Thursday, 25 March 2010
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Back to the future that is 2010
Well I said I was back and here I am..its as far back as September last year since my last 'real' post, since then I having been training steadily in the pool mainly at Total Fitness Teesside in their 25m pool and occasionally at the John Charles Centre for Sport in Leeds where they have a superb Olympic Pool. I must say that in Britain with the prospect London 2012 around the corner we really have no where near the required amount of fifty metre pools. There is a world of difference between the two, believe me after being used to pushing off the wall every twenty five metres the jump to a session in Leeds was very noticeable both mentally and physically. At first I thought the end was never going to arrive. That said I went on Monday and had a great session and the pool at last felt normal!
Since September my body has been its usual with problems at various sites, I had a scan in Hospital and some detailed investigation into my shoulder problems in particular those of the rotator cuff. I am pleased to say that I have no tears only bursitis and slight swelling. After a visit to the muscular skeletal clinic I have been performing some specific weight bearing exercises and a particular stretch which has helped massively, in fact today I received another letter for the follow up appointment in about 4 weeks time.
As a result of this work both shoulders have been pain free in comparison to 2008 when I was training hard...it doesn't end there though, for a while I have been having severe lower back pain which at times has forced me out of the water, this too however is now under control having made renewed use of the Swiss thera ball and by always finishing the swim session with small amount of backstroke..
My weekly figures are back up around 20km though I only attend about four times a week now, these sessions are more structured than years gone by, due partly to occasionally having a training partner from work who I like to refer to as 'Mick the Fish'. we train now and again but I am able to copy the agony when alone. I have also been inspired by Arther Puckrin, he trains at the same pool as me, he is in his seventies and swims for hours on end, he is doing a double deca Ironman (that's 48 miles of swimming before mega bike and run) in November and thinks nothing of swimming for 4 hours or more in the chlorinated pool!! its great being in the next lane to Arthur when I am doing a longish set as there is no way I can quit early! Right now my long swims are only upto 7km but things are building up nicely.
Yesterday I gave my friends at Bishopton Lake a visit with a view to starting my outdoor training, the owners are away but I hope for good news in the coming days as I need to get started if I am serious about completing this years plans..
At this stage I have a few things arranged (I am not going to tell you all my secrets am I ?!), we are going back to Sandycove Ireland in early May where I hope to swim the Island at least once with Lisa Cummins though I bet it will be baltic! This kind of a send off swim celebration for Dan Martin who will commence his global triathlon around the same time.
I am hoping to do a 4km race in Coniston, a one way (10.5 miles) Lake Windermere, finishing off with season at the Great North Swim..
I also heard rumour of a 'Swim4Life' which I would like to do, this is 1 mile on the hour every hour for 24 hours, not sure if and when this takes place but its indoors and would be fun (or mad) to have a go at.
I want to finish this brief post by sending my heart felt best wishes to Enda Kennedy and family whose Dad is suffering from lung cancer, I hope and pray he makes a full recovery, we met in 2008 and he is truly a top man just like his son..
Since September my body has been its usual with problems at various sites, I had a scan in Hospital and some detailed investigation into my shoulder problems in particular those of the rotator cuff. I am pleased to say that I have no tears only bursitis and slight swelling. After a visit to the muscular skeletal clinic I have been performing some specific weight bearing exercises and a particular stretch which has helped massively, in fact today I received another letter for the follow up appointment in about 4 weeks time.
As a result of this work both shoulders have been pain free in comparison to 2008 when I was training hard...it doesn't end there though, for a while I have been having severe lower back pain which at times has forced me out of the water, this too however is now under control having made renewed use of the Swiss thera ball and by always finishing the swim session with small amount of backstroke..
My weekly figures are back up around 20km though I only attend about four times a week now, these sessions are more structured than years gone by, due partly to occasionally having a training partner from work who I like to refer to as 'Mick the Fish'. we train now and again but I am able to copy the agony when alone. I have also been inspired by Arther Puckrin, he trains at the same pool as me, he is in his seventies and swims for hours on end, he is doing a double deca Ironman (that's 48 miles of swimming before mega bike and run) in November and thinks nothing of swimming for 4 hours or more in the chlorinated pool!! its great being in the next lane to Arthur when I am doing a longish set as there is no way I can quit early! Right now my long swims are only upto 7km but things are building up nicely.
Yesterday I gave my friends at Bishopton Lake a visit with a view to starting my outdoor training, the owners are away but I hope for good news in the coming days as I need to get started if I am serious about completing this years plans..
At this stage I have a few things arranged (I am not going to tell you all my secrets am I ?!), we are going back to Sandycove Ireland in early May where I hope to swim the Island at least once with Lisa Cummins though I bet it will be baltic! This kind of a send off swim celebration for Dan Martin who will commence his global triathlon around the same time.
I am hoping to do a 4km race in Coniston, a one way (10.5 miles) Lake Windermere, finishing off with season at the Great North Swim..
I also heard rumour of a 'Swim4Life' which I would like to do, this is 1 mile on the hour every hour for 24 hours, not sure if and when this takes place but its indoors and would be fun (or mad) to have a go at.
I want to finish this brief post by sending my heart felt best wishes to Enda Kennedy and family whose Dad is suffering from lung cancer, I hope and pray he makes a full recovery, we met in 2008 and he is truly a top man just like his son..
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Elaine Howley in her own words....
Many thanks to Elaine for allowing me to repost this story of success..
Horray! We did it! It was a long, sometimes brutal, but very worthwhile experience and I am thrilled to be able to say I am now an official member of the elite club of English Channel swimmers!
Yesterday was a beautiful day on the water. Warm and sunny the whole way, with just a few scattered clouds crossing over head. We arrived at Folkestone harbor just before 8am to board the boat-- which was an interesting process. The pilot, Fred, and his crew, Harry, helped us load our supplies into a little dinghy, which they then rowed out to the fishing boat. Then they came back for us and the observer, Andy. We all climbed aboard and set to slathering me with sunblock and zinc oxide.
We motored around the coastline on the English side a few miles to Samphire Hoe, the launch point. Martin and Sonia from the guest house where we are staying where waiting on the beach to see us off. With some trepidation, I jumped off the Samallen and swam to shore, enjoyed a very quick chat with Martin and Sonia, posed for some pictures, found a great rock to bring home, and set out.
The water was bumpy at the start. Not terrible, just bumpy, like we would sometimes get on the Jersey Shore, especially if there were a hurricane sitting well off in the swell window somewhere. That bumpiness continued for some time, but I just kept swimming.
