Saturday, 7 June 2014

Zig zag zig zag!

It's been a really busy week domestically and work wise so the training has suffered.  That's not such a bad thing as my hamstring is showing signs of improvement and I recon another 2 or 3 weeks and I'll be able to start some light running.
On Wednesday I had an amber HRV reading which meant I reduced the intensity and length of my swimming session on Wednesday. On Thursday it was red which could have been down to a runny nose or the accumulated effect of 2 games of golf in as many days (doubt it) or a few too many glasses of wine (probably). But I do take the HRV readings seriously so didn't train till Friday night when I had my first open water swim in almost 2 years.
Strathclyde Park is where the Commonwealth games will be holding the triathlon and as a result they have cleaned up the water. It was not very pleasant before and not somewhere I would have chosen to swim. Waiting to enter the water I was talking to my friend Wilson Kane who was trying OW swimming for the first time and like everyone in that position, he was bricking it.  I got in the water with him and helped him relax. Little did he know it was for my benefit as much as his. I gave him some advice on sighting, looking ahead for the buoys, so he stayed on course and then I swam off.
At first I thought why are the other swimmers continually cutting across me. It took a while before I realised it was me zig zagging as I was forgetting to sight on a regular basis. Numpty! It was great to be back in OW, especially clean water, and this is the start of my training for September.
I met Wilson as he left the water and he was buzzing. He loved the freedom of the water and that reminded me just how exciting OW swimming is. Next time I'll take my own advice and look where I'm going!