Progress?

This weeks training went well, Co2 tables increased 15secs on each hold which is becoming easy already, I'll stick to them for another week and increase another 15secs again the week after. I went to the pool on Friday with www.baildonsubaqua.com and settled down to some statics.

2min hold - no breath up

2min hold - no breath up

1min empty lung hold - no breath up

2min slow breath up 2/4/2 for 1min - 3min 15sec hold

2min slow breath up 2/4/2 for 1min - 4min 15sec hold

I breathed up in-between holds using the snorkel (no goggles) to try and engage the dive reflex a little quicker, but i was really unhappy with the final hold time, tables have been going well and i thought I'd get an easy 4min 30sec but fell short and found it tough going. I may try longer warm up holds, drop the empty lung hold and see what happens in the next couple of weeks.

Dynamic session went really well, i targeted 100mtrs and completed it with no real problems, i'll keep to the 100mtrs for the next 3 sessions and then move up to 125mtr sessions.

Pool Training

Friday night was my first proper pool training session for a long time and also an opportunity to see if the Co2 tables and training schedule were working? I didn't eat from 3pm and entered the water at 8:30pm for static session.

2min hold no breath up

2min hold no breath up

Empty lung hold 1min no breath up

2min breath up + 2/4/2 breath up for 1min - 3min 30sec hold

2min breath up + 2/4/2 breath up for 1min - 4min hold

I only targeted a 4min hold, it felt fine and no issues with contraction strength, i always target lower than what I'm able to do as it leaves a more positive feeling after the session. Dynamic was more of a try out in terms of weighting, gliding and technique as it been a very long time, i targeted only 75mtrs and done this with ease, i was very tempted to carry on to 100mtrs but again i wanted to keep things positive. Over all a great session and happy with the outcome of my first pool session in a long while, another two weeks of tables before hitting the pool again to see what's what!

Long Time No Speak

After an extremely long break from the world of freediving i decided that I'd try another bite at the cherry next year! Why did i stop after the Great Northern Comp this year? I had no intention to stop and entered the Double Dip depth comp but this was unfortunately canceled due to lack of interest, i guess i was a little disappointed with British Freediving for withdrawing this great opportunity to qualify in UK and that i would of had to travel abroad to gain any chance of points for a go at the worlds. Lack of money and time played their part also, new job etc. I started the triathlons so i would keep my fitness and general well being intact and i also love competing and triathlon was such an easy, accessible sport, everything freediving wasn't at the time for me. Anyway i digress!

Training has started once again and onto the dreaded tables, the bread & butter of our training. It was also great to get back in the water whilst in Cyprus last week and also give the ears a bit of a check over, all good! Last week a completed 2min tables with repetitive rounds of 15sec rests at the end, ouch! By the end of the week i was only having one contraction so i decided to mix it up a little this week before i increase my normal tables to 2min 30sec. This week i have been doing repetitive 2min holds with 15sec breaks and then a crazy table of 4mins at the end, starting off empty and taking small sips of air until fully packed over the 4min time frame. These will increase to 5min crazy tables in the next 4wks.

It was great to get down to the www.actionunderwaterstudios.com on Friday night for some deeper statics with Tim my safety diver, at almost 6mtrs deep its great to sit at the bottom and chill out after a stressful week at work. www.basildonsubaqua.com continue their amazing support in all my training needs, big thanks guys!

3wks to Triathlon

With only 3wks to go for my first triathlon at www.velocity-events.co.uk i really up'd the training this week and took full advantage of a few days off work. I carried out some pretty consistent 400mtr swims around the 8min 30sec mark and some consistent 5km run times. I decided to go out yesterday and complete the full triathlon in training to see how it felt, cardio wise my body was fine but i got my fueling wrong and felt slightly fatigued at the end. So a good lesson learnt on that one. I felt great today and have recovered with no problems so i know i can push harder on the day to be a little bit more competitive.

Friday night freediving at the pool went well, i haven't done any statics since my last competition in March so thought I'd just go through the motions and completed a very easy 4mins hold. Nothing great in terms of the time but happy with the result after being away from statics for so long.

Basildon Sub-Aqua Club

On Friday I'll be giving Basildon Sub-Aqua Club a lecture on freediving. The club give me valuable pool time every week and are a great (inquisitive) bunch so they asked me to tell them what all this "holding your breath lark" is all about? I'll be talking to them about the basics of freediving from the Mechanics of Breathing / Dive Reflex / Disciplines / Relaxation / Equalising & Safety. Its a great chance for me to share my passion for the sport and hopefully add some fun & interest to the club.

