few photos

The Channel Swim from the water

Seamus is putting together a video of the day with interviews as well but that may take some time..... SO... The boat pilot, Peter Reed, left the ball in my court as to whether i should start. Basically it was choppy and not ideal and would get worse towards the end of my swim but the forecast was for worse to come this week. If i was unable to have started this week, i would have to have waited for a spare slot in September which was just not in my plans! So - i decided to get in there, give it a shot, and put an end to my mental and physical torture of the last few months! We went out in Folkestone (not recommended!) to carboload but ended up trying to find the least dodgy cafe and had to be satisfied with a small jacket potato! After 1hr of sleep my alarm went off, which was lucky as Seamus's was set for 12.40p.m. so this may never have happened! I had a routine to run through, got ready and then met the Dream Team crew and Peter (and his son little Pete)...Within no time at all we were off towards Samphire Hoe to start the swim in the pitch black (last quarter of the moon)listening to 8 mile ('if you get one chance, would you take it or let it slide')! and the Rocky 4 training montage on my ipod. Having been very nervous a few weeks ago, i felt relatively ready and relaxed now, wanting to get in and get started... After plastering some channel grease for the chaffing from salt water (lanolin and vaseline mix) and goose fat (why not? despite it not suppose to help! - thanks Epicure) over my torso, i was told to swim to shore. This took me about 10 minutes due to tides and i just kept thinking this is the wrong direction! At last i got ashore, cleared the water, raised my hands up for the whistle signifying the start of the swim. The water seemed quite warm initially after my long water acclimitisation programme from April but that soon changed! It was absolutely pitch black and apart from the boat and the stars i couldnt see anything. They could see me as i had 3 glow sticks attached as per the picture, and i was only about 4-5 metres from the boat. At this point i thought i would share the thoughts of another attempt which started around the same time as mine - Hi Everyone, Just to update you on my 4th attempt to swim the English > Channel yesterday!!! I took a serious Butt kicking!!! I don't know if anyone else has noticed besides me but this Swimming the English Channel is Kinda Hard!!! > > I jumped in the English Channel at 3:30am to begin my swim > yesterday. I swam in the dark at first and then in the light fighting > a really strong tide pushing me sideways down the Channel and Rough, > Choppy Water!!! It never let up!!! It was Tough Conditions!!! > > I still managed to swim 6 1/4 miles in 3 hrs. The only > problem was I used alot of Energy fighting that strong cross tide and > choppy Channel conditions!!3 hrs in I got seasick despite having a seasick patch on. I started throwing up and then I started getting cold and hypothermic! > My Body was shutting down!!! No choice but to abort the swim!!! I felt the same - it was choppy,which is hard when you cant see the swell. Initially i thought the seasickness was just extreme nerves but then i realised that nerves go soon after starting an event, and these were getting worse and worse for the first 3 hours - i was not well and this lead to me feeling the cold more and more !(Sea temperature at this point was 13.8degrees although rose to a max of 17.4 near France). As Charlie had told me to do, i just kept saying 'this is warm, this is warm, this is warm, lucky danny' which helped despite the demons trying to get in with you must be kidding - you are freezing up here! I was very tempted a few times to call it a day and wait for better conditions with those demons spurring me on to have a nice cup of tea with my crew on the boat and be back in bed within an hour! Such a battle but i managed to get over this dodgy spell and see an amazing red sunrise. Hours 4-8 went pretty well from what i can remember through English waters, the English Channel lane and the separation Zone. Soon after entering the French shipping lane i came across a load of jellyfish for about 30 minutes. Really pretty things when you know they are far enough away not to bother you! lots of colours and sizes. At one point i felt as though i was playing dodgems with them as i was having to actively avoid them one by one but luckily no stings. THe feeds seemed to be going well and although my shoulders were naturally tired, this was something i was expecting to have to fight through and my stroke felt strong. I had a quick couple of hours from 8-10 hrs in, helped for one by Martin who came in to swim with me, which made me feel confident as the French coast was getting larger during this. The sun stopped though to leave a massive downpour for a little while but that doesnt bother someone who cant get any wetter! I started to get some cramps in my hamstrings, calves and thighs at this point which was pretty new to me as i had hardly had any during the training. I changed stroke to breastroke for a minute each time which seemed to help... as i did when i took on too much sea water at one time! At 11 1/2 hrs i was told i had to speed up if i wanted to hit the Cap Gris Nez (shortest route - the coast drops away quickly each side to increase the distance) and from then on, i was given less food and drinks and spurred on to sprint all the time! This was never ending although the land was in sight i didnt seem to move as the currents were strong against me and the waves/swells were picking right up.It felt like i was needing to sprint for 4 hrs non stop after having swum over 11 hours.. Apparently the day started as a 4 on the wind scale, went to 3 for a few hours, then up to 5 and touched 6 towards the end(according to my crew). Here is the summary of what that means - 3 = Gentle breeze 12–19 km/h (3-5 m/s) 0.5–1 m Large wavelets. Crests begin to break; scattered whitecaps Leaves and small twigs constantly moving, light flags extended. 