Laminar,
Hi, the reason for sticking with the mask, rightly or wrongly, is that if I'm physically able, I'd like to see how deep I can get (meaning 150+), but I stress, if I'm physically (and probably mentally) able. This is such a huge task for someone so new (and not a naturally comfortable person in water), that I'm using the 'train hard, fight easy' approach. The theory, (again it may not be right), is that if I can get to 90 or 100 with a mask, and THEN start using goggles, I'll get a performance boost just at the point where plateau's in progress may become harder to work through. I'm using experience from other sports. After the steep and rapid learning curve that one gets initially, there is a plateau in improvement (that's where most people decide they 'can't' or are 'not a natural' at a sport). By working through it, you progress again (usually at a slower rate), then hit another. As this continues, the progress deminishes, and the plateau's become longer and more frequent. For many sportspeople it wears them down, and it all blurrs into one big stale period. They get depressed, demotivated, and start finding reasons, and making excuses not to train...they self saboutage. The person who succeeds is the person who finds ways through this later period. Most people believe that it's just time, but this only works sometimes. People who succeed with the 'just keep doing it the same way' approach, usually do the right things by default, often without knowing. There are many techniques I use to overcome these challenges (just having been through them before is a great help), and it's different for each person. One of them is to make the training when you are still improving, uncharacteristically hard. This has the effect of making the next plateau much easier to work through. Another way is to constantly seek the advice, and observe those who've already achieved what you want to achieve, or are nearer to it, or have knowledge of it. They will have already found ways around the limiting factors. With that in mind I'm extremely grateful to all of you who are offering advice. In some sports people keep it all to themselves. This sharing attitude is very refreshing, thanks
Sorry for the long winded explaination
