Briefly...

A traumatic week followed by much the same over the coming 7 days leaves little time nor inclination for training, had a brief 31 minutes in The North Sea at Seaton Carew (51F) this morning hoping to clear my head (it didn't work).

Only positive news being that Charlies mum raised £124 for J-A-C-K on Saturday evening at a party she hosted for her 40th and her dads 70th...thankyou all especially you Tina for your efforts and support.

Less than 2 weeks 'til Sandycove.

Please continue to help spread the word regarding the swim and the charity, we really are desperate to raise funds to help fight this awful disease. Thankyou....

Heatwave

With the UK experiencing what feels like a mini heatwave, this week has been great for swimming outdoors, as you know we were in the Lakes Monday and Tuesday, I was just hoping that wasn't to be then end of the long awaited British Summer! It certainly was not, and we have been blessed with glorious weather since. Yesterday (Wednesday) I had a brief swim at Bishopton Lake, where as a result of the sunshine, the water temperature had shot up to 62F, I was disappointed at this as I know it will soon be pointless swimming at that location due to it being way warmer than the English Channel. With that information to hand, I called Joni and we agreed to cancel our scheduled one hour there, but to meet at Seaton instead. That way we could return to the salt water and see how things have improved since our previous visit.

As can be witnessed from the above picture, the weather was outstanding, blue skies, sandy beaches, it could have been anywhere in the world but for the industry which will remain out of shot!. We had planned to meet for 1pm allowing an hour swim before heading off to make the school run, Joni was delayed due to circumstances beyond his control, this meant water entry was put back til 1:35...we swam in big swells for 30minutes at 52F, we both agreed that the water felt great, that the sunshine made a world of difference and that we must return as soon as possible.

We exited the water and made an excellent recovery as we had hoped for after only 30 minutes, though this would have been a different story last year, I really think the acclimatisation is starting to take effect, long may it continue.

Today was also the first time we met Jonis Kiwi girlfriend who accompanied KGB on her normally lonesome vigil, a great day with more of the same to follow at the earliest opportunity

Lake Windermere ..Bank Holiday Training

Yesterday KGB and I returned from an overnight stay in Ambleside. We left home around 11am on Bank Holiday Monday for the 100 mile skip across country in absolute glorious sunshine. Arriving at the Smallwood House Hotel again where we had initially stayed with Swim Trek and then Loraine. Soon after checking in we headed down to Lake Windermere a matter of minutes away.

Here we spoke with the Aide and Kate at Lake Lander, they are very friendly and supportive whose services I would recommend without hesitation, we sorted out the hire of a sit on Kayak for KGB. Then, as usual I swam out to Seamew Crag a small rocky island that juts up about 1000m (as the crow flies not the route we swim) from shore opposite the YHA building). My records show that last October it had taken 22 minutes to reach the Crag, however today we were there inside seventeen minutes, Kelly was paddling right next to me and it was very comforting to know that she was close by and offering me some protection from the passing steamers and other craft.

My wristwatch was showing 56F, though at times in dropped out to 52F, the lake itself was very patchy in terms of surface temperature, I wasn’t sure if this was due to the amount of recent rainfall or to the amount of vessels churning up deeper/cooler water.

Anyway, I swam for 1hour and 20 minutes during which I could easily notice those cooler patches. My core felt warm enough most of the time, and I was reasonably pleased with my performance. We also took the chance to practice feeding in the deep water, whereby I would have to either lay on my back or tread/kick whilst I took on the hot maxim, we had used all of the drinks by the 60 minute mark, so that was a little annoying…must plan better!
After the swim we had the usual hot chocolate at the Ambleside Pier and headed off to shower and take a well deserved power nap. That evening we had an excellent meal at Lucy4s, followed by too much alcohol and a good nights sleep.

Waking slightly groggy on Tuesday morning I forced down some breakfast before heading back to speak with Aide, I was due to be back home for work at 1445, so decided to just swim for 45 mins, Kelly accompanied me again and we had the feeding off to a tee, we had figured out some basic hand signals for “danger/stop” and for “feed time”. The water it self seemed to be much more even in feel and temperature, my watched signalled a steady 55F, I was delighted with how enjoyable the swim was, in terms of comfort, safety, flat water, sunshine and KGB in the kayak, I thought to myself “conditions don’t get much better than this so make the most of it”.

