Blog Posts

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

8/5/2012

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.

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!

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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Injuries and a wonderful clarity of purpose

6/24/2012

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Sorry it's been so long since my last update. It's been rather a strenuous month one way and another and I wanted to wait until I was completely certain of whether I could swim this year or not before writing. You may recall from my last post that I was still suffering painful hands at the Palmie to Manly attempt. I finished that swim massively disappointed to have had to abort the attempt so far short, particularly through no issues of my own. However, I had been conscious throughout this swim, and indeed the subsequent week after pool sessions, that my hands were far from fixed. They would swell up and ache for two days after a swim. Not good, and not conducive to the 50kms per week I should be doing!

Not one to give up easily, over the past few weeks I have consulted a broad spread of the medical practitioners Sydney has to offer. I kid you not: GP, Sports specialist, ultrasound (x2), X-ray, hand therapist, physios (2), accupuncture, osteopath, sports massage, and finally, a hand surgeon. Of all these talented people, two have had particular impact, but it was the hand surgeon who really saved the day. After a one hour wait in his waiting room, where I struggled not to walk out as work pressures were mounting, I had a brilliant talk with a very wise and experienced man.

After weighing the pros and cons, he suggested cortisone injections in my wrists would reduce the inflammation in the tendons causing pain, thus enabling me to train again! Relief, oh relief. The second wonderful person in the list managed to identify trapped nerves in my neck and five (5) mis-aligned ribs. I think the ribs are under-estimated, as she was able to demonstrate that by poking me and moving one rib about 2 mm my whole pain and nerve tingling in my right hand disappeared completely. Amazing. Through a very painful (but satisfying) series of realignment followed by dry needling and massage, we have begun to address the cause of the issues - a very tense neck and upper rib-cage, through years of swimming using the wrong muscles..............not something easily fixed, but I now know it's manageable.

The other issue I have been quietly dealing with is that I have been diagnosed as being "pre-diabetic" and insulin resistant. Essentially, gaining weight (~8kgs) to prepare for the swim began to tip my body over the edge towards diabetes. Insulin resistance means it's hard for my body to regulate blood sugar levels, and cards and sugars get turned to fat rather than processed (hence my rapidly expanding Channel tummy!). Thankfully it was spotted, and I am being medicated and have managed to lose 4 kgs in the last few weeks and am feeling much better. Symptoms include (this will be particularly funny for anyone who works with me) "grumpiness, lack of energy, headaches.............". Common feelings for me, especially after my daily pasta lunch!

So, after three weeks unable to swim, fearing I would have to postpone the Channel until next year or beyond, I was able to commit 100% to the goal of crossing this year, knowing that my hands would be fine and my energy levels would improve.

My window is 23rd-29th September, so I now have exactly 12 weeks do do absolutely everything possible to prepare myself. Knowing it's going to happen is surprisingly relieving, and having always been someone who loves a bit of pressure, the imminent deadline is probably just what I needed.

I started training with a vengeance again last week. Vlad, Charm, and the rest of the squad have been brilliant and encouraging. Last week's usual routine of pool sessions with a couple of cold water adventures in Redleaf Pool (harbour ~15 degrees), was followed by a monster swim yesterday. Eight hours at Balmoral, where the water is a degree or two colder than the ocean. Yesterday it was 15.8 degrees Celcius, and surprisingly I didn't feel the cold badly at all. As usual my body got off to a relatively sluggish start, but after two hours I felt good. I had a brief lull at about 6 hours where I knew I hadn't eaten enough. A couple of "gels" later and I was feeling tip-top, and according to my GPS the last hour was where I did some of my fastest swimming.

I had a really deep change mentally during this swim. I spent the first half feeling I would be too slow to cross the channel at all, having heard a friend who's a much better swimmer suggest it may take her 12 - 15 hours to cross when she goes in a few weeks (good luck Tori). Then after a few mid-swim chats with Collie who crossed successfully in 2007, and is a wise man, I realised something profound. If my mind is up to spending 18 or so hours in the water, my body will be fine. I have read so many books about the mind of the athlete recently, but nothing sinks in like the words of a friend.

I believe, in my heart of hearts, that I am physically and mentally strong enough to do this. I am going to cross the English Channel in September 2012. Definitely. It will be hard, miserable at times, and probably the toughest 24 hour period in my life to date, but I will achieve what I've set out to achieve, and I will come through it. I have gained complete clarity of purpose, and I am really excited about the next 12 weeks. I will push myself through as much pain and training as possible, but I believe it will all be worthwhile.

