1 week to go!

Haven't written for a while as I have been battling a chest infection. However, got back in the pool last week and finally the lakes this weekend. It seemed a lot colder and I'm still struggling with the isolation of it all but with only a week to go, facing my demons seems eminent.

Met up with my coach briefly for a few last minute tips. I am now on a carbohydrate diet for the week which is lovely as normally carbohydrates are the route of all evil. I have also ordered some energy drinks and bars on her advice and so should be really raring to go on the day.

Looked up the current temperature of Windermere and it's 15.9 C which is 4 degrees colder than Leybourne lakes so it will be a shock to the system but once I'm in it should be ok. I just really don't want it to rain. The weather this weekend has been horrible and I have my fingers crossed that it surely can't be worse?!

So last few days of training involve lake swims up to Wednesday and then that will be it until the big day. Can't believe it's here and this time next week it will be all over. Have started to think about what will be the next challenge.

Any suggestions greatly recieved.

Gemini6x

Doc's Orders

No swimming for me today as have chest infection. Not impressed.

On a good note though my official and very green (!) swim hat arrived today, number 3095, along with my timing chip and general information about the day of the swim.

All feels a bit real now.

Gemini6x

A beautiful description

The following is not my writing but I found it on a website talking about swimming in Lake Windermere and it really sums up my thoughts. Off to swim at Leybourne again tomorrow.

'Whatever the case you enter into a very different environment as a swimmer. You may be only meters away from friends and support but you feel in another world emotionally. Water has always been associated with the feelings and deeper intuitive urges of our nature. Your view is restricted to looking out of goggles that are often misted up and distort the vision at the best of times. As you twist your head to one side to breathe you only have a split second to interpret what you see. A few seconds later you have another chance to build up a better idea as you twist your head back again but this time you may be lower or higher down due to the waves and the object of your attention may have disappeared. What may have looked like an elephant just behind you turns out to be an island in the distance and what appeared to be something like the decorated ceiling of a church just to one side of you turns out to be some poles on the boat with some light reflected off a window. The feeling of confusion caused by goggles and movement of water is further exacerbated by the fact that you are in an almost soundless environment under your swimming cap. In fact I’ve found that low flying military jets overhead are about the only thing that can break into that space. What you do hear is your own breathing as you lift your head up to inhale and then a soothing surging sound as you exhale sending a stream of bubbles into the murkiness of it all.
 
On the emotional and psychological level there is a similar stirring up of feelings. There is the sense of isolation as well as the feeling of being burdened and having a task to fulfill that others around you seem to be free from. You wish you could be the man strolling along the beach or the tourist hanging over the rails of the small ferry in the distance. All the time you know that there is no escape and that you cannot stop and pack it all in.It is cold and uncomfortable and the times and distances seem too much. Inevitably you ask yourself if there is any point in the whole thing. You are not in extreme discomfort but enough not to want to continue for another 5 hours or 10 hours or however long it is likely to take. Feelings towards family, friends and loved ones are thrown into sharp relief as you realise just how important they are to you and how painful it would be to lose them or cause them any suffering. These worries, fears and anxieties seem to revolve about as your mind moves from one thought to another but they slowly give way as you get bursts of energy and moments of intense joy and well being. As the event progresses and you have some mileage and time under your belt the goal comes into a clearer focus. Physical tiredness and muscle ache start to set in but you know deep down that you will complete the distance. Time starts to pass by much more quickly and the tricky feelings and emotions seem to fade away leaving you in touch with a core of inner strength.'  

http://channel.srichinmoyraces.org/channel_swimmers/karteek/windermere


Here's hoping I can find my inner strength on the day.

Gemini6x

The Bodyguard.

2000m tonight !! Woohoo!! So aside from the swimming which was really good - I finished the endurance training and then swam another 400m (16 lengths) to make it up to 2000m. Wednesday's are good day for training apparently.

