Ady Brown 1 Way Windermere

I first met Adrian at the BLDSA Champion of Champions Event in June this year. We had previously communicated on social media, where it became apparent we have similar occupations. Having ascertained his ambitions to swim the English Channel, I suggested he complete a Windermere swim as a learning experience, especially for the benefits of deep water feeding and dealing with water disturbed by passing vessels.

To that end, today 2 Sept 2015, for the third time in third time in 5 days I departed home at 4am (with Charlie)  to escort Ady on his 10.5 mile swim..the data below provides the basic details..videos of this Gent of a man to follow within 24 hours.

Zoe Sadler 1 Way Windermere

When Zoe Sadler asked if I was available to crew for her Loch Lomond swim I obviously jumped at the chance and offered to help. The reasons were multiple, I have long since admired Zoe as an accomplished marathon swimmer, It would be an ideal opportunity to 'recce' the Loch and perhaps the biggest reason..she is a such a nice individual to be around and she makes me laugh!

Sadly due to circumstances beyond her control the Loch Lomond swim never happened (mainly weather) so, when she asked for a last minute escorted swim on Windermere I was delighted to assist and to be honest, flattered to be asked.

For the second time in 3 days I (Charlie and I) left home at 4am to drive across Country for todays (31 August 2015) swim.

The details are below with actual footage videos to follow

We took a slightly different route to normal but only appear to have saved 14 metres on Saturdays swim !

A change of direction (Windermere #6)

2015 is one of those years with no major swimming goals as such, I had entered a few events but I just more or less wanted to keep involved and not let slip too much. The BLDSA Champion of Champions was the biggest training day so far this year and the 10km at Ellerton the largest session.

Therefore a Windermere swim would be a reasonable challenge.

With the exception of the 2 Way Windermere swim, all my other encounters with the lake have started at Fell Foot at the South end of the lake, as is standard with the BLDSA event, part of the reason being the prevalent winds for the UK being southwesterly.

Having completed 4 previous one ways and piloted/escorted several more from the same location, I decided on this occasion to start at The North. This would provide slightly more of a mental challenge. That said, I generally find the crossover in the northern basin from Bass Rock to Ambleside the toughest part of each swim, partly due to fatigue, partly due to conditions later in the day. So physically it may or may not be easier. I would soon know.

There would be one more additional change to the tried and tested routine. At 5:45am two of the crew (Gavin and Charlie) would head to Bowness, load the boat (we always us Electric day hire boat from Shepherds) and get ready to set sail. The final crew member (Jason) would taxi me to Ambleside where I would begin the swim alone, after an hour or so the boat should have located me around two miles into the swim.

I appreciate some would say that is a silly idea, however, I am relatively well experienced, there is zero boat traffic this early on a morning, I was using a tow float to aid their locating of me, and as stated I am very familiar with the lake.

The plan worked like a dream, bang on the hour I was joined by the boat at 7:08am, took the first feed (maxim/cnp and summer fruits) right on schedule and started the routine of swim-feed-swim-feed.

The water felt ok, I was still wearing my Suunto watch despite intending to hand it to the crew at the first feed, initially this was a good thing as being a bit of a control freak, at a mid stroke glance or at a feed I could keep myself up to date with progress. I found this information quite inspiring up to a point which I will come to soon.

From Jason's notes I can see I had a stroke rate of 62spm, I opted to go straight to 30 minute feeds after the first hour.

This went well for a few hours I had a combination of coffee and maxim with an occasional solid (jelly babies/half a croissant). Though as usual the maxim/cnp did not really agree with my stomach.

At 9:22 mid stroke in single word per breath conversation I requested some pain killers due to a blinding headache, I was suffering some nasty pain above my right eye, which kind of took me out of the groove. I took the meds at the next feed (6th) and tried to swam on. I then stopped to adjust my cap and goggles attempting to get some relief from the now distracting painful headache.

Around 10:40 I took the 8th feed and also complained of pain in the hip flexors and quads (a regular problem in fresh water!) I had fully expected this. I was still keeping an eye on the distance covered via the Suunto watch which at this feed was reading 13.6km.

I was happy in the knowledge that I had a mere 3km give or take and the one way would be 'in the bag', it has been said many times that ('mentally you only put enough fuel in the tank for the journey)  meaning for example if you plan to swim 10km by 9 you will be flagging and at 10 you have given all you have got.

By 11:38 and the 11th feed I noticed the watch at 16.4km and commented to the crew words to the effect of " we should be there by now"

Suffice to say from here to Fell Foot slipway felt like an age ! The final reading being 17.68km. I am not sure if this is the route (which looks excellent in my opinion) or more likely a GPS error/blip which has been known previously in training. Whatever it is, I have learnt to hand over the watch in future.

