Ben's English Channel challenge 2014
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Monkey # 1 off the back and only 30 days to go!

6/2/2014

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So, here we are, less than four weeks to go until the channel swim window opens…………..

Training has been reasonably intense the last few weeks, and with the exception of right now I have managed to stay well.  I’ve been pumping out 25-30kms per week in the pool, then a long swim on Saturdays.  We’ve mixed it up a bit in the last few weeks and I was even persuaded to spend 4 hours in Manly Dam on the basis that the water was cold!  

Last weekend brought a long anticipated opportunity to conquer a challenge I have wanted to do since the very beginning of this Channel journey.  Since 2011 the idea of swimming from Palm Beach to Manly has fascinated me.  Over the last few years I have swum every piece of coastline from Coogee to Pittwater, including some epic swims across/around The Heads, from one end of the harbour to the other, and from beach to beach.

To tackle the entirety of the Northern Beaches in one go though, now that would truly be an accomplishment.  I tried with a group in 2012, but we got pulled out for safety reasons (see blog here).  In 2013 I was due to swim with friends then got sick so ended up paddling.  Now, this year, was my chance to get the monkey off my back, and deal with this.  Given this weekend just gone was the last big weekend swim before the channel, it was a perfect end to an era, and awesome to have a destination swim.  Much better to swim from A to B than swim in circles for hours!

Anyway, we met our chosen support boat “The Truck” at 6am on Saturday, together with handlers, paddlers - cae and I swimming.  The forecast was for a 2 metre swell and reasonable winds of 20+kms per hour. Not the sort of day you would choose to swim this swim, but a good challenge.

As we set off in the boat from the Pittwater side of Palm Beach in the dark the anxiety was palpable.  I was a bit nervous, but really excited.  Cae and I jumped in off the boat when we reached the south end of Palm beach, from where we swam to the beach to prepare for the start - as we will in the channel!  As we started swimming, it dawned on me that this would be a long day, but a day spent in good company with beautiful scenery.  The first few Km’s were somewhat painful with the waves reflecting off the cliffs and making it hard to get into a rhythm.  As soon as we reached Avalon we started heading out to sea to get a good straight line to the point of Long Reef.  Pretty interesting being a couple of km off-shore in deep water.



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At one point a tiny (i.e. 2 feet long) Wobbegong shark swam up underneath me and swam with me for three or four minutes.  Really cool experience, but then it occurred to me that our shark shields clearly were not that effective!  Trust in them I do though, so perhaps the baby shark had not yet developed the senses that are repelled by these devices (fingers crossed).  Bizarrely the shark swam from me to Cae who was a few hundred metres ahead of me, then swam under him before coming back to me.  Very strange but slightly magical!  Aside from a big Albatross with a rusty hook in it’s beak that was the only “wildlife” I saw all day…………thankfully!

As we swam towards Long Reef, arguably the most scary place to swim from my perspective as it’s such a well-known gathering place for large wildlife and sharks (just google long reef great white if you doubt this), it was so tantalising how slowly the headland appeared.  The chop and swell were so big that I could only see the headland itself fleetingly as it’s pretty low, and the buildings around collaroy despite looking tall and crisp took ages to materialise.  

Cae and I had been brought back together to pass the point given the “wildlife” risk.  He’d swum better than me and been better organised and much quicker with feeds.  I’d ended up with my liquids being on the boat and my solids on the kayak so each stop was a 3-4 minute “high tea” as Alex my paddler quipped.  Anyway, it was of no matter to me at the time, the whole day was focused on achieving the goal.  Making it to Shelley beach without running out of steam!

Having passed Long-Reef, we were in very familiar territory, the home stomping ground of my group of swimming buddies.  Countless times we have swim these shores, and I entertained myself by thinking of my favourite swims, but also favourite memories with friends and family at each beach.  Coconut ice-cream with my girls at Dee-Why, Coffees and summer days at North Curl Curl, Xmas morning at Freshwater……..



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In a straight line it’s only about 7km from Long Reef to Shelley beach, and my pace picked up remarkably in this knowledge.  My slightly over-gliding stroke had hindered me in the steep chop, impeding progress as I lost momentum each stroke.  When it flattened out towards Manly I could lengthen out again and stretch for home.

