Swim Etiquette......

I panicked before the Double as I notoriously dislike swimming with other people in a lane (SELFISH obviously!) and I thought I would get very frustrated with having to keep stopping and starting to meet other people's speeds (whether faster or slower) esp as that was the only part of the race I wanted to get a good time in. However, everyone was very courteous and, mindful of the fact it was going to be a long day, even I was fairly relaxed about it.

I am however, a stickler for swim etiquette!! Argh, this can make my blood boil. I am currently reading a blog by Scott Ragsdale (chairman of a company called Naseba and a 2010 Channel Swimmer) which is really helping me climb my mountain of the 10 length swim challenge. I am going to talk about Scott's blog in another post as it has certainly piqued my interest but he does talk a lot about trying not to react negatively to situations and I am trying to follow his example. However, yesterday I failed big time!

I was swimming along doing 200m Pull sets alone by myself in the fast lane. Two women got in at the far end of the pool and blocked my approach to the wall so I couldn't tumble turn. Not wanting to kick and/or splash them I went to do a push and glide turn instead. As I approached to turn however, one of the women stopped me BY TAPPING ME ON THE HEAD HARD TWICE. I was FUMING!!!!!! She stated that I had been swimming in the middle of the lane and asked if I could please pick a side to swim and indicated down the swim lane saying, "It's ok when you're by yourself but not whilst others are in the pool." I explained that until 10 seconds ago I HAD been swimming by myself and of course would've moved once they had got in and set off again swimming in the direction she had indicated. I completed another 50m of my set and reached the other end again where they were still standing. Again, they were blocking most of the lane so not wanting to aggravate by tumble turning between them I again set up for a push and glide. The same woman again TAPPED ME TWICE HARD ON THE HEAD (so angry!!!) and told me I was swimming in the wrong direction. Now, she was quite correct on that point but I had only being trying to swim in the direction she had indicated so as not to cause her any more stress. Muttering under my breath I changed direction and swam off. Anyway, conflicts like that happen in the pool all the time and it wasn't that that I minded so much. The big problem for me was that she thought TAPPING ME HARD ON THE HEAD was a suitable way to stop me. You don't normally rap people on the head to get their attention so why do it in a swimming pool?!

For the record, if you want to overtake someone in a pool, tap twice on the soles of their feet as they are approaching the end of their length. If you want someone to stop, wave your hand at them underneath the water as they are approaching the wall. DON'T TAP THEM ON THE HEAD!!

Ps. I shan't even start complaining about the fact that these women then thought that a good swim set was swimming 50ms and then stopping to chat blocking the wall for others........

Rant over.................. ;)

People are strange....

Genuine conversation in my gym changing rooms today. Woman 1: "So i've decided I'm not going to do sit-ups anymore, I want a flat stomach." Woman 2: "I thought sit ups were supposed to help you get a flat stomach?" Woman 1: "No, I was talking to Amy and she said that doing sit-ups make your stomach stick out." Woman 2: "How does that work?" Woman 1: "Apparently if you do sit ups, it works the stomach muscles under the layer of fat on your tummy and makes your stomach stick out, so I think they're probably a bad idea." Woman 2: "Gosh yes, I don't want sit ups to make me fatter, I'll stop doing them too."

Are you kidding me........??! As they say, a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous!

Good Times!

My training mojo is SLOWLY on its way back! Hurray! About time too! I did a five mile run at lunch which I felt I good have extended for another couple of miles which is great so I am going to push on with an 8 miler tomorrow.

The swim challenge is proving to be a great motivator. A lot of people advised me not to do it as I would get stale, might get injured etc but I knew that I would need something to keep me going and it is working well. I appreciate I am only 7 days down and it is going to get TOUGH over the next week or so but I have tried to get people from the RunnersWorld forum to help me along by swimming a session with me or posting a session for me to do. This really helps me along the way.

I have often wondered when I hear elite swimmers talking about 'fast' pools how that can really be true but I can tell there is such a huge difference between the pool at Henlow and the pool at DL. When I swam in the Henlow pool a few days ago when I still had my cold and my inner ear problems were affecting my balance it was honestly a weird, surreal experience. Everything was bathed in a weird light from my orange goggles and it was so bouncy underwater I felt like I was a bottle bobbing on an ocean - it was a bit trippy and disconcerting. I have discovered this week that ears truly are important for the old balance thing and I suppose that may explain why I have been a bit clumsier this week also? Anyway, the DL pool is a joy to swim in and feel fast and tonight when I did my 70 lengths I felt really strong. That was a bit surprising considering it was a double training day which I though might kill me after my virtual inactivity of the last 6 weeks but no! It turns out training is good for you!!

Plus I have been so boosted by two compliments I have received in the last two days. Firstly a colleague from work was swimming along in the lane next to me and confessed he had tried over his last few lengths to keep up with me and concluded I was 'shifting along a bit' (maybe not so slow and steady after all!) And then tonight at the pool after my session, the lifeguard actually came up to me and said he wished he could swim like me! I was so proud! :) He said, those other guys were swimming around the same speed as you but you made it look so easy, you have such a great slide! So there you go, even though I am not sure my super low stroke rate is going to win me any points in the Channel, it is at least easy on the eye!! Anyway, I don't know if the daily swim is making me more efficient or a better swimmer but those quotes really boosted me and will help me over the next tough weeks. The point today I think, it that compliments are ALWAYS well-received. If you want to compliment someone but are afraid they might think it a bit cheesy, I say go ahead! You never quite know what you might be encouraging!!

