Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre (MSAC) proudly announces the Top of the Bay Swim Series, a four-event open water swim series that kicks off in just 3 weeks time on the 2nd of October.  Race 1 at MSAC is a novel 750m loop of the competition pool with swimmers turning 6 buoys per lap – with no wall turns whatsoever!  The slowest competitors will go first and the big guns will go last in a staggered one at a time start system based on estimated time on entry.

Like a Tour de France time trial, this will be an exciting new form of racing that is an excellent way to commence the season ahead for swimmers, triathletes and athletes of all varieties.

And some other good news, there’s free entry for MSAC Club members.

The other races in the series will be the Williamstown Life Saving Club swim on 26^th January,  followed by the South Melbourne Life Saving Club swim on 5^th February and the grand finale at the Docklands in April.  That’s right; the last race will be a dip in the Victoria  Harbour, ensuring the series is exciting and original from start to finish!

Great prizes are on offer for each age category from Speedo and Powerade with an overall Series prize from Swiss Timing.

So get online and visit www.msac.com.au for details and to enter.  A reminder that the first race is very soon on Saturday October 2^nd from 7am to 9am. Registration starts at 6.30am.

If you are not a MSAC Club Member, join today and receive;

• 15% off year-round entry
• Access to free Car parking at MSAC
• Free swim entry on October 2
• Buy an MSAC Club Membership (only $50!) with your swim registration and be entered into the draw to win an MSAC swim pass valued @ $114.

The swimming part of it is on at the Miami pool, Gold Coast, between November 12-14. It’ll be hot and sunny – perfect for strutting about in high-cut speedos with all the other elderly people and probably a good argument for allowing body-suits for any ‘athlete’ over the age of 40. Be that as it may, it’ll be fun to escape the Victorian climate, put on some togs and let wobble.

Saturday morning training has cranked up again after a bit of a break. The 4km threshold is again in place, with the aim to get a 1.5km freestyle set down to a 40sec per 50 interval. As well, subject to violent cramping, we try and bash out a few 25 sprints at the end to get the body feeling alive. Of course the odd bit of football and quizzical ‘I’ve got this strange ache in my knee/ shoulder/ ankle/ back’ chat continues between sets too.

Saturday morning swimming: MSAC outdoors (always beautifully heated) @7am

600 free &

4 x100 IM continuous, WU

30 x 50 FR, 16 @ 50sec, 10@ 45 sec, 4@ 40 sec

30 x 50 ST @ 1.00, 10 swim, 10 alt FLY/BR, 10 kick, underwater 5 and 10

Great swim from Tully – to be listed among the world’s best sprinters is a huge achievement. It’s no easy list to make! Check out this full record of all-time codger speed. The level of performance, especially in the 35 -60 age groups, is awesome.

80′s legends Matt Cosgrave and Mark Gowans, perhaps on a surge of their own to crack the 2010 list, made an appearance at last Saturday’s session. In between sets they reminisced about a long ago dream they once had of starting their own boy-band. Their appearance caused a squad population explosion to rival the one the nation is supposedly undergoing.

In other boy-band related news, Hubert has begun sporting a pair of lurid red togs to rival the famous Appleyard pair.

Saturday’s session:

600FR, 4 x100IM continuous. WARM UP

4 x 200 hyp pull @3.10

50 push FAST

4 x 100FR @ 1,25

50 push FAST

4 x 50 @40

12 x 100 alt 3 stroke drill/ 3 – 25 burst, 75 easy free @2.00

The current session du-jour involves quite a bit of short-rest hypoxic freestyle – say 5 x 200, 20 x 50 on a 45 -50 sec per 50 interval rate, breathing bilaterally at five stroke cycling. Both found this awkward at first, but now feel some good stroke corrected re-balancing of power. The inspiration for such methods was provided by the snorkel/ paddle work of the squads at MSAC methodically stroking up and down the lanes with heads still and pointed straight down towards the bottom. Slow, long freestyle swimming is an invaluable time to really concentrate on breath control and technique for this, the bread and butter stroke for practice and fitness.

As well, we’ve been mixing in some efforts and sprinting to maintain sharpness. A fun set we’ve been doing recently is 10 x 100 @ 2.00 25 burst stroke/ 75 hyp free. We have also been adding in some streamlining flipper work, doing sets of 50′s with fins kick on 60sec with every 4th or 5th staying under for the lap.