8–12 mph 2.5–3.5 ft 3.4–5.4 m/s 4 = Moderate breeze 20–28 km/h (6-8 m/s) 1–2 m Small waves with breaking crests. Fairly frequent whitecaps. Dust and loose paper raised. Small branches begin to move. 13–17 mph 3.5–6 ft 5.5–7.9 m/s 5 = Fresh breeze 29–38 km/h (8.1-10.6 m/s) 2–3 m Moderate waves of some length. Many whitecaps. Small amounts of spray. Branches of a moderate size move. Small trees in leaf begin to sway. 18–24 mph 6–9 ft 8.0–10.7 m/s 6 = Strong breeze 39–49 km/h (10.8-13.6 m/s) 3–4 m Long waves begin to form. White foam crests are very frequent. Some airborne spray is present. Large branches in motion. Whistling heard in overhead wires. Umbrella use becomes difficult. At the end it certainly felt like a 6 whether it was or not, and i seriously thought the pilot might call it off if i didnt make progress. I didnt follow the boat at this time as i thought the boat was being blown off course away from the headland whereas i was countering it - in reality the boat knew the tides, i didnt and wasnt thinking straight, and i was being sucked along the coast by the tides about to miss the headland.... it took all i had, and i really was running on empty for hours, singing there's no easy way out from the Rocky 4 soundtrack, to make it through and just get to the headland. French land... what a feeling! 15 hours 30 minutes officially. I was pretty emotional at a few points when Seamus was showing me large pictures of Bertie with 'come on Daddy' on etc realising how proud she would be in the future. That spurred me on a lot. I was very emotional when i had cleared the treacherous rocks to hear the finishing whistle from the observer, Steve. BUT then... i got home and turned on my phone - i have never been so emotional bar getting engaged and the day Bertie was born - due to the level of support. I had no idea. Seamus could only put a few texts up as they came in so fast and he had other 'jobs' to do and ways to motivate me. I received over 500 texts from over 100 different people with reports of at least 8 offices effectively all following my progress as well as some radio 2 listeners (as Chris Evans mentioned it - thanks Ash :)). Amazing support, and i broke down just realising, not only the size of the challenge and end to an amazing period of my life, but the level and quality of friends out there. People went out of their way for me and that meant so so much more than words can say. It is hard to thank everyone at this stage although i will aim to over the coming weeks. The initial list has to include - MY Crew, Dad and Bernard- obviously - so much hard work. I would never have made it without their support, persistence and focus. My mum for her hard work in preparing everything and all the support photos etc (she knows!)... Martin for swimming with me when times were tough. You were there to experience what i went through, the toughness of conditions, the jellies etc Seamus - for keeping track of the day, really motivating me and watching over me all the time which makes a real difference when you are in there alone. Charles - amazing levels of information and support for me in the past few months. You went well beyond helpful and i am so grateful. Other past channel swimmers - nothing is too much and it is a wonderful community to be among. Joycie - helping me with putting on weight and turning me away from my Chimp instincts when i was suffering mentally at the last hurdle of training. Shame you couldnt be there on the day. Laura,Liz, Ian for swimming with me. Martin again for training with me. Alex for taking me out on his boat and keeping an eye on me to give me some feel to choppy waters. Andy for making the effort to see me off from Samphire Hoe despite missing each other! Pilot Pete and pilot Little Pete for their friendliness, professionalism and general attitude and experience. MOST of all - my loving wife, George and daughter Bertie. I know i have had to change my life to make this a success and i aim to make up for any lost time now. She has been very tolerant of a very demanding training schedule and supportive all the time through my ups and downs. Also, for her amazing blogging on the day despite her worries... If i have missed anyone out - i will definitely add this in when i have more time to run through this and my notes made immediately afterwards. SO - no challenges for a while... I had put on exactly a stone for this challenge to counter the cold so have to lose that. Charlie Noble lost 16 lbs during his Channel swim last year so i thought losing the weight wouldnt be a challenge - so i weighed myself this morning and i have lost NO lbs - yes that is right none.. so that is my next challenge.. lose a stone! I AM A CHANNEL SWIMMER, a very exclusive club, and i am over the moon. if i can ever be of help to anyone in this endeavour, then please let me know. PICTURES include night swimming, dream team crew, i will add others and some videos later on including battered and beaten me with Seamus and little Pete at the end.. i really do look like i have been in the ring with Tyson!

