Day 58 – 20th July 2010

Oh my God!

I swam 8.20am – 12.30; 4 hrs 10 minutes! Fiona is a superhero; she stayed with me the whole way and when I flagged she was still as strong as wonder woman!

The Swim
Started at the Brighton Pier and swam to the first buoy. Tied up Lucozade and warmed up (in a flask) carbo drink in a net to the buoy. Swam onto West Pier, then turned around and back to Brighton Pier, through the Pier and back to West Pier Buoy. Stopped for about a minute and drank half a bottle of lucozade. Turned and swam back through Brighton Pier all the way to the Marina and touched wall. Turned back and swam back to Brighton Pier, going through the Pier and onto the buoy again. Finished the lucozade and drank the carbo shake (still warm!). Turned back and swam to the Brighton Pier and went around the Pier for the final time before heading back to shore (Fiona went back to the buoy to collect the empty foods – no way I could have done that!).

When we went back to the Buoy the final time before the last Pier circle we met Angus, who was heading out to the West Pier. He recently did two back to back 7 hour swims in Dover – he is also now holding hero status to me. I know I have to do those swims and I do appreciate that at some point I will be able to, but boy oh boy they seem a million miles away!

How do I feel??? Food was OK; I started the day with a Fusion shake at 6.30am and then had a large bowl of muesli with a banana at 7.15am. I couldn’t finish the muesli as the banana made it a little sickly, but I did eat maybe 80% of it. I was extremely nervous before we went in as over 4 hrs was so daunting as my longest to date was only 3 hrs, however as soon as I got in I felt absolutely fine. The first parts of the swim, everything up to the Marina wall (about 2hrs 40 mins) I felt strong and fit and thought to myself that I could do Calais right there and then. My stroke was long and solid and my mind was on top form; I basically sang “Empire state of mind” by Alicia Keys basically for the whole swim!, and it was not a problem. However, coming back from the Marina, when we hit about 3 hrs I all of a sudden felt fatigue. My shoulders ached and my legs (particulary my groin strain which I still have) were heavy and my singing was switching into other songs! Fiona of course, keeping with me throughout, was an amazing comfort and that, along with kowing I had to call Bob to tell him how I had done (no way I was going to fail) meant that I simply had to dig deep and keep going. The Brighton Pier seemed so far away, but I just had to keep going. When I eventually swam under the Pier again I got a real buzz and that kept me going all the way to the buoy. At this point I knew I had to go back and go around the Pier again before heading home, but as it was the final leg I knew without a doubt it was in the bag. I upped my speed as much as I could, although my legs were fighting me, and I headed home in good time. After the swim and shower at the arches I headed to the café on the seafront and had jacket potato and tuna (I promised Fiona I would) as recovery is so important. I had most of the potato and also had to have a jam donut that was staring at me covered in sticky sugar. The eating was really hard, I could so easily have not had anything. But I am a serious athlete now (not) and was not going to be beaten by a potato after that swim.

I am now at work, for a couple of hours, feeling elated and knackered.
What a day!