Eureka Moments

Ever heard of Eureka moments? It's that moment when things come together and suddenly 'click'! At my Swimshack session today I had my very first Eureka moment - way to go! The session started by checking previous drills and balance work. I had brought in a couple of bad habits that were soon rectified but boy did mastering these tweaks make a difference! That wasn't the Eureka moment though. That came as I moved onto skating drills - this is the position shown in the water on my previous post. It's not as easy as it looks; maintaining balance is the key. The next move is to rotate and switch to the opposite side by utilising your core (not by pulling through with a swim stroke). The arm that is hanging out in front does stroke as per a normal swim action but it does so gently, not as an anchor to pull the body. Sounds weird eh?! However, it is the first step to bringing a new swim stroke. It felt smooth and balanced and I have so many focus points that I can't list them here! Five more months and I am much more confident that I will make improvements over a 1500m swim.

Yesterday I rode with St Ives CC again and covered 72 miles. The ride out was quite sedate and I found it difficult to keep warm. On the return leg a few guys were keen to liven things up a bit. Initially, I let them go, not wanting to ride to hard myself. After a while I decided to test the legs but be mindful of not going mad. I was able to cruise the hills whilst the guys around me were blowing rather more vigorously! This is good and shows that I am on track. What I need to do is not push myself too hard and hold back sufficiently so as to ensure recovery takes place. I am really enjoying these rides, despite the bad weather recently!

Suppose I had better get some running done! I sometimes wish there were 28 hours in a day and 10 days in a week!

On a different topic, I was speaking to a Christian friend of mine, David, who had visited my Blog. He is interested in ultra racing. The concept of ultra racing is totally crazy to me; however, it is fascinating to see what these guys go through. David recounted the fact that his son believes that running should be barefoot! Respect! I can't climb out of the bath without my feet hurting! Suffering during ultra racing seems to be at opposite ends of the body - feet and mentally! I would like to hear more about ultra racing and I know that Phil McNeil and Russ Watson have moved in this direction. Anyone out there happy to recount their experiences? I suppose Ironman Triathlon counts as ultra racing in my book!!

Must go - too many things to do!!