TheTrain, Pain, Gain Game by AndyP_1973

Swimming's a funny old game. 

I'm there, goggled up, powering up and down my "medium" lane, concentrating on everything, from head to toe, trying to send instructions to most of my limbs and moving parts in between, breathing hard, swallowing a not insubstanital amount of water, shoulder muscles starting to burn, kicking like a mule, pulling hard underwater to knock a few seconds off my best 200m drill time. 

Then, out the corner of my eye, a fleshy figure starts to glide into my peripheral vision and through the frothing water I can make out a bloke of "generous proportions" in a very small pair of "budgie smuggler" speedos.   He eases past me in the fast lane, travelling at nearly twice me speed, AND has a float lodged between his legs so is only using his arms.   Under the water I'm desperately trying to see what he is doing different to me, and the answer is... NOTHING!   Yet, he disappears into the distance at mach 3, and I reach the wall and start inhaling air like I've just sprinted up Ben Nevis.    Very disheartening. 

So, this week I've spent a few more hours than I should watching videos on You tube of people swimming, and have a few more tips to try out next week.  But, alas I know that although I might be able to quicken my best time by a few seconds, I'm probably still going to get overtaken by some one-legged pensioner carrying an elephant.   I content myself by knowing that the difference between swimming 1.2 miles in 44 mins or 42 mins isn't going to make or break my half iron man.  

Not a bad training week so far.  Monday and Tuesday did early 1800 and 1600m swims, with lunchtime 6 mile runs both days, and have done an early 29 mile cycle today, with another long cycle and run this weekend planned. 

Goal for next week - sign up for a sprint and olympic tri as warm-ups for my big one.  Take bike to bike shop to get it serviced so I can use more than just 3 of the 21 gears....