Tight Chest

Arriving at the pool this morning I felt all excited about swimming with the training fins I had bought towards the tail end of our winter season last year. I hadn't really used them a lot then and because one isn't allowed to swim with fins during the summer month, when the pool is open to the public, they had become (almost) redundant .. well, until this morning that is! The reasoning behind bringing them along today was that I thought I would be able to swim more lengths as (theoretically) swimming with fins does speed you up (somewhat!) What I had forgotten, however, was that these training fins are quite heavy and are primarily used for improving ones leg kick and to build up strengths... Pushing off on my first lengths of what I thought would become six lengths (and 2 more than yesterday) I immediately felt the weight on my legs and the effort I had to put into my kick. It actually took my breath away - a feeling I had not experienced before when swimming in cold water ...my chest tightened and I was never able to fully relax into my stroke... reaching the deep end of the pool after my third length I even had to stop to take a bit of a breather before heading back to the shallow end. I certainly didn't feel as if I was going much faster, all I felt was that I was uncomfortably out of breath. Never mind the cold ... I was getting out after length four to relieve the tightness I was feeling in my chest ;) I'm happy to report that it wasn't anything a bit of rest didn't fix. After 20 minutes in the sauna and a lovely chat with Kate, I was back in the pool for another 2 widths - without fins!

Fazlar hiding under his extra large umbrella :) ...

... As it was periodically chucking it down this morning

Simon adjusting his goggles before heading off

Ann pushing off for her two lengths

Ann has all sorts of big open water swims planned for this year ...

... you can listen to Ann's plans on today's boo

Simon relaxing into his breaststroke

Ann and Simon swimming side by side back down to the shallow end

by the way today I also had the chance to ask Ann to "set the record straight" about how she suggested Tricky would be the perfect person to take over from Betty and produce our monthly newsletter ;)

I like that shot of Simon ;)

After an absence of a weeks or so due to a head cold Jonathan C. decided to jump in the deep end and swim 3 lengths

Greg decided on a gentler option and used the steps in the deep end ...

... before powering down the pool to catch up with .....

.... Jonathan who was well on his way