To summarise I was and am happy with another Windermere swim in 5hours 58 minutes, not a PB, but over 10 miles is a good training swim all the same.

Thankyou as always to my awesome team, Gav for piloting again, Charlie for feeding all day and Jason (Mr Reliable) for updating social media and never taking his eye off me for the entire swim.

I fancy something longer before the season is out!?

P.S. I also need to sort those fingers out (photo above)..no wonder it aches today

Windermere No.6 (preview)

More of a write up once I receive the details from the crew.

Are you a Giver or a Taker ?

That's the swim season pretty much over, except for a trip to Buttermere later this year to swim once more where it all began. (Amanda you are coming too!)

At times it feels like we have virtually never been away from The Lake District. At the outset I should take this opportunity to thank Charlie who has never complained, not even once when asked if he was happy to help others achieve their dreams or support other peoples business interests. Despite having had my fingers burnt, on the most part it has been entirely satisfying, fulfilling even emotional at times.

•Windermere with Charlie to pilot for one of Amanda's 6 hour swims (kick start her EC Solo prep.)
•Coniston with Charlie for my BLDSA 5 miler
•Ullswater with Charlie to paddle a 7 mile BLDSA event (for Phil Yorke)
•Derwentwater with Charlie to paddle a 5 mile BLDSA event (for Phil Yorke)
•Windermere with Charlie to Pilot for Kathryn's One Way
•Windermere with Charlie for my latest One Way
•Windermere with Jason to Pilot for Gavin's One Way

I am a firm believer regarding the importance of giving back to the sport whenever we can. Swims at all ends of the spectrum are officially recorded as 'Solo' however they are without doubt always a team effort. Not just the main events but our build up and training, which can sometimes be years in the making.

We should never lose sight of, nor neglect to be grateful for the unsung volunteers who give their time to support, be it in, on or around the water. Financially assisting us to achieve our dreams or remaining at home taking care of loved ones.

Personally speaking I get a real buzz witnessing like minded people achieve what they once considered the impossible.

So if you can, give a little back. It feels good.... I promise. and above all......

Interview with EC swimmer Amanda Bell Part 4 of 4

continued..

AB " I did consider stopping and asking them, but I'm not so sure I would have started again once I stopped, so I just kept swimming and swimming, the next thing was seeing the rib (rigid inflatable boat used for escorting the swimmer when the water is too shallow for larger vessel) coming off the rear of the boat which made me give a little YAY !! And then even though it came off the back it just sat there, at the other side of the boat, occasionally I would slip behind the boat and again I would see the rib. I'm not sure if this was deliberate from Eddie, I suspect it was, in order to give me a boost, then I would find myself at the front thinking YES The boat is stopping now it's getting really close, then we would go through the whole cycle again. With every stroke I took I was longing for the boat to go away, so that it was just me and the rib. I could see the vague outline of land ahead, but it was so dark I couldn't tell if it was really close or far away. It remained like that until such time as the rib crew said "That's it, you are there" it didn't change in appearance at all. I still had no idea how long, so I swam on and then I more or less bumped into sand. I was there. I had done it.

MR " How did you feel?"
AB " It was a real anti climax, I know this sounds really negative but it wasn't at all how I had envisaged it would be. Nothing like what had been going through my head for hours and hours. You know when you see videos of people in daylight, with lots of cheers and arms held aloft, it was nothing like that. It was pitch black. I couldn't see anything aside from a small light on the rib, and light further off on Anastasia. So I stood up, on the beach, alone, raised my arms in the air and said Yaay (spoken in a very soft unassuming lonely manner) pretty much to myself. I didn't look for pebbles it was pointless in the dark on a sandy beach. I just felt relieved. I suppose inside I was chuffed I had done it, it hadn't really sunk in."

MR " Did you cry"
AB " No, I just go back in, I wanted to get back to the boat and get dressed. I wouldn't get in the rib, there was no way, you know what I am like, there was only one boat I was getting on. So I swam back to boat and whilst doing so swam into the biggest almighty jelly I had encountered all day. It was so large and hard I thought my hand had hit the rib. I received a mild sting and made it back to the boat. I climbed aboard where everyone was fussing. I was grateful though I was still capable of getting dressed. We sat and chatted for a while. My priority was to let those closest to me hear the news in particular the children. The crew retired to the bunks so I got wrapped up and stayed on deck and rested til we arrived back in Dover. I felt better than at the end of the 2 way Windermere, no banging headache and there had been no vomiting. I pretty much stuck to the maxim and it wasn't a problem "

MR " Awesome, is there anything you would like to add"

AB "Yes absolutely, there are many people to thank. Firstly, thank you Mark for taking the time to interview me and write about my swim. Much appreciated! The many people who have helped and supported me along the way. I couldn't have done it without the support from lots of other swimmers not least Adam Walker for his technique sessions and Nick Adams for the Eton Camp. The many others for training with me, and of course Freda Streeter and the Dover beach crew. Mark Sheridan and his family for their hospitality. The kind words of support and understanding from all family & friends.