THE BIG DAY

RELAYED FROM SEAMUS TO MY LOVELY WIFE ONSHORE

It was touch and go as to whether Danny would start his swim this morning as the captain of the boat did not feel that the conditions were ideal. However, they decided to go for it because if they didn't it may have been that Danny would have to wait quite a while before the next opportunity came along.

2.40am - Danny began his swim in the pitch black. Apparently it was quite a bit choppy but he was in good form.

5:00am - Still pretty choppy - Martin got in the water to join Danny for 30 mins.

7:00am - Danny is doing well - he is swapping between front crawl and breaststroke because it is hard to keep the water out of his mouth with the roughness of the sea. He is managing to eat and drink as planned. He is swimming at 48 strokes a minute.

Please keep messages of support flowing to his mobile.

9.00am - Had a text from Seamus to say that Danny is looking strong at the moment. There are big swells though and the forecast says that it is going to get rougher. He is about 1 mile from the separation zone and continues to take on lots of fuel. Seamus says that he has that familiar determined look about him that we have all seen before. Come on Danny!

10.20 - Seven hours have been and gone and Danny is still looking strong and very determined. The swell has dropped which is great although there have now been sightings of jelly fish. Obviously the crew are doing their best to point them out to Danny so they can be avoided. Martin is in the water with him at the moment and it is helping to keep him motivated. Hopefully 8 hours to go - France is definitely getting a lot closer!! - Thanks for the messages so far - they are a great help.

11.30am - Danny is clearly hurting now - it is thought that there are about 8 miles to go.- 6 hours swimming... he is still fighting hard for it.

12.00 - Danny is tiring a bit now but France is looking bigger and bigger. Martin is back in the water with him - there are still about 6 hours to go. He is currently in the french shipping lane with big tankers all around. The wind has started to pick up again but not too bad. He is managing to eat/drink well and is still in good spirits. Keep those text coming!!

12.35 - Just spoken to Seamus, Danny has apparently had a very good hour with Martin in the water. He has picked up some good mileage and everyone on the boat sound very positive that Danny is on track. Come on Danny!!!!

13:00 - Seamus just text the following "The clouds are closing in but Mr Bryson is not finished yet, this bull of a man is on the charge. Dare I say, things are looking promising"

13.40 - Poor Danny keeps getting cramp and is very tired. He must make sure that he continues to keep a steady pace otherwise he could miss the landing spot and add another couple of hours onto what is already a torturous journey. He potentially has 3 hours left if he keeps stong but if he misses the spot it could add on a good few hours.

13.50 - Danny has been swimming for 11 hours solid. It is now raining heavily but so far he is showing no signs of slowing down.

14.20 - Martin has got back in the water for another hour stint with Danny. Seamus says that everytime Martin gets in the water it really helps Danny to stay on track. Great job Martin.... They are getting nearer and nearer - hopefully not too long to go now.

NOTE - no GPS signal for last couple of hours. He is closer than he looks!

14.40 - Text from Seamus "The howling wind and relentless rain only seems to spur him on. He has picked up the pace again and going in for the kill. France is getting nearer and nearer, we can smell the baguettes from the boat!"

15.40 - Danny is tiring with every stroke and grimacing with pain but is still pushing on. The wind and the rain are still trying to push him away from the shore but still he surges on. It is very tough. Martin is going to enter the water in about 40 minutes for the last big effort to reach French soil.....

16.45 - Less than a mile to go but a very strong current is in danger of taking him past the headland to his landing point. Big swell and worrying times. Come on Danny you are so close now........