Thanks for listening. It's always massively uplifting when I see one of you and you talk about something I've written. It means a lot, as I've often assumed that people don't read these long missives.....................Thank You!

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Palmie to Manly debrief

6/2/2012

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The day was supposed to begin at 4am with the alarm, then 5am collection by fellow swimmers and our crew for the day. I had organised everything the night before (feeds, clothes, etc etc), and had my brekkie routine laid out - nespresso, museli and bananas. I woke without the alarm, putting this down to excitement (read stress) for the day ahead, turned my phone on and was shocked to see the time was 6am! The first words to leave my mouth were not printable and I jumped up and called Collie. I was clearly put on speakerphone as Collie and Nicole (handler for the day) calmly said they had everything I'd need except cap and goggles, so I should just jump on my motorbike and head straight for Palmie. The swim was due to start at 7am, so they reckoned I'd still make it! Not the ideal start as I had to skip brekkie, grabbed what I could in terms of food & drink for the swim, and hooned it up to Palm beach. I wont tell you how long it took, suffice to say much less time than normal! I just had time to undress, apply sunscreen, find someone to paddle my bag out to the boat, and then we were off.........and whilst I could see my boat I could not see Brendan and Collie, the other two who I was to be swimming with for the day.

I swam the first hour (3km or so), which essentially followed the course of the "Big Swim" from Palm to Whale Beach, really happily at a good rhythm. I smiled when I thought back to the few times when I had swum this course before and really struggled with the distance. Now it's barely a warmup! I was swimming with a relatively fast group of B&B swimmers - Cae, Alex, Richard and others, and stopped with them to feed. I had to borrow drinks as all my stuff was on my boat which was probably 1km behind and 1km out to sea! I decided to leave these guys and swam the gauntlet out to my boat, joining up with them happily 20 mins later after being all alone at sea (not a nice feeling). At this stage the weather was cloudy, and looking ahead you could see it was going to get a lot worse! There were three of us sharing a boat, with four crew on the boat to drive, feed, organise, and generally keep a lookout. We were supposed to be swimming together, but it was hard to clump up. I found my stroke after about 3 hours, and felt strong. I could tell at the feeds that the boat crew were finding it tough to look after us as we were all so spread out with Collie heading way out wide to pass long reef, and me preferring a line about 1km offshore, point to point along the coast. I found myself getting cold, and wanted to be swimming a bit harder and faster, but I knew the others were behind me, so needed to hold back a bit. My hand was not too painful, though I had taken plenty of Neurofen, but I could tell we weren't making as much progress as we'd expected. After about four hours we'd only swum about 10km, so were clearly being held back by a current. The sea of jellyfish we swam through also whizzed past us during feeds, confirming the feeling, so I knew in my heart we'd be too slow to make it before dark.

However, I reconciled with myself that I could keep swimming until dark, then depending on where we were would have strapped on the "sharkshield" and swam the final stretch. Good channel practice! I talked myself out of the cold by reflecting on Melbourne. If I could survive more than 6 hours in 14.5 degree water, I could definitely handle the Sydney water which was probably 18 degrees or more.

When we had reached the point at the North end of Narrabeen, there was somewhat of a commotion. The big fishing boat which was supporting my friends Cae, Alex, Richard et al, who I had swum the first section with, was whizzing around in circles,much faster than they should have been. I tried to tell myself not to worry, my boat would look after me, but knew that the three of us were well spread out so were not really safe. Twenty minutes later my boat pulled up behind me and said the words every long distance swimmer dreads "We're pulling you out!". My first thought words were "Why, I feel fine", but I could tell by the look on faces that something was wrong so I did what I was told.

It quickly became apparent that we were on a search. Surf Lifesavers in IRBs, and Jetskis were whizzing around. It turned out that the boat had left a swimmer alone whilst dropping someone else off at a beach. When they returned they were unable to find the swimmer! By this time, the weather had set in. It was windy, choppy, reasonable swell, and raining cats and dogs. Scary to be looking for a friend, and the isolation you feel alone out to see is horrific so I knew how he would have felt!

