Hi Everyone,
It feels like Sydney is pretty empty at the moment with many people travelling to the Northern Hemisphere, making up for lost time after the closed borders of the last couple of years. This coupled with people being away with flu, colds and the dreaded COVID has seen a few of our swimmers missing in action. However, it’s great to see some of our regular swimmers returning to training. Caroline, Ghassan, Kanya and most recently, Barbara have all returned to the pool and training. Well back!
I was asked this week, how long it takes to get your swimming fitness back after a long hiatus from training. The rule of thumb is for every week you’re away, it takes two weeks to return to the level of fitness you had before you left. The important thing to remember is you’re back and you’re swimming! Your swim fitness will eventually return.
Speaking of getting back into training; I was reflecting today on my lack of commitment to my own personal swim training. I’ve recently had a lot on my plate, taking care of my aged mother, and shepherding our squad and swim school out of two years of lockdowns and pandemic. I’m sure you’d agree, it’s now time for me to get back into my own training! But in order for that to happen, I need a swim goal, or a series of goals leading up to a hairy, audacious goal. Is anyone else feeling like you are missing a swim goal or a destination swim? Unfortunately I struggle to commit to a training unless I have something to train for. So I will be spending the next couple of weeks working on my own personal swim plan for the season. If you’re in the same boat and need a hand working out yours, feel free to reach out. I’m happy to assist you.
As you will see further down in the newsletter, I’m returning to the pool deck at the end of August to coach Tuesday morning squads and also Saturday SwimFit sessions. Yes, unfortunately, Jelena is leaving us to embark on the trip of lifetime for nine months.
You’ll also see we have a special referral offer to encourage new swimmers to come and join us in spring to get their swimming in tip top shape for summer. So if you have a friend or family member who you think could be keen, please send them the details.
You would have received a notification that our fees are increasing marginally from 15th August. Like many businesses our costs have gone up over the past few months and we’re not able to absorb them, sadly. If you’d like to purchase at the current rates, jump online to MindBody before the middle of the month and pick up your multi pass or renew your autopay at the current rates.
We have a couple of swimmers registered for some great swims this month. I’d like to wish Michael McKelvie all the very best for his Bosphorus Swim in Turkey. His commitment to his training through winter has been incredibly impressive. Also, Kim Cook is over in the UK competing in a number of swims. She has already completed the Henley Royal Regatta Course, 2km swim (which is held at dawn) and the Jubilee River 10km swim, where she came in 12th out of 27 females. She still has the Thames Marathon and the Windermere swims to complete. Amazing stuff. We wish her the very best of luck for the remaining swims too.
Finally, the recent warmer weather has given us a taste of what lies ahead – spring and summer. I think it’s fair to say it’s been a pretty cold winter, which has been made even worse by the wet weather. I for one, can’t wait for the warmer weather and plenty more swimming!
As always, yours in swimming,
Kari Baynes
Director
Photo: Jelena watching over her SwimFit swimmers at C+P Pool. PC: Kari Baynes
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