Out for a run

Went out for a run on a variation of my 'Romping Donkey Pub' route this evening covering the 6.7 miles in 57 minutes and a warm 21'c

Another mile

Swam at least another mile this evening at Bannatyne's 20mtr pool in 61 minutes (lost count a number of times so swam between 82 and 86 lengths?!?)... All front crawl, albeit sloooow...

That's just showing off ;-)

A break from the training to enjoy a spot of Wakeboarding out of Abersoch... Not quite ready for Wakesock yet ;-)

Weight training

Up early this morning to do 45 minutes weight training at Bannatynes before work... A nice way to start the day :-)

A mile of front crawl!

Not only did I swim a mile this evening (80 lengths of Bannatynes 20 metre pool) but managed to do it ALL front crawl which I'm really really pleased with. A massive achievement for me given that a few weeks ago I couldn't swim more than a couple of lengths of front crawl at a time!

Hoping to try and make this a regular training session and also get out into open water a few more times to get over the psychological factor of swimming without seeing the bottom or sides!

First sail of the year on 'Zig Zag'!

Went out sailing this afternoon on my Laser Pico 'Zig Zag'! A great day for it, sunny with a light but warm breeze :-)

Returned without cuts, bruises, broken bones or lifeboats! Always a good result!

D :-)

Thirsty work!

Went out for a 7 mile run in a very warm 26'c this evening (around the new 'home route' of Hassall, and Malkins bank golf course). Was thirsty most of the way around which detracted from the run a bit. 6 miles in 53 mins and a slow saunter back the remaining mile in 1 hour 10.

In an Iron man like challange ;-), I then swam half a mile at sub-aqua club! Pleasingly, 30 of the 32 x 25 metre lengths were front crawl! Completed in about 25 mins. The front crawl really does seem to have clicked!

Finally Clicked!

After my first open water swim, the reality hit home that I really need to do front crawl on the Great North Swim. Breastroke felt like just treading water!

So, this evening I decided to go for a swim and really work on the front crawl which I've previously only been able to manage a few lengths of. Anyway, this evening something just 'clicked'!

I swam 20 lengths of front crawl at Bannatyne's 20 metre pool before having a 2 length breather on breastroke, a further 8 lengths front crawl followed by another 2 length breastroke breather and the final 8 lengths of my half mile target on front crawl (so 36 lengths of front crawl in total!). Completed the half mile in 26 minutes feeling much more positive about my ability to actually complete the mile in Lake Windermere which is now only 12 weeks away!

Just a reminder that this is to raise funds for the RNLI to help maintain their coastal presence and specifically the Abersoch crew who came to my aid following my sailing accident in 2007... You can sponsor me here if you wish! ~ http://www.justgiving.com/daves-RNLI-swim

Diving around Abersoch

Brought the sub-aqua club ( http://www.vale-royal-divers.co.uk/ ) to our weekend haunt of Abersoch this weekend to do some scuba diving around Abersoch and Pwllheli!

A fantastic weekend's diving!

Relatively shallow diving but increadibly clear (+10 metre underwater visability) and warm waters (17'c) made for some lovely dives!


D :-)

5 mile run with Karen

Fancied a short run this evening but Karen was having none of it! We're now training for a half marathon this year (venue tba!) and a marathon next (venue also tba)?!? What have I done!? :-) Somehow amongst this I need to get some serious swimming training in for my Great North Swim in just under 3 months time!

Ended up running just under 5 miles (4.7) Down Crewe Rd, along the canal to Malkins bank golf course and back home via the wheelock rail trail... Didn't note the exact times but about 40 minutes.

Abersoch 10km ~ 51 minutes 52 Seconds! :-)

Second time at the Abersoch 10km event for me, this year the course changed slightly starting in the town rather than on the beach. Also had the company of Karen, Jenny and Dom and sunshine rather than the wind and rain of last year which made for an all round much better day!

The run was as tough as ever (perhaps more so in the warmth of the sun!) running up out of Abersoch through Sarnbach and then tracking around Abersoch Bay and up a gruelling hard core track to the highest point at Porth Tocyn with views out towards Bardsey Island before heading back through Sarnbach and the last mile along the beach to finish under the Yacht Club.

A truly stunning route and a pleasing time (seven seconds off last years time ;-) !

First open water swim!

Having a break in Abersoch this week and had my first open water training swim at Porth Cerriad near Abersoch today for my RNLI Great North Swim in September... What a shock!

The cold water on my head made breathing really difficult at first and took a while to catch my breath!

Made reasonable progress swimming front crawl which I'm still not very strong at but when I had to bail out and do breast stroke it felt like I was treading water!

Swam about a 3rd of a mile from just out of the bay to the shore (with Karen providing boat cover) covering the distance in just over 20 minutes.

The water was increadibly clear and as I got to about 3 metre depth could see the sea bed and a profusion of large spider crabs clambering over the kelp bottom which made for an interesting end to a very tough swim!

Definately need to up the front crawl training and stamina!

Seven mile coastal run

Had a run out with Karen this afternoon along the coast and around the marina and brine pool at Pwllheli, covering seven miles in just under an hour.