Power ON!

Sporting hero of the week has returned and what a week. Cav and Wiggo in the tour, Daley on the boards and the british track and field look ready for Berlin next month. However this weeks winner has to be Kerri-anne Payne, World 10k Open water Champion.

This post may have got the attention of the cycling fraternity however this is more swimming I am afraid. However after watching today's finish to the tour and Cav gaining his 6th victory on the tour this year and Wiggo finishing 4th, not to mention the possibility of a British team next year British Cycling hasn't looked better. I just hope to get tickets for the Velodrome in October.

I have been a good swimmer over the years improving slowly and methodically. I however never expected to make the transition from front quadrant to power on and never subconsciously keep it over such a distance as yesterdays 4k in the lake. For those not quite in the frame there are two types of swimmers

Front Quadrant: those who swim in the front with one arm recovering and pausing until the other has finished it's stroke, a catch up style (more suited to endurance swimming). This is my distinctive powerful stroke.
Power On: Constantly catching the water both arms are moving one catching whilst the other recovers (sprinters favour).

Whilst in the lake I started of the first 500m normal but after the first turn I decided to up my pace and found instead of more power through the shoulders and back I was moving my arms quicker and reduced the pause at the front end. By the time I had finish the session I was keeping up with the faster shorter distance swimmers and able to pull away from them. Not to mention I had reduced my 1000m time by over a minute on average. What are the disadvantages to this I do not know but I will say that I was able to comfortably complete 4k using this stroke in a very reasonable time without drafting of feet.

I have one more session in the lake on Monday and I will give it another go before Wednesdays Interservices.

Suit wars
Rebbecca Addlington is backing FINA's decision to ban the synthetic suits which are tumbling records by over 0.5 seconds per 100m

The LZR is a 50% polyurethane swimsuit which caused controversy in 2008 as a series of world records were set by swimmers wearing it. Since the Olympics, a second generation 100% polyurethane swimsuit has emerged, which is said to compress muscle, add extra buoyancy and provide more forward propulsion. Which makes Addlingtons Bronze today even more special as not only was it a 400m Life Time Best at 4:00:69 but also the fastest time in what is expected to be the bench mark for legal suits in 2010. Addlington was the only one wearing the old suit in today's race which was won by Federicia Pellegrini in 3:59:15 (first time a women has gone under 4 minutes). The 5 year men's 400m record set by the Thorpedo of 3:40:8 was beaten also by the new suit and now stands at 3:40:7.

I do however think that Mark Foster is right and that it is about time we returned to the time of the swimmer. Lets bring back the Speedo and Bikini. Like Foster said it's all about working the body!!