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!