The elation when I swam around the corner into Shelley and saw my family and friends was memorable.  Monkey off the back for sure, and I become one of a very small number to have achieved this feat. 

I thought briefly about the Channel and how much longer, colder and harder this will be, but I’ve decided to embrace the challenge and this time I’m excited.  It will be exceptionally hard.  It’s still 13 degrees C in the channel, and given my slow pace last weekend (8.5 hours for 26km) I need to prepare for a 15+ hour crossing.  I do believe though that the diesel engine, the juggernaut as it was once dubbed, should be able to roll on if nurtured and fed properly.  We will see………….not long now!

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2014 update and getting ready for July!

1/21/2014

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It’s been quite some time since I last posted and wrote to the many wonderful people who’ve supported my Channel goal over the last three years.  It’s been almost a year to the day since I drafted a post, which much to my amusement had only a title and a date………

So I’m sitting on a long haul flight, getting ready for two weeks hectic work in London.  It’s a strange experience.  Qantas are wonderful as always, though this time it’s different.  Completely alcohol and sleeping pill free.  It’s a (new) and better me, and it’s given me some time to think, and to write.  To be honest it’s an experiment linked to my new found faith in transcendental meditation as a positive influence over all aspects of life - including in this case jet lag!   We’re yet to see whether it works, but I’ll report back next time!

I’ve been through a lot in the last couple of years, mostly wonderful, some stressful, all of my own doing, and on balance all positive!  Since the channel non-event I’ve had my third child (girl number three), grown our business www.thesearchparty.com to the extent that I’m on a plane to London again, and importantly learnt a huge amount about myself.

The post I wrote after the channel episode talked about how I’d not managed to get my head together after the disappointment of not being able to swim.  To have trained so hard, for so long, been through struggles with injury, who knows how much sacrifice on the part of my family…..only to not get a chance to prove myself (or fail honourably) was the greatest disappointment of my life.  It took longer than I thought at the time to come to terms with it.  As you know, I postponed the swim from 2013 to 2014, and am booked in for 1st week of July this year.  For most of the last 12 months I’ve been pretty sure I wasn’t going to swim.  Work’s been mental, and I’ve really enjoyed not getting up regularly at 5am - I’ve had breakfast at home with my family which has been wonderful and I feel much closer to them as a consequence.

I was loosely in training early 2013, and went to Melbourne for the wonderful cold water camp with Vlad.  This was good and proved that despite little training and some pretty nasty injuries (big gashes courtesy of the balmoral reef) I could still cope with cold and with endurance (did 8 hours in cold water for aussie standard ~14/15 degrees C).  On the back of that I trained with friends for another goal of mine - swimming from Palm Beach to Manly - an spic swim.  Unfortunately I kept getting sick so had to stop training whilst I worked out that I was allergic to our house and this was killing my immune system.  So I had almost three months out of the pool mid-2013.  Since we moved in October I have not had so much as a cold!

In a bizarre twist of events, having booked flights, accommodation, pilot, handlers, and pretty much everything a year ago, I decided in late November 2013 together with Sascha (lovely wife) and other key people in my life that I would not swim.  It seemed having not trained for so long, and having so much on in other areas of my life that it would be a stretch too far.   The Channel wasn’t going anywhere after all.  A good friend Marty crossed successfully last year in fine style aged 50 in horrible conditions for the most “meritorious” swim of 2013 in CSA land.  Together with other oldies (sorry Cyril, Irene) I swim and have swum with  over the last few years (Collie), I have no doubt that there’s plenty of time to deal with it.  Having decided this, we started booking holidays and other normal things, and started telling people I wouldn’t swim.  Everyone was unanimous, it was obviously the right thing to do on so many levels.  

Strangely, having had the pressure lifted, I started swimming again for fun over Xmas.  I think I actually started swimming when I last returned from London and looked in the mirror.  Funnily I was above the weight I had complained about after the channel slot (see previous blog ~ 94kilos).  For the first time in more than a year I swam more than five days in a week for four consecutive weeks.  I had some great swims in the ocean with the Frosty Nuts and Cae, having not been in the ocean for more than 3 months.  Wow - what a wonderful feeling - it really seems to balance me out.  After a month of training, here we are in January 2014 and I’ve decided together with the key people in my life that I will swim this year after all!  So, it’s on.  I am on a mission.  It will require discipline, hard work.  I will be travelling a lot, so this makes training harder than usual as normally there’s Vlad and the squad to push and inspire me to work hard.  