What was funny about tonight was Channel Swimming Lady was there again. (must ask her her name next time) We got in the pool at about the same time and there were a couple of other ladies swimming very slowly on the other side of the pool. Not a problem, we had our space.

The problem came when three more girls got in and wanted to swim at various paces in and out of mine and Channel Lady's water. Now, if I had been there on my own I would have just carried on swimming and probably got very cross with them and moaned when I got home. However, I apparently have a new bodyguard come swimming partner it would seem, as Channel Lady then instructed the Lifeguard to lane off our bit of the pool.  We were swimming front crawl and training and did not need to be slowed down, she informed him. We then spent the rest of the session swimming up and down in our own private section of the pool. No one was going to mess with her and consequently me !

However, there was a downside to all this in that if it is at all possible to send off bad vibes through the water then that's what these girls did to me. I was rope side of the lane and one of the girls kept insisting on swimming directly the other side of the rope. When she wasn't trying to prove a point and race me up the pool (she didn't win), she was practicing butterfly turns just as I got to the wall and consequently drowning me. As far as I was concerned though, I took on the thought that when it gets to Lake Windermere there's going to be a lot of people and consequently it will be choppy, so tonight was good training for that too.

I had to smile in the end when the girls admitted their defeat and got out and left us swimming in our lane. Victory was ours !

Gemini6x

Growing Gills

One of my pupils said today 'Miss, you're turning into a fish' and I think he might well be right! Swimming again tonight found be back in the pool. I have to say it wasn't quite up to standard in that I didn't swim the distance tonight but it was probably because I was trying to keep up with a lady that looked like she could swim the channel and back in her sleep. I think I might be becoming a little bit competitive. 

It was a good workout and it was good to talk to the Channel Swimming Lady (she didn't actually swim the channel but for argument's sake I'll call her that) .  She told me about lots of places to go swimming. Who knew there was an 50m open air heated pool in the middle of Hackney that's open all year round?

Driving home I thought about my conversations with the lady in the pool. I believe that you should should try and learn from the people you meet, even if it's the smallest thing. Channel Swimming Lady made me think about the race at Windermere. I have been thinking about the route that I will take on the day. I naturally thought that I would swim wide of everyone to get some clear water but actually she pointed out that this was madness, why take the long route round? Go for the most direct, head straight for the buoy at your pace, the shortest route possible. Seems obvious now but I hadn't thought about like that. So I am very grateful for my chance meeting with the Channel Swimming Lady, both for my workout tonight and for my pre-race tactics talk. (I am however slightly concerned that I have started calling it a race!).

Gemini6x

Scary Weeds.

What a lovely day for a swim in the lake. It was so warm. As predicted I did not do it all freestyle but I did complete the mile course in 35 minutes. Still having a few issues with the water. Today I got attacked by the weeds which on reflection is quite funny now but I did panic at the time :-) Lots of splashing around followed by a good telling off and I soon got over it.

I was really pleased that I managed to get the whole way round. It had become a mental Mount Everest and I was wondering if I would actually be able to climb it, but I have. Now it's all down to more training to get my fitness levels up more and perhaps swimming a bit further away from the weeds next time.

 

This is the route that I did today.

Friday and the Weekend is here :-)

Tonight I did session number two of Endurance training and after Wednesday's frankly rubbish session I was a little dubious as I entered the pool.

However, when I got poolside I was one of only two people in the pool and so it was lovely to get into a practically empty pool. I started off with determination to really get the hang of this breath holding and I actually managed to do the  0 breath length 3 times. Success! It feels like a mini victory. I can also see the benefit for when I get in the lake as I think it's going to help me control my breathing a lot more which has been a huge issue. So after that I went on to do the pyramid set and actually completed the whole lot in my hour. I got out feeling really good, if a little wobbly as my legs didn't like being back on dry land :-)

Tomorrow, I'm going to the lake again. I think I am going to do the mile tomorrow. I'm not going to push it and will no doubt end up doing breast stroke a lot of the way but I need to get over the fear of swimming that distance non stop. Wish me luck.

Gemini6x