2010: the year of the swim

Well, my 2010 started out with all the excitement and anticipation that the build up to the big day of Ironman brings. I believed I was ready to take on the 3.8km swim in Taupo, I'd done the training and the only thing in front of me was the swim itself.

My swim that day didn't go as I'd planned it in my head, i walked out of the water in 2:35 mins, 15 mins over the cut off time, to hear Wayne Reardon, race director say, "sorry mate but that's your race for today"

Well a lot of water (hahaha) has gone under the bridge since that day, in my first day back in the pool, at Karori pool, for the first time I used my left arm to swim with, I swam the entire 3.8km swim with one arm, and from that day in karori onwards I have been swimming with both arms.

I knew from Ironman that things about my swim programme needed to change, for most athletes it is the shortest part of the IM, the part that they try to get over the quickest they can before getting on the bike for that long 180, for me its a different equation.

The swim for me sets up my whole day, if it goes bad, my race is over, if it goes well i am so pumped for the rest of the race that the rest goes in a blur.

So i knew that I needed a coach that could take my swimming to the next level, challenge me, push me and extend my undersstanding of what is possible.
I have found that coach and that programme in Ali Dennis and swim squad at Kilbirnie Pool.

I am making real progress in lowering my swim times, getting faster and I am now very confident that by December I will have a very clear understanding of my capabilities in terms of my ability to swim the 3.8km swim in under 2 hours