Channel Swim 9: Snapshots of the holiday season
Snapshot Zero:
Yeah, I’m not swimming in that.
I wish it would stop bloody raining. Aside from the more serious issue of all the poor people flooded out just before Christmas, the fast moving river is full of uprooted trees, other debris, sewage overflow and other agricultural run off.
And that’s putting aside the fact that I can’t swim fast enough to even hold position, let alone go anywhere.
Snapshot One:
‘Hello! I was wondering if you could tell me what changes Christmas and the New year make to the opening hours?’
‘Oh yes! Glad you asked. There’s no changes at all to the normal pool timetable.’
‘Wow, that’s amazing!’
‘…Apart from the three days we are completely closed and the two days we close at three o’clock’
I still would have been impressed, but they’d set the bar unreachably high with their opening statement, if I’m honest…
Snapshot Two:
Turns out a pool swim is surprisingly good at clearing an hangover. In the same vein, I reckon a lake or river this time of year would be even better/faster, But see snapshot zero..
Snapshot Three:
Pounding up the pool, feeling strong. My goggles are telling me I’ve done 6 lengths of this 400m interval. As I only count each up and back as one to make the numbers smaller and easier, my head count is on three, but this does match the goggles.
I’ve already a 700m warmup and a 300m build (which was 14 pairs of lengths but a head count of seven, and 6 length pairs – count of three) and this is part of a pyramid main set (400m, 300m, 200m, 100m) which I have to do four times. Simple, right?
Arrrgh. Idiot in front of me saw me coming, kicked off anyway and is now doing breaststroke. Never mind, sprint past, phew, done. Where was I?
Thats right, simple counting….
Oh no….
How many times have I done the main set? Definitely two. Might be three. Balls. I’ll have to assume it’s two and start from there….
Snapshot Four:
Confirming earlier suspicions, it turns out I cannot eat whatever the hell I like without putting on weight. I apologise without reservation to anyone I may have made this bold claim to. This may also be related to snapshot two.
Therefore, I have some damage to repair.
However, I suspect I’m not the only one in the same position after Christmas.