I finished a fairly gruelling but surprisingly achievable 6 hour swim on Saturday in Dover Harbour. First three hours were fairly cold as Dover seemed to be the only place in the entire country that was covered in cloud and therefore not benefitting from the 'hottest weekend of the year so far'.
The last three hours were done under a complete blue sky though which is amazingly good for the morale as well as marginally helpful in warming the sea up. Unfortunately the sea decided to roughen up just as the sun made an appearance with a good 1-2ft chop on the surface. This made for some interesting swimming and my first bout of seasickness whilst swimming. Needless to say a number of other swimmers decided to take a wide berth !!
Felt OK at the end and was quite comfortable driving home other than a bit of shoulder pain caused by my lopsided stroke that comes out when I get tired. 10 hour boat swim is all booked for the 19th July. Need to get my shoulder fixed by a physio before then !
Monday, 28 June 2010
Friday, 18 June 2010
Urgh...I feel sick
Am having to eat constantly (it feels like it !) in order to try and put some weight on at the moment. After a fairly testing 5 hour swim in Dover harbour last weekend I have decided that I need the one and a half stone I lost back on my body to insulate me from the cold a little bit !
Current order of the day is:-
Breakfast #1 - Protein shake and energy bar after morning swim
Breakfast #2 - Bowl of cereal when I get to the office
Breakfast #3 - Another bowl of cereal at about 10.30
Lunch - Huge bowl of pasta and 300-500g of fish
Mid afternoon - Bowl of cereal
Pre-supper snack - toast or yet more cereal
Supper - Good sized plate and then a Magnum (or two !)
Putting weight on sounds like a dream task but actually you spend a lot of time feeling nauseously full and not particularly enjoying what you are eating. Will be worth it in the end though !
Current order of the day is:-
Breakfast #1 - Protein shake and energy bar after morning swim
Breakfast #2 - Bowl of cereal when I get to the office
Breakfast #3 - Another bowl of cereal at about 10.30
Lunch - Huge bowl of pasta and 300-500g of fish
Mid afternoon - Bowl of cereal
Pre-supper snack - toast or yet more cereal
Supper - Good sized plate and then a Magnum (or two !)
Putting weight on sounds like a dream task but actually you spend a lot of time feeling nauseously full and not particularly enjoying what you are eating. Will be worth it in the end though !
Monday, 7 June 2010
Sea training in Dover
Have now completed my second weekend of sea training in Dover Harbour. These are organised sessions that are run by the infamous Freda Streeter (mother of Alison Streeter who has swum the channel 43 times !!!).
It's an early start to be down in Dover by 8.30 but several cups of tea and an easy journey round the M25 later, I made it to the beach last Sunday (BH weekend). My longest sea swim up until that point had been 20 minutes and as I made my way into the throng of people who were getting ready, I heard someone say that the swim today would be 3 hours. As I got in line to be 'greased up' (small amount of Vaseline under the arms to stop chaffing) it seemed that I hadn't been hearing things.
My fears were confirmed when the briefing was given. Out for 2 hours, swim to the shore for a quick feed (in the water) and then back out for another hour. Urgh !
We waded into the water with some trepidation and the phrase 'in for a penny, in for a pound' went through my head as I dived into the 12 degree water - after all, I could always get out after 30 minutes if I wanted to and then work up to a longer time next week.
I had an ice cream headache for the first 10 minutes but once I got going and the numbness kicked in it actually became relatively comfortable. I settled into my stroke and sprinted for a hundred metres or so if I got too cold which seemed to be quite an effective technique.
I refused to look at my watch until I had swum up the harbour and then turned around. As I trod water and said hello to some of the other swimmers at the sea wall I checked the time and realised I had been in for 45 minutes ! Things were going well and I was going to do this - no problem.
After just over two hours I came in for a feed and was given a beaker of warm apple juice and three Jelly Babies. This was most welcome for the warmth and for the change of taste in my mouth which was extremely salty by this point. You feed on your stomach floating on the edge of the beach and then throw the cup back to the fantastic volunteers who help out every weekend.
I carried on for another hour (feeling a little cooler as time went by !) but was rewarded with the site of a WW2 Hurricane doing circuits of the harbour a few hundred feet over our head. They (along with some Naval vessels in the harbour) were doing some practice for the Dunkirk commemoration. My Grandfather was a Hurricane pilot during the Battle of Britain and I felt immense pride as I carried on with the final hour of my swim. As a generation we often forget the hardships and sacrifices of those before us - suddenly being a bit chilly doing a swim of my own free will seemed rather minute in comparison.
When I eventually got out I was fine for about 10 minutes and then some rather uncontrollable shivers kicked in for about 15 minutes. I eventually got myself warmed up in the car with the heater blowing on full blast and drove back home via a petrol station where I demolished a pastie, a muffing, a sausage roll, a bottle of fruit juice and a cup of tea. Needless to say I needed a kip when I got back (thank you Tania !)