Time Flies.....

So much has gone on in the last two weeks that I want to talk about so I will try and cover it all in the next few posts. As you probably gathered I had a fantastic time during my swim to the Isle of Wight but generally the time since the Double has been extremely tough. I have always wanted to try and identify the highs and lows of training for an event such as this but don't want to put too much out there on a public forum. Suffice to say that I have certainly had post-event blues which I have been told are extremely normal. The problem is that I still haven't really had my post-season month off yet because despite doing very little training I have still been caught up mentally in the Channel relay and the Isle of Wight swim. It has also been a difficult time personally as three days before the relay, I lost my Uncle suddenly to cancer which had only been diagnosed shortly before. All this combined with a tough time at work and Adam still being away has made me extremely lethargic and not really up for anything, let only training. I think the mental aspect of training for an event such as this is really interesting and I'd love there to be some psychological studies done on the personality types of women, in particular, who attempt these sort of events. I really believe people are searching for something or running from something or have some sort of addictive personality when they do these kind of things. I'm not saying this is a negative thing as, well managed, this is obviously helping people to achieve fabulous things but I do know a number of women who are top endurance specialists who are using their events to escape depression or eating disorders. I wonder what my poison is?!

Anyway, Adam was home last week which really really helped me get things a bit back into perspective and cheered me up a bit. I am SLOWLY starting to feel like training again and have set up a challenge for myself so I can get a great swim block in through October while he's still away. The challenge is to swim 10lengths x the day of the month so 10L on the first day, 20 on the second all the way to 310 lengths on the 31st. It will be extremely tough especially during the latter half of the month but I am hoping it will get me back into the routine of training and build me a great block of swim endurance too!

The first three days are under my belt but typically I have been hit by a horrid cold the last few days - I hope I can shake it before the number of lengths increases significantly!

I need to have a think about what I'd like to achieve in intermediate goals by the end of the year. I am thinking a 10km swim and a marathon but we'll see how it goes! Not even thinking of biking until it gets warm again - it's hard enough fitting in two sports - how on earth did I manage with three! (oh yes, I didn't really do any swimming - well that's certainly en route to change!!)

Day 4 - 40 lengths here I come! :)

Isle of Wight and a half!

So today I swam to the Isle of Wight. This swim had been pencilled in for a good fews months and I figured it would be more valuable open water swim experience plus it would be good to do a swim where I start at one point and finish at another. I had booked the fantastic Keith Plumridge to pilot my support boat and he had arrange a safety kayaker, Nick. I had asked Keith to make arrangements so that I could do a two way swim if I felt up to it but I wasn't sure if I would manage the 7mile total at this stage given my longest swim to date was the Double 6 weeks ago and my longest open water swim is about 75mins.

We couldn't have been more lucky with the weather, lovely and sunny and the water felt warm especially from the safety of the wetsuit. I will write more details about the swim once I had a bit of a rest as I pretty tired at the moment but I just wanted to write my key lessons learnt from the swim before I forget them.

I hadn't ever fed during a swim before so I didn't give any instructions to my support kayaker which was a mistake as it meant didn't feed at all during the first crossing which took a smidgen over two hours and I could feel my energy draining away towards the end and I knew that would affect the return crossing. I think a feed at the first hour and then every 30mins from then will suit me and it was a very timely reminder as to how important nutrition is.

I now even more firmly believe that the key to the Arch 2 Arc is conditioning the body to undergo the stresses and strains. Core conditioning and strength are going to be SO important and must be the key focus of winter training. I am quite lordotic in my lower spine anyway (my bum sticks out!!) and with the increased buoyancy in my legs from the wetsuit this put quite a large strain on my lower back. I think this would make me quit much sooner than shoulder pain would. I also got some discomfort in my hip flexors which I know are always tight so I need to work to get my leg muscles balanced and have a good stretching programme. My arms felt reasonably ok, my elbow joint was actually more sore than my shoulders but generally they held up well over the 3hrs. It also doesn't help that I only breathe to one side as my lower back was worse on the left side due to me only breathing that way. CORE CONDITIONING is going to be CRUCIAL!!!!

I got a lot of chafing at the back of my neck on the hairline - this has been a common problem in this wetsuit so I need to check I am pulling it up enough at the back and put loads and loads of grease there.

Right, desperate for a cup of tea, will write more on the actual swim later!

Gaining Channel experience....