The triathlon training has been going well, Ive been noticing some pain during the cycle rides and after going into Evan Cycles this week, i got some great advice on how to set up my bike better and also great advice on what gearing to be using for the majority of the ride. I found that my saddle was too far back causing me to over stretch and i have been using the higher gears too much and putting pressure on my knees. I've set the bike up now and will give it a test in the week. I've managed to shave more time of my run now but haven't done too much in the pool so I'll hit that next week a couple of times,

TRIATHLON

Seeing as the Salt Free Triple Depth Comp is cancelled I've decided to put some energy into doing my first triathlon http://www.velocity-events.co.uk/ they say life begins at 40!! I've been working hard on my cycling and running (without injury until last week) and thought I'd leave the swimming part out of my training as I'm very comfy in the water. After trying to swim freestyle for the first time a couple of weeks ago i found out i made a huge mistake and actually cant swim for toffee! After a few coaching sessions from Tim, i got the technique better and completed the swim in 10min 04secs. An ankle injury as stopped my cycle & running training for the time being but the swimming is going well. Today i completed the swim in 9min 45sec so making some progress. I'm thinking i can make some time up during the cycle leg which will hopefully cover up my poor swim times over 400mtrs. My first 5k run was in 24min 57sec (slow i know!) and my bike times are not really relevant as i have 4 massive hills to climb which are not on the actual course, this means that my training is great interval training (train hard and race easy)

I'm hoping the ankle is getting stronger and i can get started on getting my 5k run times down and then string all three together a few times before the big day (31st July 2011) Its a sprint triathlon so I'm confident i can complete it, it just depends on how hard i want it to be...

Underwater Film Studios

Friday night at http://www.actionunderwaterstudios.com/ with http://www.basildonsubaqua.com/

Few Pic's from "The Great Northern Comp"

Great Northern Comp

A much better comp for me this year than last year, last year i finished early with a black out on my static performance and this year finally got round to seeing a very rare two white cards out of three. Saturday was dynamic no fins day and i felt okay for a P.B. The dive itself felt good and i turned at 75mtrs to go for the 100mtrs i set myself. I missed counted the strokes and ended up headbutting the wall at 100mtrs, before i could turn and push off for the last time the safety diver grabbed me and pulled me to the surface, i knew the dive was over and a red card was coming but went through my surface protocol to show i was still fine. The red card was shown as the safety diver had touch me and that was that. An unfortunate end to a fairly good dive but i was happy to do a new P.B after just 9wks of training. Safety divers have to make a decision in a split second and although i showed him i wasn't happy at first i soon shook his hand and apologised as its not an easy job for them.

Day two went well after a restless and busy night at the hotel due to party goers making ridiculous amounts of noise which took some intervention from me at 04:30am!! Static top time was nice and early in the day as I'd announced low, the 4 warm up holds went fine at 2min, 2min, 3mins, 3.30min and an empty lung at 1.15min. I moved into the comp zone and breathed up for just short of 10mins. Contractions kicked in about where i thought they would and i surfaced after just 20 contractions and played it safe with a below standard 4min 24sec hold, white card was shown and i was happy to see it. Later on it was dynamic with fins and my official top was 17.23hrs, i carried on with my no warm up approach as it keeps the old legs fresher. Jay Cluskey kept me held against the wall as i took my last breath and went. The dive didn't feel great and i got my first contraction just past 50mtrs, turns felt awkward and i surfaced at 124mtrs, another below standard dive but the white card felt good to get once again.

Points for dynamic - 62
Points for static - 52.8

This gave me a total of 114.8 vs. 121.7 in my 1st comp but really happy with the white cards after so many reds. Stars of the day were Dave King with a new NR in dynamic at 226mtrs and Liv Phillip (worlds absolute freediver 2010) with another new NR in dynamic no fins, passing her old record by 5mtrs to 111mtrs. Big respect to both of them, amazing athletes!

End Of Training

Last night i ended my training schedule before my competition this weekend. After spending 3hrs in the pool i was broken, well and truly! Have i done enough? Well after just 9wks i think I've done well after my long break last year. Statics have suffered slightly and my dynamics have decreased but overall I'm happy to of got back in the game with some okay performances. Today was about rest and good food and much the same tomorrow before i make the journey up to Liverpool. Last night i went back to Swallows in Kent, this was the first wet static i have done in a year so i just needed to time how long everything took so i can plan my preparation on the day to my official top time. Statics weren't great in terms of times and my last hold i ended up lifting at just over 4mins!! Pants i know but I'll take that at the moment. I've decided that I'll carry on with my no warm up approach to dynamics so i didn't need to plan my timing on this, just a relaxed 10min breath up before would be fine.

