Vandals

As the weather warms up the vandals come out. For some reason known only to them they broke into the lido and tried to get into the sauna. There's considerable damage and the sauna will be off for a while until it's repaired. Elizabeth took some pictures here.
This gave me the dilema of how far to swim, the water has been great at 10ºC but I've also enjoyed a good sauna afterwards to warm through again. After the rust and last nights rain the water was soft and cloudy and felt really nice, I went on to swim twelve lengths. I skipped the shower afterwards as even a hot shower can cool you down, quickly dried and got dressed. It's difficult to get fully dry when you are cold, I felt as if I was radiating cold as I put my clothes on. I didn't really shiver and the cycle ride to work warmed most of me through apart from my feet which felt cold and clammy.

As it the end of the month it's statistics time:
In march 2011 the water temperature ranged from 3.5ºC to 10ºC
I swam a total of 258 length
Which is 25800 yards, about 14.5 miles or 23.5Km
I did 25 seperate swims
Longest single swim 18 lengths, shortest 4 lengths
Scores on the doors: eleven blue, six yellow, five green and two red

Rusty pipes

They were working on the filtration system this morning, suddenly a stream of cloudy water was billowing into the pool.

Visability went down to virtually zero.  'It's only rust from the pipes' brian told us.

In clearer water I attempted the head on shot again, not quite getting it.

Sue has a good roll.

Pip is dissapearing

Johathan too.

I swam twelve lengths today with the water at 10ºC, very comfortable. After the sauna Elizabeth usually has a plunge back into the pool, I asked her to dive and got this midair shot.

Too rushed.

Again I didn't take any new pictures. Swimming eighteen lengths and having a sauna is pushing my time limit then I have leave for work. I started swimming with Vince this morning, by the time he had done six lenghts I had done eight, went on to do the mile and by the time I was going into the sauna he was just about leaving. In the sauna for ten more minutes on my own then left just as Sue was coming in.
At 10ºC the water feels good but I do still need a sauna after staying in for eighteen lengths (about half an hour).
Will swim less and get a few snaps tomorrow I hope.

Time travel

The clocks sprung forward by an hour on Sunday night and it was hard to get up this morning, the dull grey weather meant I had to turn the lights on and when I got to the pool the water looked lifeless and uninviting.
Fernando, Chris and Tricky were being filmed by a Brazillian TV crew ahead of their Rio trip, it seemed to involve a lot of standing around in the water getting cold. They had been at the Lido since 7am.
I slipped into the water out of camera shot and got to swimming, it was surprisingly nice. The 10ºC given seems real and it was easy to do eighteen lengths which I followed by a twenty minute sauna making me a bit late to leave for work. Elizabeth was only just arriving as I left, had she not changed her watch? Fazlar was back from India, didn't see him swim but he looked very cold afterwards.
I forgot to put the battery in my camera so no new pictures today.

Another mile

The sun was shining and the freshly panited doors were reflecting on the water, it was swimming through a rainbow. The temperature was given as 9ºC a new high for this year and I went on to swim eighteen lengths, taking pictures on the way.

I'm not sure who this is but I liked the summery swimming costume, hope they don't mind me posting their picture.

Fernando is a big man but he's quick. The Brazillian has been in training for the 'Travessia dos Fortes' Rio swim next week, good luck at Copacobana!

Chris is also off to Brazil, he nearly swam into me after I took this picture.

Late again

Late to the lido this morning, the sun had come out and the water was 'Champagne' according to Johnathan (drinking it in above). At 8ºC I felt I could have swum for ages but due to the lack of time I got out after twelve. A short sauna left me shivering a bit. Sue did eight without any sauna! we're going to have to get ready for when it closes in late April.
The Carls were at the pool as I left planning another marathon swim, lollypop being the only thing that can stop them!

As they are painting the lower end doors I had to change at the top of the pool, here the doors are numbered.

March mile

A beautiful sunny morning, lots of activity going on. The locker doors are getting a new coat of paint and Aaron was in a boat cleaning the middle of the pool. It felt quite summery and the water temperature  was 8ºC.

Alfonso was just finishing his swim when I got in, again I failed to get a good picture of him. I set off to do twelve lengths, enjoying the sunlight on the water.

There were lots of swimmers in the water, I had to race for a couple of lengths to pass Sue. I then turned around and got this picture of her long reach. After twelve I thought I'd carry on, eighteen was easy I didn't feel that cold but was running out of time and had to get in the sauna for twenty minutes before I set off for work.

Blue again!

Racing

A mild cloudy morning but nearly everyone was at the Lido enjoying the water. At 7ºC it's still got a nip but I did do twelve lengths. afetr the first few lengths I saw Alfonso get in. I waited for him and I tried to take a picture but wasn't too successful, we went on to race another six length together, that keeps you warm.
Elizabeth saw us racing and decided to take some pictures in the water, see her terrific shots here.

Day dreamer

Elizabeth was swimming head down unaware I had stopped to take a picture, she said it gave her a start when she first saw my leg at the bottom of the pool. There were lots of early swimmers today, Pip and Vince were in the water at the same time as Elizabeth and I, for the first time this year I had to watch where I was going.
David made the temperature 7ºC and I did twelve lengths again followed by a long sauna, will I do a mile before march is out?

