L'Homme de Atlantide

So up early to get my first swim of the week in. Don't think I spring out of bed like some hyperactive toddler. I love my bed and hate going to bed and hate getting out of it even more. Once up and dressed I neck 2 expressos and some fruit bread and 500cl of sports drink.

This is a clip from a favorite program of mine from when I was about 10, I can't believe it was big in France as well. All this swimming reminds me of being at school and spending whole days in the summer at Clydebank baths and being forced out of the pool every 40 minutes at the end of the 'Session' to then queue up to go back in again. Then eventually the guy on the door would say "You're not getting in again as your lips are blue" or "You're not getting in again as your towel is too wet" usually in a way too angry voice. I never swam seriously as a kid although I was better than the average at Primary School my lack of height was always a handicap. I never really stopped growing till I was 20 and at the end of 1st year in highschool(I was 12) I was still only 144cm.

I'm in at the open at 8am, in fact a little earlier and even then there is someone already in the pool banging out the laps. I've been reading a bit about swimming this week as I don't feel I'm really making any progress. In fact I'd thrown in the towel on going any faster. Therefore today I decided to dismiss all the gung-ho American theory I've been reading and swim just how I was taught nearly 35 years ago. Long stretch, cupped hand on entry, flat hand on deep pull and put a little muscle into the pull just enough so you feel it in your shoulder. Over arm movement slightly quicker than through water pull so that there needs to be a slight pause in the stroke to keep it all level.

The first 20 laps were sore on my wrists and on my shoulders. However I felt quicker especially at the end on my turn as I was speeding into the wall. Well I thought I was. At 40 laps( nearly 700M) the pain was gone and I was cruising. I needed to concentrate as my mind was wandering and I was losing count then not pulling enough to stress the shoulder a little. Just taking it a little too easy when I was not really thinking about it.

At 70 laps I'm fine, it feels like I could do this all day. I'm still not sure if the short pool makes it harder or easier than a long non stop swim. I try not to breathe now on the turn but its hard and knocks out my rhythm. The stopping at each end kills your momentum and although you make some up with kicking off the wall I think the returns are negative.

I finish my 100 laps and 1.7KM in a rather astounding 36:47 and I powered the last 10 laps and could have just kept going without any issue. I think the new stroke with the added strength I'm getting from the weights sessions is making the impact. I'll obviously be sticking to what I learned when I was first swimming at school. All this rubbish I've been reading about underwater S stroke like your're hold a barrel in front of your chest is obviously not quite working for me.

My previous best for 100laps is 40:13 so I took 3:26 off this which is a big leap forward and I wasn't worn out at the end at all so there is maybe a little more juice in the fruit. I won't be challenging this guy though.....He was a big hero of mine and his stroke was my strongest stroke as well...I wonder what he's doing now.