By the third hour, my right shoulder was getting a little achy, since I was taking the impact of the waves on that side. I also starting having some tummy trouble, but a few Advil helped relieve all those aches.
Somewhere during the fifth hour, the sea flattened out and I started making good headway. I felt great for the next few hours, and we saw several large tankers and ferries as we crossed into the shipping lanes. Thankfully, we didn't have any run-ins or trouble navigating around and between all the traffic.
Somewhere around that time, I noticed a couple of jellyfish drifting along a few feet below me. They didn't sting me, but I did catch another that I didn't see in the armpit on my right side. It tingled and itched for a few minutes, and then went away. I had one other run-in, also on the right side, with another stinger an hour or two later, and that was the extent of my sea life interactions.
Somewhere around the 8th hour, the seas kicked up again, and that's when I started to feel seasick. Not a pleasant feeling. It was just enough to make me not want to eat or drink, but not so severe as to make me just vomit and get past it. It was not a pleasant state of affairs. I was refusing solids and my Ultima, but my electrolytes were out of wack, so then I got a little moody, but finally, the seas calmed down a little and I was able to get some Ultima down and keep it there, and then I was back on track. The tinned peaches were my saviour through this all, though, and I was really glad we had picked up two cans.
I could see the French shoreline beginning somewhere in the 9th hour, and it was frustratingly close, but seemingly not getting closer. When I finally got mad, I got moving, and that's what got me through. That and knowing that there were so many people who would be disappointed for me if I didn't make it and all the questions I'd have to answer if I didn't finish this thing. So, it was just head down, ass up, and let's get there.
Around the 11th hour, the sun started to set, and I was a little nervous whether I would get cold as night fell, but thankfully, I didn't notice any real change in the temperature after the sun went down. But then it was harder to see. I still had on my tinted goggles and the light faded fast. I could no longer see my watch, which may have been a good thing. I truly began swimming from feed to feed, with no knowledge of where I was, how long it had been since I last spoke to my crew, or how much closer France was getting, and even though I was frustrated, I knew I was getting closer with every stroke. The dark mass of land grew larger every time we stopped.
Finally, they told me it was the last feed, and I was so excited. I had all but made it. I would be on shore in less than 45 minutes, and the sea had turned to glass. A nice smooth landing... just what the doctor ordered. Not long after that last feed, the pilot and my husband got into the little dinghy and they rowed along with me. The big fishing boat moored out a bit where it was deep enough. Then it was just a matter of plugging away to the finish line. They shined a weak spotlight ahead, and I just swam towards the light. I heard Mark shout that I was about 50 feet from shore, then took a few more strokes and my hands grazed sand. I stood up, ran on shore, and scrambled up on to some white rocks beyond the edge of the water line, and with that, magically, it was done. I was a Channel swimmer in 13 hours, 55 minutes.
No sooner had I stood up on the rocks and waved to the boat to check that I had gone far enough ashore than I went ass over teakettle into the stones. Not my most graceful moment, but a small bruise on my right butt is a nice little souvenir, I guess!
I didn't linger on shore for long. After swimming hard in the 62-63 degree water for nearly 14 hours, I knew my body temperature would drop fast once I'd stopped swimming. I waded out to where Fred and Mark had all but beached the dinghy and hoisted myself into it. Again, not the most graceful or elegant of moves, but then, no one ever said Channel swimming was a pretty sport.
Mark got me bundled up in towels while Fred rowed us back to the boat. We boarded and Khrista and Mark got my wet suit off (with some difficulty) while the observer called in the swim to make it official. I was all sticky and still covered with zinc-- that's why it's so useful as a sunblock. I shivered a little, but it subsided quickly after a nice, hot cup of proper English tea. I was still feeling a bit queasy, so I laid down under towels and sweatshirts and jackets on a mat on the deck and we motored back to Folkestone harbor.
Mark and I had, for some unknown reason, assumed that the trip back would take about 3 hours. But, it actually took about 5 and a half. The trip that started at 8am, was finally over at 5:30 the next morning.
When we got to Folkestone, the tide was out, so Fred moored the boat out beyond the harbor walls and rowed us into the harbor, where we jumped out in a foot of water and waded to shore. The observer gave us a lift back to the guest house, where Sonia met us with smiles and congratulations. I jumped in the shower (but am still mostly coated in zinc-- it will take a while to come off completely) and then fell into bed, still feeling the rocking motions of the waves and the boat as I drifted off to sleep.
We slept for about 6 hours, and now we're working on updating everyone as to how it went. I'm sorry that we couldn't keep you better informed during the event. I gather that the AIS tracking didn't really work, but then, that is the nature of an English Channel swim-- you just go and do it and everyone has to have a little faith that you'll get there and be back to tell the story the next day.
Thanks again to everyone who helped us on this journey. A special thanks to Mark and Khrista for crewing me and boosting my spirits when I began to think it was hopeless. Thanks to Fred and Harry for being the best pilots ever and to Andy for being a great observer and for the ride home. Thanks also to my family and friends back home-- I could feel your positive vibes, and it was a little bit of peer pressure that helped get me through the rough parts-- I couldn't bear to come home and tell you all I hadn't made it, so I just did it. Special thanks are in order for Pam O'Neill for letting me use her wonderful home as a training playground, and to all the lakers for the great swims over the past several years. That was where the idea was first forged, and I'm pleased to say that after 2+ years of hard work, we got there. There are so many other people along the way who have been a huge help-- too many to name here, but I trust that you know who you are and that I deeply appreciate your guidance and support throughout this journey. I am looking forward to telling all the stories and seeing you all soon when we get back to the States, where we can raise a few triumphant pints. For now, though, I think I'll go take a nap
Horray! We did it! It was a long, sometimes brutal, but very worthwhile experience and I am thrilled to be able to say I am now an official member of the elite club of English Channel swimmers!
Yesterday was a beautiful day on the water. Warm and sunny the whole way, with just a few scattered clouds crossing over head. We arrived at Folkestone harbor just before 8am to board the boat-- which was an interesting process. The pilot, Fred, and his crew, Harry, helped us load our supplies into a little dinghy, which they then rowed out to the fishing boat. Then they came back for us and the observer, Andy. We all climbed aboard and set to slathering me with sunblock and zinc oxide.
We motored around the coastline on the English side a few miles to Samphire Hoe, the launch point. Martin and Sonia from the guest house where we are staying where waiting on the beach to see us off. With some trepidation, I jumped off the Samallen and swam to shore, enjoyed a very quick chat with Martin and Sonia, posed for some pictures, found a great rock to bring home, and set out.