I had a great chat with Jamie (a great friend and very insightful individual) about this decision.  I was saying I’d train, then decide whether to swim or pull the plug 8 weeks out.  He laughed and said something along the lines of “if you’re going to do something this big, you need to just do it.  Succeed or fail it’s no different really.  You’re a success for having a crack so do your best and get on with it!”  (Please excuse the poor memory if you read this buddy!).

So, anyway, it’s on.  It’s on this year.  It’s on in the first week of July.  It will be cold, very cold.  I will do my best.  I believe I can succeed.  

Thanks in advance to all of you whose support I will depend on, it’s much appreciated!
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Back into full swing!

3/2/2013

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Hi Everybody!  It's been nearly four months since I last wrote to you, so really I should wish you all a happy new year!

Back in October when I last wrote I was struggling to get back into training.  Motivation was a struggle.  I feel as if I've almost had to grieve for the loss of the goal.  The "five stages" (Kubler-Ross) typically quoted are below.  I've represented them in the order I feel I experienced them (this time):
  • Denial - "I don't believe it!"
  • Anger - "robbed of my opportunity by the stupid English weather"
  • Bargaining - "I'll sacrifice life for another 9 months, I have to do this now"
  • Depression - "I don't want family and work to suffer for this damn challenge"
  • Acceptance - "I am ready to train, and can balance the demands of my life for the next 16 months".

Last October when I wrote, I was angry and in "bargaining".  I had convinced myself that I should bash on for another 9 months, and that the sacrifices would be ok.  Not long after I had written this, I was sitting in a hotel room in Brisbane, having begun travelling regularly for work as the business expands, feeling guilty about not having made it to the pool.  Being honest, I was thoroughly depressed, and in a moment of clarity realised that if I didn't remove some strain from my life I would crack.  There are really only three things in my life:  Family, work, and swimming.  The swimming had to be deprioritised as work's a massive committment (necessarily) and my wonderful family was due to expand to three children in Feb. 

So, over a plate of sashimi and miso soup I decided to push the channel back another year, and focus my time on my family, work (Tempurer). and general health and wellbeing.  I was nursing various injuries, was 10kg overweight (channel fat), and had become pre-diabetic through all the weight gain and high GI food.

I am sorry I did not write sooner, I have often thought about doing this, but I knew at some point the time would be right as I'd have clarity on what would follow.  So, let's address these priorities one by one, and then talk about the plan:

  1. Family - last week Sascha and I had our third baby, and third girl!  Wonderful addition, and the five of us have had a great week together hanging out and being a family.
  2. Work - business going really well and expanding internationally this year.  We have a great team and awesome product, the market seems ready, and the world is our oyster.
  3. Health - have made great progress: hand injuries fixed, lost 8kg of the extra 10, through detox and diet change have stopped taking the pre-diabetic medicine.
  4. Grief / mental health: I have reached acceptance, and rediscovered my love of swimming, particularly in the ocean.  With the support of great coaches (thanks Vlad & Charm), and great mates (Frosty Nuts) with whom no swimming adventure is dull, I am back in both the ocean and the pool, and swimming better than ever.

The plan is now clear.  I have booked the first slot of the 2014 channel season (1 - 10 July).  That gives me 16 months to train.  I am optimistic, have a great training buddy (Cae) who's also committed for the same window, and am starting from a much better place both physically and mentally than I did last time.

I thank you all for your ongoing interest and support.  I will aim to provide an update, hopefully in the form of an entertaining story about an adventure in training.  If you have aspects of the process that particularly interest you, please post a comment or write to me.  It's always wonderful to get feedback!




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Challenge 2012 now Challenge 2013!

10/13/2012

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As many of you will know, my Channel Crossing did not exactly go to plan, and I was thwarted by the English Weather and did not get a chance to even attempt a crossing!  As it turned out, England had the worst low-pressure system for 50 years, leading to very windy weather.  This is not good for the Channel as when combined with big tides it causes nasty chop which makes swimming almost impossible.