17.15 - It looks like he might just get into the headland but it is touch and go yet. Hoping one hour to go. Danny is exhausted by steady.

17.35 - Last massive surge from Danny. About half an hour until he lands on French shores - GO DANNY GO!!!!

18.00 - Sorry, but the last update was not right - Danny is still stuck in a nasty current at the moment - he is about 400m from the shore and not going anywhere at the moment as the current is too strong. Please everyone keep praying!!!


18:20 - This was the last text I got from Seamus but had the best news ever - "My god that was stressful - Danny got taken off course and ended swimming for his life. Too far away due to rocks and tides. News however is that 2 minutes ago we witnessed Danny stand on french soil. The guy is a legend, a channel conqueror, was it ever in doubt?"

MY HUSBAND IS A STAR - HE HAS JUST COMPLETED THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF HIS LIFE - YAY DANNY XXX

Total time in the water - tbc

FOLLOWING ON THE BIG DAY

GPS tracking powered by InstaMapper.com





This will hopefully plot where i am swimming through my iPhone - unless someone leaves it on shore or drops it overboard!

Training

A lot of people ask me to compare the training for this to a marathon. Having done a few marathons and mountain races etc, as well as mountain climbs, cycles, Tough Guy events, i have come to the following conclusion -

The duration of this training is about 3 times as long a lead in process as a marathon.

The intensity of the training is about 4-5 times as hard. I am swimming in a week as much as a i run for marathon training. Bear in mind i run about 4-5 times as quickly as i swim.,.,.

Swimming is less forgiving on the mind. When you run or cycle, you have changing scenery etc whereas that is not so much the case looking down into a pool/lake/sea. Thus your mind gets bored and your concentration can go as well as giving yourself more reasons to get out...

I have found here is a lot more to consider outside of the training time from acclimatising yourself to the cold, improving technique, working out how to feed in the water, chaffing/grease, logisitics, diet. The mental side of things is severely underestimated here - most successful swimmers value it at 50-75% of the challenge, and bearing in mind the physical side here, that is something. A marathon of 3-4 hrs with 1000s of people to share the experience with, perhaps an Ipod and a crowd, is a nicer option than 15-17hrs (i hope) in the water by yourself with earplugs in..

The longest run i have done during any marathon training has been 2hr 40 but usually 2hr 20 is sufficient. I have done 4 x 8hr+ swims and 1 swim of almost 9 hrs here.


OVERALL - (and i dont know whether i have done enough at this point!) - i would say the training has been 4-5 times harder for me than a marathon. I dont say that lightly but feel my months have been devoted to this (as George will testify! - sorry my extremely tolerant wife!) rather than with marathon training the training works around my life.

Deep Sea Swim

c 10 days to go - went out today with Alex on his little boat into the Solent and swam in the open deep sea. Definitely worth doing - picture of Alex and the boat. GOod points - within a few minutes didnt feel that cold and wasnt thinking about what was in the sea as i was focusing on breathing between the big swells of sea. Bad points - little niggle from my right shoulder which came and went. Note to self, remember not to touch boat as i did today - big no no, not allowed -will mean 8 months of wasted training! Definitely strains the shoulders a bit more when it is rough. Solent - 16 degrees currently. CHannel -17 degrees. BUt where is the summer?! I know the UK doesnt get much but come on, this is dire! Play the game, sun.... time to turn up for the main event soon. I have attached a video of me swimming in the open sea - 46-48 strokes per minute.. Also - a big thanks to the guru Joycie, who in the week turned me from a chimp into a human... mentally! Rational thinking - postive thinking - 75% mental apparently (not me - the ability to swim the channel) and i was wavering although happier now. Finishing up buying the last items on my long list of requirements tomorrow...

2 weeks to go

Not long to go now. Having met my boat pilot, Peter Read (who seemed really nice which is positive and had a great local cafe in Folkestone!) it seems that i will be aiming for 22nd - 24th August start date. I will be leaving between 2am - 5am in the morning so a little swimming in the dark but having done 15 minutes in the dark with Frodo the other night, i am not too worried about that now (it actually felt warmer and quite peaceful - until i swam into a fishing line and could feel the excitment from the shore as he thought he had caught a bigun!). Just keen to avoid a large party of jellies in the dark so nominating a jelly spotter with a spotlight - although i could just man up and face the music. Little girls get stung!