To my colleagues at work and for all the support and efforts of the pupils at OLSB. I thank you all. 

Thanks also to my Pilot Eddie Spelling his crew on Anastasia, along with my crew on board, Johanna Barkwith, Barbara Brown, Kathryn Ayre & John Mace. Ground control, that's you Mark, you were not only a great support during the swim but a major part of the build up and part of the inspiration in the first place, even though you won't like me saying that and probably won't include it. I want it in! Also to Charlie your son for giving up his days off to crew for miss in the water! (Amanda is Charlie's science teacher)

To Georgina for being incredibly courageous during exceptionally difficult times. An inspiration to all.

Final thanks has to go to my ever supportive children, Joe, Adam and Emma. They are simply awesome!"


MR " Amanda I am sure I speak for many many people, when I say congratulations, I am very proud, thank-you for you honesty. I am certain you have inspired lots of people, not only swimmers but everyday folk who think they are having a bad day. Thankyou for allowing me to part of your journey"

It is only right to include The Justgiving page to close.

Windermere ..The Fifth

I am writing this post from my sick bed having contracted leptospirosis from swimming in the River Tees, more about that at another time.

A little history on my relationship with Windermere to start with.
I first swam in England's longest lake (10.5 miles from Fell Foot to Ambleside ) in September 2007 on a Swim Trek lakes weekender (recommended if you are new to open water swimming)  these swims were pretty short and I blogged them back in the day. After this short trip I made many visits with KGB and swam numerous times usually around the north end of the lake in the vicinity of Seamew Crag.

August 2010: my first 1 Way Windermere 5h 58m during which I suffered like a dog from approximately 8 miles with motion sickness and general fatigue. My feeds were far too complicated.

July 2011: second 1 Way Windermere with Joe Hunter (EC 2011) a few days after his Seaton Carew mind numbing 6 hour swim, lots of messing around and back stroke due to Joe being very fatigued. Was still very nauseous on conclusion. 6h 42m.

August 2011: 2 Way Windermere 13h 50m first length in around 6 hours but again suffered like a dog this time from around 17 miles. This was a very tough day at the office ! though I was delighted to complete the swim and proves to be my longest swim to date.

That's pretty much the history, so having taken more or less 18 months away from Open Water, this year I needed a target (without one I don't make the effort to train) On an earlier post I mentioned the build up training being somewhat lacking, however I was of the belief I had enough miles in my body to get me through a six hour swim.

Midday on Tuesday 5th August 2014 (a significant date for Amanda Bell !) Charlie and I headed across to Langdale Chase where we had arranged to spend the night. We spent the afternoon and late late evening monitoring Amanda's Channel Swim and updated her swim page where possible. It was almost midnight by the time we managed to get to bed, I needed to rest with an early start and longish swim ahead. My mind was racing after the days activity, this coupled with some pre swim nerves led to very little sleep.

In what felt like the blink of an eye it was time to force down some breakfast. Gavin Wild (Pilot for the day) had arrived and before we knew it, the boat was loaded and the journey in the little electric boat to the start at Fell Foot was underway with Charlie at the helm. This takes around 65 minutes so plenty of time to brief the crew regarding navigation and feeds.

The swim started at  0846 in pretty poor weather, Gav started the stopwatch and I began to swim the most direct line through the moored yachts at Fell Foot, whilst Charlie and Gav took the easier route into open space. Before long the heavens opened for what seemed like a lifetime. The heavy rain flattened the water, though it did nothing for visibility or the comfort of my crew. The noise was quite weird, I actually thought it was hailstones as the bombs hit my back.

The initial plan in terms of feeding was take have 300mls of CPN (same as maxim pure maltodextrin but reportedly easier to stomach) every 45 mins, before too long I spoke mid stroke to Charlie and said "feed on the hour" as is normal at the start of a longish swim my mind was racing, I was already doing the maths and didn't want to waste to much time feeding. 

At the second feed (2 hours) we were just about level with Storrs Temple. I remember drinking as quick as possible and saying to Gav "Don't get pushed right" at this point I knew exactly where we were and what the next sighting point was around Ferry Nab.

The weather had started to improve in that the torrential rain had turned to showers, part of the roofing in the boat was removed occasionally though I could see the flag alpha fully aloft as the wind began to build.