So as you will know, last week Team Love 146 and myself set off to swim across the Channel. For me, it was another few hours to be spent gaining valuable Channel experience in advance of the Arch 2 Arc next year. Honestly, I wasn't really looking forward to the swim before I got down there - it seemed that the waiting had dragged on too long and interfered with my rest-period post-Double and I just wanted to get it over with. Plus, I was nervous that I hadn't done any cold water acclimitisation this year and worried that perhaps, like last year, I had been a bit arrogant in my lack of preparation. Still, there was nothing that could be done now and last Fridau just saw the last minute packing and food preparation before waking at 2.30am on Saturday morning ready for a swim at 6.30am. Of course, I had the added stress of being the team organiser this time around but I was actually quite proud that I managed to remember everything including stuff like taking people's NOK details just in case. I met up with the team at the Marina car park and they seemed a great bunch. We had two English, 2 Kiwis, 1 Polish and 1 Irish swimmer - quite a mix! Kasia, our Polish contingent is swimming a solo in a few weeks and seems supremely in control compared to the rest of us! Her swimming is a joy to watch and to the dulcet tones of Rule Britannia (ironic considering she's Polish!) she led our attempt out of the bay just after 7am on Saturday 5th August.

Thankfully I had remembered to drug myself up thoroughly this year and I did managed my nausea much better. It might have helped that we were on a much larger boat aswell this year which meant there was space to spread out and sit up on deck. It was also nicer to know I only had probably two, at a real push, three swims to do and I had 5hours off between swims. Those first five hours were a bit of a wait though as I watched the other team members get their first swims done. I had chosen to go last to maximise the amount of time other people got swimming - as it was their first time I wanted them to get value for money (!) and hopefully get the chance to swim in as many conditions as possible including a night swim. Despite all their assurances that the water was warm I knew I wouldn't be able to relax until I had felt the temperature myself.

Finally it was my turn and I lined up at the back of the boat to undertake a handover from Jane. I jumped into the water and despite the initial shock of cold which I knew would come, I settled down and actually the water was fairly warm. By the end of the hour my skin had started to feel a little cold but I had very few shivers getting out and warmed up quickly which was good news. There were periods where it was quite choppy and I certainly couldn't resist looking at my watch - people that say those hours pass quickly are quite frankly, liars, in my opinion (!) but I had two pretty enjoyable swims. A hugely more positive experience than last time. Not that I would change last time as that is valuable experience to have in the memory should I face horrible conditions during the Arch 2 Arc but it's nice to know the Channel can be kind when she wants! I did a few prayers to Poseidon and also to my Uncle who had sadly passed away four days before and I felt protected in the sea and strong throughout. I was also able to swim on the correct side this time (the one that matches my breathing side) and it was really helpful! I thought I wouldn't like not being able to see what was on my non-breathing side but actually I wasn't too bothered and it was nice being able to see the boat and be distracted by what was going on on-board! I also found that my ideal position was about 3metres or so off the boat and about mid-way down just past the pilot's window. I didn't like the periods where I got too far in front on the boat and this was also good knowledge for next year.

We did have some difficult points in the swim where we weren't moving against the tide and it took us a considerably longer time than we first anticipated. We finally finished just before I had to get in for my third hour (well done Jane!) in a time of 16hours and 11minutes. I felt happy with my swims during which I had felt strong and comfortable. I do wonder about my stroke rate though which was nearly 15spm lower than others at around 47-48 compared to Kasia's 62-63. I will take some advice from Dan, Steve, Lynn and Eddie about whether this will be a factor in my swim and see if I need to work hard to increase it.

All in all a good experience and really helpful for next year! Well done to my fab team - they were a great bunch to work with and I'm proud of them all. Good luck to Kasia for her solo - I am sure, given the right weather window, she'll do brilliantly!

We are a go!

So I finally heard from our boat pilot last night, Eddie Spelling on the beautiful boat Anastasia, that we are a go for 0630hrs tomorrow. Cue much frantic texting to the team to get organised with poor Kieran having to quickly sort out a flight over from Ireland in order to arrive in time! Didn't sleep much last night for thinking of things I have forgotten to pack! Hopefully I remembered most things and just have to do a food shop this afternoon before getting up in the middle of the night to head down to Dover. I figure so long as I have a cossie and goggles and definitely sea sickness tablets this time (!!) then I should be ok! It will be nice to get the majority of the swim done during the day light hours with hopefully a nice warm sun on our backs - it makes SUCH a difference if you are already warm before you plunge into the freezing water! Though it does lead to some contraversial tan lines! Poor Adam, I don't think he's seen me yet this year without a random assortment of criss-crosses! My best to date were those I had on return from Cyprus, I had sock marks then cycling short marks then running short marks plus fingerless glove marks - NOT pretty!

I am also regretting a Body Pump class I attended on Wednesday. I have decided that the best approach for the A2A is to spend the winter getting really strong and conditioning my body to be able to withstand the rigours of training come January. So lots of weights, body pump, body conditioning, pilates and core stability classes. So I hit the class with vigour on Wednesday! I was so rubbish - I could hardly do the exercises with even the lightest weights on the bar and there were all these tiny gym bunnies twiddling weights around without so much as breaking as sweat! Well, vanity led me to really go for it on the bicep set with the result that I woke the next morning unable to straighten my arms! Even today, I am still struggling to get them fully straight - useful when you're about to cross one of the busy shipping channels in the world! :)

So, here goes - I shall report back as soon as I have stopped being completely knackered - took a few days last time! Wish me and Team Love146 luck!!