I have not swum in a pool since the end of April - just lakes for 2 months then the sea for the last 6 weeks. I feel lucky on this front due to location and flexibility so hope that stands me in good stead - and wander how someone working 8-6am every day actually gets the time to train for this extreme challenge...

A week ago, i did c 12 hrs over 2 days including an 8hr swim and felt physically fine but mentally drained now. Too many negative thoughts really and need to start believing more in myself having swum enough this year - c900km i think -and acclimatised to the cold. WOrking on this element and know i will have to be at my fighting best on the day to have a chance....

Also, i have received some help on the nutrition element which is good (thanks Sharmaine). Most swimmers seems to take MAXIM but i have been using Maximuscle stuff for a while before i realised this so stuck to my guns. She went through the Carb issues, hydration issues etc and i realised i need to take on more drinks and gels etc to stop the hunger. I have been feeding irregularly so every 30 mins on the big day should really help this so i am working on a proper schedule now to work with what i have been using and what my body needs over the long long term of this swim!

Over the last couple of days, i have had Billy down to swim with me. Billy the Fish (Uni nickname for drinking and swimming not because he played in a football team and was a Fish) made me realise i still have a lot to learn with swimming speed but piling on the pounds helped me fight the cold whereas the Fish struggled after a while in the cold - good to know that has worked as it has hurt over the last 4 months! I have to pace myself as going off too quickly really seems to get to me after 3-4 hrs.... Most knowledgeable people have told me not to completely taper yet - so will do another 5 hr swim this week and swim most days. Nothing much more though.

Really felt it was close today when i saw some food i got from the fridge had an expiry date after my swim! umm

Long Sea Swim

I was supposed to swim with a boat on SUnday to the Isle of Wight and back and around for 10 hrs but that was called off due a shocking weekend of weather. So i managed to rearrange a few things and swim for a tad under 9 hrs on thursday in the sea - longest swim to date, longest sea swim obviously. Strange leaving the house at 930 and not getting back until 715 with just swimming in the middle!
I am now feeling a little more confident but i always do after a long swim, only for it to evaporate after a week or so... I felt cold for the first 1hr 15 minutes again but then didnt really notice it after that which was good. I did feel starving though and dont know how people have been surviving with the food schedules they have in place for their channel swims. I just wanted a large sandwich but no one else ever seems to!!! I did get fed up of sweet drinks and gels by 8 h rs so really didnt know what i wanted bar a sandwich...

not really sure of my pace in the sea and not really sure how i am going to work it out. The swim with LIz seemed to be about 3km per hour in calmish sea waters so perhaps it is not much slower than my lake swim speed - c 56-57 minutes per KM over a long distance of 5hrs +

The massage hurt after this swim but definitely worth having.. I swum again on saturday early evening in rough conditions and a strong tide - only for 70 minutes - but it seemed to hit the muscles as i felt as though i was fighting to move in one direction...

Only c 5 weeks to go... I think i will have the least prepared team on the boat but i have time to fine tune that! My Dad wanted to know if the boat pilot would be ok for him to drop a fishing line over when he is not required to help me and then wandered if he could make a quick stop in EastEnders in Calais to pick up some duty free - why waste the journey?! unbelievable!

SEA SWIMS

So having relocated back to Bournemouth/Poole to keep my lovely wife happy, and she very much is now, the sea swimming is now regular in all conditions. The first few days, including a 2hr 5 swim with LIz (picture of calmness (sea not Liz) and picture of LIz here)were very calm. I didnt feel the cold at all despite it only being 14.5 - 15 degrees. Over the last few days i have had some rough days with winds of 15 mph and some larger waves... takes the mind off other things though when you are struggling for breath into your sore salt drenched mouth!

At the weekend - 6 weeks to go - i did a 3hr 46 swim on the saturday and a 5hr 30 swim on the sunday. No real issues although it did feel colder - not game finishing - more just uncomfortable for the first 90 minutes before my body seemed to give up and face the music. Glad i have listened to the new Foos album a few times as it is hard to keep your mind occupied and a new good music album helps with the mind and time! Up to 12 lbs heavier than the start but feeling that i need more really - a seal wouldnt be cold in Bmth sea...so.. show me the biscuits! I have a few little niggles but hopefully nothing too serious.

The channel swims have started for this year...making me more anxious by the day!


I JUST HEARD......BY THE END OF 2009, there were 828 people who had swum from England to France. Apparently more people have been in space and almost 3 times as many have summitted MT EVEREST...

