go further than the race itself.....

The pool is quite busy for a Friday. I've never worn a swimming cap before and feel like a bit of a tube. I get in and start my laps. The first km I try using a technique on the downstroke which resembles holding a barrel in front of your chest. Its supposed to be the technique to use. I know my normal km time is between 22 and 24 minutes depending on frequency of kids bombing me at the pool. I stop after 70 lengths(1km),my watch says 26 and a half minutes...Its hardly David Wilkie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wilkie_(swimmer)).

I resort to my normal stroke for the second km and this is also usually an easier leg for me. The pool is quiet now but there is a women at the other side of the pool with a long green foam flotation aid and a woman in a tracksuit is dancing and exercising at the side of the pool in time(very appoximately) with blaring house music. At first I'm not really sure what is happening, it really looks bad, a bit like a bad dance at a wedding but in a swimming pool. I'm OK on the downswim as I always breathe to the right so don't see this woman however on the upswim she is there and its making me laugh underwater. I wonder if she gets self conscious about this and if she is worried about the popularity of what she is doing. Given there is only one women of pensioner age participating.

I manage the next km in 23minutes. I decide to go for the third as in reality I'm still feeling OK. I start the lengths and this time rather than just turning normally I try using tumble turns to see if it improves my time. After about 10 lengths I'm getting cramps in one foot. I'm easing it using the push off from each end as I don't want to stop. It now starts in the other foot..I need to stop and try to stretch it off. It goes away, I do another 3 or so lengths but I'm now getting cramp in my calf...Time to call it a day. I stopped around the 170 length mark, about 2.8km. I don't know if its the tumble turns, the added distance or the fact I hadn't eaten. I hope I don't get it in the lake as there won't be anywhere to push my leg against. :O)