Woodstock divers came in at 21:00hrs and it was great to see so many familiar faces which i have missed greatly over the past 6-7mths.

I targeted myself with a P.B in DNF and felt a bit deflated to come up short once again, i carried on with an hour of dynamic with fins and did a table consisting of 2min rest followed by 50mtr swim and took my recovery time down by 15sec each time. By the end my legs were dead and i felt i could do no more. I felt terrible driving home and my legs felt so empty and my lungs tired. I'll do no more now until the comp, just need to rest and relax. 3 white cards this weekend? It will be a first for me! My first comp i managed a yellow and a white and since then i have had three reds. Really looking forward to this one as I've taken way the pressure of big performances and I'm keeping it realistic due to the small amount of training time I've had.

Static Session.....

Last night's static session was only my third attempt at a max since i started back training 6wks ago. Finally got over the five minute mark which i was really pleased with as i had taken the preparation for it very lightly. I'd eaten, had a fag and done very little warm up for it.

I started with a 3min 30sec crazy table and then rested for 1min, took a 2min breath up and held for 3mins which was my first contraction. I then had a NTB rest for 1min, 2mins of 2/4/2 breathing and a minute of deep slow breathing. The hold felt easy and the contractions felt light. I went up to 30 contractions and ended up fresh on 5min 02sec.

Off to the underwater film studio's tonight for some fun with Tim....

3 Weeks and Counting Down

Quick update, training last week went really well. I stopped the Co2 & O2 tables and used crazy tables all week instead. I went to the pool on Friday and aimed at a one off, no warm up dynamic with fin performance. It's a 33mtr pool so 4 lengths would be almost P.B for me. I took my time in terms of stretching and completed a very quick crazy table at pool side which only lasted 3mins. I started at the deep end so i would end up in the shallow end and Tim my safety partner (who is coming along nicely with bi-fins at the moment) would meet me on my last length. After 99mtrs i felt really comfortable but surprised i wasn't really feeling any discomfort so popped up just short of P.B. When i surfaced i felt fresh and took a coupe of recovery breaths and felt fine. A really happy moment as this was me back on track to a fairly decent performance.

I still haven't done a max out static yet and i still haven't done a static in the water since 7mths ago, it will be interesting entering a comp without doing any wet statics but as i said when i started training again, I'm only here to get white cards this year and I'm keeping the numbers, distances and depths secondary.

Back in the Underwater Studio's on Friday where me a Tim will be doing O's & X's underwater and maybe Rubix Cube, should take the mind of the contractions!

Back 2 Work...

Well i had a great week off work but all good things come to an end, training over the week went well and the diet worked a treat. I managed to shave off just short of half a stone but i still feel strong enough unlike last year, the strength training really paid off. Co2 & O2 tables went okay throughout the week but now I'm back to work I'm struggling to find the time when i get home.

Friday i joined http://www.basildonsubaqua.com/ once again but this time in the Underwater Studios http://www.actionunderwaterstudios.com/ it is only a couple of miles down the road and although only 6mtrs deep it was great to do some long hangs at the bottom over a one hour period. I'll be back in the pool this Friday and I'm hoping for a decent DNF and DYN performance.

Due to time constraints i tried my much loved crazy tables tonight and although only managed 3mins 30sec my diaphragm felt all 3mins 30secs of the contractions! Ouch!

I've come back off the diet now as i feel one week is enough to feel the full benefits and i have the week off before the comp to go back into it once again.

Another Update....

This week has been going okay so far, no work for a week is giving me loads of time to concentrate on my training. Gym sessions in the morning are going well, i bought a power-lung so i can now throw away the straw I've been using (not the same one i hasten to add!!). The power-lung makes breathing in or out as hard as you like as its fully adjustable and i find it great to use when using the rowing machine or x trainer. After 5 mins your body feels fairly deprived of O2 and the urge to spit it out of your mouth becomes greater and greater! All fun stuff, honest.

Co2 tables look like this at the moment.....
1min initial rest
2min 30sec hold
rest for 2min
2min 30sec hold
rest for 1min 45sec
2min 30sec hold
rest for 1min 30sec and so on down to 30sec rest and into the last hold of 2min 30sec.

O2 tables look like this at the moment.....
1min initial rest
1min 15sec hold
45sec rest
1min 30 hold
45sec rest
1min 45sec hold
45sec rest
2min hold and so on up to 3min hold.

Both feel about right for now although i feel i get more out of the O2 tables? Not sure why but I've never done too many O2 tables before but they feel like they give my body more to think about. Diet is also changing now, Mrs H bought a great smoothie maker today and i had my first Carrot, Curly Kale, Banana, Cucumber, Spinach, Celery, Blueberry, Apple, Lime & Millions of nuts and crushed ice smoothie!!! Yum Yum!!! I used a high alkaline diet last year which i proved to have great results from, although I'm not going completely veggie i will be having these morning and afternoon which will hopefully give me the stuff i need to get me through.