Lake Windermere with a boat

I went up to Lake Windermere for a swim on the 30th June with Julie 'i have done the channel butterfly' Bradshaw. She has a boat up there and my intention was to swim 5-6 hrs with the boat. My Dad and Bernard came up to get to grips with the feeding from the boat. We went up on wednesday night, lovely weather, extremely cheap £3.79 carvery!, and an earlyish night. 10am start on thursday - 3 hrs with the boat next to me. GOod to have done that as i went far too quickly, just trying to keep up with the boat when it went ahead, so i was aching after about 31/2 hrs when it normally takes about 6 hrs to get to the same position. Note to self - ignore the boat and let the boat worry about you. So i had a feed about 3hrs in and then the took the boat back and left me swimming at about 3hr 30mins. The aim being that my Dad and Bernard walked round and gave me a drink at about 4hrs... Julie saw them in a cafe at 4.40 having coffee and said i wont have had anything for almost 2 hrs and shooed them on.... i was absolutely starving! anyway - the recovery drinks worked really well and i was absolutely fine the next day - full 750ml of Recovery and 750ml of Promax.. Good weather and good to have done that! Water Temp 16.5 degrees and really not a problem at all. Used a little of the grease fat to try it out - it stinks! Will prob give it another go on the day as i need every bit of help i can get!

Back in the Saddle

After having done my longest swimming week 2 weeks ago (52km), i had last week off, bar 2km in the baltic sea (picture to come), on a cruise. All inclusive - so my weight gain has taken off at last and i have a number of people to thank for that - Rochey, Adeleine, Pete, Saf, Dave,Simon, Nick and most of all Duncan Shooter Ace 7 milkshakes in a day Perry. Keeping up with him has now made me the heaviest i have ever been - so hopefully that will work well with fighting the cold (up 11lbs from the start).

I did a 2km swim in the Baltic with Ian Jamieson (doing an Iron Man next week - so best of luck), which was surprisingly warm. No other swimming although i did a couple of runs on the treadmill and this extra weight made it feel like i had a rucksac of bricks on my back..!

Back in the saddle since Friday which has been ok - c5km,8km, 11km back to back in the lakes. Stage 2 of the training, which was lake swimming and getting used to the cold whist putting on some weight, is coming to an end. All sea swimming from now on - stage 3. Getting used to being out there in the sea and the waves. Stage 1 was the pool and putting in the hard winter yards BTW..!

A big thank you to CHarles Noble for his ongoing help, assistance and guidance. Very much appreciated. Charles swam the channel last summer...

The problems and charity

Bar the obvious cold, boredom and aches/strains, i have come across two little issues..

Sorted now with anti histamines but i was allergic to something in the lake when in it for a long time... see rash...

And looking very silly when i come back from a long swim! - substantial goggle marks and a hat line whatever i do to avoid it - in this picture putting it up high.

My back looks as though i have caribbean heritage now!


Charity - i have to thank everyone who has been so generous in sponsoring me. I would like to give a special thanks to Eton Bridge Partners, especially Ashton Ward and John Archer, who have most generously donated £1000 to my charities. There seems to be more to come as well from other people... great news.

8 hour swim

Well - it didnt start well. Whilst getting my food and drinks sorted sorted for the day at 6am (!) i had a little Maximuscle Viper powder (energy drink) left over in the tub. SO i thought 'no harm getting ahead of the game and getting a little energy on board early' but i was in a bit of a rush and didnt let the stuff dissolve. Bad mistake. So taking in a few chunks of this powder wasnt a good idea as it reacted within a minute with my stomach contents and i manage to offer all my last 2 meal contents to the loo. As i had already eaten toast, had a coffee and taken a couple of immune tablets - not a great start!
Got down to the lakes before 7am and there was literally noone to be seen. Lake looked inviting though so got ready and got in - alone in the area for about an hour.
Notes -
Bored after an hour - named my cricket team of the last 30 year within ten minutes and then just studied underwater life! Greatest football and Rugby teams being saved for the main event! BTW - team was (and i am sure i forgot some important cricketers!) Greenidge Strauss Tendulker Ponting Lara Gilchrist Botham Khan Warne Mcgrath Holding.... lot of runs in there!

but seriously -

11/2 - 2 hrs - Shoulders started aching a little - early?
fine for a while
41/2 hrs - felt very faint and dizzy followed by very hungry. Was thinking of stopping with the dizziness but then had a large feed and it was sorted. Note - feeding every hour is not enough at this stage - needs to be 45 mins.
fine until 61/2 hrs when shoulders ached for an hour but then came out the other side which was good before stopping at 8 hrs. Averaging about 18 1/2 mins per KM during then 19 1/2 mins for the last KM..