The water was bumpy at the start. Not terrible, just bumpy, like we would sometimes get on the Jersey Shore, especially if there were a hurricane sitting well off in the swell window somewhere. That bumpiness continued for some time, but I just kept swimming.
By the third hour, my right shoulder was getting a little achy, since I was taking the impact of the waves on that side. I also starting having some tummy trouble, but a few Advil helped relieve all those aches.
Somewhere during the fifth hour, the sea flattened out and I started making good headway. I felt great for the next few hours, and we saw several large tankers and ferries as we crossed into the shipping lanes. Thankfully, we didn't have any run-ins or trouble navigating around and between all the traffic.
Somewhere around that time, I noticed a couple of jellyfish drifting along a few feet below me. They didn't sting me, but I did catch another that I didn't see in the armpit on my right side. It tingled and itched for a few minutes, and then went away. I had one other run-in, also on the right side, with another stinger an hour or two later, and that was the extent of my sea life interactions.
Somewhere around the 8th hour, the seas kicked up again, and that's when I started to feel seasick. Not a pleasant feeling. It was just enough to make me not want to eat or drink, but not so severe as to make me just vomit and get past it. It was not a pleasant state of affairs. I was refusing solids and my Ultima, but my electrolytes were out of wack, so then I got a little moody, but finally, the seas calmed down a little and I was able to get some Ultima down and keep it there, and then I was back on track. The tinned peaches were my saviour through this all, though, and I was really glad we had picked up two cans.
I could see the French shoreline beginning somewhere in the 9th hour, and it was frustratingly close, but seemingly not getting closer. When I finally got mad, I got moving, and that's what got me through. That and knowing that there were so many people who would be disappointed for me if I didn't make it and all the questions I'd have to answer if I didn't finish this thing. So, it was just head down, ass up, and let's get there.
Around the 11th hour, the sun started to set, and I was a little nervous whether I would get cold as night fell, but thankfully, I didn't notice any real change in the temperature after the sun went down. But then it was harder to see. I still had on my tinted goggles and the light faded fast. I could no longer see my watch, which may have been a good thing. I truly began swimming from feed to feed, with no knowledge of where I was, how long it had been since I last spoke to my crew, or how much closer France was getting, and even though I was frustrated, I knew I was getting closer with every stroke. The dark mass of land grew larger every time we stopped.
Finally, they told me it was the last feed, and I was so excited. I had all but made it. I would be on shore in less than 45 minutes, and the sea had turned to glass. A nice smooth landing... just what the doctor ordered. Not long after that last feed, the pilot and my husband got into the little dinghy and they rowed along with me. The big fishing boat moored out a bit where it was deep enough. Then it was just a matter of plugging away to the finish line. They shined a weak spotlight ahead, and I just swam towards the light. I heard Mark shout that I was about 50 feet from shore, then took a few more strokes and my hands grazed sand. I stood up, ran on shore, and scrambled up on to some white rocks beyond the edge of the water line, and with that, magically, it was done. I was a Channel swimmer in 13 hours, 55 minutes.
No sooner had I stood up on the rocks and waved to the boat to check that I had gone far enough ashore than I went ass over teakettle into the stones. Not my most graceful moment, but a small bruise on my right butt is a nice little souvenir, I guess!
I didn't linger on shore for long. After swimming hard in the 62-63 degree water for nearly 14 hours, I knew my body temperature would drop fast once I'd stopped swimming. I waded out to where Fred and Mark had all but beached the dinghy and hoisted myself into it. Again, not the most graceful or elegant of moves, but then, no one ever said Channel swimming was a pretty sport.
Mark got me bundled up in towels while Fred rowed us back to the boat. We boarded and Khrista and Mark got my wet suit off (with some difficulty) while the observer called in the swim to make it official. I was all sticky and still covered with zinc-- that's why it's so useful as a sunblock. I shivered a little, but it subsided quickly after a nice, hot cup of proper English tea. I was still feeling a bit queasy, so I laid down under towels and sweatshirts and jackets on a mat on the deck and we motored back to Folkestone harbor.
Mark and I had, for some unknown reason, assumed that the trip back would take about 3 hours. But, it actually took about 5 and a half. The trip that started at 8am, was finally over at 5:30 the next morning.
When we got to Folkestone, the tide was out, so Fred moored the boat out beyond the harbor walls and rowed us into the harbor, where we jumped out in a foot of water and waded to shore. The observer gave us a lift back to the guest house, where Sonia met us with smiles and congratulations. I jumped in the shower (but am still mostly coated in zinc-- it will take a while to come off completely) and then fell into bed, still feeling the rocking motions of the waves and the boat as I drifted off to sleep.
We slept for about 6 hours, and now we're working on updating everyone as to how it went. I'm sorry that we couldn't keep you better informed during the event. I gather that the AIS tracking didn't really work, but then, that is the nature of an English Channel swim-- you just go and do it and everyone has to have a little faith that you'll get there and be back to tell the story the next day.
Thanks again to everyone who helped us on this journey. A special thanks to Mark and Khrista for crewing me and boosting my spirits when I began to think it was hopeless. Thanks to Fred and Harry for being the best pilots ever and to Andy for being a great observer and for the ride home. Thanks also to my family and friends back home-- I could feel your positive vibes, and it was a little bit of peer pressure that helped get me through the rough parts-- I couldn't bear to come home and tell you all I hadn't made it, so I just did it. Special thanks are in order for Pam O'Neill for letting me use her wonderful home as a training playground, and to all the lakers for the great swims over the past several years. That was where the idea was first forged, and I'm pleased to say that after 2+ years of hard work, we got there. There are so many other people along the way who have been a huge help-- too many to name here, but I trust that you know who you are and that I deeply appreciate your guidance and support throughout this journey. I am looking forward to telling all the stories and seeing you all soon when we get back to the States, where we can raise a few triumphant pints. For now, though, I think I'll go take a nap
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Nick Caine- English Channel (1 of 2)
Great swim in far from flat conditions...and he has very little body fat either!
I'M BACK......Nick Caine in his owns words...
Big Thankyou to Nick for allowing me to repost his report, will add his video soon.
By the way ITS GOOD TO BE BACK !!