Before the next feed we negotiate the rear of the stationary chain ferry (the start and finish point of my 2 way swim in 2011) again the boat/crew took the safest route through the shallows and I cut the corners in the most direct route swimmable, I was still clear in the head and was hoping to keep time to a minimum. 

Somewhere around 'The Lillies' I took the third feed, and glanced ahead to the newer jetty at Bass Rock where the cross over would begin, I asked to drop to 45 minute feeds from now and began to swim on. Mentally this was the toughest part of the day, it felt like it was taking an eternity to make up some distance, I fed again before the cross over at which point the fun began.

The weather had improved again in that the sun was almost always present, however the wind coupled with the lack of exposure away from the lakes western side made swimming conditions a little tougher. I told. Charlie "next feed in 30 minutes" the intention being to swim hard and attempt to get about a mile of the crossover over with whilst I still had some energy. I was getting the thumbs up from the crew and was aware that my stroke rate had picked up. 30 mins soon passed at which point pilot Gav said words to the effect of 'keep that up and we will break 5hours 30' my reply was a simple "NO CHANCE" in hindsight I had probably swam a little to hard and I began to pay the price.

From a physical standpoint, this point to Holme Crag were by far the toughest, due to the wind and the swell from passing steamers I had to distance myself from the boat, failure to do so just meant I was getting some rebound from the boat adding to the difficulty, another couple of short feeds I could see Langdale followed by Low Wood, we were being pushed into the bay slightly but I was very aware of the visual target at Holme Crag. The boat swapped sides and again I took the shortest route, passing the rock I gave the crew a wave and my spirits lifted knowing the end was in sight. I tried to sprint the remainder of the course passing the YHA and into Waterhead and the jetties. 

  

The watch stopped and it was all over, I was delighted for a number of reasons.

There was no sickness

I had completed the swim on little training comparative to other years.

I had achieved a personal best by 12 minutes in not exactly perfect conditions.

Most of all MY CREW WERE AWESOME.

Massive thanks to Gav for Piloting, I will be doing the same for you in less than a month, and to my top crew mate and feeder Charlie Rob.

Charlie piloted us back to the boat hire place after which it was straight to Langdale to see Thomas and Claire for tea and medals !

In closing I believe I can still reduce my time by around another 10 minutes, if you fancy this swim its easy to organise and relatively cheap compared to some of the big marathon swims, the electric boat allows for a little comfort for your support team, they don't have to row and become fatigued therefore they can concentrate on the needs of the swimmer, granted the boat is not rapid in the event of an emergency (though you are never more than an hour from Bowness) but that is the only downside and I wouldn't expect anyone to start without some experience.

eau de chlorine

Its that time of year when the open water swims are drawing short if not to a close, with it the unwilling re attendance at the grotty swimming pool with the hideous chemicals and associated tedium. Whilst we are attempting to maintain a weekly swim in the sea, the pool will slowly take over and the distances increased on a weekly basis probably til around April/May next year.

Actually last week I managed to squeeze in three swims at Seaton Carew, twice with Channel Swimmer Joe, and once with the girls all of whom made it to the buoy...congratulations and welcome to our little club!!
The water is holding steady around 11-12c though the sea state changes by the day.

My first real pool session was last Thursday (17 Nov) with the familiar 5500m descending ladder, ie 1000, 900, 800 etc. down to 100. I like to use this session as a gauge or benchmark as to my fitness level. I was pleased to see I haven't lost too much yet this year. I just need to be sensible on the build up in order to avoid any overuse injuries. Other than that Charlie and I have been getting in the school pool each Sunday for some drills with Chris Pearson (he swam Windermere 1 way with me back in 2010) hopefully we can continue this til at least Christmas.

There you have the latest update...Im off to meet Batman at Seaton today in the fog...should be fun..brrrrr

Ellerton Eeeek

Yesterday (July 14th) I returned to Ellerton Lake with Chris Pearson and three Tri girls , they were all clad in rubber and thought it highly amusing that I should be swimming near naked, despite the lake being 67 degrees F. We had an excellent interval session, again I managed to talk them into shedding the rubber for the final five minutes. Much to their amazement they enjoyed the freedom . I told them if they swim me then that is a condition to which they must sign up!! If you want a giggle click on the link above.

We were only in the water 70 minutes but the quality was good, we experienced a thunder storm at one point which was strange though the lake itself remained glassy flat.

Today I returned to the Lake with Charlie in his new wetsuit, he was terrified but I am delighted that he eventually summoned the courage to jump from the jetty (twice) and joined me in the water, its a great start so I just hope he fancies returning some time soon.