After an hour of searching, we got to Narrabeen and were altered that he'd been found. He'd swum ashore and gone to the surf club. What a relief. By this time we were all so cold from sitting under wet towels for an hour, that the thought of getting back in the water was not appealing at all. We headed over to the second (of four) group, and saw that they were struggling with sea sickness and speed against the current. There was no way they were going to make it. We packed up, and headed to Manly, passing on our way the quick group (Tori, Wayne, Ali et al) who had made really good progress. They seemed to be a lot closer in than we were, so had perhaps managed to avoid the worst of the current. Either way they were doing really well and made it to the end before dark, in an amazing time of 8.5hrs. Well done to them.

Lessons learned: every swimmer needs a boat, or at a minimum a kayak. Safety is paramount, and things easily go wrong. Without this independent support it's also impossible to go in the direction or at the speed you want, likely adding time, distance, and frustration to the equation.

Overall it was a great experience, but it's really got me wondering whether I've got the pace and the fitness I need to successfully cross the Channel this year. I have four months to go. Mentally I feel strong, but some days I doubt it. My hand is an ongoing worry, and my fattening up may have made my body think I am obese and go pre-diabetic (I find out more on Thursday).

I will hit training hard this week, speak to my coaches, friends and mentor and see how we go. Thanks for your ongoing support.

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Injury, the longest swim of my life and the "triple crown"

5/30/2012

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It’s been nearly a month since my last post, and unfortunately this is mostly due to me having been injured and unable to type as a consequence! This post will be suitably short! The week after Lake Argyle I eased myself back into squad training with Vlad & Charm, then had a 6 hour “easy” swim down near the airport on the Saturday. Before the swim I felt really tight and I was not swimming particularly well. After about 3 hours I had developed pain in the back of my hand, and occasional shooting pains up my arm. Not good. So, I pulled back from my buddies, mixed the last hours up with some backstroke and general flapping around to try and release tight muscles. By the time the six hours were up my right hand was very swollen and painful. After a week of seeing all manner of helpful medics (GP, Physio, Hand Specialist, Sports Physician), it was determined that I had some kind of Repetitive Strain Injury. This is essentially inflammation from strain, impact or overuse and manifests itself as pain and inflammation (bruising / swelling).

Sadly the most effective treatment is suppose to be rest, not conducive to my training program and very frustrating. So I had 10 days with no swimming then got back in the pool last Wednesday, probably a week earlier than the hand specialist would have thought sensible, but I could wait no longer. I also had to miss the Bondi-Watsons bay swim, which was a real disappointment.

Anyway, I have been reminded I need to focus on the main event (last week of Sept) which edges ever closer, so I’ve been wearing a big plastic splint 24/7 and been exceptionally grumpy generally (sorry everybody).

Anyway, this weekend I face the biggest challenge to date, and the longest swim of my life. I am desperately hoping my hand will hold up to a long swim, as a few friends and I (mix of Bold & Beautiful and Vladswim channel buddies) are swimming from Palm Beach to Manly (25km+). We will be escorted by boats and paddlers to navigate and keep an eye out for Noahs. We’ll set off from Palmie at sunrise, and I hope to arrive at South Manly between 3 & 5pm (conditions and hand-dependent!). This will be an epic adventure that Collie, Iain (channel mentors) and I have been planning for a year or so. Fingers crossed for good weather and no pain.

If I make it successfully, a friend’s worked out that I will be the first holder of the “Australian triple crown” of long distance swimming, having been the ONLY person to have swum Lake Argyle (20km), Rottnest (20km), and the Palmie to Manly (25km+)!

More next week.........................

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The heat of Lake Argyle

5/8/2012

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The trip to Lake Argyle was an amazing experience, particularly as a contrast to the cold water challenge of Melbourne, so I felt the event justified covering properly (hence the long post). Some photos have been uploaded here to help you visualise the wonderful scenery and animal life.

The challenge last week was the frigid water of Melbourne (14 deg C), and this week's menu of punishment could not have been more different! I flew on Wednesday to Darwin (Northern Territory), then drove 800km west into Western Australia to find Lake Argyle, where a seriously mouthwatering but difficult swim was being hosted (10 & 20km only).

So this event was not for the faint hearted, in fact it could be said that even to get there you need to be seriously committed. To help paint the picture of how remote this place is (I strongly recommend a quick look on google maps), for all but 15 minutes of the 800km drive, there is no mobile reception! The scenery is amazing, changing from tropical almost jungle-like greenery in Darwin, through plain-like very australian savannah / floodplains around Katherine and Timber Creek, through to the rocky, dramatic red rock outcrops of the Kimberley region in Northern WA. The small community at Lake Argyle is about 100km from the nearest town, and, mobile phone reception. I don't mean to harp on about technology, but it's uses are many and I'll explain more about this later............