Breathe in

Batch told me he was breathing in when he saw I was going to take a photo, perhaps I had already taken this one before he noticed me? Weak sunshine rippled the surface of the pool, the temperature was about 6.5ºC and I did twelve lengths.
The SLSC AGM was happening when I arrived, I was just in time to vote for various new committee places. I applaud the people who volunteer  to do this, I feel a bit guilty not doing more myself but I don't think I could give the commitment needed right now. In some ways just using the pool and doing this blog is helping I guess.

Gloomy ten

Vince was swimming, not sinking. He's very low in the water, afterwards he was saying he really got into the zone on his final two out of six lengths and was enjoying the water this week. I'm always much higher in the water, I just float more for some reason. It was a dull grey morning with a little drizzle, the water was about 7ºC and I did ten lengths, I felt colder than after yesterdays twelve.
Thanks to Mike from Oregon who sent an exhaustive feature about swim caps from an American magazine, it's given me some ideas of hats to buy. Meanwhile the swimtrek hat is working okay for the past couple of days.

Twelve in total.

Sligthly late at the Lido this morning, misty again and the air was cold. I was just glad to make it after yesterdays bike chain disaster. I stopped in the waterto take a picture of Elizabeth, being later than usual Sue was also swimming.

She seems to have lost her head in this picture! I was planning on eight or ten lengths but on the turn of eight I saw Alfonso about to get in.

So after nine I waited and took this picture of him powering down the pool.

At the end of ten I got another shot before he turned. Then I swam two more length with him, twelve in total, David later took the temperature and made it 7ºC.

Misty waters

You've got to be quick to get a picture in the water, Elizabeth was already swimming past by the time I took this shot. She did a much better job of getting pictures of me at her blog. It was a misty damp morning and the Lido didn't look so inviting after all our recent sunny days, I felt the temperature had gone up a bit I guess about 7ºC. I did ten lengths. I wore a swimtrek hat today and had no headware problems, so I'll stick to that for now.

My back is still giving me some problems. I saw the physio yesterday who did some ultrasound on it and explained what's wrong with it, the bad news is that my swimming position isn't helping, the curve of my back in the water is pinching on the lumber discs, fine when I'm swimming but when I stop it gives me pain. Difficult to get out of the pool and put on my flip flops, Sue thought I had overdone it in the water because I was hobbling to the sauna.

Clear and cool

A clear cool morning, the sun shining brightly burning the frost away. The water had gone down a half a degree to 6.5ºC overnight. I adjusted my googles and made sure the split bad was wide on the back of my head but I was still losing my hats by length six and stopped to pull them on tighter. I went on to do another two, so eight in total. My back is still a bit tender, especially when getting out of the water. Going to see a physio this afternoon.

Later swim

I got to the pool just before 11am, much later than usual and everyone was just leaving. Alfonso, Margy and Sue were all on their way out. There was just a lone wetsuited swimmer in the water when I got in, I hope she doesn't mind the picture.

A second swimmer got in for a couple of lengths, I've seen him before but don't know his name. A few more swimmers appeared, a girl who is going to attempt the channel this summer, she stood on the steps for ages not wanting to get in.

The aqua hoover was trundling around the bottom of the pool, the water seemed a bit cloudy today but the temperature was 7ºC. I saw Carl wave at me, he had been in already training with Carl. Before I knew it I had done twelve lengths. It's funny the difference a few degrees make, I wasn't cold in the water, my hands and legs didn't go numb but the extra time spent made me shiver for five minutes in the sauna before I warmed through again.

After my sauna it was raining, I saw Ivan looking out of his changing cubicle on the far side of the pool then he came out did his press ups before getting into the water and serenely swimming his widths in the pouring rain.

Hat malfunction

Up a half a degree to 5.5ºC, the wind had blown a lot of leaves into the water but the sun was shining and it looked lovely. I set off before Vince with the idea I'd try and catch him up on his fourth, my sixth length. Perhaps I was putting in too much effort because after I passed him my hat came off, pulling off my goggles too. I had to get out to put them back on again then I got in and did another two lengths, eight in total.

Five degrees of warmth

Alfonso was waiting for me this morning, we got changed and hopped in. It's great to swim with someone who's the same pace as yourself, Alfonso says I'm too quick for him and ten years younger but I think he still enjoyed it. After four lengths he got out, I said two more but in fact did another four so eight was the total. The water did feel warmer again to me, David's later reading made it 5ºC.

Elizabeth took some great pictures of me that she sent over, In the top picture you can see how much I bend my left arm, I was probably breathing the stroke before. I love the reflection on the underside of the water and you can see my right hand just entering the water, making it look elastic. The picture above has my usual stream of bubbles from my fingers.

A degree of glamour

Much going on at the Lido this morning, Jo Brand was filming something about swimming. I forgot how slow the filming process is. Word must have got out because there was a large turn out of swimmers nonchalantly doing their widths and lengths as the camera rolled. Eventually Jo appeared ready to swim in the glamourous red and black outfit above (complete with matching headband), I can understand wanting to cover up but the drag of such a costume must be a hindrance in the water.

I managed six lengths today, the water felt much warmer than yesterday and was in fact up to 4.5ºC, the cloudy night had kept the warmth in. I love this picture of Elizabeth. The underwater mode of my camera increases the red balance in pictures. I really like the fisheye curve of the rail.