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.

Recovering pyschology

My right achilles gave way a couple of months ago. Not a major snap, never really could not walk but spikes of pain reminded me that all was not well. Initially I kept going but after a week of no healing progress, a period of rest ensued. This was interupted for a three week period of partying (on the dance floor) that set things back a bit but a quieter period allowed recovery. The question is, how quickly to push up the training? Too much you are back to square not enough you will never build the fibers back up to strength again.

It becomes as much a mind game as a friend pointed out. The mind is saying step up the training. Time will tell if this is the right choice.

Wouldn't lifestyle linking my achilles tell me the right path to recovery?

A. NO, it would have helped prevent it in the first place.

Small food change, breakfast

Breakfast is standard, bowl cereal, sometimes oasts and two slices of bread. I decided it was good to get a bit of fruit in for break fast, so replaced one slice of bread for a piece of fruit. Not every day but its a small change that has been easy to do.

direct sunlight and sneezing

Does anyone know why direct sunlight makes you sneeze or does it just happen to me?

Hayfever season on the horizon?

my knee and me

I pretty much stopped mountain biking about 5 years ago because my left knee would give me great pain after about 30 mins in the saddle. But I was pain free walking, skiing, swimming etc. That is until last week. My knee seemed to react badly to my return to the swimming pool. Looks like it is time to investigate what has gone wrong with the knee?

linking suncream and allergies

I suffer from hayfever, in the extremes of symptoms I probably lie some where in the middle but I would like to think I try and minimise the lifestyle choices to prevent or minimize the symptoms.

So, why would I buy this products, Banana Boat 50 I was attending on open swim in pure blue sky day, 28c and I would be in teh water for up to an hour. The risk of sunburn is high, so I felt this the best preventative step. Highest factor cream I could find that is water proof.

However, I recently read this information on the suncream that links the chemicals in the produt to allergies and the general wellbeing of your immune system.

From my mepath stories, I have already highlighed that to the best of my knowledge/ what I choose to believe that minimizing these risks are a top priority.

Why did I make the purchase, because I did not know all the information.

lifestyle linking weather

Weather forecasts are usually broadcast and unsurprisingly they focus on the weather, will it rain, snow, frost, warning of serious flooding. Oh, yes the odd, the NE wind will make is feel a lot colder so you may want to put on an extra layer of clothing. In the end of the we consume the information and then make choices, what to wear, what time to go skiing, walking, etc.

The first lifestyle linking weather service I use is weatherpixie, a primative icon that shows the clothing linked to the weather. No real perosnalization but you can see the day when I can personalize this to my existing clothes I own, how I am effected by wind chill, recommend new purchased base upon forecast weather that don't already own.

lifestyle linking whisky

Living in Scotland, I am lucky to have the water of life on my door step. Distilleries to the north, south, east and west. I have met up with a few friends no longer living in Aberdeenshire in the last few weeks and to end the evening they share a wee dram of their favourite malt with me. I am greatly honoured to share their friendship and their choice of the water of life.

friends positive energy

I have been lucky enough to spend the last 10 days or so visiting/partying with friends. It has been fun all the way and the positive energy it gives is so good for your health. I need to make these trips more often, once every 5 years seems too long.

lifestyle linking sun glasses

One of my first lifestyle linking posts was on sun glasses. Would a more expensive pair be better at protecting my eye sight?

Since then I had to bin the sun glasses pitched in the posting. They broke. My current pair as just coming up for a year old. They are lasting well. However, the no.1 thing I now know about these sunglasses is that the polarizing coating on the inside and outside is flaking off. I did not even see this feature being mentioned on the product or in any comparison shopping website. Lets that put that another way, the no.1 feature that is now making the product, becoming increasingly un usable is not even listed as a feature. This sums up product retailing today. It does not link to the realities of the life I live.

In a lifestyle linking world, these variable will be at the forefront of product selection and creation. I will be able to say, given how I use sun glasses this product will last 2 years, this one 16 months and this one 12 months. I guess which one I would select given all other features are equal? Today, we make purchase decision based on the past, and that is how the product was not was made, not my life.