Tuesday July 28th 2009- At 6:30 PM I got a phone call from Eddie Spelling, my boat pilot, asking if I want to make my swim in the morning. I said “ya sure” not really believing it was my turn to swim after all this time. He said “ok mate, on the boat at 03:30 tomorrow morning.” I went down stairs and told mom, dad, and my grandparent’s that I would be swimming tomorrow morning. They were all shocked and wanted to know what happened to my 12 hour notice since I was only getting 8 hours notice.
My grandparents and dad went to dinner at Smugglers and my mom and I stayed home to frantically get everything organized into bags for the boat. I called Dan to see if he could come down and help crew for me but he had to work and couldn’t make it. Next I called Chris and he said he could help crew. I went outside to mix my feed bottles of Cytomax. I had four 2-liter bottles and two 1-liter bottles which was more than enough for the swim. I called Ned Dennison, who is a fellow English Channel swimmer and my coach from Ireland, to let him know that I would be swimming tomorrow and he gave me some last minute advice. I had pasta and chicken for dinner and water to drink. I organized my swim bag and got all my supplies ready and waiting at the door before I went up to bed. In went to bed at 9:30 pm but fell asleep by 11:30 pm. I was thinking about the swim and couldn’t fall asleep.
Wednesday July 29th 2009- I woke up around 12:45am and went to the bathroom and tried to go back to sleep. I woke up again at 1:55am and ended up getting about two hours of sleep before my swim, which was pretty good. Once I was up, I got changed, shaved, checked my e-mail and facebook, put a new pair of contacts in, and went down stairs to eat. I had a bowl of frosted flakes, hot chocolate and some water. Then I went upstairs to change into my swim suit because I didn’t want to forget it even though I had 2 extras packed - let’s just say forgetting my suit was one of my big fears. My dad and I left the cottage at 2:55am to pick up my grandpa Katz, drove to Knightstown to pick up Chris who was waiting on the street for us.
We then drove down to the Dover Marina and I went into the dock masters office to get an all day parking pass because I would be swimming the channel. As we were standing in the parking lot I saw there were two other groups getting ready to go out also. One solo swimmer and one 3-person relay team. We carried all the gear over to the boat and waited to board. We got on the boat at 3:35am, met Eddie’s crew then did some paper work for the observer and his report. We left the harbor shortly after 4:00am and headed down to Shakespeare Beach.
We were the last of the three channel swimming boats to leave the harbor. When we got to Shakespeare Beach at 4:12am I could see Boris had just started his solo swim which would take him 14hrs and 26min. Eddie said we had to get started so that we didn’t miss the most favorable start time so I quickly unchanged. As my mom was greasing me up, I watched as the relay team started their swim, which took them 13hrs and 6min to complete. I was now anxious to start my swim.
I had grease on my arm pits and the area around them as well as all over my neck, inner thigh and stomach. I had on one latex cap, a TYR Speedo, TYR goggles, and a flashing light attached to my goggle strap. I normally wear my goggles under the cap but I had to change this for the swim to accommodate the light. I didn’t really like this because the light made it so the waves could change the placement of the goggle strap and they filled with water several times throughout the swim. When I was getting ready to jump off the boat everyone on board wished me good luck. As I was walking down the ladder to the swim deck, I was thinking “do I jump feet first or dive in?” I ended up jumping in feet first so I didn’t loose my goggles. I wasn’t thinking about what I was about to do and the significance of this challenge.
I walked up onto the beach, looked out across the channel and started thinking about what I was about to do. I cleared the water by about 10 feet, touched the wall, and fixed my goggles once more, then walked back into the water. Once I was at mid-thigh, I dove forward and I was off.
I started swimming with the boat on my left side staying 10-15 feet from it. I wasn’t in total darkness so I wasn’t worried about the boat. I knew the sun would rise in a little while. I could see the White Cliff’s of Dover and the lights on shore over my shoulder. The first hour went by fast; I was feeling strong and felt like I was making good progress. I noticed the waves were big and they were moving me around a lot so I really had to focus on my technique so that I could be more efficient. I waited all day for the waves to subside but it didn’t happen until I was one mile from France.
As I was swimming I decided I wanted to pass the relay team that started about seven minutes in front of me. By the two hour point I had reached them. I couldn’t see Boris or his boat and decided not to worry about them. I was swimming feed to feed and counting the time in my head by adding up the number of feeds I had. I was also singing songs in my head, thinking about my stroke, watching the people on my support boat, and watching everything else around me and in the water. Shortly after the five hour point I started to see Jelly Fish - the big brown ones that really hurt and then the smaller purple/ blue ones that are not as bad. I might have been stung by a purple one on my right elbow but it didn’t hurt very much and the pain went away after 30 minutes.
After my six hour feed, I was in completely new territory. I had never done an open water swim longer then six hours. I was feeling pretty good physically, and mentally I was doing great - I was really enjoying the swim. I was thinking I was close to shore and that I would be there in a little while. I was happy. I figured I had about two hours until I got to shore based on the math I was doing in my head and how far France looked. As everyone else says, France stays the same size for a really, really long time and doesn’t start to look closer until you’re about two miles off the coast.
I started to put what pain I was feeling aside and pulling even harder and stronger and swimming faster because I was feeling so good. At my six and half hour feed Chris said I had about three more hours and was doing great, I responded by saying THREE MORE HOURS! He said yes, don’t worry about it. I put my head back down and kept swimming, feed to feed doing the same things I had been doing the whole time. I decided that nine and a half hours was a good time and that I would want to be out of the water by then.
At the seven hour feed they had me swim behind the boat over to the other side so the boat was now on my right side and I was no more then 5 feet from the boat. We were trying to use the boat to block some of the wind and waves but I still had the big rolling swells pushing me around and some were still breaking on me.
At nine hours I was starting to worry a little bit and that was the first time during my swim that I had doubts about making to shore. I started thinking about having to go home after all this time training and working so hard with only ¾ of the channel swum. I was trying to have faster feeds because I wanted to finish faster so I wasn’t really talking to my crew. By the time I got to my ten hour feed, I was getting frustrated that land wasn’t much closer than it had been - THREE HOURS AGO - at the seven hour point!
I couldn’t figure out why. I knew I had slowed down a little, but I was still holding the same normal pace that I had during the first three to five hours of my swim. They now told me that I only had one hour left and that I was almost done. I was mad but I kept swimming because I thought I was almost finished. With one hour left I figured I would have one more feed, but that one feed turned into seven more feeds and I new something was wrong. They kept telling me the beach was right in front of me but I couldn’t see it and at this point, I was getting very mad.
