"Warm up with an easy four lengths then 12 x 100m (4 lengths) at a pace which is not easy but is sustainable. Rest for 30-60 secs between each. Take a drink"
It's funny that my instructions should have said "Take a drink" because only the other week I saw someone with a bottle of water at the edge of the pool and thought how ridiculous it looks to bring water to the swimming baths - it just seems very ironic - what with it being full of water and all. Then I got half way through the swim, and felt completely parched, which seemed even more ironic. This is a sort of "extreme irony" that they make into a sport, because I not only forgot this entirely, but I managed to fail to read that part of the instructions yesterday so I didn't have a drink with me today. I think I was so pleased that Sal kept the instructions to something simple enough for me to remember, that I stopped reading after "sustainable". Actually, I might have stopped after "not easy" to be honest.
Nige says he isn't coming for a run with me tomorrow, he just wants to do a short one (so Ian's in luck). That was Nigel's fault for putting these ideas into my head - I said I hadn't got a special Natural Runners shirt yet (and now I've got the shoes, I feel like I've earned the shirt) and he said, "Ask Chris, he'll give you one. A shirt, that is." Oo-er. In other news, I have asked Nige if he'd be willing to have his photograph taken for the blog, and he's agreed, excitingly. I think I'd better get Sal in here too, if she's willing to pose, as my mother said, very interesting but it was a shame she didn't really know anyone. Perhaps you'd all like to come round to tea?
Talking of tea, Heather rumbled me at tea today. She said "we only read it to see what you say about us". I hadn't realised I was so transparent. I only see how many people I can mention so I can tag them on facebook... although I read some "tips about blogging" yesterday, though, and it said "don't become a slave to the stats". So I have to not get a kick that 45 people read it. Oh, apparently it's 51 now!
So, here's another thing I learned today (from Babs. Stop it, I did). I'd been impressed at the cool-dude-ness of my Natural Running companions Dave and Nige, who looked like natural runners in their sporty red shirts last Tuesday (the day that nearly killed me - I'm kind of pleased I might be on my own tomorrow) - I remember commenting that probably what I did wrong was not wear red. Anyway, as Nige was kitted out in red tonight, I asked him what speedy activity he was off to do (cycling home), and Babs commented that red is used to ward off the evil eye (you'll find it under Latin America). I don't even need to finish this one, do I? - Apparently this is what the other runners use to avoid Sal...
So basically, the whole "Name and Shame" thing has worked rather well for the swimming - I mean, Sal clearly learned, after an entire page of description about how poorly I could follow instructions, not to do it again. Well, at least one of us learned something. She stuck with what I'm good at. And to be fair, I think it worked quite well. I'm not aware of ever having swum 48 lengths without losing count. Well, I mean 52, obviously.
Did you see how she tricked me again?
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