So, the trip began well and we had our first dip in the lake on Thursday afternoon. The air temperature was 33 degrees, humidity felt 150%, and the water was 27 degrees. We were impressed with the size and jagged beauty of the lake. Sheer red cliffs dropping off into deep water. Lots of fish, but thankfully no sign of the much touted 25,000 fresh-water crocodiles which inhabit the lake (and apparently only eat things they can swallow whole, making me safe). After a brief 45 minute arm loosener, when i took off my cap, the sweat poured out. My body was clearly not happy with the warm water!

On Friday morning we had another swim, and this time my reaction was less dramatic. The acclimatisation process was well underway and my body seemed happier in the heat. What had become apparent though is how much less buoyant fresh water is than salt. I've been training for 6 months in sea water, and have come to take for granted how easy it is to float. We struggled to tread water to have a conversation! Feeding was certainly going to be interesting, and I was concerned at how much slower my pace would likely be!

On Friday afternoon we went on a wonderful cruise around the lake with Lake Argyle tours. This was a real eye opener for several reasons. Firstly, whilst we'd thought the lake was big, based on the little corner we'd been swimming in, we had completely underestimated this – it is absolutely MASSIVE. Secondly, we saw a bunch of crocodiles, some as big as 3m, just hanging out on the beaches. Thirdly, we were given a sneak preview of the course for the swims. The 20km course started what felt like an unimaginably long way from the finish, and involved three almost straight 5km legs followed by a windy final 5kms to the finish. The 10km course was the second half of the full course. There’s something wierd about actually physically seeing distance across water. 5km does not sound far, even to swim, but when you see it, and see how far off in the distance the end is, it is pretty scary! So, whilst others were drinking Champagne and beer watching the sunset, I found a quiet corner to compose myself and have an internal panic!

After the cruise we attended our race briefing, and I was really hoping to meet my boat crew and paddlers. Any of you who have done any long swims will recognise how critical these people are, and given my nerves and how hard the swim was going to be, I was really needing a chat with mine. When none of them appeared for me, I was a bit concerned, and this is where a phone would have been really handy. I had all their numbers, but no reception and nor would they have! So, my all important discussions about roles would have to wait, and I would just have to pray they turned up at 6am when we were to load the boat! Luckily they did show up........................and my night’s worrying was all in vain.

Robert the skipper was very friendly, but the boat was not quite what I'd expected - picture a good-ol Aussie tinnie - no more than 10ft long with a small outboard. This was to be loaded with two swimmers, four paddlers, a skipper, and two kayaks for a choppy 20km journey across the lake for the start at 7am?!?!? Seriously???? Anyway, the primary concern soon became my paddlers...........who, thankfully both turned up at 6.30. Lovely ladies, but neither had ever done anything like this before. So we all boarded the boat (I wish I had a photo), and pottered around the bay for 15 mins waiting for the convoy to the start to begin. This was the only opportunity I had to brief the paddlers.

The two critical roles for a paddler are navigation and feeding (which relies on timekeeping). The paddler can see, and the swimmer can't due to chop and generally wanting his head down so he's more streamline and faster. So, it's the paddler's job to steer the swimmer (not vice-versa), and this involves positioning yourself to one side (preferred breathing side) of the swimmer, and then pushing or pulling them gently in the direction required to continually aim for the next buoy. A straight line, being the shortest distance, is critical. Feeding requires knowing how long since the last feed, and according to a schedule set by the swimmer administering fluids and food (in my case gels). My heckles were a bit raised when neither of my paddlers even had a watch on..............

Anyway, picture 7 of us, on the tiny tinnie, trying to bash our way out to the start into the wind and a 2 foot chop. It was clear to both James (friend also swimming, sharing the boat) and I that we were not going to make it on time. This combined with inability to brief paddlers properly and mentally prepare ourselves, was very stressful. We could see the panic in each others' eyes. Whilst the skipper was having none of our suggestions to re-attach the kayaks, and was intent on plodding (unaware of the deadline), we managed to diplomatically wave down a much bigger, faster boat, allowing 5 of us and the two kayaks to jump-ship and stand some chance of getting there for the 8am start. Bewilderingly, the skipper of this boat didn't know where he was heading, and due to the delay now had no one else to follow. Luckily we knew from the day before where to head and pointed him in the right direction...............