Whilst the wait and the uncertainty was agonising, I do now have a very clear appreciation for what's involved, and will be very well prepared next year.  

It's been tough returning to life as normal without having resolved the goal of the last 15 months.  It feels very strange, knowing that I was so ready but unable to deliver on the challenge.  I've thrown myself back into work and family life, and whilst I've turned up to squad training a couple of times, I am yet to pull my head together properly and get on with training properly.  Hopefully this week will be the beginning of the next phase of training, and I'll get back into the groove.

One major incentive that I do have is the massive tyre I developed around my waist in the two weeks I was waiting to swim in the UK.  I was deliberately indulging in massive quantities of food, to help carb-load and bulk up to manage the crossing.  I have friends who managed to shed 5kgs on the way across the Channel.  I had gained the 5kgs, but given I didn't swim I still have them with me!  Not a great look, and certainly making me feel pretty uncomfortable!  My normal weight (pre-channel training) was 85kgs.  I now sit as a monstrous 94kgs, more than 10% overweight!

I have booked in for July 13th neap tide, and so this gives me only 9 months to focus.  The big challenge in swimming this early in the year will be the cold, so no doubt some training with the crazy "black ice" crew in Melbourne will required in April, May, June.  

For the time being, I plan on getting back into the routine, and will roll in some gym and yoga time too to help me  gain some strength and flexibility.  Given the 9 months to train, I would like to think I can get a lot faster in the water, so I will definitely be focusing on my technique too.

Thank you all for the many supportive messages received both before and after the (non)-event.  I really appreciate it, and your support goes a long way to making it all worthwhile.  Together we have raised $34,000 which will help so many families under the guidance of Opportunity International and their partners.  Thank you, on behalf of all these very deserving people.
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Brief weather update - stormy seas in play..........

9/24/2012

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As most of you know, my tidal window to swim the English Channel opened last weekend (23rd Sept), and I have been in and around Dover, waiting for clear weather.  Some crew has arrived from Australia (my wife, and a swimming friend Alex), we've met with UK crew (my Dad and Gaz), and are all organised.  There have been middle of the night training sessions in the harbour, and lots of eating, massage, and other constructive activities. 

For a short while it looked as if I would be able to swim last Friday, but this was not to be in the end, so since then we've been eagerly tracking the weather on a daily, and hourly basis (most readable forecast available at http://cspf.co.uk/10-day-forecast).  The trick is really low winds, as with the water running so fast in the channel, even the slightest breeze causes substantial waves.  Waves are bad for swimming, particularly when the tide / current is moving at upto 6km per hour (far faster than I can swim!).  So, when you look at the weather forecast, we need winds of Force 2 or less, for about 16 hours................

The second major factor is the tide.  My "window" (23rd - 28th Sept) is the last typical window for channel swimming this year.  This is due to the cooling of the water (already down to 15 degrees C versus 17 a few weeks ago), and the decrease in the quality of the English weather.

Channel swimming "windows" occur in the "neap" tide, where the difference between high and low tide is least dramatic.  A neap tide will have a difference of only 3.7 metres between high (5.7M) and low (2M).  A spring tide (all days outside the short "neap" windows) will have a tidal range of 6 metres between high (7m) and low (1m).  This is a massive difference in the volume of water flowing between the two headlands, creating much faster currents, and dramatically reducing the slack water period between tides (down to 20 mins from more than an hour).  Given slack water is the period you aim to swim across the final kilometres to the French shore, this is critical, as it makes it much much harder to time your swim.  For slower swimmers (a group I still count myself a member of), it makes it much harder to succeed.

Anyway, technicalities over, the weather's not looking great for the next week.  This means several things:

1. If I swim outside the neap tide window it will be even harder to succeed than normal
2. My Australian crew may have to leave England, leaving me short-handed on the boat.
3. I may have to consider delaying my flights back (not good for work)
4. Given we are almost in October, the risk is that the weather does not improve.........and my "window" ending this week is typically the last week people swim the Channel!

I thought the training was gruelling.  This waiting game, and the uncertainty around getting in the water is horrendous.  I can't begin to tell you how badly I want to get on with this and get it done!  The cost (personal and financial) of coming back next year does not bear thinking about.