Overall we had a great time, rather short lived and rushed as is normally the case, but excellent training (I Think?) Am hoping to meet Joni Storer at the Bishopton Lake on Thursday too, so things are progressing nicely, I am finally swimming mostly outdoors…lets hope for a nice long summer!

14 weeks out.....update

With 14 weeks remaining…activities are certainly picking up, Dover training commences this weekend where swimmers will gather to train every weekend before their expectant dates to tackle the Channel, I am slightly jealous that we live 340 miles from Dover, the distance and work commitments (I work shifts and have limited holidays) all mean that my trips to train under the guidance of Freda Steeter will be restricted to five weekends during June and July.

That said…I am still training hard, my twelve consecutive days of work did effect my training figures, this week so far in addition to pool work, I have had two swims at Bishopton Lake, once for an hour alone (Tuesday) and once (yesterday) with Joni Storer for 65 minutes, both swims were at 55F, warmer than the current sea and the Channel temperature, but good training all the same. It was Joni’s first visit to the idyllic lake which seemed to meet with his full approval. Though I must say his directional skills have not improved despite recently swimming for 6 hours in Malta! with Swim Trek.

Health wise all appears to be well except for some lower back pain, shoulders seem to be fine and thankfully I escaped the flu and stomach bug that was doing the rounds recently.

I mentioned some envy regarding missing the early Dover training sessions, however there is again a silver lining, on Bank Holiday Monday sensitive family issues permitting (which I cannot go into on the blog) KGB and I are going across to Ambleside for the an overnight stay, where we will have some time together and some swimming/kayaking in Lake Windermere similar to when we trained there last year with my support swimmer Loraine Verghese.

Speaking of Loraine, I sent her Channel Swim DVD to three other 2008 aspirants, Kaise Stefan in Australia, Megan Turner in Swansea and Chris Pountney in Whitstable.

Megan said: “Anyway, Mark was kind enough to send me a copy of a DVD made of Loraine Verghese swimming the channel. This DVD was fantastic to watch it showed the excitement, tension and (though this element was somewhat understated) it also showed how difficult it can be swimming into France against the tide. Loraine’s story is exciting and inspirational and it really made me think about what it will really feel like…. I have a feeling that I will be watching this DVD quite a few times over the next few months!”



Finally I am delighted to have been made aware that the J-A-C-K website is now live, thank you once again to all who have donated, (especially Mr Sean Price..(more details to follow) who have spread the word and have encouraged others to support me in The Fight against Neuroblastoma.And Chris said “I just saw the DVD of Lorraine's swim last year and it looks like you have got yourself a fantastic team there! Lorraine's swim was very impressive, you probably couldn't ask for a better support swimmer. And a very good and encouraging pilot. I think your gonna be just fine!

Tough Day

Yesterday we were blessed with unseasonal sunshine and I was so tempted to squeeze in an outdoor swim, deciding against it and not wanting to be accused of being a fair weather swimmer I spent the afternoon/evening with Charlie and Champions League Football.

So... after two more or less forced rest days due mainly to work and Daddy commitments, I was in the fortunate position to pick and choose todays training as work doesn't commence til 9pm. Weather wise it was a completely different story, Air Temp 6C, overcast, dull and generally miserable. I opted for Bishopton, got to the lake for 10am, had a quick word with the Surf Store staff and headed my usual start point.

Then the rain started, I was shaking before I even entered the water, I wasn't sure if it was nerves or cold, but was telling myself to get a grip. Packing my clothes away into the dry bag I figured I would be better off in the water! I warned those thieving sheep to stay away from my things and walked in. As I previously stated, it is so much easier when one has company, being alone presents so many more mental challenges, I guess its all good training as I will not be in that position be it in Cork or The English Channel.

