Even if I remain more Martin Rossiter than Martin Strel. Anyway, on with the review.
DISTANCE: 1,150m
TIME: 43 minutes! (Accurate time noted because the pool has a large clock which is actually visible!)
THOUGHTS: First swim since signing up for Swimathon in a 50m pool! Helpfully it coincides with Jolyon Fink’s first “Endurance Phase” so frankly I was a little worried! As it was, I decided I would just swim the distance and hope for the best. As usual, I rotated lengths of crawl, pull buoy, BR and catch-ups. I did NOT do any kickboard ‘sets’ this time around because I just could not face it. Luckily this was not on Jolyon Fink Call Him By His Name’s rota either.
CRAMP: One moment of cramp after a length of crawl; BUT, I have actually realised that in trying to kick harder I was tensing my foot; AND, I managed to stretch it out in the pool and carry on. Previously a moment of cramp would hit and then not go away. Could we actually be making progress?
FEELINGS: very enjoyable, despite the lady who put on flippers halfway through and then proceeded to get the fvck in everyone’s way. I think a combination of long course meaning you just keep going, excellent swim crew company and excellent venue made this a particularly good swim. And afterwards I had a lovely pint of Johnny Park Bitter (JP is apparently head brewer at Tap East – and if this beer is anything to go by he is an AMAZING GENIUS – tasty and tangy and interesting, but NOT horribly rotten with hops, nor 90billion percent! An interesting drinkable bitter!! Dudes!! MORE OF THIS!!!! It is still on cask on day of writing…)
By this you can no doubt deduce my venue was the Aquatics Centre in Stratford – this is also where I will be doing the swim itself in March. Oooh, I love this pool, it is great to swim in (even if it was, admittedly, pretty busy), I have seen a world record here and it – er – triggered vertigo in me in 2012 which still gets triggered to this day. Well, OK the latter isn’t that great, but the Aquatics Centre (and its changing rooms aka “Changing Village”) = kokoro ❤
But bugger off with the flippers in the slow lane, I mean, jeevus…
spliiish 