Tuesday 26 July 2011
Definitely Dover bound for Dave!
So it looks like we are definitely on for a trip to Dover and Dave's Solo Channel attempt Part 2! We are all packed and meeting up for the off in about 30 mins. We have decided to travel this afternoon, with Dave due to start his attempt at provisionally 0600 in the morning (Weds 27th July). As we know things can all change in a flash, but fingers crossed the weather will stay good and the waters calm. I am one of Dave's crew on the boat, alongside fellow tri club member and channel relay bod Sambo Windless and tri club swim coach Kev! I am also the support swimmer. So when Dave is really tiring or feels he needs a boost, I am able to get in the water and swim along side him. He anticiaptes asking me in approx 3 times during the swim. Great to be able to help a fellow swim buddy and also good practice/training/experience once again, before my own up and coming attempt! Waterproof kit, warm kit, sun stuff, swim stuff, vaseline, food, energy drink, ginger biscuits (good for seasickness), Sea sickness tablets, sleeping bag, blankets, camera etc....etc..... all packed and ready to go. ALLEZ ALLEZ DAVE!! Will keep you updated. Au revoir for now ;-)
Tuesday 19 July 2011
R and R in Dover!!
Rough and relentless or rocking and a rolling............Either way it was a pretty bumpy ride in there on Saturday! Let me explain: Dave unfortunately did not get away on his attempt across the Channel. As you will be aware it has been pretty windy this last week and the weather has meant he is still a man 'in waiting'!! Any day though.
So, I headed to Dover as originally planned for a BIG swim training week end. It is a fair distance to travel but is so much more beneficial training in the sea, with other channel aspirants. You really do need to train to type on occasions, but this means travelling! We stayed at Varne Ridge, the local caravan park, where David and Evelyn are always so accommodating to swimmers, and will do anything to help during your stay. Even when the weather was as atrocious as it was this last week end! Saturday was a close call. It was howling wind and torrential rain! Great! It was so foggy too when we got up in the morning, but was clearer down at the harbour. Freda and the beach crew were debating if we were going to swim and how long for. there was between 12-20 swimmers. The water was pretty 'up and down' to say the least!! We went in, and I must say probably some of the roughest water I've swum in!! It is hard to keep a good stroke, you get rocked all over the place and rolled around like crazy! I swallowed a fair few mouthfuls of salt water, and at times that can be a shock and make your breathing go to pot. The far side of the harbour, especially with the tide coming in, gets fairly heavy, with a mean backwash off the walls. Hairy at times. Pretty lonely, but you just have to keep cutting your way through it. Tiring, but great experience. Although you wouldn't want those conditions during your channel attempt - you never know!! If you have experienced them a bit, it helps and is then not a shock!! We had a feed at 2 hours, went back in for another hour, but at that feed we were all taken out. As Freda explained, it was rough and getting worse and unsafe for us all to be out there. They were struggling to see us all. There was no point in injuring shoulders that close to peoples attempts either. It was a correct call safety wise, although I had got in to my head I would keep sticking out for at least another hour. We did 3 hours (had planned to do 6), but in those conditions I think the work rate was considerably more!!
Saturday afternoon recovery earlier than planned: consisted of drying ourselves out and drying out lots of soaking wet clothing. Matt ran for 9 miles that day along the front and piers watching, so was also a drowned rat!! Oh, and watching the tour, while the caraven was rained on relentlessly and the wind continued to try and blow us to France!!
Sunday morning was a 5am start (due to a rowing regatta at 9am), so a 4 hour 'early doors' session it was! I figured 4am a good time to get up, prepped and then ready for swimming. (Matt not so sure!) You never know what random time your channel crossing may start. So it's good to confuse the system every now and then. I love swimming in the morning anyway. Apparenty there was a lovely sunrise (I didn't see it!), and the water was so much calmer that the day before!! Although, a little windchop did pick up in the last hour. There are some pics that I will try and put on here too at some point soon. Again a 2 hour swim stint, then a feed. The beach crew are fab, checking us as we stop, running down Maxim drink to us and giving us our rations of a mini chocolate roll and some jelly babies! Ravenous swimmers trying to stand up on the pebbles, and eat and drink in the small waves without falling over must be quite amusing!! A pleasure to swim that morning, another feed at 3 hours and out at 4 hours. Good solid swim in, with no after affects from the thrashing around the day before!! Matt once again managed to support, watch and kill time by runnning 12 miles along the harbour front and piers at each end, and being around the beach for each feed. So good to see a familiar face before heading back out to swim. Thank you for supporting me :-).
Afetr wrapping up warm and a recovery shake, I managed to have good a catch up chat with my boat pilot Eric Hartley. He often pops down to the harbout at the week end to be social and catch up with his swimmers, and see how their training is progressing. Nice guy, very knowledgeable and so willing to answer questions. He gave us even more info about wind/weather/tides etc...etc... Such a massive and interesting topic. So much to try and understand. I have really tried during the last 3 years to increase my knowledge about all this. You really have got to respect the pilots knowledge and that body of water out there that I am attempting to cross!