My route around the lake was different today, more of a triangular circuit, in order to prevent a bit of boredom. My watch was reading 50F (10 degrees C) so it was far from the coldest water, however the fact that it was now raining and lousy certainly made it feel cooler. When the sun does shine, it lifts my whole being. I stayed in the water and swam continuously for 60mins, it was tough towards the end, I was telling myself the pain would soon pass when I left the water and that it was excellent training. I am delighted to have completed my first open water hour of 2008. More of the same to follow now that I have negotiated that hurdle.

Other news: had a nice email from Freda Streeter re training at Dover, I am really looking forward to our first visit on the weekend 7/8 June.

More important things.

I was checking the updates on little Jack Brown this afternoon, I thought I would paste in some of Yvonne Browns statement that she posted on 15th April, here it is:

"Friday saw the end of a week of chemotherapy. Jack tolerated it less easily than he has in the past, more sensitive to the nausea, the tummy cramps, the headaches. The toxicity. I too felt more sensitive than usual…. To the vile, noxious chemicals, that once again are being infused into his small body, causing an only too visible sickness. But without these chemicals the unseen sickness inside continues to grow rapidly.Richard's last update mentioned the spread of the disease which is now in both of Jack's legs. His bone marrow results this week showed it had leapt also in the marrow. His bone marrow which three weeks ago was clear, now has 10% disease, he has lost a kilo in weight. But there is so much reason to hope."

Towards the end of Yvonne's update she says "Please take the time to visit Sam, (www.samanthahughes.co.uk), a beautiful little girl back home in the UK who relapsed in January. Sam's disease has taken off like wildfire. Neil explained they have no option but to stop fighting now, she is in a lot of pain and can no longer have blood transfusions. Neil has been a huge supporter and fundraiser for research back home. Please pray for Sam and her family."

As a result of this I clicked on the link to visit Sam's site and hoped she was at the least comfortable, I was heart broken and breathless to read that Sam had in fact passed away on the 15th April, as you can see from the picture above she was a lovely little girl with her whole life ahead. Learning about Samantha and Jacks ongoing fight, has made me even more pleased to have chosen the charity Joining Against Cancer in Kids. I really hope we can raise a lot of money to help find a cure for the desperate children who are fighting Neuroblastoma. Please spread the word to your friends and colleagues, and consider helping via the widget or via www.justgiving.com/markrobsonchannelswim Thank you very much indeed.

16 weeks and counting

Considering it was the second of the two weeks belated Easter school holidays, training has been good this week, during all the sessions I have felt really good and my timings have been better than ever. In hindsight this could be down to the lay off at the start of last week or it could be as a result of the increased intensity I have been trying to add to the pool swims, with new varied sets of sprints etc.

The only negative point being that I could only manage one swim outside, that was at Bishopton Lake on Thursday. I swam alone for 34 minutes at 8.5 degrees C, it was rather windy and choppy but very good training. Being that I was alone there are no photos. I must try to get back there or to the sea a couple of times a week from now on. I am happy to sacrifice distance in terms of metres in exchange for more minutes in the cold water. The sea is still around 7 degrees.

I had a good chat with Joni Storer, who, as expected had a brilliant time with Swim Trek last week in Malta, he even completed his 6 hour qualification swim under the guidance of Freda Streeter. Well done Joni. One other thing that transpired from his trip was the knowledge that Freda's father was in fact from Seaton Carew! we both see that as a good omen...Joni is now mad keen to set a training plan for the final 16 weeks leading up to our Channel Swims.

I am now starting a run of 12 days at work without a day off, what impact this has on my training remains to be seen. I still haven't gained sufficient weight/fat, another issue that is stressing me out.

A good week considering everything 27,100m for the week.

Thank you once again to all those donating both on and offline, remember spread the word !

Is That It?

Not a lot to report this time, its been week one of a two week school holiday, therefore training has taken a step back, Charlie has also been ill, so what with that and work, its been a stop start 7 days. Had one brief visit with the kids to Bishopton Lake on Thursday 10th and swam for 31 mins at 9.1 degrees which no side effects, just 3 pool swims over the weekend, I still managed to hit the bare minimum of 20km so not all bad news, more of the same in the coming week I expect.