Every other feed my dad was telling me that I had one hour left and I was really close to shore. I could see the cliff’s of France that were to my left and looked to be within a mile from where I was and I couldn’t figure out why we were not heading in that direction. I could tell the boat had changed from going right, in the direction of Cap Gris-Nez to a straighter course towards Wissant beach. I was thinking this was going to make my swim longer. I kept asking them, “where am I going”, and they replied with the same thing each time; “the beach is right in front of you, keep swimming” but it definitely wasn’t because I couldn’t see it. All I could see was the cliffs of France on either side of me and I was tired, in pain, mad, frustrated and just wanted to finish.
By the twelve and a half hour point I just wanted to be done with the swim. I had had enough. My crew said they were putting the dingy in the water in ten minutes and I would be on the beach in fifteen minutes. They finally put the dingy in the water at the twelve hour fifty-five minute point I think. I had my last feed between twelve hour forty-five minutes and twelve hours fifty minutes.
Then they where dangling the bottle over the boat for another feed! I yelled “ANOTHER FEED? YOU SAID I WAS ALMOST DONE 5 FEEDS AGO”. They where laughing at me and whenever I stopped to ask where I was going, I replied “ya sure, that’s what you said last time and it still hasn’t changed.” From the twelve and a half hour point until I finished, I could tell I was going forward and then backwards because the cliff was black in one spot and then white closer to the beach. I would make it to the white and then immediately be pushed back to where I was ten minutes ago. This was very discouraging and I was yelling at them that I wasn’t going anywhere.
After swimming for twelve hours, I knew I was going to make it because I was not going to give up after making it that far. I just didn’t know when I would finish. Once the dingy was finally in the water (long after they said it would be), the first mate was driving it, yelling to encourage me with the video camera up in the air, I knew I was getting close.
We had turned left to cut through the current and finish on the rocks, not the beach since the current was too strong. I heard the boat horns go off when the relay team finished. I was disappointed because I wanted to beat them, but I new I was close and it was my turn to have horns go off for me.
I had decided where I was going to finish. I didn’t want to swim another ten feet down to get to a place where it was less rocky so I decided I would fight my way though the rocks and just get out of the water. I had trouble getting out because the waves kept knocking me down and I couldn’t get my balance to clear the water. I fell down and cut both my hands pretty bad and they where bleeding, I also hit my foot on a big rock but didn’t notice until I was on land that it too also bleeding. It took almost two minutes from the time I was waist high until I had cleared the water and my swim was officially over. Once I could stand as I got close to shore, even though the water was shoulder high, I knew I had finished. I was SO happy.
It’s the best feeling knowing you have accomplished a big goal, especially after training for so long to achieve it. Once I was on land, I heard the boat horns go off several times and the first mate screaming that I did it! I had my right hand over my head smiling and waiving to them; I picked up a few rocks and walked back into the water so that I could be picked up. They wrapped me in a thermal blanket so the wind didn’t make me too cold. I could hear everyone yelling from the boat and I was so relieved to be out of the water and done swimming. My final time was thirteen hours and eleven minutes. Once I was finished I found out that the current changed two hours early which made the swim four hours longer since I had to swim into for a long time.
They had me get changed quickly and we headed back home to Dover. I started to feel very sick and almost threw up. I had my head down on a life jacket hanging off the side of the boat and slept most of the way home. I was woken up a few times by my mom to make sure I was still alive and because a reporter, who had been following my swim back home, had a few questions about the swim. I couldn’t give many answers because it was hard for me to think at the time.
Once we had docked and were walking off the boat I again started to feel very sick again. I was having trouble walking and got very hot but the cold wind and rain made me feel a little better. I realized that I only felt good when sitting down because I was so dehydrated and it made me very light headed when standing up. We dropped Chris home and thanked him for all his help. I went home and had a coke so that I could have something with sugar and to get the taste of salt water out of my mouth. I showered to get the grease off me and then went on my computer for a little while. I had a bowl of soup for dinner and went to bed around twelve in the morning- after a very long and rewarding day.
I woke up at five forty in the morning not tired thinking it was six forty. So I got up and checked my e-mail and facebook. I read several congratulation messages that made me feel really good about myself. Then, it felt like I had been hit by a train. My right shoulder hurt whenever I moved it. I was in a lot of pain all over. I went back to bed at six fifty and woke again at eight fifty. I had some ice cream for breakfast and showered.
After breakfast I went down to the harbor where I was greeted by a big group of people and they all congratulated me. I went for a sixteen minute swim to loosen up and get my muscles moving again since I was in so much pain. After my swim, I stayed around the harbor for a while because they where filming a T.V. show called Wild Swims. They wanted to talk to me and have me be part of the show. The whole experience was amazing and one that I will never forget it.
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Lisas 2way swim
Here's a thought...what were you doing 24 hours ago... well, Lisa Cummins (who looked after me in Sandycove, Cork, Ireland last year) was entering the water the commence her epic adventure of swimming to France......and back!
She landed on a sandy French shore after fourteen hours and 36 minutes and swiftly began the second leg of her swim...she has now been in the water (which at present is around 63.5degrees Fahrenheit) for what is approaching twenty four hours...can you imagine being in cold water, all day yesterday, all night with no sleep and still be in it now with another 12 hours plus remaining!!
This woman is a complete hero...you can view her progress on the tracker system here. One of her friends is updating her blog via twitter, she is reportedly still making the same pace of 60 strokes per minute and cracking jokes at each feed!...I recently spoke with the crew on the boat (Sea Satin piloted by Lance Oram) they state she is obviously tired but in good spirits..
More updates later
update just had a text this minute almost 27 hours in, text reads " just had really good feed, more content, no pain killer requests for a long time, pilot happy with her"
Latest from Sea Satin at 3.50pm which is 29+hours "Imelda (support swimmer) back in the water for an hour, wouldn't say if it is the last hour of support or not, coast getting more visible. Form has improved a small bit"
4.10pm... "Shes out of the Shipping lanes, into the English Inshore waters 4 miles or more approx, best form from her in a long time"
5.35pm ...31hours of swimming and still going...getting weak but mentally strong
9.25pm...almost 35 hours and looks like about 500m to go...go go go
she has made it after approx 35 hours incredible woman!!!!! congratulations what a day and a half
She landed on a sandy French shore after fourteen hours and 36 minutes and swiftly began the second leg of her swim...she has now been in the water (which at present is around 63.5degrees Fahrenheit) for what is approaching twenty four hours...can you imagine being in cold water, all day yesterday, all night with no sleep and still be in it now with another 12 hours plus remaining!!