Next session is this Saturday at 7am, MSAC. We’ll be doing a small set of 200/100/50 free descending interval down to 40sec per 50.

Last year, the Harold Holt’s giant scalding hot tub (although they call it a remedial bath, or something) was a delightful pre-swim indulgence, although usually difficult to get out off. A blatant ignoring of the colored wrist band system was all you needed for some luscious stolen hot-tub time pre-swim. Alas, the Harold Holt is closed for renovations, so it’s the good old MSAC for winter swimming this year.

Hubert expertly added in a couple of 100′s free on a sneaky five seconds less interval than usual. The genius of his ploy was in reducing the amount of hundreds from ten to five. Like hiding peas in the mashed potato to ensure a proper intake of green veg, Hubert tricked the training group (comprising of one other, lets call him ‘Reggie’) into eating a faster set.

It harked back to the glory days. The days of 5am wake-up and broken pool heating in mid July. The brain would hallucinate fantasies to try and hide itself from the hideous pre-dawn truth. 15 x 400 would become 5 x 400. Then another five, followed by a ‘only five more’ reward. The flooded moldy change room, permeated by the acrid stench of sauna rock melted plastic bucket and scalded errant urine stream, would be completely blanked out and ignored pre-session. A reality too horrible to accept. Afterwards, the deceiving brain able to release its grip on fantasy and tumble the individual back into reality, would over-compensate and it became a cheerful happy place, full of high-jinks and the risk of wedgie.

So well done Hubert. For reminding Reggie of the daily hallucinations of wintery training many years ago.

Stepping up the training load by adding a regular 4k Thursday and Saturday am session is reaping benefits. We’ve added a ‘reference set’ of 10 x 100FR @ short rest interval of between 1.20 and 1.30. The aim is to complete the set with consistent pacing. Performance can then be judged over time to realise improvement and fuel motivation. We’re ready to step up the distance to 12 x 100, with a future ambition of rounding it up to 20 x 100 swimming at a fast pace with an interval that allows about five seconds rest between repeat.

It feels good to have some power behind the shoulders and to be fit enough to swim fast yet relaxed. It’s been a while!

Stroke form and technique maintenance becomes an issue without coaching. We’ve included a regular long, easy swim set of bi-lateral, hypoxic breathing -something like 5 x 200 @ 3.10 breathing every five, concentrating on arm stroke and timing.  As well, because most of us are form stroke swimmers, a usual IM/ Stroke set. Something like 6 sets of  3 x100 alt. STROKE / IM.

A reluctant Mauler’s bucks in Sydney this weekend. It kicks off with an 8am sea-swim at Bondi. I think a few of us are in danger of succumbing to an octopus attack at some stage afterwards. A full report to follow..

Outdoor distance swimming races held in seas or lakes have always been affected by cold water temperatures. Indeed, it’s the cold water that provides one of the main challenges of swimming in naturally occurring bodies of water – a test of toughness in one of the toughest endurance sports there is. An enduring vision of swimmers entered in these races is of them standing about with balled fists jammed up under their chins covered in white grease. That was then. The vision these days, like a talentless celebrity’s diet plan, is grease free.

Wetsuits are now permissible. Even in warm weather when the water temperature is bath-like. 

Lard. The fair, low-tech alternative.

Initially, there was a great reluctance to allow wetsuits because they are buoyant and assist people who are slow swimmers swim faster. The degree of assistance is greater for swimmers with poorer swimming techniques than for swimmers with better, more practiced techniques. Swimmers with poor techniques ride higher in the water and so their poorer body position doesn’t drag so much through the water. 

The great crime being committed here, however, isn’t cheating. The great crime is allowing equipment making sporting companies gain a toe-hold in the sport. There’s only so much money you can charge for goggles. Wetsuits you can fabricate and market for up to a thousand bucks.

Things have yet to settle into routine, but a few good 4k + sessions have been enjoyed. These, as well as the odd venture into the sea have kept things bubbling along for a few Maulers. 

The 2012 world masters swimming champs location has been revealed by FINA. Riccione in Italy. Superb! Wine and figs for breakfast followed by a good thrashing in your chosen event. Forte!

Piscina Aperta, Riccione, Italia. Site of the 2012 Masters World Champs