Unlike the last time i went to the lake, i didnt feel like i was Frogger in a game of old style Frogger with the windsurfers..! Did about 30 mins breaststroke but it only seems to slow me by 30 sec every KM so not much in it really and uses different muscles so feel happy using that to change things and recover..
Note to self - over 8 hrs in the sun - factor 15 not enough!!

Longest swim to date

I did a 7 hr swim yesterday... probably covering close to 20-21km in the lakes. Cold not an issue, boredom was a little! Thanks again to Martin and Rory for helping for a couple of hrs and swimming along with me. I have been told it is likely that i will have to give it a 'burst' for an hour at some stage to make a tide window and therefore stop swimming on the spot for 3 hrs! - yesterday i gave a 1km breastroke sprint after 6hrs (as i dont think i can sprint crawl after 6 hrs!) and did 1km in 18 mins. SO the pilot needs to know the my batteries dont give out more than that!

I put on my waterproof MP3 player after 51/2 hrs to give me a boost - great invention, although not allowed on the day as i have to swim it as per Captain Webb, and he only had a hat, goggles and speedos... his equivalent would have been a brass band on the boat, with his Port (energy drink!)... 2 songs helped yesterday - 'you're the best' from Karate Kid!, and Come Back by the Foo Fighters... try them when you are in trouble exercising..

6hr swim

Did my first 6 hr swim yesterday. Felt like i was turning into a fish by the end!
Thanks to Martin and Rory for joining me for an hour or so... makes the whole thing a little easier. The temperature of the lake has increased and i found that element ok as did with the food/drinks. SHoulders ached towards the end and on and off during but nothing that would have stopped me. Very little breastroke and i know i can fall back on that should i need to. Saw some pretty big fish in the lake although i am guessing nothing compared to what could lurk in the channel - really not worth thinking about yet!! Feeling drained today like a long weekend at the Oktoberfest!
Feeding -
1hr Hot energy drink
2hr Tea and energy bar
3hr Hot energy drink and energy gel
4hr Tea and energy bar and half a marmite sandwich
5hr Hot energy drink and energy gel
No new photos yet..

4hr open water swim

Today was my first swim in open water over 4hrs. 4hrs 2mins to be exact. It felt a little cold for the first hour but then seemed to improve so by the end i could hardly feel it. Not sure why? Took on hot drinks every hour... on the real thing it will prob be every 3o mins. Frodo went in with me for his first non swimming pool dip of the year (he will be doing the odd hr with me in the channel in a wetsuit). This time he didnt wear a wetsuit so i was looking for any signs of hypothermia which is difficult with Frodo as he talks a lot of rubbish a lot of the time (' i could be a professional golfer - i just think i may not be able to handle the pressure'(handicap c 24!)) BUt after 37 mins he had pins and needles in his feet and was cold so got out to keep warm... but i did appreciate the help as it is always nicer to have someone with you for some of the time. Lovely lovely day, with amazing views of the snowy mountains one side, grassy fields on 2 sides and a rocky mountain on the other - beautiful. Temperature - 18 degrees - so similar to the channel. Went through ups and downs of aching then not, but never really felt tired or too cold which was positive. BUT... there were no waves, it wasnt dark at all, and the fish in there would generally fit in a fishtank :)

what is it with the French?!

It must be a personality defect in the genes. Nature or nuture, i am still trying to work it out. Now before i begin this post, i must stress that i know some lovely French people (sylvie, karine, Jules, Alan, etc) but ....

Swimming pool etiquette - what is it with not wanting to let anyone pass you even if they are doing a lazy sunday backstroke and someone else (me) is doing crawl twice as fast...? Getting to the end of a length knowing i am right behind and pushing off immediately to stay ahead.. I havent found this problem in the UK but find it all the time in France. Some people know of the mad woman in the pool as well....
another story..!