This woman is a complete hero...you can view her progress on the tracker system here. One of her friends is updating her blog via twitter, she is reportedly still making the same pace of 60 strokes per minute and cracking jokes at each feed!...I recently spoke with the crew on the boat (Sea Satin piloted by Lance Oram) they state she is obviously tired but in good spirits..
More updates later
update just had a text this minute almost 27 hours in, text reads " just had really good feed, more content, no pain killer requests for a long time, pilot happy with her"
Latest from Sea Satin at 3.50pm which is 29+hours "Imelda (support swimmer) back in the water for an hour, wouldn't say if it is the last hour of support or not, coast getting more visible. Form has improved a small bit"
4.10pm... "Shes out of the Shipping lanes, into the English Inshore waters 4 miles or more approx, best form from her in a long time"
5.35pm ...31hours of swimming and still going...getting weak but mentally strong
9.25pm...almost 35 hours and looks like about 500m to go...go go go
she has made it after approx 35 hours incredible woman!!!!! congratulations what a day and a half
Monday, 14 September 2009
The Great North Swim 2009
Saturday 12th September brought with it probably the best days weather we had seen for weeks, I set out from home around 8am to head across Country toward Ambleside the host venue for the Great North Swim, I sighted Ullswater enroute and noticed that in was ‘flat as a pancake’ the sun was shining, the conditions couldn’t have been better, Lake Windermere was only a few miles away and was sure to be the same…after a little car trouble I arrived at one of the park and walk areas in good time to suss out exactly what the procedure was to be.
The helicopters, tannoy system and crowds could be heard from some distance, the atmosphere was great with the amount of spectators being very impressive. Having dropped off my baggage in a secure area, I settled down to watch the Elite Ladies and Men’s races, both of whom swam at break neck speed. Several celebrities were in attendance including Rebecca Addlington who started the Elite Ladies race and was very keen with her verbal encouragement! As can be seen below...
After the elites I took the opportunity to watch the ‘Orange Wave’ depart the start line at 1.30pm, I wanted to see the numbers involved per wave and the actual point I was going to enter the water. All went smoothly and I was mentally prepared, I was changed (in the heated marquees) in no time and walked the short distance over the carpeted surface and swiftly cleared through the ‘check in’ to sample the water in a small warm up area, before too long I stood at the front of the pack and waited for the countdown.
The course was marked with a series a large yellow buoys, in an out and back type route. At the hooter, sounded by Olympian David Davies I ran into the water over the timing mats and headed off on my mile, I was in a group of about a dozen swimmers and felt comfortable for the duration of the swim, the only difficulty being sighting the buoys after the half way point due to the position of the glaring sun.
Before I knew it the swim was over, I exited the water and again ran over the timing mats, posed for an official photograph, collected a finishers bag and that was that.
And so, my return to open water was complete, I thoroughly enjoyed the event, the organisation of which was first class. The greatswim.org website has now published the results….in my wave of 201 swimmers I was eighth to finish, I was 35th in my age group of 660, and 302nd overall /207th male from 6000 entries. Although a little disappointed with my time, the day was worthwhile, I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Miyuki Fujita..in her own words
The English Channel Swim Report 2009
I always wanted to be the best and do something unusual so I aimed tocomplete the two-way crossing, not just one way, as no Japanese personhas ever successfully swum the two-way Channel crossing.
On my first attempt, I had to stop after ten hours due to thigh painand I didn’t finish even one-way. A week later, I had anotheropportunity to swim the one-way. I swam for 17hours 35minutes but hadto give up just 3km from the French coast. My respect Freda then gave me some good advice, “When you swim theChannel crossing, you shouldn’t look ahead. It makes you feel as ifyour goal is very far away and that you still have much further to swim so it is mentally harder to keep going. Also, you shouldn’t stopbecause by doing this; you will be drifted by the tide and have toswim further. You shouldn’t do anything which will be disadvantageousto you. You should try the one way swim again.”
It was in 2004. The next year, I began training again for the one-way swim and followed Freda’s advice. Since then, I have successfully completed the one way crossing six times.
This year, I went back to Dover again. I felt ready for to attempt thetwo-way swim. I planned to stay in Dover for 35 days and waited nervously for the big day. Neil, the boat pilot, would choose the day with the best weather conditions for the swim. The other swimmers had gone to swim one after another and everybody kept asking me when I was going to swim but the days passed and I still had no idea when I would get to swim. I started to feel very frustrated but I could not do anything but wait and trust Neil to pick a good day.
For the two-way swim, we would need two consecutive fine days. It was possible that the weather conditions would not permit me to swim because the weather was constantly changing. I told Neil that if the two-way was not possible, I still intended to swim at least one way before flying back to Japan.
At last, one week before I was due to leave England and go back to Japan, Freda told me that I would be able to swim on the next Monday or Tuesday. I was so happy because I had been waiting such a long timefor this chance and could not stop crying. On Monday, I was on the beach with Jenni, an observer when Neil called her to say that we should all meet at the marina at 19:00 that evening for my two-way challenge! I was overjoyed. I was going to attempt the two way swim! I was so pleased that Jenni would also be coming on theboat with me as my observer. I got my thing ready for the swim, had a massage and went to bed for a nap. At last the time for my big challenge had come!
Our boat was called Suva. Once on board, I applied the Channel grease to my body. When the boat came close to Shakespeare Beach, Ishii, my coach farted. Everybody on the ship started to laugh and the atmosphere became very relaxed. Even when I was swimming in the dark, I remembered it and laughed. It was nice to have a funny thought tomake me smile whilst I was swimming, particularly when it became dark. That night I started swimming from Shakespeare Beach. I was familiar with the currents around the beach from my previous swims but, for some reason, on this occasion I kept drifting so that every time I looked up I saw the same scenery. I worried that I might not be moving forward at all and was scared by a big red jelly fish that brushed my arm, stinging me.
After about 40 minutes, saltwater filled my goggles. I had already tested the goggles in the water but the waves pushed the water in. My eyes started to sting. I knew from my previous experiences that the eyes are very important to a long distance swimmer so I changed my goggles when I stopped for my feeding. I am used to swimming at night but I still felt sleepy.
Suddenly, I was surprised by some people screaming. They were a relay team who had already finished their swim and were on the way back to Dover. Their support encouraged me a lot. Swimming into the French side, I started to struggle with the high waves. Some were as big as 2m. The sea always tends to be rough towards France and the currents are very fast. Morning came and as it got brighter, I began to wake up a bit.