Just as the start came into sight, and we could see the other swimmers in the water and boats all lined up ready, the rope attaching two kayaks to a boat in front of us snapped, and we stopped to help rescue one of the kayaks which was clearly sinking. Definitely the right thing to do, but we were horrified to hear on the radio a call from the organisers that they were ready to start the 20km solo swim, trying to confirm whether there were any soloists still not in the water! That was James and I, and we were a long way from being ready, as were our paddlers. A rush at this point is the last thing you need.......... The last thing I remember before jumping inelegantly into the water were some wise words from James - something to the effect of "focus on the task ahead, not the stress behind. We can do this".

We swam about 50 metres over to the other six swimmers gathered, floating on "noodles" at the start line, and almost immediately that we’d arrived the gun (or something similar) signalled the start. I have no memory of what is was that triggered the start, I was already withdrawn into my mind, focusing on the long, meditative period ahead, and importantly the goal of finishing the race within the 8 hour limit.

I saw the others sprint off ahead, and just began stroking, and breathing. I was going through the three session-starting catch focus drills Peter gave me. One - breathe out constantly and relax; two - monkey grinder high elbows, enter in front of the ears at four o'clock depth elbows higher than wrists, higher than fingers; three - feel the "claw" and then hinge the elbow to create the ball of water with the elbow.............thinking like this the first few kilometres had flown by, but as I lifted my head to see where we were I realised that we we 250 m+ off course on the opposite side of the channel to where the buoy was. A quick chat with my friendly, helpful, but poorly briefed (my fault) paddler, and I realised that she thought I was navigating! Not good. We had some relatively tense words, then I powered off around the buoy and tried to calm myself and regain my poise.

Between this buoy, and the next, the paddlers switched leaving me to navigate towards a buoy which was 5km away and I couldn't even see. Not great, so I just picked a boat in front and tried to follow that. The change took ages, and I figured they were probably refilling my bottles, and paddler 1 was reaffirming with paddler 2 that their job was to navigate. So, when she rejoined my side, I continued swimming and followed, and we went reasonably straight towards the other boats. We talked at a feed, and my confidence improved that we were understanding each other. One less thing to worry about.

My swimming felt pretty good, nice rhythm, reasonable pace, catch felt good. However, the journey from the first to second buoy was slow (2.5km), the section from number two to three took ages. It turned out to be 5km to the half-way mark. I had thought it was only 2.5 km and there would be a 7.5km buoy, and expecting this to be the case I really feared not making it in time. Amazingly, the next buoy we reached was the 10km, half-way marker, and although I swam past it, then had to swim back and pass it on the other side after swimming on 100 metres or so (very annoying!), the elation at being half way was strong! I was also made aware that it had only taken 3.5 hours or so to get here, so knew now that I would definitely make it and all the effort would be worthwhile.

We had expected the third leg of about 5km to be down wind, but the wind had died off, reducing the support it was to have provided! Slightly disappointing, but nonetheless it was a good solid straight 5km to a natural gap between two mountains. Head down, strong effort, feeling good, enjoying the feeds and having some variety (gels, fruit bars, powerbar chews).

The next turn took us through a beautiful narrow canyon, then around a painful 5km triangle all within sight of the finish. What a great feeling to see the end, and as I approached the finish I knew my friends would be there waiting. Low and behold Iain was in the water with a cold beer for me.............appropriate celebration after all the effort! Finishing in 6 hrs 55 minutes was brilliant. It took more than 35 minutes off my Rottnest time, showing I have improved considerably (I'm assuming the chop and fresh water cancel themselves out).

Overall the swim was a great mental boost for me. I finished strongly, and both physically and mentally could have gone further and faster. My stroke was ok, although on viewing the videos taken by the crew I have a few things to work on, and also have a sore shoulder to think about.

The event itself was pretty well organised, in terms of resources available. It seems the local community had rallied together, but the organisers would do well to try and professionalise the operation and could learn a lot from the Rotto team in terms of ensuring everything happens on time, and all contingencies are catered for. Paddlers, boat crew, and swimmers must meet before the day to organise how everything's going to work, and a good paddler is worth their weight in gold to a long distance swimmer.

Next challenge is shorter and will be a light relief by comparison. Revisiting the South Head Roughwater (Bondi to Watsons) 12km on Sunday 20th May. This was the swim that started it all for me in 2009, and it will be great to tackle it now I'm much stronger, fitter and faster.

Beyond that, it's the tough and lonely road to September. Will have to dream up some challenges to keep the journey interesting. Back to squad with Vlad this week, and now will be dragging myself out of bed at 4.30 for a 5.30am start in the pool! Not good!