Fishermen - had a huge tirade of abuse from 2 fishermen in the lake the other day. A lake which is used by everyone for many things, but they had decided that their fishing took priority and i shouldnt put their fish off!? FOr those who know me, you can imagine i gave back at least twice as much as i was given then just ignored them.

At the moment, i seem to get nervous each day, sometimes about the swims i know i need to do, but usually about the channel - usually the cold, dark and jellyfish. The distance isnt something which is really worrying me at the moment... surprisingly! I have a long swim tomorrow in the cold water - really hoping i handle it ok as that will give me a lot of confidence (or take it away). I bought some Anti-jellyfish sun lotion today.... apparently works on 'most' jellyfish and has a secret formula including plankton?!?! I guess they are working on the fact that out of every 1000 swimmers in the med, 1 will get stung but if all 1000 buy, they will get 999 good stories and one bad?!! anyway - i must give it a go! Although the channel grease (basically vaseline) doesnt work on the cold at all (a myth that everyone seems to now believe), it apparently can help a little with Jellyfish stings as well.

Touch wood - no real injuries yet, just feeling tired as i am increasing the distance.

The cold!

Just as i was starting to feel a little more confident, i went for a swim in Lake Passy nr Chamonix which was 16-17 degrees (not far off the Channel temp in August). I felt cold during most of the swim and started shivering at about 1hr 20 and eventually got out at 1hr 40mins. Went back again today and managed 2hrs and felt less cold/no shivering. The acclimitisation is a real worry although i am trying to add a few layers of fat on to counter this (thanks to the guys for helping out during 3 man over the last 2 weekends!). I think from now on, swimming in the cold is a must to try and get used to it, although the expletives dont seem to stop when i first enter the water no matter how many times i go in. Nothing on Google to help apart from get in the cold water more or wear a wetsuit (thanks - not allowed). This will be my biggest week of training so far as i should do more than 41km of swimming, mostly in cold water. I had a dog jump in the water after me today which i thought was quite sweet as most dogs turn round after about 5m but this one was still chasing me after about 30m and closing which made me put my head down for a sprint. NOt sure what would happen if you met an inquisitive dog 30 m out in a lake but didnt really want to find out...!
Thanks to those who have already helped me out - Obviously George and Bertie, Dave Joyce the sports science guru, Frodo and Laura for swimming with me, Martin Shyvers for helping on a weights programme, Julie Bradshaw for her input and Charles Noble for general info and help.

First Sea Swim

SO on the 14th April i decided to face the music and try the sea for the first time at Bournemouth. I managed to rope Laura into swimming with me in a wetsuit and we lasted 26 minutes or so. Laura's hands had turned purple and frozen although i seemed to be relatively ok which was good. 10 degrees in the sea that day!
Definitely an eye opener with the waves and how it throws the easy breathing of the pool but just another hurdle! Warmed up in Bill and Carol's beach hut with a cup of tea at the end - very much appreciated.

Food

The cold is a big issue for the channel swim with a number of people suffering from Hypothermia, so putting on weight is a big bonus. That might sound good to some of you but it is not as easy as it sounds with the training counteracting - i know - diddums.. Heard a few days ago that someone attempting the swim in July has put on 2 stone since Xmas with 'active' eating. I have managed 1 lb so far despite 2 cakes a day, Bertie's proper butter, cheese with everything etc... really have to focus on this going forward! Got a week's all inclusive work trip with Duncan in June and he assures me that will do the job - just keep up with him...

First Cold water

After a few months of monotonous swimming up and down lanes in a pool, and having to put up with an evil French witch trying to scupper the routine, i ventured down to Lake Passy nr Chamonix at the end of March for a tester... 11.5 degrees.

I dont think one person who saw me, didnt stop, point and basically think i was mad. I felt it. George and Bertie were there to help me if i froze although i am not sure who i would have had more faith in saving me in cold water! It hurt for about 1 minute then amazingly, like a beer coat late on a cold saturday night, it felt relatively ok, although i could feel the ice chill. Then my wrist joint froze, like arthritis i am guessing, and after only 12 minutes i had to stop as swimming with one hand is not the easiest in open cold water! Got out to rethink and face the music another day!

Went down again on 1st April. Water still only 12 degrees and managed to stay in for 28 minutes this time and swim c 1.5km. Could hear all the 'bravos' whilst i was in there and came out of the water to clapping! Again, i had the least qualified life saving team with me :) although the warm tea, cake and towel at the end were
invaluable.