I am now just over one week away from the start of my channel swim slot, am I ready I would love to say a resounding YES but in truth I have no idea. My training has been sporadic because of my work. I am a ward manager for a private hospital so it is not a 9 til 5 job. Last week I went to work at 07.30am and left at 16.00 the next day managed to get a few hours sleep. Although I may not know if I am ready I have no doubt that I will complete.
A couple of weeks ago I went to Dover harbour to complete my 6 hour qualifying swim, my husband Roger came along to support me with my feeding and Nick a fellow swimmer came to swim and be my official observer.
The moment I got in the water I convinced myself it was not happening the water felt freezing and over the next hour and a half I was convincing myself that I would not be able to complete. Then something strange happened I started to think of reasons why I should continue. Nick had taken the day off work to observe, Roger had come down on his day off to support me and the car was loaded with everything I would need to complete. So I decided to kick hard to try and warm up a bit but to no avail, at the end of the second hour I had decided to give up, I was swimming in to shore when I saw Roger waiting on the beech looking cold with my first feed in his hands, I came in to the beech took my feed drank it turned and got back into the sea gave him my instructions for the next feed as I did. I am still not sure what made me do it but I was really glad I did as I went on to completed by six hours.
I wouldn't say it was easy I had pains in my back and groin from the cold and, I felt sick but I had done it. I wish I could say when I got out of the water I felt elated but I didn't all that was going through my mind was if I felt this bad after 6 hours how was I going to be able to last 14. I got to the car dressed and was promptly sick all over the road but I felt better. The week before I had been sick in the sea which was a first for me and a huge learning curve on how not to be sick in the sea. My worry did eventually turn to glee when Roger later told me that the sea temps had been between 12 and 13 degrees at Dover that day not bad I was quite proud of myself.
We spent a weekend at Dover when I was hoping to complete a six and seven hour swim back to back, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Unfortunately Saturdays was a bust not sure why I was just unable to complete I managed to get to four hours and then got out and sat on the beech crying (bloody women).
Sunday dawned to the sound of the fog horn quite a dense fog had rolled in over night, initially I was hoping that the swim would be cancelled but as the membership rules state "reasons for not swimming NONE". Tentatively we got into the sea just able to see the shore. So many things can make or break a swim its difficult to say why one day you fail and the next achieve. I completed my 6 hours and felt really strong cold was a bit of an issue but not as bad as the previous 6 hour swim, shoulder only started to hurt at the 5 hour mark which is excellent so I know I have to take pain killers every five hours whilst I am swimming. But the best indicator possible for me is that my last 1k was only 1 minute slower than my first 1k how good is that. So on that statistic I now feel really positive that this challenge is mine.
Unfortunately I have been a poorly bunny recently, hot weather, bad food, too much salt water who knows, but I am feeling better now, would have swum tonight but not sure about swimming in a lightning storm.
I should be in my tapering down mode at the moment but as Lorraine my coach said recently I haven't tapered up yet so will just carry on until I get the call.