Many thanks to all those who have been generous enough to donate online thus far and also to those who have pledged on the numerous paper forms in circulation. Also a big thankyou to Gary Dean of GLG Cycles who has very kindly donated enough Maxim to last me through this years training and the swim itself! Please spread the word and help me to raise more pennies for J-A-C-K it truly is a worthy cause.

Figures....

I would not say I am one for figures (numbers not curves) or clock watching, however, everything at the moment seems to revolve around them. What with metres covered in the pool, minutes in the open water, not forgetting time before the big day. Its already day 95 of 2008, I have only 18 weeks that’s 125 days remaining until the beginning of my tides. Pretty scary in some ways, not only the short amount of time remaining to prepare and to gain some more fat, but also the fact that almost a third of the year has gone already, grief, it will be Christmas before we know it!

Headed off alone to Bishopton Lake again this morning after the school run, got there to find a strong head wind as I looked out onto the choppy water, as it lapped around my feet. I reasoned that it would be easier on the return legs. I stripped and readied my self for action, must say, it is much tougher getting into the water when there is no one else around, hopefully it forms part of the mental training. Managed to swim much smoother and stronger today and remained in the water for 40 minutes. I was surprised at the reading on my watch indicating 50 degrees F, that is an increase of 2 degrees F since Monday. However the lake is reasonably shallow and I expect it will drop just as quickly during the anticipated poor weather this weekend. The air temperature was lower today, so that coupled with the wind left me feeling satisfied with todays open water effort, granted it is not the sea, but I explained the safety reasons in the previous post regarding swimming in the sea.

Once warmed through I attended the pool where I completed some sprints and drills, a good week thus far, pity I am nights all weekend, that said I am happy enough with the totals for the week and two swims at the Lake. Consistency in the key….I think?!

Bishopton Lake

Over the weekend, like every other day for the last year (at least!) I was chatting with KGB about the swim, training, nutrition etc when the subject inevitably came around to acclimatisation. I was expressing a little concern re future plans as we build towards August with particular reference to open water sessions, the question being: would we have time to schedule sufficient, without too much disruption to her own regimes of gym, pool, work and motherhood.

After some debate we fully agreed that I will not swim in the North Sea no matter how good the conditions appear to be, without the presence of a shore walker/post swim carer. However..I am allowed to swim in Bishopton Lake. On the understanding that I inform the Surf Store of my intentions and that I report back afterwards. Without further ado I called the boss at the store to confirm permission re use of the Lake, as last year, he kindly agreed without hesitation.

Monday 31st March I awoke to a frosty windscreen on the car (I don't actually sleep in the car but you get the message) the sky was clear and very blue, even the sun was shining, amazing, a day off work with decent weather.. a rare combination.

Just after noon I drove the 3 miles to Bishopton, where I re-introduced myself to the staff having not attended since last July (see first blog entry) and was given the go ahead. Being that it was such a pleasant day the lake was free from any other wind related activity. I strolled the very short distant to the waters edge through a field of young lambs, it was silent but for the bleats of the sheep and quacks from the ducks/geese on the water.

I secured my clothes in the dry bag in order to prevent theft by Mr or Mrs Wool, and waded into the very still water, it felt rather weird in comparison to Seaton. I am quite used to getting a face full of salt water and a bashing from the waves, but this was bliss in comparison. I breast-stroked through a little weedy patch in the shallower water, then began freestyle. I soon forgot about the geese who I initially expected to be annoyed at a swimmer in their lake.

The sun was blinding, and I was wishing I had tinted lenses. The lake is relatively small at around 380 metres but it was so much better than the pool. My watch was registering 48F (around 8.9C) it was therefore about 2C warmer than the North Sea which surprised me. The only interruptions were the odd weeds around the throat! After 35 minutes I returned to the tranquility of the shore. I hadn't taken a flask as I thought, with the short drive home it wasn't worth it. Big mistake. I got major shivers during the drive home and should really have waited before setting off. A lesson learnt but all in all a very beneficial session.

Aerial view of the lake and route of swim (numerous laps).

19 weeks....That's all..

Easter came and went with the same alarming momentum that has built since the onset of 2008. I was having a glance over my swimming figures and was happy enough to see last weeks 25 km coupled with another twenty minutes in the North Sea at 44F.

