Today is a cycling day. And a swimming day. I think I have just done my first duathlon. Well, sort of. I got up to a foggy morning and thought twice about whether cycling was the best plan, but then I remembered how the fog had cleared about ten minutes after I would have set off the last couple of times it was foggy and decided it would probably be OK. However, by the time I got to the swimming pool, it had not cleared much at all. I had all my lights on, though, so it turned out alright.
On my cycle to the pool this morning I encountered something I haven't encountered for years and years. It is no secret that I am not a stick insect type of girl and, while I would (like lots of people) like to lose a few pounds, I'd rather be fit, happy and not skinny than starve myself, be skinny and miserable - I don't want to get into a debate about this, it's my choice about how I lead my life. However, this morning, a pedestrian decided that my outlook was all wrong and shouted something very abusive from the side of the road about my non-stick insect like frame being clad in Lycra. In my teenage years, or even my twenties, I probably would have been very upset by this and it would have knocked my confidence significantly. However, this morning I was aware enough of the "gentleman" in question to notice that (a) he wasn't a stick insect either, (b) he was, prior to shouting at me, shouting at someone down the phone, (c) he was smoking, (d) he had a really, really bad suit on (with a not quite done up tie and his top shirt button undone), (e) he looked like he hadn't been to bed, (f) he looked and sounded like he was drunk, at 7.45 a.m. and (g) I was the one doing the fitness activity, not him. I was not upset by his abusive comment. I just pitied him. What a sad individual.
Not long after I had passed this most valuable member of society, I got to the point where I had to go a different way from usual to get to the pool. I managed not to end up in Walthamstow by mistake this time, but I did have to walk the bike a short distance because of building works on the route. My total cycle this morning (including the bit from the pool to work) was 9.01km, bringing my total cycling distance so far to 44.09km.
In the pool, I scanned in with my membership card for the first time (this was clearly more exciting than it ought to have been) and then set off to get ready. I was slightly apprehensive about swimming after cycling, but I needn't have been - I was much better warmed up than usual and my swimming was pretty good, both from a technique perspective and in terms of speed and recovery. After four lengths of warm-up, I took myself off to the medium lane on the far side of the pool (much quieter than the one next to the slow lane) and did four sets of three lengths of front crawl, followed by four individual lengths. My recovery times between sets are really starting to come down now, but by the final set of three lengths I was getting a bit tired and my form started to go a bit. That said, if you'd told me a few weeks ago that I would be swimming 480m of front crawl in one session without too much bother, I wouldn't have believed you! After a couple of lengths of breaststroke as a cool down, I was off to get changed back into my cycling gear. In total, I swam 660m this morning, bringing my swimming total up to 3.18km.
Because I was cycling, I had to pack really light this morning. I decided it was all experimental and I would be able to learn what did and didn't work from the experience. My plan was that because I would be cycling from the pool to work, there would be no point in showering at the pool and, therefore, I would take a shower once I got to the office (plus the shower in the office is much nicer than the swimming pool one!) In my wisdom, I decided that I probably didn't need a towel, either, because I would be wearing my swimming hat, so my hair wouldn't be too wet (based on Monday's experience) and I have a towel at work already. Although this turned out alright in the end, I probably could have done with at least a very small towel - maybe even just a dry washcloth - as I had significant issues getting my cycling gear back on with my slightly damp skin, in particular the crop top style sports bra I had decided to wear this morning. It's one of those that just pulls on over the head, but with my damp skin, it rolled up as I put it on and I got horribly stuck. I was torn between battling on, putting on my ordinary underwear that I'd brought for work and taking that drastic and embarrassing step of asking someone else in the (communal) changing room for help. Thankfully, after much wriggling and cursing, I freed my left arm sufficiently to get the thing on and all was well.
I was sitting at my desk, showered and dressed (obviously - the alternative would be a bit too weird), about 15 minutes before I usually would be on a swimming day, even though I left the house at the same time and had an extra change of clothes because of choosing to have my shower in the office. The only problem I have now is that I have to cycle home as I'll need my bike over the weekend! If you'd like to sponsor my cycle home, the button to donate to Marie Curie Cancer Care via Justgiving is at the top right of the page!
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