May 25, 2009 - Dover week 4 - Bank Holiday Monday

Sea Temperature:  12.2C
Air Temperature:  16C
Conditions:  Variable

When we wandered down to the beach today it was raining and the rain was cold.  There weren't many swimmers (20 in total).  I'd had heartburn last night and still had a dodgy stomach today, so Freda let me off with a short swim and a yellow hat.  The task should have been feed at 2 hours and come in at 3 hours, if the weather had improved stay in for 4 hours.

Even within the space of the 1hr 10mins that I did we had a lot of variability.  When I started the water was very calm and it was raining.  After about 40 minutes the wind suddenly picked up and the flags were standing to attention.  The wind caused big rolling waves which were great fun!!  Surprisingly the wind didn't cause the windchill that I experienced last week.  I got out after a very slow 1hr 10min lap, feeling a bit better than when I went in.  I know I could have done more, maybe even 3 hours.  I'm now left wondering if the sickness was real or created in my mind.

When I got out the sun came out, the rain had stopped and the wind died down.  The water became lake like again and it became a beautiful day!!

Major task - get my head in gear!!!

May 24, 2009 - Dover week 4 - Sunday

Sea Temperature:  12.2C
Air Temperature:  16C
Wind:  7 knots
Conditions:  Fairly calm, sunny, cool breeze

The task today was a choice of 3 hours or 4 hours with a feed at 2 hours (and 3 if you opted for 4 hours).  I started out knowing that 3 hours was do-able as I had done just that yesterday, so maybe I'd go for 4 hours.  But a combination of factors such as tiredness from yesterday, the cold wind and my head not being in the right place led me to leave the water after 1hr 27min.

The water definitely felt colder than yesterday and I had a small shiver in the water, I also had a bit of a back spasm and was a bit concerned that my back injury from earlier in the year would recur.  I was not the only one who came out early feeling the cold.  But if I'm honest with myself with hindsight I think it was more of a mental than physical barrier.  I'm sure I could have done more really.  I also decided during my swim that the Cork training camp isn't the best idea for my training at this stage, mainly because the water is significantly colder than Dover and I don't think that it will help either building my time in the water or improve my mental state.  I think I'll spend the time in Dover instead.

Tomorrow is another day and as it's a Bank Holiday it's another swimming day!

May 23, 2009 - Dover week 4 - Saturday

Sea Temperature:  12.5C
Air Temperature:  13C
Conditions:  Calm, warm, mostly sunny

I was expecting to do a 3 hour swim sometime this weekend, but I wasn't expecting it on the first day of a long weekend!  I dread what Sunday and Monday will bring!!

However the water was much nicer than last week and no windchill.   So the task was 3 hours with a feed at 1.5 hours.  At times it was almost pleasant.  The sun, when it was out, was really warm.

I swam to the ferry wall, stopped for a brief chat with Megan, then to the opposite side saying hello to a couple of swimmers along the way.  Then back to the slopey groyne and in for a feed.  This was exactly 90 minutes.  I did the same for the 2nd half.  Total swim time 3 hours 3 minutes.

When I got to the slopey groyne for the first time, there were a couple of girls in bikinis trying to pluck up the courage to jump in.  One asked 'is it cold?' to which I replied 'it is a bit!'.  After I'd turned around to swim back I glanced back to see that one had jumped in and was frantically trying to get back out again - looked a bit like a cat falling into water and frantically trying to get out - very funny!!  I don't think it was what she was expecting and I very much doubt the other one tried it!

The temperature of the water was odd - the surface water was quite warm but a foot or so down it was quite chilly - right were you do your pull.  I noticed at one point that my thighs were getting cold - I then realised that my thighs were getting cold - I then realised that it was because I was shoving lots of cold water that direction with each arm pull!!

There were also huge patches of cold water - which quickly dragged you out of any daydream state that you may be in - straight back to reality.

I wouldn't say it was an easy swim, but at least there weren't any moments when I thought I couldn't do it. 

