It’s been a funny old week in the UK, and by ‘funny old’ what I actually mean is abjectly disastrous. This blog isn’t usually a platform for my political opinions, but this week comes as an exception and as politics and well-being collide I’ve found myself laying awake at night worrying, doing sun salutations to the sound of Radio 4’s Today Programme, putting on the news in the gym and talking politics while on the road with my running pals.

So before I share this week’s swim set, as I know my blog has quite an international readership, I just wanted anyone reading to know that a significant proportion of the British population is tolerant, inclusive and outward looking and that we know and value how much internationalism in the UK enriches our lives, culture, economy, skills base, workforce and communities.

I have so much more to say on the subject, but here is not the place. I just want to reiterate the point that we are a tolerant nation, and for better (and sometimes for worse), a democratic one. I think the past week has really highlighted the need for all of us in the UK to do some soul searching and to take a serious look at ourselves to try and understand how we have become a nation so divided. We need to reflect on how we got ourselves into this mess in the first place, and, in the coming weeks, months and years, we need to make a plan (something which no one appears to have felt necessary up to now), to get ourselves out.

This week as politicians have been trying to keep their heads above water, I’ve submerged mine in order to escape. This session is just 2,000m, but the sprints are killers. It took me a few attempts to get the 25m front crawl without breathing but it was pretty satisfying once I’d cracked it.

Enjoy!

Warm up
200m choice

Main set
4 x 100m IM sprinting on fly and breaststroke
30 seconds rest between sets
4 x 100m IM sprinting on back and front crawl
30 seconds rest between sets

8 x 25m front crawl no/minimal breathing
15 seconds rest between sets

200m front crawl breathing bi-lateral (either every 3 or 5 strokes)

4 x 100m sprint to easy every 25m as:
100m full stroke
100m kick
100m full stroke
100m kick
30 seconds rest between sets

Swim down
200m front crawl

Total 2,000m