By this point, I was really enjoying swimming even in the rough waters but I realized that France was still far away after 14 hours of swimming. I usually swim one way in 14 hours but Ishii told me that this time I would have to swim for another four hours to reach France. I realized that I must have drifted a long way off course when I was swimming near Dover and kept seeing the same scenery. Consequently, it took me 17hours 18minutes to swim just one-way.
I told Ishii that it would be impossible to finish two-way because the first leg had taken too long but he encouraged me to swim a little longer. I swam for three more hours before I asked him if I could give up. Ishii said that the weather conditions were going to become better so there would be no wind or waves so I had better keep swimming as such good conditions were very rare. He told me that I could complete the swim in just eight more hours in such favorable conditions.
I was determined to swim for another eight hours. I tried very hard, spurred on by the though that my dream of swimming the two-way Channel crossing was about to come true. My husband, the pilot, my colleagues, everybody would be delighted! What would I do if TV reporters were waiting for me at Narita airport? What would I do next after my dreamhad come true? Maybe I could try to swim the one-way ten times! Or perhaps I should try to become the oldest Channel swimmer! Pondering over these random things, I pushed myself to continue swimming.
My body ached and I wanted to give up many time but I kept my arms moving. Night came again and it became cold but I didn’t stop. I saw the lights of England as I swam closer and closer to England. I drank another feeding and said to the people on the boat that I could not swim any more but they told me to keep trying. I screamed and my voice echoed in the darkness over Channel. It was the first time that my body was chilled to my very bones and even my wrists started to ache. I gave up about 5 hours from England (about 4 miles). I was mentally and physically exhausted. I could not swim the last five hours.
I recalled my first Channel swim. That time, I was also unable to swim the last few hours. I could see the white houses on the French coast but just could not swim. I realized that I had not followed Freda’s good advice. I had looked ahead and convinced myself that the end was too far away for me to keep swimming. If I had continued to swim very slowly, I might have been able to finish the swim but,because I was tired, I convinced myself that I could not do it.
To be a successful long distance swimmer, you have to be mentally strong. I had swum 30hours in pool and for 20hours 7minutes in sea. Even though it was tough, I am glad that I did not stop after just one way and challenged myself to my limit. Now, I have to use this experience to aid my future training for my next Channel swim. On my first swim, I stopped after just 10 hours but now I was able to swim for about 29hours 30minutes. I never dreamed I would be able to swim for so long. I am so grateful to the people who have helped me to come so far. I could not have done all this by myself. Thank you very much for supporting me. I hope that I will soon be able to fulfill my dream of completing the two way swim and will continue to enjoy swimming.
"The Channel swim was… the human mind is weak, you will inevitably experience feelings of struggle and sadness when you swim, but, hopefully, you will find happiness, too."---Miyuki
I always wanted to be the best and do something unusual so I aimed tocomplete the two-way crossing, not just one way, as no Japanese personhas ever successfully swum the two-way Channel crossing.
On my first attempt, I had to stop after ten hours due to thigh painand I didn’t finish even one-way. A week later, I had anotheropportunity to swim the one-way. I swam for 17hours 35minutes but hadto give up just 3km from the French coast. My respect Freda then gave me some good advice, “When you swim theChannel crossing, you shouldn’t look ahead. It makes you feel as ifyour goal is very far away and that you still have much further to swim so it is mentally harder to keep going. Also, you shouldn’t stopbecause by doing this; you will be drifted by the tide and have toswim further. You shouldn’t do anything which will be disadvantageousto you. You should try the one way swim again.”
It was in 2004. The next year, I began training again for the one-way swim and followed Freda’s advice. Since then, I have successfully completed the one way crossing six times.
This year, I went back to Dover again. I felt ready for to attempt thetwo-way swim. I planned to stay in Dover for 35 days and waited nervously for the big day. Neil, the boat pilot, would choose the day with the best weather conditions for the swim. The other swimmers had gone to swim one after another and everybody kept asking me when I was going to swim but the days passed and I still had no idea when I would get to swim. I started to feel very frustrated but I could not do anything but wait and trust Neil to pick a good day.
For the two-way swim, we would need two consecutive fine days. It was possible that the weather conditions would not permit me to swim because the weather was constantly changing. I told Neil that if the two-way was not possible, I still intended to swim at least one way before flying back to Japan.
At last, one week before I was due to leave England and go back to Japan, Freda told me that I would be able to swim on the next Monday or Tuesday. I was so happy because I had been waiting such a long timefor this chance and could not stop crying. On Monday, I was on the beach with Jenni, an observer when Neil called her to say that we should all meet at the marina at 19:00 that evening for my two-way challenge! I was overjoyed. I was going to attempt the two way swim! I was so pleased that Jenni would also be coming on theboat with me as my observer. I got my thing ready for the swim, had a massage and went to bed for a nap. At last the time for my big challenge had come!
Our boat was called Suva. Once on board, I applied the Channel grease to my body. When the boat came close to Shakespeare Beach, Ishii, my coach farted. Everybody on the ship started to laugh and the atmosphere became very relaxed. Even when I was swimming in the dark, I remembered it and laughed. It was nice to have a funny thought tomake me smile whilst I was swimming, particularly when it became dark. That night I started swimming from Shakespeare Beach. I was familiar with the currents around the beach from my previous swims but, for some reason, on this occasion I kept drifting so that every time I looked up I saw the same scenery. I worried that I might not be moving forward at all and was scared by a big red jelly fish that brushed my arm, stinging me.
After about 40 minutes, saltwater filled my goggles. I had already tested the goggles in the water but the waves pushed the water in. My eyes started to sting. I knew from my previous experiences that the eyes are very important to a long distance swimmer so I changed my goggles when I stopped for my feeding. I am used to swimming at night but I still felt sleepy.
Suddenly, I was surprised by some people screaming. They were a relay team who had already finished their swim and were on the way back to Dover. Their support encouraged me a lot. Swimming into the French side, I started to struggle with the high waves. Some were as big as 2m. The sea always tends to be rough towards France and the currents are very fast. Morning came and as it got brighter, I began to wake up a bit.
By this point, I was really enjoying swimming even in the rough waters but I realized that France was still far away after 14 hours of swimming. I usually swim one way in 14 hours but Ishii told me that this time I would have to swim for another four hours to reach France. I realized that I must have drifted a long way off course when I was swimming near Dover and kept seeing the same scenery. Consequently, it took me 17hours 18minutes to swim just one-way.