Since then I also swam down in Dover again last Saturday (5th June) but this time it was for three and a half hours on a much sunnier day. Bizarrely it actually felt a little colder, but the same technique of sprinting for a bit when I got cold seemed to work well. It also seemed to have an effect when I finished as I only shivered gently for 10 minutes (having downed a thermos of tea which no doubt helped !!!)
Until next time...
It's an early start to be down in Dover by 8.30 but several cups of tea and an easy journey round the M25 later, I made it to the beach last Sunday (BH weekend). My longest sea swim up until that point had been 20 minutes and as I made my way into the throng of people who were getting ready, I heard someone say that the swim today would be 3 hours. As I got in line to be 'greased up' (small amount of Vaseline under the arms to stop chaffing) it seemed that I hadn't been hearing things.
My fears were confirmed when the briefing was given. Out for 2 hours, swim to the shore for a quick feed (in the water) and then back out for another hour. Urgh !
We waded into the water with some trepidation and the phrase 'in for a penny, in for a pound' went through my head as I dived into the 12 degree water - after all, I could always get out after 30 minutes if I wanted to and then work up to a longer time next week.
I had an ice cream headache for the first 10 minutes but once I got going and the numbness kicked in it actually became relatively comfortable. I settled into my stroke and sprinted for a hundred metres or so if I got too cold which seemed to be quite an effective technique.
I refused to look at my watch until I had swum up the harbour and then turned around. As I trod water and said hello to some of the other swimmers at the sea wall I checked the time and realised I had been in for 45 minutes ! Things were going well and I was going to do this - no problem.
After just over two hours I came in for a feed and was given a beaker of warm apple juice and three Jelly Babies. This was most welcome for the warmth and for the change of taste in my mouth which was extremely salty by this point. You feed on your stomach floating on the edge of the beach and then throw the cup back to the fantastic volunteers who help out every weekend.
I carried on for another hour (feeling a little cooler as time went by !) but was rewarded with the site of a WW2 Hurricane doing circuits of the harbour a few hundred feet over our head. They (along with some Naval vessels in the harbour) were doing some practice for the Dunkirk commemoration. My Grandfather was a Hurricane pilot during the Battle of Britain and I felt immense pride as I carried on with the final hour of my swim. As a generation we often forget the hardships and sacrifices of those before us - suddenly being a bit chilly doing a swim of my own free will seemed rather minute in comparison.
When I eventually got out I was fine for about 10 minutes and then some rather uncontrollable shivers kicked in for about 15 minutes. I eventually got myself warmed up in the car with the heater blowing on full blast and drove back home via a petrol station where I demolished a pastie, a muffing, a sausage roll, a bottle of fruit juice and a cup of tea. Needless to say I needed a kip when I got back (thank you Tania !)
Since then I also swam down in Dover again last Saturday (5th June) but this time it was for three and a half hours on a much sunnier day. Bizarrely it actually felt a little colder, but the same technique of sprinting for a bit when I got cold seemed to work well. It also seemed to have an effect when I finished as I only shivered gently for 10 minutes (having downed a thermos of tea which no doubt helped !!!)
Until next time...
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
The Lido, the glitch and the swimrobe
Training continues to go really well with two sea swims last week of 20 minutes each. Water temperature was 10 degrees or so with the first swim being in a millpond flat sea in Worthing with the second being in a very rough sea down in Cornwall (6 foot breakers !) which was great practice for swimming with a swell. The best tip is to try and get your stroke working at a rate that matches the pulses of the waves - takes about 10 minutes to get into the swing of it, until your wedding ring flies off that is...
...yes that's right, the combination of a big wave, cold fingers and a good dose of bad luck caused my wedding ring to fly off into a murky sea down in Cornwall. I tried to stand still and feel for it with my feet but I was already in 4 foot water and about 30 seconds after starting my search a 6 foot wave came my way and I had no option but to duck it. This obviously resulted in me being washed a fair distance any thus eliminated any chance of me finding it again. Yet again my fantastic wife has been more than understanding about the whole thing - a true star !
Pool training has also improved significantly now with the opening of a brand new 50m pool in Guildford at the Surrey Sports Park as well as the annual re-opening of the 50m outdoor pool at the Guildford Lido. The latter is great for helping me to get used to that different sensation of outdoor swimming (plus is nice and chilly especially with a good wind blowing across the water !!!).
The surroundings are great and remind you very clearly of the Lido's 1930's roots. Doing my best to get changed in one of those poolside wooden cubicles with a cold wind blowing around me I was reminded of the pool my brother and I used to swim in when we were stationed in Hong Kong. Very similar feel to the place (but a little warmer in HK obviously !!!) that made me think back to the swimming robe (my special name for what was effectively a dressing gown) that had all my ASA swimming badges sown on to it by my mother. I can still remember doing my 50m badge to this day. Funny how things can progress...
