Triathlon Training - First week

• First session, Wednesday evening with Tri Club coach. He wants to see how I swim front crawl, this should be funny. Remember I use to do swimming club when I was young. Well backstroke was always my favourite so I have a reasonable backstroke going on. Breaststroke is not bad, could be better, could be faster. Front crawl - appalling. I am all over the place and absolutely can't put my head under the water and do the breathing thing that is kinda vital to front crawl. Well at least I warned him, and at least I am not the only one in the beginners coaching lane.

• This man works miracles, in one lesson I am swimming in the correct posture (which feels completely different to what I was doing before) and I swim over 3/4 of a length doing the head under the water thing. Amazing. By the end of the lesson I realise I have never swam like that, I want to cry I hurt so much, and so tired, and actually feel like I am going to be sick. Next day my upper arms and stomach muscles hurt sooooo much. Ouch. The coach emails me a training programme and tells me I need to do 3 sessions a week.

• Second session, the following Monday I go to the pool for lane swimming armed with my goggles, orange juice/water mixture and training plan. I do the warm up thing, upper arms start to hurt immediately, the head under the water thing is hard and hurts. I won't give up though, it's only my 2nd session I will persevere. Especially when the life guard comes over to me and says how when she saw me at the Tri Clube last week she was 'thrilled to see a normal person there rather than all these athletic types'. I think she was trying to be nice and supportive!!!!! I'll show her I'll be almost an athletic type soon enough. I carry on with the drill session and manage to do most of my lengths the proper way only having to stop to catch my breath a couple of times. I am impressing myself here, working hard and can see the improvement for myself. Then doom. I think I have overdone, pushed myslef too hard. I am actually nearly sick. I skip the next section and do my cool down and leave. Slightly disappointed I couldn't do the whole thing but I did go solid for 45 minutes and it's probably best not to be sick in the water. Am completely shattered and want to go to bed by 1930. Legs and upper arms hurt. Back in the pool Wednesday.

• Wednesday - rained off. Thunderstorms mean the semi enclosed pool closes early.
• Thursday - ditto. Boo to storms when you want to swim.