Just got back from two and half days in Poole where I managed to swim in their 33 meter pool two days running. It was good for my stamina, but it does seem a very long way from one end to the other - an odd thing to say when in around 18 days time I'll be setting off to swim a mile non stop! Eeeek.
I was driven on by Rachel who steadily munched up length after length without a break and of course if your mate doesn't stop, then you can't either. I could do with her joining me every day as I tend to take little breaks every so often and must learn not to because I won't be able to take a breather half way across the River Fal without causing an incident. My game plan tomorrow is to get it, get on and keep going. Words are so easy - action takes a bit more!
I can remember as a kid in the sixties watching my Mum delicately step into the sea wearing her pink swimming cap that was covered in bright rubber flowers. I thought it looked great then. Fortunately swim caps are much sleeker now but they're hardly a fashion statement. I look like a wrinkly version of Kojak in mine and once I put my reflective goggles on, I look like an alien from one of those B rated sci-fi movies - charming. What's more there's an art to putting the darn thing on. A well trained cap assistant can whip it over your head in seconds, but Rachel didn't quite get the technique so when we tried yesterday, I landed up with it over my eyes and clamped to my cheeks. Then I'm blundering blind round the changing area with Rachel in fits of giggles, terrifying small children as they tried to pass by. Oh the suffering I face for the sake of my sport!
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Overtaking and facing the crowds
This may not seem exciting to you, but I overtook another swimmer in the pool last night! I'm in Poole in Dorset at the moment, for a gathering of the RNLI's media team, so headed off to the Dolphin Centre with colleague, Rachel from Scotland. I faced the usual issues of trying to set off too quickly on my first length and fighting for breath, but then found myself going past another swimmer. Oh so satisfying when I still feel like the numbskull novice in the water. I think Rachel said something like 'you'd better go first as you're doing it properly' - properly! Well that's one person fooled then.
Unfortunately they only had one lifeguard on duty at the pool so had to close the length lanes and heap us all into the half pool that was available. It was like a waterbased scrum with people swimming under and over each other. I did one length with some chap swimming along the bottom beneath me - now I put my head in I can see things like that. It takes your mind off the breathing problems!
Anyway, it was good to have to weave my way through all the other swimmers as I'll be setting off with a crowd of people when we start the river swim in 18 days time. The British are terribly polite about these things, especially the women. Lots of 'sorry' and 'I do apologise' as I kicked several folk and slapped one swimmer round the head with my hand.
They tell me there will be one RNLI lifeguard for every ten swimmers at the Castle to Castle event. I plan to swim right by the lifeguard rescue board so I treat it as my safety blanket. If its there I won't need it - that's my motto!
Unfortunately they only had one lifeguard on duty at the pool so had to close the length lanes and heap us all into the half pool that was available. It was like a waterbased scrum with people swimming under and over each other. I did one length with some chap swimming along the bottom beneath me - now I put my head in I can see things like that. It takes your mind off the breathing problems!
Anyway, it was good to have to weave my way through all the other swimmers as I'll be setting off with a crowd of people when we start the river swim in 18 days time. The British are terribly polite about these things, especially the women. Lots of 'sorry' and 'I do apologise' as I kicked several folk and slapped one swimmer round the head with my hand.
They tell me there will be one RNLI lifeguard for every ten swimmers at the Castle to Castle event. I plan to swim right by the lifeguard rescue board so I treat it as my safety blanket. If its there I won't need it - that's my motto!
Monday, 17 May 2010
Gasping for breath!
Quick update on yesterday's training - yesterday being Sunday 16 May: made the mistake of going horse riding on Saturday so now I've got aching thighs from that and stiff arms from swimming training. But the swim went well and I got about 45 lengths under my belt. Just one problem - seems to take me about ten lengths to get my breathing sorted so I don't gasp and thrash about like I'm drowning! I also tend to set off like I'm in a race, which doesn't help, so I now try to recite in my head the story of the Tortoise and the Hare.
As I came out of the Dragon Centre at Bodmin, where I swim, thinking of myself as an athlete and not a hastled Mum, I was put in my place by the arrival of hundreds of serious cyclists. Some had ridden 100 road miles around North Cornwall. Puts my aching limbs into perspective! One of the riders who did the shorter 44 mile
course was pool lifeguard, Ben who has done wonders to improve my breaststroke - all credit to him and his sore calf muscles.
