A ray of sunshine

I am still swimming just not posting. I've done 138 length this week which is pretty good going. Despite all the cloud and rain the water temperature isn't too bad even if it has dipped a bit. This morning saw the first sunny swim in ages but really I don't mind the grey weather keeps the crowds away. I will try and go swimming somewhere more exciting over the summer otherwise roll on autumn and I'll get snapping away again.

Twenty one today!

Special post for the temperature, 21ºC today (70ºF) a new high for the year. That explains why I had such a wonderful swim this morning, thirty six lengths of bliss. Added to by the fact I didn't make it over on the week-end, too many vegetables to attend to.
In Betty's Newsletter (50p see Tricky) there's a short piece on the June temperature by official 'temperature taker' David. It turns out we had the lowest average June temperature this century at 17.58ºC (63.66ºF). Global warming eh?
I find once the water is over about 16ºC (60ºF) I stop thinking about it too much because I can do a two mile swim without getting cold but 21ºC is nice.

June

It's all been a bit quiet here. Two wonderful weeks in Greece swimming in the sea and then back to the reality of Tooting Bec lido. June has seen a busy pool,  Most mornings I've swum between 22 and 36 length before work. It's hard to remember the cold winter month right now, the water is around 18ºC and I feel as if I could stay in for ever. No real statistics to report, certainly less distance than May. I haven't even kept an eye on the doors this month!

Time for a swim

As I reached the pool today Alfonso was just getting out of the water, he wanted me to believe he's done forty four lengths. I've not seen him in a while because he had a cold (in May?) and in fact he was just easing himself back into the water with a ten length swim. I set out to do twenty lengths in the little strip of shadow on the track side, clear goggles again much better vision. I used Margy and Tricky as pace setters at first then about length eight I noticed someone waiting for me at the end of the pool. I don't know her name (sorry), Alfonso told her to swim with me and she thought I was a different Alex so it was confusion all round. By about half a length I realised she couldn't keep up with me so I slowed a bit  but was still too fast. Alfonso meanwhile was timing us, my two length time averaged 2 minutes 58 seconds making it just over 16 minutes per kilometre or just over 25 minutes per mile which seems about right on a 2km swim.
Saw Carl and Kate as I was getting changed, asked Carl a bit more about Sardinia. The sea was about the same temperature as the lido but Carl is off to Scotland swimming between the western isles next week where it'll be much cooler.
I'm off to Greece on Saturday for a couple of weeks, not just swimming but I'll take some pictures if I get the chance.

Up a degree

Another sunny day, warm too. Saw 'quicker' Nick as I arrived but we swam seperately (phew) I wasn't into racing today. Used my orange tinted goggles, they reduce the glare on the water. The orange tint makes the world above water look cheerful but it's slightly more difficult to see underwater. Thirty six lengths in under an hour, keeping to the shadow line on the track side. Water up to 18ºC.

Shadow line

A relaxed twenty two this morning. They had just taken the shark lane out so I swam on the track side along the wall which at 8.15 was still in shadow. A bright morning the sun quickly rising so that by 8.45 I was in full sunlight. The water temperature is still hovering around 17ºC according to David but the warm patches we felt yesterday have dispersed.

Whole pool

Great to have a whole pool again, especially when there are so few in the water. A sunny thirty six lengths puctuated with a near crash into Chris on length thirty three. It's half term so quite a few people were later swimming than usual.

As it's the end of the month I must do the May statistics:

In May 2011 the water temperature ranged from 13ºC to 17ºC

I swam a total of 706 lengths

Which is 70600 yards, about 39.5 miles or 64 Km

I did 23 seperate swims

Longest single swim 36 lengths, shortest 22 lengths

Scores on the doors: nine blue, six red, five green and three yellow.

I also swam 2km at Brockwell lido so over 40 miles in a month! And more puzzlingly yellow went from favourite to least use door colour, what does it all mean?