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
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