I will update you as soon as possible, and paste below here a recent weather update from one of the Channel Pilots:


Update of the weather forecast.
Sorry but it looks like the earliest anything is going to happen will be next Friday - and that could be debatable.
We have Gales and strong wind warnings for the next 3 days and then the wind will need to drop and the sea settle before anyone will be thinking of going to sea.
Talk to your pilots.
 
Dover -- Shipping Forecast - Issued: 0405 UTC Mon 24 Sep
Gale warnings - Southwesterly storm force 10 expected soon
Wind -- Southeast 5 to 7, veering southwest 7 to severe gale 9, increasing storm 10 for a time.
 
Sea State -- Rough or very rough, perhaps high for a time.
Weather -- Thundery showers.
Visibility --  Good, occasionally poor
 
----------------------------------------------------
North Foreland to Selsey Bill
Strong winds are forecast
For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore from 0600 UTC Mon 24 Sep until 0600 UTC Tue 25 Sep
24 hour forecast:
 
Wind -- Southeasterly 4 or 5, veering southwesterly gale 8 or severe gale 9, increasing storm 10 for a time in Strait of Dover, then decreasing 6 or 7 later.
 
Sea State -- Moderate, becoming rough or very rough.
Weather -- Thundery showers.
Visibility --  Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
----------------------------------------------------
Outlook for the following 24 hours: from 0600 UTC Tues 25 Sep until 0600 UTC Wed 26 Sep
 
Wind -- Southwesterly 6 or 7, backing southerly 5 or 6 later.
 
Sea State -- Rough, becoming moderate later.
Weather -- Thundery showers.
Visibility -- Moderate or good
----------------------------------------------------
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Goodbye Australia.  Mr Ditch I am coming to get you.........

9/14/2012

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Hi Everybody

Today I leave Australia for the temperate shores of England.  I really feel everything's come together over the last month or so, and this last week has been spectacular and somewhat surreal!  Last laps in a pool on Thursday with squad; send-off brekkie with the Tatts swimmers yesterday;  this morning the Bold & Beautiful who I swim with did a wonderful send-off, and this can be viewed at
www.facebook.com/englishchannelchallenge

I feel truly privileged to have the support of so many people, some of whom I have never, and probably will never meet!  Thank you all.  Together we've raised more than $30,000 at this stage - a magnificent number.

Physically and mentally I feel ready.  I have no pain in my hands, and am swimming faster and more efficiently than ever before.  It's by no means pretty, but it is pretty effective!

I'll be in touch from the UK, hope for good weather - that's the last piece of the jigsaw............!
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The home stretch - time to make this challenge count!

8/29/2012

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So here we are – more than a year of training done, and only three weeks to go until I finally embark on my English Channel crossing!  I feel positive, strong, healthy, and absolutely committed to making it across.  I fly out on 15th Sept, have a week to rest and prepare in Dover, then the crossing window of the neap tide opens on 23rd Sept.  I am the first swimmer off in the window, so hopefully will be swimming pretty close to this date.  I will provide tracking details soon so you can follow progress should you wish!

It’s been an interesting year:  I’ve met some great people, learned a lot about myself (both mind and body), improved my swimming technique and done lots of different types of swimming training, but most of all covered lots and lots of distance in the water.  I tallied it all up last night, and in the last 12 months I have swum an average of 35km per week (max 55km), and covered a total distance of 1,400Km.  To put this in perspective, that’s equivalent to driving from Sydney to Adelaide or Rockhampton, or from London to Edinburgh.  It’s a long way!

Clearly swimming is slow, relative to other means of transport, and I reckon I’ve probably spent 450 hours or more swimming in this period.  6+ hours of squads per week, and then the long, lonely swims at the weekend.  These swims have been made much more pleasant by the good company I’ve acquired.  Whilst these people shall remain nameless for now, I really appreciate the support of the Frosty Nuts, Bold & Beautiful, Tattersalls swimmers, and of course Vladswim and the team.  The photo below sums it up really – Collie Kinsela (swimming the channel for the second time in a couple of weeks) and I up early, entering the water at sunrise, and heading off into the distance.  

