A new pool and a new regime...

Well, I did it. I got up at 6:30 this morning (or thereabouts) and was out the house by about quarter past 7!! And when I say I got up I should be clear that this was after much protesting and whinging and whining… If it wasn’t for my Flâneur I would have very easily gone back to sleep. But he’s a real trouper and a real motivator and just a truly wonderful person (pass the bucket. ;o) ).

It didn’t help that I had a terrible night’s sleep last night (again…). Tossing and turning, periods of being awake, periods where I’m fighting between being awake and asleep (the only way I can describe these episodes) just generally rubbish! And I had been really tired yesterday owing to a similar period of sleep on Saturday night. That was entirely caused by alcohol (not even that much), which always disturbs my sleep, but I could think of no reason for it last night. Humph.

Anyway, despite all that I got up when my Flâneur made me, ate my breakfast (poached egg on a muffin, prepared by himself), sorted my lunch and swimming gear and was out the door before I would normally be thinking about stirring! Well, when I’d be creeping under the duvet pretending the radio wasn’t on and I didn’t have to get up…

The early start meant I could finally try out Edinburgh Uni pool. And I must say I liked it. There were a reasonable number of other crazy people there, but enough lanes (6) variously marked out that I could just pootle at my own speed up and down the slow lane without feeling I was keeping anyone back, and certainly with no chance of overtaking anyone! There was one girl in our lane who clearly didn’t realise the lanes were marked by slow, medium and fast, as she was way quicker than the rest of us, but mostly it was just me and these two guys, swimming up and down.

It is a larger pool the Uni one, at 25 meters, rather than 25 yards. I still made myself do my 40 lengths, but owing to the extra 85 meters or so I was a bit slower and a reasonable bit more knackered!! Feel the burn, oh yes. Still feeling it in my thighs I think! But it was great. Despite it being hard I enjoyed it and felt great coming out. Meant that I could face the readers at work without too much pain and with a smile, which was good because we were really very busy today! Normally I’d be practically slumped at my desk, but not this morning. I’ll be slumped on the couch later, but that’s ok, I’ll be at home then…

So pretty pleased with my times, considering I was doing the equivalent of an extra 3.7 (or so) lengths of the municipal pool, and here are the stats:

40 lengths (1000m)
34.43.99
Average time for length: 52.10 (not that much slower really)
Fastest length: 1 at 40.95
Slowest length: 6 at 56.76 (but I paused at the end of it to demist my goggles)

Pretty pleased, all things considered and love the fact that I swam 1km! Cool.

Back at it

Not such a lazy slug today!  Yes, I was back at the pool today.  Hurrah!  I said I was going to go and I went.  Phew...  

I didn't sleep so great last night.  Well I thought I slept ok until around 4:30 (ish) but was told that I was thrashing about and muttering during those first few hours, so maybe not!  But after 4:30 I was in and out of sleep until the alarm went off at 7.  Urgh...  Hate those sorts of nights.  Was similar the night before too.  Not so great for my poor Flâneur either who didn't even get to sleep properly in the first 5 hours or so...

Anyway, I didn't expect the swimming this evening to be up to the same standards as before, seeing as I hadn't been since mid January (the 15th I think, shame on me) and was pretty tired today.  It wasn't too busy when I got there, but I figured there were too many people in the slow lane for me to have a satisfying swim in there, so I joined the main bit of the pool.  It got busier as the evening went on, but I was mostly able to swim up and down unhindered.  There were two women who seemed to just be chatting in the shallow end who were a bit irritating, particularly as they were stood exactly where I wanted to turn after each even numbered lap.  Grrr...  They only did 2 lengths the whole time I was in the pool doing my 40.  And they probably wonder why going swimming isn't making any difference to their fitness...

So, I did my 40 lengths and surprisingly enough they were a little bit faster than last time I went!  Not sure how that works, but I'm not going to question it too closely...  Think I could have not counted one length or something, but here are the stats from the SportsCount:

40 lengths

32.06 minutes (that's nearly 20 seconds faster than last time!)

Average time for length: 49.38 second (hmm... slower)

Fastest length: 1 at 43.03 seconds (again, slower)

Slowest length: 34 at 54.18 seconds (ah, faster)

Really pleased I went.  Feel really good for going.  Just need to keep it up again now.  

Bad week(s)

After that good start it's all gone downhill in the last two weeks.  At the beginning of last week I started feeling really tired, lethargic, exhausted even, my concentration at work started to wain and I even started feeling a little lightheaded every now and again.  I refer to it as being post-viral because that's all I can compare it to, but I've not had a virus lately (that I know of!)  :o(  I can't explain it very well, but it's been very annoying.

It's meant as well as not feeling able to exercise, I've missed SAM's 30th birthday (which I was quite upset about, I was just going for drinks, but was still looking forward to seeing her on her birthday), I've been going to bed really early as I'm feeling so tired,  and I missed my Japanese class last night.  I slept for nearly 12 hours on Saturday night, not uninterrupted, but even so.

I haven't necessarily been sleeping very well, as I am a borderline insomniac at times, so it's probably linked to that.  But I have obviously been on the internet and have considered several other options - you should never let a hypochondriac near the internet!

By the way, I'm not the traditional sort of insomniac.  I get to sleep ok, I wake once or twice a night, and get back to sleep again reasonably ok, but the quality of sleep I get when I sleep is not good.  

Anyway, this has carried on in to this week, albeit a little less than last week, so I've booked myself a doctors appointment.  We'll see what they have to say - I expect not very much.  I've also been off the last two days from work as I was sick yesterday, so no doubt the doctor will think it was some kind of virus...  

Hopefully it's just been a short term thing and I'm already feeling better today - perhaps I'm actually allergic to work!