May 17, 2009 - Dover week 3 - Sunday

Sea temperature:  11.6C
Air temperature:  11.8C
Conditions:  Even rougher than yesterday, confused sea 18-21 knots, small white horses in harbour

When I looked out of my hotel room last night the harbour water was beautifully calm.  Problem is that when I looked at windfinder I knew it wouldn't last!!  The wind was predicted to be 18 knots and rising.  The prediction was right!!

Freda decided that today was the day to go to one longer swim for both soloists and relay swimmers.  The challenge was 2 hours for red hats with an option to come out after 1hr 30mins because it was so cold.  Relay swimmers had 1 hour.

The wind was really strong and it was only going to get worse, so we got going as soon as we were ready.  The breakers on the beach made it challenging to get in, but once in the water felt quite warm - to start with anyway.

The water was much rougher than yesterday.  Yesterday it was large rolling waves and fairly predictable.  Today the sea state was much more confused and I got a fair battering along with drinking a fair amount of sea water.  There were even small white horses to be seen.

The strong cold wind made me feel really cold.  The washing machine was still in overdrive and out of bounds, so I went to the sloping groyne, to the pier, to the sloping groyne and back plus a bit.  This was 1 hour 20 mins and I was now very cold so I got out.  I don't know how the people who made 2 hours did it.  I take my hat off to you!!

On the way home I stopped at the top of the cliff above Shakepear beach and took this photo to show just how rough it was outside the harbour and what we're protected from:

After arriving home I was totally shattered.  I now know that I couldn't have done any more.

What will next week bring - 2-3 hours perhaps?  Let's hope for better weather.

May 16, 2009 - Dover week 3 - Saturday

Sea temperature:  11.5C
Air temperature:  11.8C
Conditions:  20 knot winds, overcast, breakers on the beach, frisky water

There was quite a wind blowing today - approximately 20 knots, all the flags were stiff in the wind, and there were breakers on the beach.  The photo shows a bit, but as there's nothing to take scale from you'll have to take my word that it was a bit rough!

The 'washing machine' was on spin cycle so was out of bounds for today.  You could also tell that it had been rough a while as the normally nice gently sloping beach now resembled a pebble mountain where they'd all been pushed up hill clear of the water.

As I drove down I knew it was going to be a 'fun' session as shakespear beach was rough, very rough with lots of white horse to be seen out to sea.  Fortunately the harbour provides some shelter and enables training to continue.

I had the feeling that it was all starting to slip out of reach yesterday so today was all a bit daunting.  I just can't seem to get well, and I'm falling further and further behind in training.

Today was going to be first longer swim of the season rather than 2 swims, but the conditions dictated 2 shorter swims.

Swim 1:  50 minutes

It's always fun getting in when it's rough.  Painful pebbles underfoot make balance difficult on a calm day, but rough conditions make it quite amuzing!!  The weirdest thing happened as I got in - I had an asthma attack.  That's never happened before.  It wasn't the cold as it actually felt quite warm, but it took me a couple of minutes before my breathing was under control and allowed me to get in properly.  Once I was in it was OK though.

I swam to the sloping groyne, stopped for a quick chat with Chris Sheppard.  Then swam close to the pier and back.  All in all 51 minutes and 1,800m.

Swim 2:  1 hour
I was still shivering an hour later when it was time to get back in.  Freda took heart and asked me to do just 30 minutes.  That felt like a cop out, but it did take the pressure off.  Once I got in I felt fine.  It was almost as if the water was warmer than the beach!!

I followed the same route - left to the sloping groyne.  No chatting this time and then back to the beach to say that I was OK and would carry on.  We had a bit of rain just before the half hour.  It's no problem for us in the water, but not so nice for the beach team.  I then went from there to the pier and back.  I still had a bit of time to spare so I swam to between the last pole and the first groyne and back.  All felt OK, but I did have a good shiver afterwards!!

I'm glad I did the full hour (61 minutes actually) as I would have beaten myself up otherwise.

Thanks for the smarties Louise - Mum's the word!!!