Thanks for your ongoing support, and apologies for the long blog!

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Cold water training......brrrrrrr!

4/28/2012

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The last few days have been spent in Melbourne, and whilst they've been challenging and exhausting, they have been great for my mental and physical preparation for the challenges that lie ahead.

I arrived on Thursday and spent the day with Peter Hendricks and Pat from "Swimwell" - an Australian branch of the "Total Immersion" school of swimming developed by the now legendary Terry Laghlin. Some of you may recall that back in September when I realised I was no where near fast or effective enough as a swimmer to even vaguely contemplate success at The Channel or any other marathon event, I took a month off normal swimming and tried to rebuild my technique from scratch using Terry's DVD. I swam an hour of drills per day for 30 days, and managed to go from struggling to swim a two minute 100m, to cruising at 1:45 easily. Whilst I've continued to improve over the last 6 months, improvements have been hard to come by, and I've become increasingly frustrated at not knowing how to get faster. I've known what I should be doing (e.g. fixing my catch), but not how. So, after lots of research I decided to spend a day with these guys. We did three sessions - including lots of video analysis, drills training, and an open water session. It was brilliant, and I can already feel some serious differences, and importantly when doing long open water sessions, I now have four or five "focal points" that I can think about and work on for periods, allowing me to constantly fine tune and adjust my weaker areas.

The rest of the squad I came to Melbourne with have already noticed the difference, and I was comfortably able to keep pace with guys whose bubbles I've been eating for months! Somehow seeing (on video) the things I do wrong, has enabled me much better to connect with them, and deal with them! Thanks Peter & Pat!

Now, the other reason for the trip was a cold water training camp with Vladswim, and all the other Sydney based swimmers aiming for the Channel this year.We had a gruelling agenda (thanks Vlad) including three hours with the "Icebergers" at Brighton on Thursday morning, two hours yesterday afternoon, and 6-8 hours today with the "Black Ice" crew (complete cold water nutcases).

By Melbourne standards the water is still relatively warm at 14-15 degrees celsius. However, the water is never this cold in Sydney so it was a real shock to the system. Swimming with a constant ice-cream headache, numb hands, occasionally the "claw" where you can no longer hold your hands stiff to catch the water, and numb legs, is a very new and unpleasant experience! Remember there are no wetsuits involved, just Speedos, cap and goggles.............

All Channel applicants have to certify that they can swim at least 6 hours in water that is 16 degrees celsius or less, to today's swim was to be the qualifier for many of us. We started at 6am, in the pitch black, with the ocean illuminated only by the stars (which were sensational). Amongst the 12 or so of us, only three had flashing lights on their head (must get one), so for the first hour or so we played a ridiculous game of "follow the leader", stopping periodically to either aim for a green flashing light (fellow swimmer), or yellow flasher (navigation pile / buoy!). Very bizarre indeed, particularly given we're in the open ocean!Anyway, for me the first three hours was mentally immensely tough. As usual I was searching for excuses to justify getting out. To her credit coach Charm talked me down (or more accurately yelled at me) and kept me in the water. I was very glad i stuck it out, as when the Sun came out and rose in the sky, everything seemed to improve. I swam well, and could have carried on beyond the six hours required. I did however get out though, partly to preserve myself for next weekend's ordeal, and partly because I had a free pass for Qantas lounge and I was desperate for a meal, beer, and shower. Couple of points to make here; the Qantas food and welcome is exceptional, and just what I required (four helpings of wholesome pasta with boutique pale ale); the shower's great but if you're tempted I strongly recommend reading the small sign which says you need to go to reception to get a towel, BEFORE getting into the shower.........I had a hysterically painful experience trying to dry my tired, sore, sunburnt body with handtowels........!

Anyway, later this week I'm off for another challenge at the opposite corner of Australia! 700km west of Darwin (in Northern WA) is Lake Argyle. A mammoth body of water, this stages one of the most scenic marathon swims in the world. I will be one of nine people swimming 20km, which will be a massive challenge in fresh water (less buoyant therefore more plough-like than boat-like). Apparently the lake is full of fish and freshwater crocodiles. I've been told I'm too big for them to find appetising.........let's hope so!

More next week. Ben

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It's been a while.............

4/14/2012

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It's been seven weeks since my last post. Let me bring you up to date.