A soild 2 days of training, even though Saturday was a 'nasty' day , and one of the very few occasions they have had to pull the swimmers out of the water due to safety! So glad I made the journey. Just great being in the environment with other channel swimmers, where you don't seem to feel odd, crazy or mad! It is just an unspoken understanding as to why we are there, and got to get on and do, what we've got to get on and do!! Matt was a great support too. I take him to the most glamorous places for week ends away ;-) A lake week end near home this week end, need a break from travelling away. The last month has been non stop! Then back to Dover for a bit of the same again (with hopefully less wind and more sunshine) - wishful thinking eh?!
So, I headed to Dover as originally planned for a BIG swim training week end. It is a fair distance to travel but is so much more beneficial training in the sea, with other channel aspirants. You really do need to train to type on occasions, but this means travelling! We stayed at Varne Ridge, the local caravan park, where David and Evelyn are always so accommodating to swimmers, and will do anything to help during your stay. Even when the weather was as atrocious as it was this last week end! Saturday was a close call. It was howling wind and torrential rain! Great! It was so foggy too when we got up in the morning, but was clearer down at the harbour. Freda and the beach crew were debating if we were going to swim and how long for. there was between 12-20 swimmers. The water was pretty 'up and down' to say the least!! We went in, and I must say probably some of the roughest water I've swum in!! It is hard to keep a good stroke, you get rocked all over the place and rolled around like crazy! I swallowed a fair few mouthfuls of salt water, and at times that can be a shock and make your breathing go to pot. The far side of the harbour, especially with the tide coming in, gets fairly heavy, with a mean backwash off the walls. Hairy at times. Pretty lonely, but you just have to keep cutting your way through it. Tiring, but great experience. Although you wouldn't want those conditions during your channel attempt - you never know!! If you have experienced them a bit, it helps and is then not a shock!! We had a feed at 2 hours, went back in for another hour, but at that feed we were all taken out. As Freda explained, it was rough and getting worse and unsafe for us all to be out there. They were struggling to see us all. There was no point in injuring shoulders that close to peoples attempts either. It was a correct call safety wise, although I had got in to my head I would keep sticking out for at least another hour. We did 3 hours (had planned to do 6), but in those conditions I think the work rate was considerably more!!
Saturday afternoon recovery earlier than planned: consisted of drying ourselves out and drying out lots of soaking wet clothing. Matt ran for 9 miles that day along the front and piers watching, so was also a drowned rat!! Oh, and watching the tour, while the caraven was rained on relentlessly and the wind continued to try and blow us to France!!
Sunday morning was a 5am start (due to a rowing regatta at 9am), so a 4 hour 'early doors' session it was! I figured 4am a good time to get up, prepped and then ready for swimming. (Matt not so sure!) You never know what random time your channel crossing may start. So it's good to confuse the system every now and then. I love swimming in the morning anyway. Apparenty there was a lovely sunrise (I didn't see it!), and the water was so much calmer that the day before!! Although, a little windchop did pick up in the last hour. There are some pics that I will try and put on here too at some point soon. Again a 2 hour swim stint, then a feed. The beach crew are fab, checking us as we stop, running down Maxim drink to us and giving us our rations of a mini chocolate roll and some jelly babies! Ravenous swimmers trying to stand up on the pebbles, and eat and drink in the small waves without falling over must be quite amusing!! A pleasure to swim that morning, another feed at 3 hours and out at 4 hours. Good solid swim in, with no after affects from the thrashing around the day before!! Matt once again managed to support, watch and kill time by runnning 12 miles along the harbour front and piers at each end, and being around the beach for each feed. So good to see a familiar face before heading back out to swim. Thank you for supporting me :-).
Afetr wrapping up warm and a recovery shake, I managed to have good a catch up chat with my boat pilot Eric Hartley. He often pops down to the harbout at the week end to be social and catch up with his swimmers, and see how their training is progressing. Nice guy, very knowledgeable and so willing to answer questions. He gave us even more info about wind/weather/tides etc...etc... Such a massive and interesting topic. So much to try and understand. I have really tried during the last 3 years to increase my knowledge about all this. You really have got to respect the pilots knowledge and that body of water out there that I am attempting to cross!
A soild 2 days of training, even though Saturday was a 'nasty' day , and one of the very few occasions they have had to pull the swimmers out of the water due to safety! So glad I made the journey. Just great being in the environment with other channel swimmers, where you don't seem to feel odd, crazy or mad! It is just an unspoken understanding as to why we are there, and got to get on and do, what we've got to get on and do!! Matt was a great support too. I take him to the most glamorous places for week ends away ;-) A lake week end near home this week end, need a break from travelling away. The last month has been non stop! Then back to Dover for a bit of the same again (with hopefully less wind and more sunshine) - wishful thinking eh?!
Tuesday 12 July 2011
Dover bound!!