So today I am going to be working at my desk at the RNLI base in Saltash and for once, I'm not complaining that I've got to sit down all day.
As I came out of the Dragon Centre at Bodmin, where I swim, thinking of myself as an athlete and not a hastled Mum, I was put in my place by the arrival of hundreds of serious cyclists. Some had ridden 100 road miles around North Cornwall. Puts my aching limbs into perspective! One of the riders who did the shorter 44 mile
course was pool lifeguard, Ben who has done wonders to improve my breaststroke - all credit to him and his sore calf muscles.
So today I am going to be working at my desk at the RNLI base in Saltash and for once, I'm not complaining that I've got to sit down all day.
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Aching shoulders!
Saturday morning and I've woken up with 'swimmers neck'. I've just made that name up but an hour of training in the pool last night has left my neck feeling like I've carried a ton weight round behind my head. Still it was worth it as I felt confident enough to go in the lane where the medium length swimmers go. There was no one else around so I got away with it.
I find the best way to cope is to daydream while I swim so last night I was competing in the Olympics - I won two gold medals and the commentators praised my style. In my head they were re-running the races in slow motion. In real life they wouldn't have to do that as I swim permanently in slow motion!
One of my wonderful RNLI colleagues (in fact our Celebrity Manager) has already sponsored me so with 22 days to go, I have now raised my first few pounds for the charity's South West Lifeguard Appeal. He's working with me on the sea swim because one of the more speedy swimmers taking part is Steve McFadden, Phil Mitchell in EastEnders. I think you'd class him as an elite swimmer - I'm an also ran.
I'm off to see if I can find someone daft enough to fall for my sore neck line and give me a massage!
I find the best way to cope is to daydream while I swim so last night I was competing in the Olympics - I won two gold medals and the commentators praised my style. In my head they were re-running the races in slow motion. In real life they wouldn't have to do that as I swim permanently in slow motion!
One of my wonderful RNLI colleagues (in fact our Celebrity Manager) has already sponsored me so with 22 days to go, I have now raised my first few pounds for the charity's South West Lifeguard Appeal. He's working with me on the sea swim because one of the more speedy swimmers taking part is Steve McFadden, Phil Mitchell in EastEnders. I think you'd class him as an elite swimmer - I'm an also ran.
I'm off to see if I can find someone daft enough to fall for my sore neck line and give me a massage!
Friday, 14 May 2010
So what's it all about?
Background - When I was a little girl my Grandad, a Merchant Navy Captain (Port Line) told me not to learn to swim as if you fall overboard in the middle of the ocean, it just prolongs the agony! So perhaps understandably, I didn't really develop a love of being in the sea as a result. Love being on it - sailing and rowing particularly - just not in it. But then I had my own children and guess what? I was determined that they should learn to swim because we live by the sea - a bit of a hypocrite I hear you say. Then about three years ago BBC Radio Cornwall ran a sea safety project in support of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) - a charity I work for - and one of their presenters and I got together to promote the idea that everyone should learn to swim.
We were taught by RNLI lifeguards who braved our nervous flapping about in the water to show us the fun you can have in the water. I was nearly convinced but not quite!
Now I have reached a crucial point in life called 'being 49' and I want to prove to myself that I can still face a challenge outside my comfort zone. So what could be simpler than taking on a mile long swim across open sea water?
Nervous isn't a strong enough word right now - though I can now swim a pretty mean breast stroke but at a very slow pace!
This blog will follow my fortunes as I face the last 23 days to the swim and continue with the training in our local pool and with the RNLI lifeguards who I hope will save me if this all goes horribly wrong.
We were taught by RNLI lifeguards who braved our nervous flapping about in the water to show us the fun you can have in the water. I was nearly convinced but not quite!
Now I have reached a crucial point in life called 'being 49' and I want to prove to myself that I can still face a challenge outside my comfort zone. So what could be simpler than taking on a mile long swim across open sea water?
Nervous isn't a strong enough word right now - though I can now swim a pretty mean breast stroke but at a very slow pace!
This blog will follow my fortunes as I face the last 23 days to the swim and continue with the training in our local pool and with the RNLI lifeguards who I hope will save me if this all goes horribly wrong.
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