The major-achievement high achieved with completion of Rottnest was closely followed by an epic lull! I took a week off afterwards, mainly to allow my horrific sunburn to recover (mainly face so apologies to colleagues who had to deal with my flakes all week). The subsequent week I went back to training, but struggled to motivate myself, then got a cold! So, it was nearly three weeks before I was back at squad fully, more than enough time for my turn of pace to have dropped off and me be struggling to keep up again!

Anyway, searching for my mojo over the last few weeks, I have had some great experiences, wonderful advice, deep and (I think) insightful thoughts, and some amazing swims. I list a few below:

Seeing my relative lack of interest in swimming having spent so much time grinding out the miles, a friend said: "take a day off, go frolic in the ocean and body-surf or something - remind yourself what you love about swimming". So, I did, and felt one-notch more alive. Thanks James.
A few others training with Vlad for the channel and I started doing nightswims at Redleaf pool in the harbour (90 x 60m, surrounded by a solid - we checked - old fashioned steel-bar shark cage). What an amazing feeling. Almost etherial, swimming in the pitch black, unable to see anything under the water save for amazing phosphorescence when your hands spear into the water. Again, this really opened my mind to a new sensation, and rekindled my interest in swimming.
Some friends who also swim with the Bold & Beautiful in Manly at the weekend have really rallied around the last few weeks. There are a couple of channel veterans, and others who are training for some long swims, and they've really been encouraging me by organising a weekly long swim in the ocean. This is exactly what I need, and the long swims in the ocean are great for me. There's a sense of adventure (e.g. we swam from Manly to Dee Why and back yesterday, stopping at each beach for a feed!), cameraderie, but also a feeling of total isolation and self-dependency. I've found that on these long swims (yesterday was 5 hours, about 15kms), my swimming improves after about two hours, and then as long as I feed regularly I get stronger and faster, the longer we go on. I really felt like I could conquer the channel yesterday (thanks guys).
A friend reminded me yesterday that I have already achieved a lot in swimming terms. A year ago I was a really very average and slow swimming, struggling to do 100m in a pool in 2 minutes, battling to swim a 2km ocean swim in less than 40 mins. Now I can bash out 100m in 1min 25secs, occasionally less, and can comfortably swim for distances of 10, 15, 20kms..............This progress ultimately due to persistence and open-mindedness on my part. Several great coaches have been involved, hours of drills, and I have no doubt that this will never end.........the quest for continuous improvement and learning is really what life's about in my view.
I've really learned that whilst speed, efficiency in the water, and fitness are important, ultimately it's my mind that controls how I perform. When I'm feeling down on myself I swim badly, and I lack endurance. When I'm confident and positive, I could battle through anything. It may seem trite that I should observe this - most of us will have heard or read about this many times in our lives. The difference now is that I know it to be true, deep in my core. I'm determined to learn how to channel the positive mental energy that I feel sometimes, more of the time. The power I sense could be unleashed will be the difference between great achievement and failure. More on this later, I'm about to hop onto Amazon!
Opportunity International - the funds we're raising (more than $10,000 so far) will really change lives. We're a long way from the target of $50k, but I have no doubt that we will get there!

So, we're less than 6 months from d-day, let me briefly describe a typical week before signing off:

Swimming - at least 25kms in the pool with squad, 15 in the ocean. Have covered approx 800kms in training so far!
Gym - twice a week during the day to strengthen core and muscles required to maintain good form.
Yoga - sadly only once a week (wish it was more)
Stretching - daily
Eating - 7 meals per day, am beginning the fattening up process.............and have gained 5 kgs since rotto! Only time I really notice is donning my suit in the morning! Have massively reduced my alcohol consumption to a couple of glasses of wine, twice a week with the occasional more indulgent evening only allowed after a massive swim (e.g. yesterday!).
Sleeping - am in bed by 9.30pm during the week, up at 5am six days per week
Work - 50+ hours per week!

I'm sure you've heard enough from me today! I will write more regularly. I have created a gallery(click here) with a few photos, which I will add to and better organise over time.

Thanks for your ongoing interest and support. Ben

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Mission Rottnest Accomplished!

2/25/2012

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I am very pleased to be able to say that yesterday I swam solo from Cottesloe Beach to Rottnest Island! It was a tough, but on the whole thoroughly enjoyable day, and I feel on top of the world to have successfully achieved this important interim goal.