A very relieved Charlie..a little cold, a little scared and not impressed. Well done Charlie,believe in yourself x

Charlie and Luke

Last weekend..8th, 9th, 10th May.. Charlie and his swim buddie Luke Myers (both 9 years old)again took to the water for the benefit of others, on this occasion they were swimming to raise funds for the Prostate Cancer Charity..on each of the days they swam 50 laps of the 33 metre pool at Billingham. At the same time Lukes dad Tim rode the English coast to coast cycle ride.
To date they have raised almost £5000 on their justgiving page.

An article appeared in a local newspaper yesterday you can see it here. I will post the photographs once we get the copyright sorted. Suffice to say they did a great job and we are very proud of their efforts. Well done boys.

Itchy feet

Like many other swimmers I am a member of a couple of forums, the Channel Swimmers email group and a UK based online swim club. I must say the increasing talk of open water swimming is really making me want to get in there. I just need a couple more good pool sessions under my belt (now that the back spasm has sorted itself out) and I will be ready to take the plunge again.

Other news.. I am really enjoying coaching the kids at two local pools and have had some excellent feedback from several parents, the involvement mainly came about through frustration at : A) the poor advice given to some of the young ones and B) the clear lack of enjoyment being had by almost all of them. It was obvious that most of the children were attending because they had to ie their parents insisted and were having zero pleasure.

I have tried to introduce lots of drills to the sessions with plenty of variety, providing they work hard on the drills we get to have some laughs at the end of the sessions with fun relays and alternative learning...I am delighted the different approach seems to be working with most especially Charlie, Luke, Christian and Liam. That said if you have any ideas to keep sessions fun for kids please leave a comment or email me.

edit: Charlie and Luke are to be involved in a sponsor weekend for Prostate Cancer research, 3 swims 3 consecutive days in a 33 metre pool ..more details at
http://www.justgiving.com/severfieldcyclists
I am certain that one of the girls who attends the sessions (I will save her the embarrassment by not naming her) is a born Channel Swimmer, she is only about 10 years old but has such natural economical technique.. hopefully I can get her and her parents interested, maybe in a Cross Channel Relay in a few years, before she finds beer and boys!

Stockton ASC

Last evening (Wednesday 18th March 2009) Our local swimming club held a night of sponsored swims, the monies raised being donated to CLIC Sargent (Caring for Children living with Cancer) whilst it is not Neuroblastoma, we were delighted the kids agreed to give it their best shot. KGBs daughter Lottie, who until recently was terrified of water and is yet to recieve her 25 metre certificate, let alone breach the 'deep end in the big pool' swam a brilliant 26 lengths covering 700 metres!

Charlie swam too and despite being tired after his first 50 lengths continued after a brief rest and completed 70 lengths (1750m) ...fantastic effort by both of the little people am sure you will agree. Making us very proud of their determination to swim for the benefit of others less fortunate. Well done and thankyou to all who signed their forms.

Its been a while

Its been a little while since the blog received any attention so I figured an update was required, firstly a few thank you’s to those who have continued to offer advice and support and to the 20,000 plus visitors the blog has welcomed since its inception.

The facility to donate online to the J-A-C-K foundation ends this Saturday 14th February 2009, a massive thank you to all those who have generously put their hands deep into their pockets. To date, together we have donated in excess of £3500 some way from the dream of £10k however as the swim did not materialise I am still happy. The downside being the dreadful news that Jack Brown has relapsed into the grips of Neuroblastoma. He and his family are in our thoughts and prayers at this difficult.

The English Channel still eats away at me on a daily basis, though it has taken second place to other more pressing matters. I have a long term plan which might be revealed in good time or maybe it will be kept under wraps.!

I will recommence my open water swims when we get rid of this snow, I thought we were safe this morning only to be engulfed by yet more at lunchtime, great news for the kids though who seem to be having a great time. Speaking of open water - The BLDSA seem to be dragging their heels as far as entries for Coniston and Windermere go, I joined their organisation so it should just be a matter of time before I can commit.

Charlie continues to swim well with the local club at Stockton, with whom I am hoping to complete my level one coaching course sometime this year. Even my Dad (at 74) who taught me to swim all those years ago has joined Total Fitness so he can swim a couple of times a week. Top man.


p.s. if you are looking for something to read...try Sir Ranulph Fiennes...Mad Bad and Dangerous to Know...brilliant..I give it 5 stars you would be surprised how relevant it is to Channel Swimming

once upon a time

I have been telling the story over and over at work regarding my predicament and the weather putting a stop to me swimming last week at the beginning of the neap tide. I do still so want to swim The English Channel, very much so. I am determined to tackle it one day when the time is right. The fact is, I believe I owe it to Charlie to spend next summer at home or on holiday with him, not spending every penny we have chasing my dreams year in year out.

