Report on swimclub session #9….. and The Grand National

Still no teacher at swimclub, she is recovering after being knocked off her bike by a silly car driver who didn’t realise how fast bikes can go……. get better soon Nic! We did however welcome new member Orlando to swimclub today.

We all managed to arrive at the same time today for a change, despite Orlando’s unscheduled detour to the wifi hotspots of Teddington; he only accepts the sunny ones with somewhere to sit down.

Danny got straight down to business and set off on his 64 lengths to match last week’s effort. Sharon did quite a few lengths but made sure not to peak too early as she has a big race tomorrow. Orlando turned out to be not too bad at swimming, and very good at stopping for a chat at the end of each length! David also has a big race tomorrow but he and I needed to put in some serious triathlon training.

After a 10 length warm up we timed ourselves over 16 lengths, the distance of the triathlon swim. Having both predicted 12 minutes, he finished in 10 and a half and I manged 11 and a half, so it was nice to know we’re not quite as rubbish as we thought.

We then decided to practice the foot-tapping thing, just in case a miracle happened and we need to overtake someone. My first couple of practices on Danny nearly caused both of us to drown due to my lack of technique, his extremely ticklish feet and the fact that it made me laugh while my head was underwater. David didn’t have much success either – he practiced with Sharon who promptly invented a new signal to demonstrate your wish to overtake someone – trying to pull their shorts down. However after a few more goes (thank you to our ‘volunteers’) we soon got the hang of it.

So, swimming over we returned to the cluubhouse where we branched out from the traditional cake and had some fishfinger sandwiches. Plus malteser cake. And Easter eggs.

By the time Danny arrived back from his mammoth swim it was time for the annual trip to the bookies to place our bets on The Grand National. Sharon stayed outside waving her animal rights placard, while the rest of us made good use of the idiot-proof betting slips provided specially for  idiots such as ourselves. Orlando still needed help understanding his, although his ‘close your eyes and pick a winner’ strategy proved to be successful….

By the time we’d wandered back via the Sweatshop and the ice cream place it was time for the race. A shambolic start, they really need to take some tips from bptt, but a very exciting race. Well, some people got excited, jumping up and down shouting and screaming at the tv, I obviously remained completely calm throughout the entire proceedings, even when I discovered I had made a 400% return on my bet!

Orlando and I took a wheelbarrow back to the bookies to collect out winnings, and everyone went home.