Saturday day began for us at 3am, with Breakfast then a short drive to meet the all important support crew at the boat-ramp at Hillary's. It was cold and dark, the swell was substantial, and the worries about whether the event would go ahead persisted. Still, no SMS from the organisers had been received, so we had to assume it was all systems go! So, Nick (paddler) and I left Sascha (wife) to meet with Tim and Simon (skipper / boat owners). We drove down to Cottesloe beach to get ready. I later learned that whilst we were driving the 50km or so, the boat was painfully bashing through big swell in the dark to make the rendezvous at 5.30am! Nick and I tried to chat about normal things in the car, but my nerves were shot and as soon as we arrived at the beach I had to run off to visit the bathroom!

Prep on the beach involved layers of sunscreen and a mix of zinc (nappy rash cream) and vaselene, designed to stop me burning and also keep me warm. I had also sparingly applied wool-fat (lanolin), and standing on the start line realised I should have not been sparing. Others were glowing yellow from head to foot, with the waxy substance plastered all over themselves!

At 6am the WA Premier called the start, and together with about a hundred other soloists I made my way into the water to swim out and meet the paddler and boat. All went well which was a relief, as without both of these attachments you're not allowed to proceed past 1500m. The weather looked good, with a reasonable swell but no real wind, everything was looking positive!

Almost as soon as I'd started to find my rhythm, I felt this electrifying pain across my face, left arm, and chest. I had been stung by an invisible blue-bottle. Much more painful than any previous sting, and within the next 5 minutes I had received four or five more. Each causing me to stop and yell out in pain! I kept thinking of Diana Nyad who tried to swim from the USA to Cuba, and got thwarted by jellyfish, and her "I will not give up" resolve. I decided firmly, that I would not give up, and prayed that they would not continue. Thankfully that was the last of them but I did swim with a tingling left arm for the rest of the day. Link (highly recommended) here. http://www.ted.com/talks/diana_nyad_extreme_swimming_with_the_world_s_most_dangerous_jellyfish.html

Without waffling on for too long, it's worth saying that the rest of the swim was ok. The last 5km were into a heavy current which was tough but good practice for the Channel. I had some issues with my food (big tummy cramps and gas), narrowly avoided running into the back of and being run over by a few of the thousand or so boats which were out there (absolute chaos), and managed not to see any of the three sharks which were sighted elsewhere in the fleet!

I feel as if I swam well, learned a lot about nutrition and needing to keep myself mentally entertained, and importantly having decided that I would cross I managed to visualise myself on the finish line the whole way across. This was amazingly powerful.

I recognise I still have a really long way to go until I am capable of swimming the English Channel, which could be equivalent to three crossings like yesterday, but it was a really important step on the way.

I have made so much progress, and need to say a big thank you to the crew from yesterday for making it possible to swim, my wife for ongoing support and understanding, the coaches who've helped (Vlad, Charm, and Ben), sponsors, and friends family and colleagues for always asking how it's going and really making me feel you're part of the challenge. Thank You!

I am sure I will write more about this later, but just wanted to let you all know that I made it, and WE DID IT! Thank you all for your ongoing support.

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First major challenge has arrived! Rottnest Channel Swim this Saturday!

2/22/2012

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After all the months of preparation, the first big challenge en-route to the Channel has arrived. On Saturday I will swim from Cottesloe Beach (WA) to Rottnest Island (20km). Standing on the beach yesterday looking out to the island, I could not see the island due to heat-haze (35 degrees C)! However, I had the same sensation as I experienced last September when I stood on the Dover foreshore and looked over to France. The thought “I’m going to swim from here to there, and there’s nowhere to rest on the way across!” is daunting, but strangely exciting. It seems to awaken the primeval inner workings of the brain.

Conditions on Saturday are likely to be tough (click here) with a 3.5M swell and 20 knot winds. Perversely I relish the tough conditions, as hopefully it will affect the faster “pool swimmers’” state of mind more than me!

I will have a support crew to guide me and feed me, with a guy on a kayak and a boat with skipper, observer, and supportive wife on board. It will likely take somewhere between 7 and 8 hours to make the crossing, and during this period I could stop for as many as two feeds an hour. A major issue is likely to be sunburn, so I will get fully greased up with lanolin (wool fat) and zinc beforehand!

This will be the longest every swim for me, and I am going in with the attitude that I must persist and cannot give up. I will swim until I have a handful of sand in my hand. I am also very much looking forward to having a few beers to celebrate. It’s been two full weeks with no alcohol and no coffee. I miss them both!

Fingers crossed you’ll hear from me next week with stories of challenge, but success. I’m off for a final session in the pool, then for dinner with training buddies.

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