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Whilst it’s been really hard to continually drag myself out of bed at 4.45am, and I have missed out on lots of family time, I do feel hugely privileged to have experienced some of the wonder that nature has to offer us.  Watching the sunrise from the calm crystal waters of the ocean is a magical experience, and we are so lucky to be able to do this.

I was reminded last weekend of just how lucky we are, and also of the greater purpose of the challenge I have undertaken here.  I have been an ambassador for Opportunity International Australia (OIA) for almost five years now, and attended a fundraiser at the weekend that included video of some success stories and facts about the people we help in India.  It’s largely women, who are motivated to provide a better life for their kids.  These families often live on less than $1.25 per day, qualified as extreme poverty.  OIA provides small loans (e.g. $100) to a woman, then training and support, helping her develop, grow and maintain a business.  They then repay the loan, which gets recycled and goes on to help others.  Staggeringly the repayment rate is 97% - a figure a commercial bank would be more than pleased with.  The reason why I believe so strongly in this microfinance model as a solution to poverty is that it’s a hand-up, not a hand-out.  It’s sustainable and it’s commercial.  It gives all the people involved self-respect, and the ability to provide for their family on their own – something we all strive for.  Just as I have worked hard for a year to swim the Channel, these women work hard to create a better life for their families.

In 2009 I raised $11,000 for OIA, which went off to a programme in the Philippines. This money will have since helped more than 300 families break out of poverty, and it will help more than 100 each year, forever.  This is a great impact to have made on the world, and I am thankful to all those who sponsored the challenge.

The objective for the Channel swim was $50,000.  We’re a way off that now, but I am confident with your help we can have a good crack at making it.

Please sponsor me if you can (click here), and please send this to friends, family, and anyone else who would like to or be able to make a difference.  $100 donated here can make a lasting impact on families FOREVER!

Lastly – well done to training buddies Wayne, Ali, and Wyatt – who followed Tori and all made it successfully across in August.  Great effort guys, and I hope to emulate your successes.


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A 30km, 10 hour training in ocean's finest aquarium!

8/5/2012

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Just a brief update to let you all know that I'm still training hard!  Only 48 days to go now......pretty scary but very exciting indeed.  I am really reaching the point of being completely over all these early mornings and training pressure.

However, that said, I had a wonderful day yesterday.  As you're aware, it's been on my mind that I will be in the water for a long time on the day, possibly 18 hours or so.....and this is a long time to be in 16 degree water!  So, yesterday I had planned a longer swim than the normal 6-8 hour sessions we've been doing at the weekend.  My goal was to swim 30km, 20 return laps of Manly to Shelley.

We (Collie, Iain and I) started in the dark at 5.30am which was surreal.  The stars were magnificent, and the water so clear with wonderful phosphorescence.  After two laps my left hand was absolute agony.  It was like I could feel a tendon joining my chest to my  thumb, and on every stroke there was this tight, yanking sensation.  I got out, had a stretch, and started worrying........how could I possibly cope all day!?

For the half hour from 6.30-7.00 I was seriously contemplating getting out, and also bailing on the whole channel challenge.  I had thought through the consequences, the apologies I would need to make, the inner sense of failure, and the knowledge in my heart that if I didn't make it this time I would have to try again.........I had it all worked out.



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Then at 7, the 100+ Bold & Beautiful swimmers were in the water with us.  We did a lap, Julie announced my challenge for the day, and on we swam.  I was still festering then after a couple more laps stopped for a feed and my "handler" for the day brought out the pill box!  Pills are very important to long distance swimmers.  It's not unusual for a discussion to ensue when you meet marathon swimmers about what pills they take.......when you put the body through so much strain over long periods, you need to be able to block out the pain.

Nicole (handler) was a legend with me yesterday.  She gave me at least one pill almost every half an hour.....paracetamol, neurofen, ibuprofen, voltaren......you name it!  I think the pills helped, also about 10am we strapped my wrists up even more than they were already (see photo), and by the time I had done 7 laps I knew I had to finish the swim.

I was blessed, the water was so clear I felt like I was swimming in Sydney aquarium.  There were all manner of fish, and lots of friendly Port Jackson sharks.  I was joined during the day by lots of people, and never swam alone.  I am shocked by the level of support people have shown me, and I thank everyone of them.  I could not have done this without you.