I told Ishii that it would be impossible to finish two-way because the first leg had taken too long but he encouraged me to swim a little longer. I swam for three more hours before I asked him if I could give up. Ishii said that the weather conditions were going to become better so there would be no wind or waves so I had better keep swimming as such good conditions were very rare. He told me that I could complete the swim in just eight more hours in such favorable conditions.
I was determined to swim for another eight hours. I tried very hard, spurred on by the though that my dream of swimming the two-way Channel crossing was about to come true. My husband, the pilot, my colleagues, everybody would be delighted! What would I do if TV reporters were waiting for me at Narita airport? What would I do next after my dreamhad come true? Maybe I could try to swim the one-way ten times! Or perhaps I should try to become the oldest Channel swimmer! Pondering over these random things, I pushed myself to continue swimming.
My body ached and I wanted to give up many time but I kept my arms moving. Night came again and it became cold but I didn’t stop. I saw the lights of England as I swam closer and closer to England. I drank another feeding and said to the people on the boat that I could not swim any more but they told me to keep trying. I screamed and my voice echoed in the darkness over Channel. It was the first time that my body was chilled to my very bones and even my wrists started to ache. I gave up about 5 hours from England (about 4 miles). I was mentally and physically exhausted. I could not swim the last five hours.
I recalled my first Channel swim. That time, I was also unable to swim the last few hours. I could see the white houses on the French coast but just could not swim. I realized that I had not followed Freda’s good advice. I had looked ahead and convinced myself that the end was too far away for me to keep swimming. If I had continued to swim very slowly, I might have been able to finish the swim but,because I was tired, I convinced myself that I could not do it.
To be a successful long distance swimmer, you have to be mentally strong. I had swum 30hours in pool and for 20hours 7minutes in sea. Even though it was tough, I am glad that I did not stop after just one way and challenged myself to my limit. Now, I have to use this experience to aid my future training for my next Channel swim. On my first swim, I stopped after just 10 hours but now I was able to swim for about 29hours 30minutes. I never dreamed I would be able to swim for so long. I am so grateful to the people who have helped me to come so far. I could not have done all this by myself. Thank you very much for supporting me. I hope that I will soon be able to fulfill my dream of completing the two way swim and will continue to enjoy swimming.
"The Channel swim was… the human mind is weak, you will inevitably experience feelings of struggle and sadness when you swim, but, hopefully, you will find happiness, too."---Miyuki
little by little
I am finally beginning to feel a little fitness coming back after returning to the pool, I have as usual been training alone and swimming as and when the usual commitments permit. My swims have usually been for around an hour or less, initially it was a struggle to just plod for a thousamd metres but I am pleased to say my times are beginning to drop.
This the weekend I decided to have a go at one of my old favourite swim sets...Basically it is a descending ladder in 100m drops from 1km to 100, ie 1000,900,800,700 etc down to 100 which totals at 5500m.
Last year I was always able to hit 90 minutes for the set with around 15 secs rest between efforts...at the moment I am on 95 mins, sometimes stretching it to 30+ secs rest towards the beginning of the session. After the first three swims I was doubting I could finish but was delighted to do so in a reasonable time. As my aerobic fitness slowly returns I will be able to lower the rest periods and be closer the target time.
This weekend (12/13 Sept 2009) is the Great North Swim in Lake Windermere (1 mile in open water) I am in a wave on Saturday afternoon and will be hoping to finish in 26 mins. After which I will decide what route to go down with longer term swims...there are few irons in the fire, but its early days (and I still haven't won the lotto!)
This the weekend I decided to have a go at one of my old favourite swim sets...Basically it is a descending ladder in 100m drops from 1km to 100, ie 1000,900,800,700 etc down to 100 which totals at 5500m.
Last year I was always able to hit 90 minutes for the set with around 15 secs rest between efforts...at the moment I am on 95 mins, sometimes stretching it to 30+ secs rest towards the beginning of the session. After the first three swims I was doubting I could finish but was delighted to do so in a reasonable time. As my aerobic fitness slowly returns I will be able to lower the rest periods and be closer the target time.
This weekend (12/13 Sept 2009) is the Great North Swim in Lake Windermere (1 mile in open water) I am in a wave on Saturday afternoon and will be hoping to finish in 26 mins. After which I will decide what route to go down with longer term swims...there are few irons in the fire, but its early days (and I still haven't won the lotto!)
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Channel Statistics
There have been a total of 2245 Channel swims, 206 of which have been part of multiple-way swims.
1056 swimmers have completed a total of 1471 solo swims.
Approximately 3903 swimmers have taken part in 647 relay swims and 127 special category swims.
64.7% of swimmers have been male (solo, relay and special category).
35.3% of swimmers have been female.
The average age of a solo swimmer is 33 years, 191 days (based on 574 swims, 39% of all solos)
35.8% of solo swims have been made by swimmers from the UK, 20.4% from the USA.
Average solo crossing time: 13 hours, 19 minutes and 42 seconds.Average relay crossing time: 12 hours, 15 minutes and 14 seconds.
Average special category crossing time: 12 hours, 47 minutes and 28 seconds.
If every successful Channel swim was made consecutively, it would take 3 years, 119 days, 4 hours, 47 minutes and 39 seconds.
The most successful day of the year, with 47 swims, is 28th August
1056 swimmers have completed a total of 1471 solo swims.
Approximately 3903 swimmers have taken part in 647 relay swims and 127 special category swims.
64.7% of swimmers have been male (solo, relay and special category).
35.3% of swimmers have been female.
The average age of a solo swimmer is 33 years, 191 days (based on 574 swims, 39% of all solos)
35.8% of solo swims have been made by swimmers from the UK, 20.4% from the USA.
Average solo crossing time: 13 hours, 19 minutes and 42 seconds.Average relay crossing time: 12 hours, 15 minutes and 14 seconds.
Average special category crossing time: 12 hours, 47 minutes and 28 seconds.
If every successful Channel swim was made consecutively, it would take 3 years, 119 days, 4 hours, 47 minutes and 39 seconds.
The most successful day of the year, with 47 swims, is 28th August
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Hola
Just back from a week in Spain where the weather was incredible...a heat wave even by Spanish standards...did some pool swimming and spent a lot of time practicing my flips turns which I don't normally bother with as it bothers my lower back....think I am getting old..Managed to hurt my shoulder as usual in the process, though this may well be down to the kids demanding 3 and 4 storey pyramid fights, not a good idea to have three kids on top of you at midnight in the pool after a night on the beer!!
Back to work at the weekend..
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