I did get some very generous help from my friends and family but the fact remains that I missed my annual holiday with my best buddy. I have promised that next year we will not sacrifice our week away, even if it means we spend it in Switzerland at Lake Zurich! Sorry Kell ...

I still have a number of people to inform of the events but I am feeling a little better knowing it was completely out of my hands, I feel a weight lift once I have made it clear that their donations have not been breached in any way. And that one day I will return......think I better buy a ticket for the euro millions !!

Its looking reasonable for Windermere swim, maybe Thursday 25th Sept..will keep you posted.

1 Million Metres...

This is my final week of preparations before the beginning of the window of tides for my swim. I don’t think I can effect my fitness in a positive way now, its just a case of eating well, resting between shifts, checking the administration side of things and keeping up the acclimatisation by frequent dips in the sea (I swam yesterday evening (Sunday3rd August) and again at lunchtime today in the North Sea) nothing severe just relaxing swims at around 14 and half degrees C, which is good as it is around 17 mid Channel now. The lifeguards at Seaton were in attendance and they handed me a good luck card…I was touched thank you.

I had a nice chat with Enda Kennedy this morning who has already arrived in Dover ahead of his swim. There seems to be lots of people on this tide besides Enda and myself there is Kevin Murphy, Megan Turner, Maggie Kidd, Vasanti and Rob to name a few… those are just the ones I know of but there are many more, who like me, are no doubt watching the weather and the long range forecasts trying to predict when the conditions may improve. I realise it is pointless ME checking the weather but its hard to resist. When all is said and done it will be the pilot who will decide if and when the time is right.

I am becoming increasingly anxious and excited at the same time, ideally I will not be Dover for the whole week as I will miss Charlie terribly, that said it is hopefully a once in a life time mission. One that will raise lots of pennies for the charity and one that has been on my mind everyday for years. One that Charlie may well get a taste for too in the future. Even though he strongly suggests otherwise at the moment!

Other concerns as well as being homesick will be the waiting around that all Channel swimmers experience, the worry of my support crew arriving on time bearing in mind some of them have a 7 hour drive to contend with minimal warning, can I handle the cold water for maybe 14 hours plus especially the cold water washed up from the depths by passing ships, marine life?…I have read some scary stories of certain things accompanying swimmers across the Dover Straits, seasickness for both me and the crew, and of course will my body hold out.

It is a mammoth task, I don’t think I could have done a lot more by way of training, today’s training swim pushed my total distance since the Ironman last July over 1 million metres.

I was telling a colleague yesterday (who has finished IMAustria a couple of times) that nothing compares to swimming in cold water, no amount of pool work can prepare you for the pain of all kinds you have to deal with in the sea, physically its easier doing and Ironman triathlon in say 12 hours than swimming for six hours in a cold choppy Dover Harbour.

No one said it was going to be easy and it certainly hasn’t been, however the real work and pain is yet to come.

No time now for anything but positive thoughts.

August has arrived

Not a lot has happened this week, the times I haven’t been working I have had some fun with Charlie during his school holidays, we have been to the cinema, played a stack of football and attended an awards ceremony at work, where as a result of the press coverage for an unconnected matter we had our pictures published in a local rag and managed to get The Swim and The Jack Foundation a mention.

Training wise I have had an easy week kind of forced upon me by other commitments, but at least it allowed my body to recover, to be honest I felt physically better after the 7 and 6 hours swims than after 3 or 4 hours? Maybe it was the sunshine at the weekend that lifted our spirits and made it all seem a little easier. I am glad to say the sunburn on my legs has calmed down…lesson learnt there.

Went to Seaton today about 5pm for an hour, was easy enough but boring being alone with no real route to swim, the tide was very high and the temperature on my watch said 58F, somewhat cooler than Dover Harbour. Sandettie Lightship shows the temperature mid channel hitting 64F. I am hoping to get a longer swim tomorrow after work again, weather permitting, as we have had almost constant rain and some wind for days now.

I have formulated my equipment and packing lists for the boat, as well as a number of questions I want to run by Andy King before I leave home on Friday. The plan is for me to be in Dover Friday afternoon, where I will await the go ahead of the swimmer in first slot. KGB and subsequently Dave Neal will then follow me down ready for the big day.

More news in a day or so regarding my feelings, needs, and fears. Thank you again for all those who continue to support the swim and the Charity, please spread the word and help me in the fight against Nueroblastoma.

Dover2 ...Friday the 13th

It was around 8am, as Charlie and I chatted as we prepared for school, I was telling him about ‘Friday The 13th’ and how some people have a phobia about the date, we agreed that there was nothing to worry about and that just as many people see 13 as a lucky number. I dropped him at the school gates, got my hug and kiss and he wished me well for my trip to Dover.