Unfortunately the pool session for tonight was canceled but I'm off to the film studios on Friday with Basildon Sub-Aqua club which is a deep tank used for errrr films! Just going to use it for lots of FRC dives and some Co2 tolerance training.

More of the same tomorrow...

Training Update...

Quick update in my training. Work has taken over once again which has made finding the time to train hard but i have stuck with the Co2 tables. I increased them by 10secs on each hold but found that only 4 rounds was too low. Tonight i went up to 8 rounds and kept the hold times the same. I found that i didn't have so many contractions so tomorrow I'll be adding on a another 20secs to each hold. The good news is i can hit the pool on Friday with Basildon Diving Club and i also have a long weekend off work. Planning on hitting the gym on all three days, again working on O2 deprivation whilst training and double up on Co2 tables each day.

Off to the doctors tomorrow to get my Freediving medical updated, once this is done i can send off my application for the Liverpool comp.

Week 3 Training....

I'm nearly at the end of week 3 of my training for the competition. The last week has been a busy one at work, stock take, investigations, late nights and weekends, it's all work work work! I've had to keep it pretty simple and kept it to Co2 tables all week. I did manage to meet Basildon Diving Club on Friday and they agreed to me using the pool for an hour but they only train in the pool every other week. It was good to get back in the water after 6mths off. I started off with a little stretching pool side and then done some 66mtr DNF. Its a strange pool for dynamics as its 33mtrs long and has a gentle slope from 3ft in the shallow end to 12ft 6in in the deep end! Trying to stay at a constant depth throughout the discipline is hard and i usually end up bumping my head or just narrowly missing the slope as i swim back to the shallows! Big thanks to http://www.basildonsubaqua.com/ Basildon Diving Club (0356) for giving up some of their pool for me.

My BFA renewal came through today and I've booked my freediving medical for next week, so almost all set to go. AD2000 services have sponsored me for the comp so i have decided that i will do the Saturday and Sunday. Saturday is set aside for DNF only, which i have never done before and DYN/STA on Sunday which I'm hoping will go better than last year. Last year i ended up having a samba after my static and was disqualified from the comp. This year I'm pinning it back a lot and not going for a max, balls out attempt. I just need the white cards and the experience this year!

Week 1 Training Finished

There is only one person that knows the significance of two beautiful swans (you know who you are), its a long story but we all have a mental aspect to what we think of during a static breath hold and the two swans signify the number 22! Don't ask, its a long story!!

This week i have been training with Co2 & O2 tables all week, straight after a short but fast bike ride and reeled the tables off one after the other and in pretty quick succession. This was then followed by negative diaphragm exercises and then pack stretching. About two hours each evening. At the end of this week i done some strength training at the gym and also a load of cardio on the rowing machine and x trainer breathing through my beloved straw at the same time...ouch!

Today after training i completed a pretty standard Co2 table as a warm up then went straight into my first max hold in 6mths, i took 20 contractions and ended up on 4mins 11sec. Although this isn't a huge time by anyone's standards it felt okay and i was happy with it. Unfortunately Basildon Sub Aqua Club was not in the pool on Friday night, i found out they only train every other Friday. The local pool is only open till March then they all move over to the new Olympic Pool in April which would be an amazing place to train long term. Fingers crossed they accept and i can move over to the new facilities with them when the time comes.

Normal Training Resumed...

Last week i got news on the Liverpool competition which ran for the first time last year and although it was a disappointing comp for myself, it saw new National Records set and in my opinion, a new standard in comp's for the UK. It was run by Steve Millard and set in amazing facilities, the Great Northern Comp was fantastic and one i could not let pass for this year even if i have had a huge break in training.

I kick off my training on Sunday evening with a good cycle ride on my newly built bike and went straight into some Co2/O2 tables which all went okay. The hold times on these were low but gave me the contractions i needed. I then went into some negative holds followed by packing holds. All this gave my diaphragm a good stretch and my body a chance to experience almost for the first time the effects of the simple breath hold.

Tables on day two were increased by 10secs on both Co2 & O2 and followed by the same diaphragm exercises. Day three and four were also increased and tonight i was almost back to my normal tables (almost!!)

I'm off to see if i can get some pool time tomorrow night at my local pool so i can work on some dynamics, hopefully the good people of Basildon Diving Club at Gloucester Park Swimming Pool will say yes? I only have till the 13th March to prepare so i need to keep my training focused and realistic.