Well, off I go to Dover. A few days earlier than planned.........although I still have my BIG swims to do this week end. (A 6 hour stint on Saturday and an early 5am 4 hour stint planned for the Sunday!!) A few of us are now travelling to Dover in the morning, to crew for my swim buddy Dave. It is his solo Channel attempt Wednesday eve 10pm start. I am feeing excited for him, and obviously nervous too! He has also put in an amazing volume of work. We have swum a huge amount of meterage together in all sorts of pools, lakes and seas! We can only pray for kind seas and that the Channel gods will be on his side. Please keep everything crossed for him. I am packed and ready to go - even bought sea sickness tablets for the boat - just in case! ;-)
Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid, North Wales).
I had never been to Bala before, so was a novice in this lake! What an awesome setting though. Like the beautiful Lake District but in Wales! It was a double bubble weekend, with a 6 miler on the Saturday (two lengths of the lake), and a one way 3 miler on the Sunday. The lake was a balmy 16 degrees, so I knew that would be no problem. Although the sun was out on the Saturday, there was a fair bit of wind. For those of you that know Bala, it whips along the lake and can make it a pretty choppy swim. That it was!! Fighting up through the quite relentless chop all 3 miles to the other end was a hard task. It takes its toll on neck and shoulders. I managed well and got to the turnaround in 1 hour 33mins, ably guided by boyfriend Matt in the kayak! The swim back was tiring even though the wind was now coming across, it was still quite fatiguing! I had a 'fuzzy' patch for a good 20mins on the way back, and realised my last feed should have been Ambrosia as well as energy drink. I stopped early for my next feed, Matt obliged and I gulped down a whole pot of rice pud and flew off on my way again!! More fuelled, made such a difference and I felt I had a bit more to give then to the end. When it finally arrived 3 hours 9 secs later I felt I had put in a great effort. 6th lady overall. Recovery shake, a good meal and sleep should be sufficient to get me to the 3 mile start line in the morning!
Sunday morning came and it was a grey, dull, rainy one! Well, couldn't expect the sun to last! Again there was a breeze, but this makes it more interesting - my arms were going to ache anyway, was how I saw it! My race strategy was pretty much to go out hard, and hold on to the pace for just as long as I could. I knew I should be able to last 3 miles, even if I did tire a little towards the end. Matt guided me really well. I managed to stay on the feet of another swimmer and keep their kayak in sight for most of the way, before it gradually pulled away. I really prefer to have a focus for my eyes when I'm swimming and even more so when I'm tiring!! I did feel that this race was harder, but then it was shorter and faster, with tired arms! I was pretty stoked at the end (again the stone jetty at the finish seemed to take forever to get to!), when I was told I was 3rd lady. The pain was worth it!
A good 9 miles in the bank this week end. Great crewing from Matt, and support from the banks at various points from my parents too. Thanks so much guys, couldn't do it all with out you (X).Well done to all the other competitiors too - a really fab bunch!
Sunday morning came and it was a grey, dull, rainy one! Well, couldn't expect the sun to last! Again there was a breeze, but this makes it more interesting - my arms were going to ache anyway, was how I saw it! My race strategy was pretty much to go out hard, and hold on to the pace for just as long as I could. I knew I should be able to last 3 miles, even if I did tire a little towards the end. Matt guided me really well. I managed to stay on the feet of another swimmer and keep their kayak in sight for most of the way, before it gradually pulled away. I really prefer to have a focus for my eyes when I'm swimming and even more so when I'm tiring!! I did feel that this race was harder, but then it was shorter and faster, with tired arms! I was pretty stoked at the end (again the stone jetty at the finish seemed to take forever to get to!), when I was told I was 3rd lady. The pain was worth it!
A good 9 miles in the bank this week end. Great crewing from Matt, and support from the banks at various points from my parents too. Thanks so much guys, couldn't do it all with out you (X).Well done to all the other competitiors too - a really fab bunch!
Sunny Torbay!
The beginning of July was a quick day trip to Torbay. The swim across the bay was from Meadfoot beach to Brixham (and back), 8 miles in glorious sunshine and pretty calm waters to boot! How unusual! I actually had to plaster myself in suncream! Mike was my crewman and having paddled with me last year, knew the drill! The rest of the Roberts clan and Matt surveyed the scene from the beach and cliffs (getting a sunbathe and dip in the sea too). It was a good continuous swim out. With the water being fairly calm, I got into a good stroke and kept it going. The only thing that I really remember, was the sporadic cold patches!! The water temp was only 14 degrees, and even colder every now and then. Just makes you swim faster! I amused Mike with the odd "cold patch" words being uttered throughout the swim! I got to the turnaround boat in good time - much faster than last year, and headed back strongly, encouraged by the time I saw on my watch. I was fueled every 45 mins with energy drink and Ambrosia rice pudding! This was great practice for my Channel feeding routine. The only really tough patch was the last mile in to the beach. I couldn't see the finish yellow buoy for what seemend like forever. But I remenber last year the tide was strong and not very forgiving at this point, and it took a long time to get through that last mile!! Got there in the end, after a little bit of swearing (sorry Mum!) and felt relieved. Mike did a fab job guiding me in. I was 5th lady overall (again the top two women beat the first man!!) in 3hours 47 mins (24 mins faster than my time last year).....can't be bad! On to Bala (Lynn Tegid, North Wales) next week end, and a couple of Lake swims to conquer!
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