...yes that's right, the combination of a big wave, cold fingers and a good dose of bad luck caused my wedding ring to fly off into a murky sea down in Cornwall. I tried to stand still and feel for it with my feet but I was already in 4 foot water and about 30 seconds after starting my search a 6 foot wave came my way and I had no option but to duck it. This obviously resulted in me being washed a fair distance any thus eliminated any chance of me finding it again. Yet again my fantastic wife has been more than understanding about the whole thing - a true star !
Pool training has also improved significantly now with the opening of a brand new 50m pool in Guildford at the Surrey Sports Park as well as the annual re-opening of the 50m outdoor pool at the Guildford Lido. The latter is great for helping me to get used to that different sensation of outdoor swimming (plus is nice and chilly especially with a good wind blowing across the water !!!).
The surroundings are great and remind you very clearly of the Lido's 1930's roots. Doing my best to get changed in one of those poolside wooden cubicles with a cold wind blowing around me I was reminded of the pool my brother and I used to swim in when we were stationed in Hong Kong. Very similar feel to the place (but a little warmer in HK obviously !!!) that made me think back to the swimming robe (my special name for what was effectively a dressing gown) that had all my ASA swimming badges sown on to it by my mother. I can still remember doing my 50m badge to this day. Funny how things can progress...
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Fundraising video now up and running
Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlmWx6iqbmI to see more. Happy viewing and thank you for your sponsorship !
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Second sea swim completed !
Another cold dip in the sea last weekend but this time a bit further East near Newhaven in East Sussex. It felt even colder than the first time round but that may well be down to the warmer air temperature (unfortunately I didn't have my little boy's bath thermometer with me this time !).
Managed a good 11 minutes of numbing swimming at a good pace before I got out. The tide was high so I had a relatively steep pebble bank to contend with on my exit. This sounds easier than it was, especially when you take into account the fact I was almost falling over witih dizziness from the cold and the blood rushing back from my shoulders and arms to my legs.
After a few weeks disruption to my training schedule I am feeling as confident as ever on this mad adventure. Seeing the Wissant Sands to the west of Calais from the ferry last week helped me really visualise that moment when I will walk out of the sea into France (I was one of the many trying to make their way back from the continent - seeing the landing point was a silver lining to the ash cloud though).
Fundraising effort will be launched this weekend and the Guildford outdoor 50m pool is opening next week as well. Off training now, so until next time...
Managed a good 11 minutes of numbing swimming at a good pace before I got out. The tide was high so I had a relatively steep pebble bank to contend with on my exit. This sounds easier than it was, especially when you take into account the fact I was almost falling over witih dizziness from the cold and the blood rushing back from my shoulders and arms to my legs.
After a few weeks disruption to my training schedule I am feeling as confident as ever on this mad adventure. Seeing the Wissant Sands to the west of Calais from the ferry last week helped me really visualise that moment when I will walk out of the sea into France (I was one of the many trying to make their way back from the continent - seeing the landing point was a silver lining to the ash cloud though).
Fundraising effort will be launched this weekend and the Guildford outdoor 50m pool is opening next week as well. Off training now, so until next time...
Monday, 29 March 2010
First sea swim completed !!!
In case you were in any doubt, the English Channel is quite cold in March - just below 8 degrees to be precise ! Even so, I managed to brave the water for my target 10 minutes and then ran back to my coach (and thick North Face coat) in record time across the sand. It took me a good 30 minutes to warm back up again, but I felt great during the swim and afterwards. The hardest part is getting your face in the water which is painful to start with but OK once the numbness kicks in.
Whilst standing on the beach in nothing but Speedos and a swim cap, I did think (not for the first time) that I am a little mad to be doing this, but the thought of the numerous messages of support from all of you and the opportunity to raise such a large amount of money motivated me to head out to sea.
You may be sad to know that the technology let us down on the video footage side so there is only a quick clip of me pre-swim, but I will post this on the website in the next few days so you can get a feel for what it was like on the day. Pretty desolate is how I would describe the view from the water !!
Thanks again for the support. Please do keep it coming and spread the word around your friends as my official fundraising starts soon !
Whilst standing on the beach in nothing but Speedos and a swim cap, I did think (not for the first time) that I am a little mad to be doing this, but the thought of the numerous messages of support from all of you and the opportunity to raise such a large amount of money motivated me to head out to sea.
You may be sad to know that the technology let us down on the video footage side so there is only a quick clip of me pre-swim, but I will post this on the website in the next few days so you can get a feel for what it was like on the day. Pretty desolate is how I would describe the view from the water !!
Thanks again for the support. Please do keep it coming and spread the word around your friends as my official fundraising starts soon !
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