I returned home, loaded the car and before too long KGB and I were on our way. Around one hundred miles from home, I received a text message asking me to call Charlie’s mum, eventually I managed to get hold of her, only to be told that Charlie had hurt himself playing football at school and was enroute to hospital in a great deal of pain. X-rays revealed that he had broken his forearm and that he would require surgery to correct it. I was racked with guilt that I wasn’t there to hold his hand and be a good Dad, it was bad enough that I was going to be away for Fathers day let alone this. He was in good hands with his mum and I was told to continue my journey to Dover but to keep in touch.

Continuing onto Dover, we had arranged to meet with Joni Storer who was attending for the BLDSA Champion of Champions event. We arrived at Hubert House much earlier than last week after a relatively easy 6 hours or so, Jenni had a surprise for us, as she led us to the Georgian Suite, it was very very nice. Eventually Joni arrived, we showed him the harbour, the statues and off course The White Horse Pub.

We then returned to Hubert House in order to eat at the Bistro, where to our surprise Ned Dension and Eddie Irwine were seated and eating, it was great to see them again after Sandycove, (they too were in town for the BLDSA race) we had a good chat and laughed a lot especially at Ned’s dietary advice of “its doesn’t matter if it takes your fancy or not, just eat it!” This kind of encouraged me to sink a few more calories just prior to getting into bed in the form of mullerice and fortisip.

Next morning usual business of forcing down porridge, bananas, coffee, maxim etc before heading to the harbour to see Freda. The others headed to the West end of the harbour as the boot camp swimmers were greased up by Barrie, we all gathered around Freda as she announced the timings for each swimmer, it was at this point that she publicly informed Barrie that he was to “TAKE NO CRAP, THIS IS MARK ROBSON, HE IS DOING 5 HOURS NO MATTER WHAT!” I said a few words to Megan, Chris and Sam and headed off for my swim, entering the water again at 9am, the temperature felt much the same as last week though the weather in general was much nicer, with the sun breaking out from the clouds throughout the day, I had no shoulder pain, I was mentally in the correct frame of mind and enjoyed my first two hours before the first feed. We were restricted in our swim area due to part of the harbour being taken up by The Champion of Champions, that, together with several sailing boats and the odd ferry made for a rather busy place to be.
During the first few hours in particular I was desperate to get some news about Charlie and my mind started to drift to thoughts of him laying in a hospital bed. After the feed at two hours, feeds then take place on the hour, and consist of a small plastic cup of warm maxim with maybe a chocolate roll or milky way, it was really nice to see Kelly running knee deep into the water to hand out the drinks, she looked like she was having fun with Barrie and Sam. I remember coming in at four hours and seeing the delight on Kelly’s face as she knew I was entering new territory time wise in the open water, I said to her “Just one more hour and then I must phone Char.” Also around this time my hips began to cause me some pain which became more and more uncomfortable as time went on, I found that I was almost unable to kick which meant I began to cool off a little, I told myself that in less than an hour I would be in a steaming hot bath! At last the 5 hour point arrived by which time I was getting cold and my hips felt like they had completely locked up! It was then as I lay in the shallows that I noticed Freda had approached the waters edge, she asked me to do an additional hour for my qualifier swim, I took some ibuprofen from Sam and tried to set off toward the Prince of Wales Pier, within 5 minutes I knew it wasn’t possible today, I should have had the tablets hours ago, and now I was cold, I returned to the beach and got out. I had no regrets at all though I do wish I could have done it for Freda.

I almost see her as my Dover Mother. I find it quite moving how this community on swimmers beach are so desperate for people to achieve success, they offer their time and experience free of charge week in week out, they are a top class group of individuals who together form a unique team. I had an excellent recovery and was warm in no time at all, I called Charlie to find that he was going to theatre any minute, I was again sad that I wasn’t home. Soon I was cleaned up, we returned to the beach, offered Ned the use of the car to recover from his second swim of the day and had time to watch their final race. We had a pasta filled evening and returned to Hubert House for an early night. Next morning more of the same, though I only swam for two hours and 45 minutes, the water felt a little cooler than Saturday, but it was much sunnier, after my feed at two hours I had a flare up of the shoulder injury, and decided to get out the next time I passed the beach. I was not cold and stood talking to Barrie on the pebbles, before approaching Freda to tell her the tale. She was ok and understand also that we needed to be home. I gave her a kiss and we departed for the usual boring 340 mile drive. Overall I covered in the region of 15000 metres Saturday and 8000 metres Sunday, total of 7 hours 45 minutes in water around 13.9C. A fantastic couple of days training only dampened by the events of Friday The Thirteenth...As Enda says...boys will be boys!

