The Trouble with Work...

'How far are you swimming each week at the moment?' Asked Dr Julie Bradsaw on Friday.  The trouble was, I simply could not answer her.  To date, I've been concentrating on just swimming for two or three hours, as opposed to clocking off a set distance.  I simply have no idea how far I have been swimming.

'You need to be aiming for an equivalent Channel distance every week,' she continued.  'That’s around 40+ kilometers.  Not immediately, but you certainly need to begin to build up to that distance.  Next week, record how far you swim.’

 Ah!  Small problem there.  It’s one that is recognised by the Channel Swimming Association, and they take pains to point it out to would-be Channel swimmers: People tend to have jobs, families, and lives.  Training has to fit in, somewhere.

 For me, over the next three weeks I will be travelling to the US twice.  Nice work if you can get it.  But hotel pools tend to be smaller than the baths the Romans used to have. A good push off, and you can glide to the other end.  Without a push, four or five strokes will find you at the far wall.  They’re intended for relaxation, not endurance swimming.  Essentially, I will get very little swimming practice in for the remainder of October.

 That’s not to say I will forgo all training, of course.  Gym facilities do not have to be fantastic to be of cardiovascular benefit.  I intend do some long (probably jet-lagged) gym sessions.

 This ‘work’ stuff gets in the way.  Next year, as I build up towards this 42km, I plan to take some half days or even full days off to ensure I can put in the required level of swimming commitment.