Day 261 - Tuesday 31st May 2011

Ciaobella

That’s my entire Italian vocab now used.

We had a fabulous time in Italy, just Sharon and I and a good book each around the pool for 3 days. Not much more to report on that apart from to say that the batteries were sufficiently charged to take me through the final weeks of training. I did manage a decent gym session on the Saturday afternoon in the Hotel gym; no air con working, 30 degrees outside and a small room; end result was a very sweaty workout, but a workout none the less. We got back to the UK early Monday morning, but being a bank holiday and travelling through the night I never made it to the beach for my swim (in truth I never planned too, so nothing lost there). This morning, however, was a back to work normal day so no excuses. I was at the Arch all alone as usual at 6.15am and in the sea by 6.20am. Jeeze it was bloomin cold! The temperature in the air was around 7 degrees and the sea had dropped from last week’s high of 14 down to just 12.5. I think that being in the sun for 3 days meant I had lost some temperature tolerance as I found it really cold today. I swam around the buoys and the pier head twice, a total swim of around 80 minutes. The swim itself was easy enough, the sea was relatively calm and the tide seemed to be going with me both way (which of course can’t be right, but who was I to complain). However I did suffer the cold today; to the extent that when I was walking up the beach (straight passed those jut entering the sea) I put my key into the Arch door but could not turn it. I tried for a good five minutes, but simply my hands were just too cold to grasp the key firmly enough to turn it! I settled myself outside the door having to wait for Little Bob and Mike to do their quick thing, but luckily like a night in shining trains (I say trains as he is more a train man than an armour man!) Henry turned up and was able to easily turn the key and let me in! After a 10 minute hot shower I was certainly a bit better, but it still took my car seat to be heated and the air con set to high before I truly started to feel warm again.

Tomorrow I’ll do another session the same, but perhaps in my wetsuit this time. The sea really does need to start to warm up now as I’ve got to be knocking out some long swims now and I really wanted to do them without the wetsuit on. I’ll aim to do at least 90-120 minute swims every day in the sea this week, apart from Saturday when I’ll do a 12k again; perhaps longer if I’m able to (conditions will dictate this rather than I). Tonight meanwhile I’ll head into the gym once the kiddies are asleep and will make sure I work super hard.

By the way if you are looking for a book to read then please try “3 Cups of tea” and then follow that with “Stones into schools” (I read the first 3 years ago and the new one in Italy). These books are exactly why I set up the Starr Trust; incredible is an understatement.