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Got over to Broggie on Saturday morning for my first OW swim. Met up with some of the TeamMK guys who were great and helped myself and a few other newbies in our first foray into lake swimming. Broggie is obviously really popular on a Saturday morning as the carpark got quite full with swimmers. There were probably about 10 TeamMK’ers and maybe 20 or more from Boxfit Tri Club (it’s one of their ‘home’ lakes). Many swimmers had turned up with bikes so were clearly planning on brick sessions.

First time out and the initial entry into the water wasn’t too bad. But shortly afterwards it does get quite cold on your face, and the tightness of the wetsuit can feel a little claustrophobic. I started with a few strokes, but I quickly found the sensation and experience a bit overwhelming and it was a bit like I’d completely forgotten how to swim. What was comforting was finding that the buoyancy of the wetsuit means you can easily roll onto your back and tread water without difficulty, so it’s quite easy to take a break.

We swam about 400m out to a platform by which time I’d warmed up nicely and was getting more accustomed to the sensation, it was a little off putting to see plant life below me though as we approached the platform! The swim back to the shore was much more pleasant. I’d adapted to the wetsuit which encourages a more gliding style of swimming and easily built up a rhythm. In total we probably only did about 800m but that’s by far the longest I’ve swum without touching the bottom / side etc.

All in all a really good first OW swim – I think Saturday mornings at Broggie will become a fixture, and hopefully another morning during the week too.

Finally getting my arse in gear. Got a mile swim done in the pool on Monday lunchtime, the usual 5mi (quickish) run home after work on Tuesday. Wednesday rode the 7mi to and from work on the hybrid (note to self – needs a service, metal on metal grinding is not good). Thursday another 45 mins in the pool doing various drills, would have gym’d on Friday (but didn’t) and then this morning met up with the TeamMK guys for my first OW over at Broggie (Brogborough).

Tomorrow I hope to get another long ride in and a quick run afterwards.

The good thing about this week is that none of these activities required a massive change to my usual day. I’m hoping this can work as a basis for a routine week and then I can look to increase the distance (take the long way home) or fit an extra run or ride in where possible.

I’ve picked two upcoming local Tri’s that feature an openwater swim (rather than Pool sprint). So obviously a wetsuit is a necessity (in this country). So I’ve got myself an Orca S2 from Wiggle and a tri-suit for underneath. The S2 is usually £99 from Wiggle, but currently I’m on their platinum discount scheme and got a bonus day so made a 15% saving. Also you can return the suit at the end of the season and get a refund mean a season’s hire is just £50.

Having never worn a wetsuit before I’m hoping it’s the right size. I struggled into it and it’s certainly tight – but not uncomfortably so. I’m yet to swim in it but the arms and legs seem flexible enough. Taking it off took an age too! Once I’d put it on and take it off in the comfort of my own home I tried again, this time a bit quicker – so I think it’s all down to technique. Perhaps it’ll be easier when it’s gotten wet too.

After I’d expended several gazillion calories getting in and out of the S2 I headed down the gym for a bit of a swim (without the suit) and some core / stretching work. My swimming has suffered a bit as I’ve been focussed on my bike / running recently with the Duathlon, it showed in the pool as I never really clicked into a rhythm. I need to work more swimming back into my schedule, and hopefully get some open water swims in with the TeamMK folk, probably early mornings so it doesn’t come as a complete shock to the system when I get to a race.

Realising that actually booking a race is a useful motivator I’ve picked on two that feature open water swims.

First off I’ve got sprint race on 4th July,

Cowman Sprint – 750m swim, 20k cycle, 5k run.

Then later in the month its back to Emberton for the MK Tri on the 2th,

MK Tri 2010 – 1500m swim, 40k cycle, 10k run.

My priority before these races is to get some open water experience. I’ve neglecting the swimming recently preparing for the Duathlon so it’s time to head back to the pool. My wetsuit is on order so the plan is to meet up wit the Team MK people at Haversham or Brogborough and get from 0 to 1500 in the next couple of months.

I’m also tempted to book a place at the Beverley 2010 Sprint Tri – it’s a pretty market town I used to go to school in and near to my parents home… so a bit weird to run round it in some wet swimming trunks.

My first event of the year. I’d never attempted a Duathlon before so this was an opportunity to get out on the new bike without any swimming concerns – plus a chance to ride the famous Grand Prix circuit.

Myself and Chris got there in ample time and were relieved to see that some people had mountain bikes so our fears about coming last were rested slightly. On the other hand transition was quite full of some serious bike porn. It was clear that the chance of wide smooth traffic-free tarmac had attracted quite a number of competitors who’d be looking at very quick times.

The schedule was a little worrying, pre-race briefing at 18:50, race start and 19:00, prizes at 20:00! Maybe I could wave at the medal winners whilst I completed my last couple of laps! Then during pre-race briefing the organizers explained that the revised GP circuit now meant the bike leg would be 12 miles rather than 10.

Anyway, the race started well I did my first 2 miles at a quick (for me) 7.04 and 7.16 before heading through T1 onto the bike. T1 wasn’t too bad, but I failed to clip in properly on the mount line which is just before a steep hump back bridge. The bike flowed quite easily and sharp corners for cars became fast bends on a bike, I think my splits probably got quicker over the 3 laps. I’d planned to spin down approaching T2 but enthusiasm for the speed got the better of me and I came in quickly then tackled the bridge again. This left me completely ruined for the 1st lap of the 2nd run, by the second lap I’d got my breathing back and felt some power come back into my legs.

All done at 1hr10m46s, which for me was a great result – especially considering the bike stage was longer than expected.

Things I can take from this race
- First run pace was good.
- Need to practice clipping on with the new shoes
- More biking required, I’d only done a little over 100 miles ever prior to this
- Stick to the race plan, a few seconds of over enthusiasm prior to T2 may have cost me minutes on the second run