Back in Blighty

Upon my return I managed to get up at a sensible hour and go to the lake for a swim. It is open till 10am and only 20 minutes away so it is great to get up at 8am on a Saturday and stroll over in time for a dip in the water. The venue was packed and there was a real buzz about the place, a far cry from early season when Tony and I were the only ones there. They have turbo trainers for anyone to use as well as spin bikes and there is a masseuse available to ease those weary legs. I managed two laps totalling 1600metres (a whole mile!), the furthest I have ever swam in one go. Woo Woo. It actually felt good even if I did take it easy. I was disappointed to see the time on my watch read 38 mins when I got out of the water but my sighting is so poor that watching me swim in Open Water must be akin to watching a bad golfer hacking down the fairway: left rough, right rough, left rough, right rough. So I must swim a lot further than the marked distance. I did suffer from cramps in my left calf after 1200m and when that abated my right calf cramped up. Even now, two days later they are very painful. I will have another go on Thursday and see if I get the same problem. I would like to try a long swim on Saturday but with the National Sprint Championships on Sunday I do not want to be doing that in pain if I cramp up again. It is bad enough that my favourite tri has been designated the National Champs and hence I shall be finishing somewhere towards the back of the pack, but to do it with calf problems would be pointless.

No cycling this weekend, I went for a long run on Saturday. Sunday was so hot that I planned to ride later in the afternoon but by then the BBQ and a cold beer were calling my name so I succumbed!

Training Done: Swim: drills, Bike: 45’ Z2; Run: Intervals 3x8’; Bike: Intervals 3x8’; Swim: 1600m; Run; 45mins Z2. And two long haul flights.
Plans for this week; Swim drills: High Elbow! Bike easy, Run: speed session.