Day 267 - Tuesday 7th June

A full on morning. I dropped my car to the garage last night for its MOT, so this morning (for the first time since I started swimming) I cycled to the beach. It was actually a great way to start the morning, especially as its 95% downhill all the way. It took around 20 minutes to get there; I left home at about 5.50am. Knowing I was doing a marina swim I thought it best to eat something first, so at 5.30am I had a bowl (well half a bowl!!) of muesli with chopped banana; each mouthful convincing myself I was just taking down energy rather than food. It worked for the first half a bowl, then I realised it was food and gave up – still gotta work hard on that mind set!

At the Arch, despite it being early in the morning, I was pleased to see Damien, Paul and Shoichi. They are really early birds those three; hardcore to the core. I suggested that they join me on my marina swim, but it was met with deafening silence, followed by a swim around the pier; maybe not so hardcore after all; maybe next time boys!!

Soon after James and Big Bob joined me and we all got changed and ready to go. Last minute James decided to join the early birds instead as he has never done the marina swim and the sea was cutting up rough. Big Bob however, hard as he is, didn’t hesitate for a moment. The sea really was choppy as the wind was up and we swam to the marina against the tide the whole way. It took exactly 1 hr to the second for us to touch the marina wall; for once I got there first by a few metres. As usual it was a rather unpleasant place to be, with large bouldering walls reaching up high into the sky, covered in slime and barnacles and a grimy looking sea sploshing against it; in fact it is so grimy that even the waves kept away from the wall; hanging back a few feet just waiting to hit us on our return. Having touched the wall we immediately turned back and headed home (the arch, despite it’s rather sad look still feels like home when you are that far out to sea). The return journey saw Bob racing ahead of me and even though we were close I couldn’t seem to catch up with him. Soon into the return he drifted out into deeper water, not intentionally I don’t think, whilst I stayed closer to shore; the waves still bashing us both. Despite the tide being in our favour on the return, the wind was against us and the wind was certainly the stronger of the two. I’m not sure what the temperature was, but I would guess it was still only around 13 degrees and as such half way back I again noticed how my slight frame lets in the cold after a fashion. Nevertheless we both ploughed on and kept the pier in sight. All was going well until I got to around three beaches from the pier and whilst in a day dream about things to do later in the day, I didn’t see a large wave bearing down on me and I turned to breath just as it hit. I must have swallowed a pint of sea water in one go and within seconds I was throwing up both the sea and also what was left of my cereal and banana; most unpleasant! I had no choice but to turn straight to shore as each time I tried to right myself another wave would hit me. I was on the shore very quickly as luckily I had stayed close all along, although perhaps being that close was the reason the waves were so big. Having beached myself I walked a few yards to clear my head and out of nowhere came Evo! She must have seen me from the beach swimming in and bless her heart she ran straight over and offered me her coat. Grateful as I was, I declined the warmth and sent her on her merry way; so lovely to have fellow sea swimmers keeping an eye on you. I left it a couple of minutes, by which time a chap with a camera saw fit to take a dozen or so shots of me standing in my wet trunks and wiping sick of my body, and then I waded back into the sea for the final few hundred metres; at this point I very nearly walked all the way back instead! However, in I went and swam out a short distance and then headed back. Coming under the pier a few minutes later I was surprised to see Bob just ahead of me; I really thought I was way behind at this point. I guess I must have been faster than I thought I had been; Bob certainly looked like he was still going at a decent pace.

Having landed pretty much together we walked slowly up the beach and grabbed a hot shower each. Bob, this being his longest ever swim in probably over 25 years, was a star. What a massive swim for him to do and I truly believe if I had not been with him I would not have gone at the speed we did. The total swim was 1 hr to the marina against the tide and 1 hr 20 minutes back with the tide – you would think it should have been the other way around!

Having showered and dressed and said our goodbyes I was back on my bike and cycling to work; about a 6k cycle I guess; nice and easy no rushing. I did stop on the way back at the cake shop and grabbed a sausage roll (now eaten) and an apple danish (waiting to be eaten); but the gentle cycle back did clear my head a little; although some 2 hours later I am still a little heady; also I keep getting sea water run from my nose onto my desk; charming!

It was a good swim in a tough sea and I should be pleased with that, but a big part of me really expected it to be so much easier by now than it was. Whether it was my mind not being 100% focused, or my body being tired or just me not being as strong a swimmer as I need to be, I simply don’t know. Either way I will forge ahead with my training, making sure I knock out another decent swim at the weekend (maybe my lagoon to marina swim). As for the rest of today, after work I am heading to Falmer for an hour with Ross in the gym and then tonight I’m at the Grand Hotel having dinner with Andrew Mosely the hotel manager as his guest; so at least a pleasant end to a tiring day.