This week has started OK too, surprisingly the pool I usually use was open on Easter Monday so I managed to get there for a rather rushed (65mins) 4000m around 6pm, whilst Kelly kindly looked after Charlie. I took Tuesday off from Training having swam for 8 days consecutive. Being that I am nights tonight (Wednesday 26th) I decided to get the pool early for a reasonable session this morning. On arrival I was disappointed to find the water temperature up to 31 degrees, uncomfortably warm for anything more than a sprint. Then, after an hour or so the pumps started churning something out that clouded the once clear water, after two more hours, I again experienced some irritation to my throat and chest due the over chlorinated water. That was enough for me to call it a day rather than risk trauma to the respiratory system. 11km -3 hours and 5 minutes. Not what I had planned but better than nothing. No adverse effects to the shoulder.

The fluctuating temperature, over chlorinated water and the lack of policing/management of the lanes have in fact resulted in me cancelling my membership, it's due to expire at the end of April, by which time hopefully I will be doing a lot more open water swimming. In addition to that, as luck would have it, a 50metre pool is due to open in Sunderland at the end of April. Whilst it's a 45 mile drive am sure it will be well worth a visit.

Looking at the calender its now only 19 weeks 'til the beginning of my tides to swim the English Channel. I have been training exclusively in the water for 36 weeks, to date I have swam just short of 700 kilometres. I realise the hard work is yet to come as the cold water season begins in earnest in May, but feel reasonably relaxed at the moment with the knowledge that everything is now arranged.

Many thanks to those who have began donating online, I really appreciate your generosity as does the Joining Against Cancer in Kids Charity. Also a big thank you to all of my Corporate Sponsors especially those who wish to remain anonymous.

It's Not a Fashion Parade You Know!

Last Sunday I emailed Joni Storer, letting him know my open water plans for the coming week; I had been working nights on Monday and Tuesday followed by a quick return (onto afternoons) for Wed and Thursday, as a result of which, training has been a little bit of a squeeze. Figures are okish but I had still been looking forward to a Sea Swim on Thurs.

From my bed on Wednesday night I could hear the wind and rain against the windows, I feared the worst for the following morning. Sure enough it was still raining when I dragged my self up to try to eat before a scheduled 10am swim at Seaton. After sending Joni a text (to confirm his attendance) KGB and I were enroute.

On arrival at the car park rendezvous I approached Joni’s car, where he tells me he had nodded off ! The rain was pouring; it was a completely miserable day. Joni wound down his window and said something along the lines of “Its not too nice for this ..there are other options you know!” I told him it was just something we had to do… Before long we headed off to the water, quite a walk today as the tide was more or less at its lowest. Stripped and ready for action the conditions were far from ideal. It seemed like a marathon to get from the dry kit to the waters edge. The breakers didn’t look too bad from a distance but upon closer inspection, we found them to be around head height. No sooner were we waist deep than we were under water, due to the swells. That in itself actually helped matters since it did not allow for any messing about! We breast stroked to a point beyond the worst of the breakers and then got straight on with some freestyle.

Joni and I swam a reasonable distance out to sea; with a constant eye on KGBs location in order to keep my bearings, I swam with Joni boy in tow (more or less). We stayed out for twenty minutes again at 44F (about 6.7C according to my watch), my hands and feet were frozen by the time I exited the water. I walked out to find Kelly, soaked to the skin looking colder than a frozen pizza! She again, took it upon herself, to take our guest under her wing and helped Joni into his leather shoes which were full of water, up the beech and to the cars.

Once seated in the car, with hot drinks to hand, I got a fit of the giggles and couldn’t help but laugh hysterically at Joni as he tried to don his cotton shirt and jeans! Once I calmed down, I gave some advice regarding ideal clothing and footwear, for use in future. This clearly had the desired effect as shortly after our arrival home he text me with his new purchases. Well done today Joni, even KGB has warmed up now. Twenty five minutes next week so make sure you are dressed accordingly!

Unfortunately, KGB was unable to take photos today due to the conditions. It wasn’t necessarily the rain which prevented decent shots, just her frozen stiff fingers! Need better gloves fit for the purpose next time, not fashion accessories!