Shoulder neck music angst

Summer has been mainly injury free except for a couple of weeks of neck / shoulder muscle pain. I think it was running for a bus in Aberdeen with my heavy laptop swinging round my neck that did it but I also think my posture while playing the fiddle has some thing to do with it too.

Anyway, I am back swimming pain free and putting in yoga stretches when I remember to keep the muscles aligned.

triathlete training

I've not found a regular triathlete training regime. My swim training has a focus on longer distances but with some faster sets thrown in to keep the pace up. Did a couple of runs at the beach, with bare feet. What a joy run like that. I need to find a regular time to run. Cycling has been the let down, nil miles in the saddle. The knee was playing up but now it seem fine again, the bike needs to be ridden.

open water swimming - the North Sea brrrrr

I found myself at Balmedie Beach last weekend filming some kite surfers. A blue sky day but with a warm ish wind chill. I have not done any open water swimming since the 2 mile race in Lake Berryessa, , California 2 year ago so I thought I'd give the north sea a go.

The tide was going out, the waves a bit on the rough side, well a whole lot choppier than a swimming pool, but I waded out. The water was not that deep so I got used to the cold and then that moment where the first strokes are swam. Brrrr, the cold rush, the bumpy waves, no line of sight. It was all rock n roll for a while. The first task is the get the breathing to calm down and to get some heat built up. Eventually, things seem OK, when reaching shallower water, you feel the water warm up but it is still cold really. A calmer lagoon was next up and some decent swimming was possible. Swimming in waves is real strange for a pool swimmer, you feel the need to neutralise them but you soon learn to go with the flow. It was cold, so a quick sprint with the tide to the beach and out. Core cold, I ran for half an hour to retain body temperature and my skin changed from a bright red to is usual pale white.

A pleasure pain type swim experience overall.

tennis prep

With June just a couple of weeks away, the sport of tennis becomes more of a priority. I have this season long competition with a friend running and the score it 1 year all, so by the end of 2009 someone will be in front again. I lost last year so I'd better get practicing.

free skiing short lived

While there is still big patches of snow in the high Cairngorms, the free skiing opportunities closer to Aboyne have all melted away. Sums up the winter, really cold or really mild, just hope Spring 2010 is more wintry. At least I got a couple of turns in on the Gar and some snow patch intelligence for next season.

hayfever 2009

Looking back 2008 can be described as a light hayfever year. 2009 looks like it is heading in the opposite direction. I got through last year without any use of anti-histomens but I am thinking I'll need some this year.

Free skiiing on the Gar

The day was meant to open with a big blue sky but I woke to a dull grey. At least the wind was light, my free skiing adventure on Lochnagar was on. Met up with JP, strapped the downhill skis to the rucksack and three hours later we were at the summit. The cover was patchy and not that extensive but big scars of snow were to be found. The Eastern shoulder was selected as the ski opportunity for the day, a bowl shaped patch with a steep mid section. The snow was spring firm right at the top but softening markedly lower down. Here is a photo of the slope skied.

turning into a triathlete

It's not an uncommon transition to see an 'ageing' swimmer evolve to become a triathlete. Swimming will always be my favorite sport but adding running and cycling should bring additional fun. I find my hill walking legs turning into running legs when out in the hills, I'll just need to find a regular pattern to ensure I do run. Cycling is my biggest stumbling block, a knee injury does not like the bike but I have plans in place to address that. 2010 is the year to emerge as a triathlete.

There is so much new stuff to learn, training to where the competitions are, new friends to find etc. That why I am enjoying using mepath.com (NB. I am the founder) to gain an insight into the lifestyle, training to food to events to injuries that are being authored by others that share a triathlete lifestyle, beginner to Olympian.

2/3 rds swimming

I'm getting into a routine swimming once a week. The solution to the routine has been to swim at what I call two thirds space. So, instead of 3000 metres in an hour the mileage is nearer 2000. But I keep to a structure of a warm up, kick and drills before a butterfly set and then some hundreds. I should keeping a better track of my heart beats too, I found this post via the mepath swimming activity stream. I've not know the full science about heart rate and training so this was a useful find.

Deeside freeskiing Spring 09

Last week, despite a thawing week, the snow cover was holding up well on Upper Deeside Hills. However, week two of the thaw has started to make big in-roads into the cover. The higher hills, the Lochnagars of this world have kept cover but the lower hills freeskiing potential is now limited or nil.

Over the last few years, March and April have been the snowier months so things might change in favor of the Scottish free skier yet.

aboyne snow thaw

aboyne snow thaw
Originally uploaded by ecotorch

The temperatures have risen dramatically today, we have been used to nearer -10c than the 10c it is at right now. The thaw of the snow has revealed where the big snow field are and that means where the best freeskiing potential lies. And I am pleased to say there is a lot of potential if we get the cooler conditions to return.

butterfly on time

Put in a 200m set in of butterfly at training last night. Some drills before full stroke and whether due to that or by luck, the timing of my stroke felt spot on. No awkwardness in breathing, everything felt in sync, to use a skiing metaphor, in my limited powder skiing day it felt like stringing together a run of turns.

Was zipping along at a good pace too.

swimming 2009

I've made it to the swimming pool once this year already.  After a getting back in shape during the Olympics time period in 2008, winter bugs have limited or basically stopped my training.  Expectation for the year ahead are to build up to 3 session per week and be ready for a competive swimming year in 2010.