Crash and Burn

It has been a difficult couple of weeks.

I have been unwell and I don’t do illness as a rule. However, I have been knocked for six with this particular problem. I’ve lost half a stone in a week and although I’m on the mend I still feel weak.

The long and short of this is that my fitness has gone through the floor. I did an Aquathlon in Burntwood and my first swimming Masters event in Derby during my illness when I should really have pulled out of them. Not surprisingly, I bombed in both. I got a worst ever time for my 5k in the Aquathlon. The swimming was a disaster.

I am 2 weeks alcohol-free and not missing it in the slightest. The appetite is only just starting to return and the strength to do anything.

I have another Aquathlon this week. Maybe I shouldn’t be doing it but as I mentioned above, I don’t do illness.

Enough is Enough

Hand Paddling  - www.waterbloggedtriathlete.com

It's a busy time. I am juggling a hectic work schedule, studies and my own personal health agenda at the minute.

I will be taking leave of Tokyo Witch Hunt until the Spring after our next gig to free up some time. You can still keep up with all the news of what's happening though via Tokyo Witch Hunt's website here.

Following on from last blog posting, I thought rather than re-type my thoughts, I would share with you an (edited) email that I sent this afternoon. I'm going to bust my spleen at this rate.

P

Twice this week I have been asked not to use hand paddles in the pool on the grounds of health and safety.

The first time was in the "Splash" session when one pool attendant did not seem to have a problem with this. When the second attendant came on duty I was told that there were too many children in the pool for me to use them. I consider myself conscientious and considerate of other pool users. However, it would appear that health and safety is subjective as to who is on poolside duty and therefore, sadly, inconsistent. That should be more of a worry for you than my low risk activity.

The second time was today when I was in "Lane" session. This time I was in the "Fast", empty to lane to myself, yet I was told I was a risk to those in other adjacent lanes!

Frankly, this has gone beyond a joke and I am quite prepared to take this up with X management and beyond if necessary.

To set out the facts in perspective;

I have suffered kicks from other swimmers in adjacent lanes, locker keys worn on wrists scratching my face, jewelery catching me, balls on the head, legs deliberately pulled by other swimmers to name but a few issues that are to the detriment of my health and safety in the pool. I have been uncomplaining and all have gone unchallenged by pool staff. Nevertheless, I have just got on with what I intend to do in the pool, swim because that is pool life and always has been! Swimming is hazardous per se and short of the primary and voluntary risk we all take of turning up and drowning, I can live and put up with these things. That's what swimming involves and of course it should have it's fun element too and rightly so..........

.....When I first started coming back to S a couple of months ago, I told you that I compete in triathlons and masters swimming events. I'm a club member but my work times mean that I have to set my own schedule for training and therefore have to do it locally. However, as I set out in my feedback form which I handed in to G today,  the "serious" swimmer is being precluded from doing just that, serious swimming.

.....you know well that swimming has a serious side as well as a fun side. I am partial to both, but I refuse to be precluded from the serious element on an arbitrary and nonsensical argument of health and safety. As I have given in the examples above, there has been more of a danger to me from other "swimmers" at S than there is ever going to be from me to them. As far as the hand paddle argument is concerned, I am not the first to challenge this on the pretext of a health and safety issue. Indeed, it has gone as far as the Health and Safety Executive. 

Look at this link.http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/myth-busting/2012/case053-swimmingpool.htm

You will see the total similarity, even so far as the suggested solution is concerned. ....If you can show me a recent Risk Assessment regarding the specific use of hand paddles carried out at S with recommended Control Measures resulting from it that predate my last two visit to S then I would be happy to see them.

The Duty Manager, J, at first said I could not use the hand paddles in my empty lane. When I questioned him on this, he relented and said I could continue and that the matter was under review for perhaps a special lane provision for those wanting to use them. This has obviously come to a head as a result of my challenge the first time around. However, I am not confident in the slightest that X/S will be able to justify a session or even a lane given over to someone using hand paddles as J discussed with me. How many paddle users are there other than myself? Few, if any. I'm not so selfish, nor do I expect any pool to meet the needs of just one person alone. Therefore, it would appear that I am flogging a dead horse as it stands. That said, and as I have mentioned above, I am quite prepared to make a lot of noise on this matter until a justifiable and rational policy is put in place with respect to "serious" swimmers. There are busier pools than S that do not prohibit hand paddles whatever the session.

I am not trying to be awkward. I am only looking for rationality and proportionality. I enjoy swimming at S and hope to continue to do so. Therefore, I will be back with my paddles, drag parachute and pull buoy next week and do not expect any more of this nonsense. There will be public ramifications otherwise because, as you will note from the tenor of this email, my frustration has boiled over.

Regards,

A

An Unhealthy and Unsafe Week

I'm typing whilst plugged in to a TENS machine attached to my hamstring and sniffling away with a cold.

I spent Halloween at my mothers. She'd done a good job of decorating the house with skeletons, skull candles and such like. It was rather a damp night so that would explain the lack of Trick or Treaters. Had a nice homemade stew.

On Friday, whilst I was having the van fitted with a new exhaust and ball joint arm, I wandered in to town. I bought  a pocket fm radio for 99p and sat listening to that whilst having a coffee and reading the Swimming Times. Interesting article in it about the Rother Valley Open Water weekend that I attended.

Yesterday I took part in the Virgin Active Indoor Triathlon. I'd suffered a bad cramp episode in my hamstring in the pool earlier in the week which had left me with a pulled muscle sensation. I was a little wary of going back to strenuous activity so soon after but nevertheless I headed off to Richard Branson's parlour of track suited women in makeup sat chatting whilst sipping lattes.

I hate gyms, especially private membership ones. I view them as posy palaces for Nikeheads and Diadora dolly birds that are too stupid to realise that you don't need a gym to get fit or be healthy. On the Tribesports website I am a proud member of the Get Fit Without Joining a Gym Tribe.

I did the 2.5k treadmill run in 12.44 followed by 10k on the bike spinning thingy in 18.30. I am rubbish on the bike and it didn't help that I damaged my hamstring further because the saddle was too low for my leg extension yet the console was too high for my reach. Being a now quasi-serious triathlete, things like saddle and handlebar height are important to me. The angle and degree of leg extension when pedalling is unique to each individual and paramount when determining maximum effort and power if not to cause injury. My leg is now paying the price for those stupid spinning machines.

To quite literally add further insult to injury, the swim leg took place last instead of first. It was a triathlon where all the events were in reverse order. This was because (and yes, this really is advertised on the Virgin Active website) "to avoid our nice dry clubs getting wet"!

I completed the 400m in a very steady 8.46 giving me an overall time of 40 mins. Out of the 3000 or so competitors I came 1600ish. Fairly pleased with that given that I was full of cold and one-legged in effort.

I went back to my usual pool this morning to do some strength work on my arms using hand paddles.I'd been using them for half an hour when the shift change life guard told me that because I was in the splash session and that there was too many children around I couldn't use them on grounds of health and safety.

I stomped/hobbled off back to the changing room ranting about being hit on the head by a beach ball and what about my health and safety and right to swim blah blah blah! Ordinarily I would have been in the lane swim session earlier in the morning but I was up late after marshalling at the community Guy Fawkes bonfire the night before. Yes, I volunteered and did my bit for the community and made sure that the kids had a safe and pleasant evening yet I was repaid with a health and safety lecture in the pool the following morning for using a swimming training aid.

Paradoxical in the extreme.