In an ideal world I would have my own state of the art training facility with a 25m swimming pool.
In reality I train at my local Public Pool.
Now this presents it's own challenges. Firstly timing. I can't just rock up with my trunks and towel at any time of the day. There are certain sessions I can attend where lane swimming takes place.
Fortunately Telford and Wrekin Borough have several pools across the town but not all of them have the same guidelines on lane swimming.
"Which lane for me?"
One pool is quite narrow compared to the others so lane swimming is tricky. Particularly as they will only put the lanes up if there is demand. On the plus side it does mean that the pool is popular and being used.
So I use Wellington Civic and Leisure Centre for my swim training. It has a fully equipped gym with whirlpool and sauna. Most importantly it has a 25m pool.
It opens quite early in the morning so I can get an early start if I can drag myself out of bed. The reality of it is that I don't do this as much as I should.
They have three lanes. Slow, Medium and Fast. However there is nothing that states what each of these speeds relates to. I tend to stick myself in the medium lane as this kind of suits me.
"Don't be a dick!"
Occasionally you'll get a slower swimmer in they lane. It can be annoying but there's no need to be a dick about this and bully people out of the lane.
In the UK many pools have laminated swim cards that people can follow. These are part of the My Swimfit programme which aims to encourage people to get fitter through swimming. These plans have helped me a lot as it gives your sessions some purpose.
Again I am lucky in that the equipment needed to do the sessions is available thanks to the local council. Items such as floats, pull buoys and flotation belts are available free of charge.
At the moment I am simply using the sessions to swim up and down. 1 length breaststroke the next length front crawl. I have managed to get up to 70 lengths in an hour long session. Usually a few minutes are lost either side due to setting up for the session and for the one after it.
I tend to finish up in the "Health Suite" which involves a steam, a sauna and a Jacuzzi. A final rinse in the shower and I head home. Usually a bit tired from my effort. I know I will sleep well if I swim early evening.
A couple of top tips!
In reality I train at my local Public Pool.
Now this presents it's own challenges. Firstly timing. I can't just rock up with my trunks and towel at any time of the day. There are certain sessions I can attend where lane swimming takes place.
Fortunately Telford and Wrekin Borough have several pools across the town but not all of them have the same guidelines on lane swimming.
"Which lane for me?"
One pool is quite narrow compared to the others so lane swimming is tricky. Particularly as they will only put the lanes up if there is demand. On the plus side it does mean that the pool is popular and being used.
So I use Wellington Civic and Leisure Centre for my swim training. It has a fully equipped gym with whirlpool and sauna. Most importantly it has a 25m pool.
They have three lanes. Slow, Medium and Fast. However there is nothing that states what each of these speeds relates to. I tend to stick myself in the medium lane as this kind of suits me.
"Don't be a dick!"
Occasionally you'll get a slower swimmer in they lane. It can be annoying but there's no need to be a dick about this and bully people out of the lane.
In the UK many pools have laminated swim cards that people can follow. These are part of the My Swimfit programme which aims to encourage people to get fitter through swimming. These plans have helped me a lot as it gives your sessions some purpose.
Again I am lucky in that the equipment needed to do the sessions is available thanks to the local council. Items such as floats, pull buoys and flotation belts are available free of charge.
At the moment I am simply using the sessions to swim up and down. 1 length breaststroke the next length front crawl. I have managed to get up to 70 lengths in an hour long session. Usually a few minutes are lost either side due to setting up for the session and for the one after it.
I tend to finish up in the "Health Suite" which involves a steam, a sauna and a Jacuzzi. A final rinse in the shower and I head home. Usually a bit tired from my effort. I know I will sleep well if I swim early evening.
A couple of top tips!
- If you haven't swam in a while build your distance up. Set a goal each session.
- Rest and Re-hydrate. I tend to swim 10 lengths and have a couple of mouthfuls of water/squash.
- Mix it up. Don't just settle into the same routine every swim.
- Be considerate to other swimmers. have a quick watch of this video from GTN about swim etiquette.
- Protein! Help your body recover with a protein shake.
- Most importantly enjoy yourself.
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