This swimming lark was going, well, swimmingly until earlier this week. I began to feel a twinge in my left groin at the beginning of the session on Monday, so I took it easy and got out after 16mins and 600m. Yesterday was worse. The pain was quite bad at the end of the first lap. From then on, I tried to ease it by putting my leg in various positions for the kick. The only thing that worked (for a while) was bending the knees and kicking directly backwards instead of the classic 'frogs legs' of the breastroke. I persevered through 30 painful minutes and 800m with it not getting any worse but not getting any better either.

Once home, I took off my boots and went into my study to collect my knitting. I was a little unsteady and, on turning to leave the room, caught my right foot underneath the edge of the half-open door. The sock saved the toes from a skinnning but the middle toes are badly bruised.

It was Singing Aloud Class that night and, with the groin strain on the left and bruised toes on the right, I rolled down the street between the car park and the venue like a drunken sailor. I couldn't even do some of the physical warm-up exercises because either my foot or groin started to complain.

Apparently, groin strain is a common injury among breaststroke swimmers. Warm-up and cool-down stretches seem to be the answer, after a day or so of rest.