School Support

I am delighted to report that Charlies school (St. Patrick's Primary) have agreed to have a non uniform day today Thursday 22nd May, the children can wear whatever they wish and make a small donation of around 50pence per child for the pleasure of doing so, all the monies raised are to be split between The J-A-C-K foundation and a second charity supported by another parent.

Thanks must go to the Headmistress Mrs Nora Moffatt and Mrs Dent for organising this event at such a busy time in the schools calendar. Thank you so much every penny helps towards my target of £10,000....On the subject of Charlie, here he is posing last Saturday just before his First Holy Communion with KGB's daughter Lottie.

Today is our final day at home before the early start to fly to Cork in the morning, I have added a picture of the Island at Sandycove that hopefully I will swim around nine times. No one said it was going to be easy, thanks also to Lisa Cummins for you offer of assistance when we arrive..see you soon.

Every Cloud.......

At the start of the week I decided to allow my shoulder a little respite and made the firm decision to stay away from the pool for a few days, maybe even the full week. Not that it was going to be a complete lay off you understand....I read/heard somewhere that cold temperatures be it cold water or air affect the body in may ways, one of which is the increased blood supply and associated accelerated healing which can result.

So with this in mind and the shoulders more or less feeling OK, I fought the urge to return too quickly to the pool. Instead, Kelly and I took the first window of opportunity to travel to Seaton and re commence the acclimatisation process proper. Now Tuesday was not warm, there was a possibility of snow forecast and the wind was strong and bitter. See below..

When we arrived at the coast it could clearly be seen that the westerly wind and the sea were in battle as a result of which the conditions were far from ideal. I got into the water for the planned dip, with the figure of ten minutes in mind, I had great fun diving under the breakers and swells though I almost lost my goggles a few times and the ice cream head was a killer! I had a reading of 43 degrees (6.1C) on my watch, and exited the water after 12 minutes. My hands were painful as we walked back to the car, but the warming didn't seem to take long at all and soon the hands were fine. A good start...........

Wednesday was Charlies club night at the pool, where all the young ones were doing a sponsored session to raise funds for the club. Charlie swam his first full kilometre, so I was really pleased and proud for him..Well done son x

Today (Thursday the 6th) I managed to get away from work a little early and again we made a visit to Seaton. The conditions were far calmer, though the water was much the same temperature wise, I obviously had the previous twelve minutes in mind, so entered the water hoping to stretch to 15 on this occasion. After twenty minutes I swam to shore feeling great, my body/core was fine though my hands and feet were telling a different story. The warming took a while, probably not helped by the fact that as we returned to the car for some hot sweet tea, the HiFi turned itself on and began to play the 'Foreigner Track' 'You're as Cold as Ice !' now that was funny..I was delighted to have swam for longer and figured out how to fight the brain freeze after advice from Ned Denison last night on the phone ...cheers Ned, it works a treat.

So there we have it, the cloud lying over my head regarding the shoulder that was causing some concern was indeed silver lined, it feels normal again now and two cold swims as an added bonus..more next week as and when other commitments permit..

Thanks again to Kell for watching over me and listening to my moans and groans that you are so quick to point out !!x

That Hurts !!

Just when I thought things were going really well...

Had a day off training on Monday after the tiresome weekend at Dover. Easy swim Tuesday, followed by my longest swim to date on Wednesday (8km), felt really good after this with no real aches or pains. On Thursday, having dragged myself out of bed after a night shift, we had a trip to Seaton for two reasons. Firstly a local newspaper (The Hartlepool Mail) wanted to take some photographs to accompany an article they are soon to publish regarding my Channel Swim/Training. Secondly to have another swim outdoors.

It was extremely windy with gusts up to 60 mph, the temperature was 11.5 degrees and the sea was a little rough, however the photographer managed to obtain the required action shots and I had a relaxing swim with no side effects.
Then what felt like a disaster!.... Friday morning whilst just commencing my very easy pool warm-up, the upper left quadrant of my back went into spasm. I had to stop immediately I could barely breath let alone swim. I was, and still am, in a great deal of pain, sleeping and driving is nigh on impossible. Hence Charlie is typing this blog entry.

I am therefore having some forced rest, I am assured the injury is nothing serious and a full recovery will be made. A similar thing happened whilst on holiday with Kelly and the kids in 2006, eventually it settled down after some rest and treatment so I am not too worried at this stage, better for this to happen now rather than next summer. I intend to make the most of the rest and to work on some other aspects of preparation. Fingers crossed for a quick and full recovery.