Four Months and Counting

Yes I'm still here and yes I am still swimming the channel in July I bet you thought I had given up, but I must admit its been a long winter.  I have managed to use every excuse in the book not to train even to the extreme measure of writing off my car when I rolled it into a ditch. 

I have always had a motivation issue in the winter,the short days and traveling to and from work in the dark leaves me wanting to do nothing except go home and sleep much to Lorraine's exasperation.  Many a time she has bit her lip and held back the sharp words I know she has wanted to say, it is through her pushing me  and the fact that spring is on its way that I am back to full training and beginning to enjoy it again.

Hey ho, moving forward it is unbelievable that there are only four more months left until my little swim across the pond.  We have started doing distances in the pool, so far I have managed to swim 8 miles but I am having problems with sickness, I get to about 7k, when the constant turning gets to me and my stomach starts to churn. 

I managed to get to 12k a couple of weeks ago when I had to get out of the pool vomit my guts up and then get back in to finish the last 800m, I can't wait to get back into the sea and just swim and at least if I have to be sick I can do it in the water and just swim on.  When I'm in the pool and I start to feel sick I begin to worry that I might be sick there and then and not manage to get out, how embarrassing would that be, worst than walking around with your knickers tucked in your skirt.  I have changed my feed and using sea bands which has helped a bit.  This week I am going to try ear plugs, just in case water is causing an inner ear imbalance whilst I am swimming.

All my paper work has arrived for the swim I have to have a medical to say that I am fit to do the swim, my GP will not sign me off until I have a cardiac consult due to my heart condition.  Cardiac echo was today and I am pleased to say everything is ok and there is no reason why I can't do the swim.  Next step back to my GP for my medical, I can then send back my documentation and I am all set officially.  I now need to start getting all my kit together and purchase the map of the channel that the pilot will mark as I make progress.  There now seems so much to do and so little time to do it in