On each lap, there was a mini-simulation of the last 3kms at France, where the tide pulls against you.  To get in at North Manly there was a reasonably strong rip, particularly on the outgoing tide.  This was mildly annoying at the time, as you faced a choice of swimming an extra 200m around the rip, or pushing through it for 5 mins (which I chose).......good training!



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By the end (10 hours 20 minutes) I was elated.  My family turned up to say Hi, and I got to see bewildered looks from my Kids - "where's daddy been all day?!?".  I got very cold when I got out, but was saved by my friend James and the Manly SLSC showers (thank you!) which were clearly plumbed pre-drought as it was like standing under a hot niagra falls.  Perfect! 

The great news about yesterday was that I made it, and mentally was able to push through, and also that my nutriion plan worked.  No sickness or tummy problems, so I was really happy about this!

So, on we roll.  Not long to go......some tough weeks ahead, just hoping my hand calms down a bit, and I may have to get some more injections in m wrists!  Oh the trials and tribulations of a Channel Aspirant!

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Training in full swing, 62 days to go!

7/21/2012

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The last few weeks have been relatively consistent from a training point of view.   A typical week involves intense squads four days, one or two cold (~15 degree C) water sessions in the harbour, one 4-8 hour swim, and a 5km gentle ocean swim on Sunday to recover.  On average I have been swimming 35km per week, and am feeling pretty good in the water.

Squads are important because they build your tolerance to different levels of aerobic and anaerobic endurance, and fine tune your skills.  The cold, and time in the cold water for long swims, is important because clearly the Channel is cold!  This summer in England has been atrocious, with record rainfall and cold weather.  This means the Channel has been two degrees colder than normal, and slower than usual in warming up (today = 15.2 degrees).

Since the start of "Channel Season" in July, very few solo crossings have been made due to the bad weather.  Two people i've been training with recently succeeded though.  Lochie Hinds became the youngest Australian male to cross a few weeks ago, and managed an amazing 12 hours in really cold water (apparently 13.5 in the middle).  This is great for such a young guy, and shows mentally he'd made massive progress since we all swam together in Melbourne where he was not exactly thrilled by the cold!  He's a brilliant swimmer, and survived a big tide too, so well done Lochie.

Tori Gorman succeeded at the weekend, in just over 14 hours.  Tori has been training hard for two years, and was wonderfully prepared both physically and mentally.  She had the most agonising of waits in the UK while the weather cleared, and was luck to be able to hang around past her "window".  Others had to return to life and work, and missed out on their chance this year.  Well done Tori.

So, what do these two successes mean for me?!  I swing from feeling hugely positive, knowing people who've been following similar training regimes to me have succeeded, but to be honest these guys are both much quicker than me..........probably 20 secs per 100m (~20%).  Their tales of battling the current and the tides off france do worry me, as should I not have enough gas in the tank at the end to lift my pace, then I'll struggle to deal with the 3km "danger zone" which is the  3km just off the coast of France.

So, I am working hard on my technique and my pace, and do seem to be making progress.  I have also been doing mental strength work, reading books by athletes who have mastered the mental game.  I am preparing myself to be in the water for 18 hours.  Hopefully it won't take this long, but I need to be ready, just in case!

To this end, over then next two weekends I will do a couple of long swims.  Probably 6 hours next Saturday, and then 12 the following Saturday.  I think if I can deal with 12, and if my nutrition plan holds up, then mentally I will be feeling tough.  On the day I will no doubt be lifted by the magnitude of the event!

More to come over the next week or two.  I have five other friends swimming the Channel solo in the next 6 weeks, so I am crossing my fingers for all of them.

My flights are booked for 15th Sept, so I have just 7 weeks of hard training left.  I am going to give everything I have..............at least then I'll know I've done everything I can.  This period will include some dietary adjustment, essentially more food, and no alcohol at all.  I have already been two weeks without a glass of wine, and can't believe I am staring down the barrel of another 8.........some meals just aren't the same!  I can't wait for my life to return to normal, and I look forward to spending more time with my family and friends, and more time asleep!  The 4.45am alarm is getting very very tiresome......................

As always, thanks for your ongoing support.  
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    Sydney dwelling, ocean loving, hard working, decidedly average swimmer and devoted family man.

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