Swimming day 509 - Friday 29th June 2012

29^th June; another month gone.  Another month of work stress done and survived, always a good thing and another month closer to my channel swim; also a very good thing.

After a week of exhaustion Bob and I decided on an easier swim today; easier in terms of no long distances.  Not so easy when you see a very wavy and bumpy sea.  We never got the storm that was threatening, but we did get a very windy start to the day and a high tide; so big waves all around and a strong tidal pull to the West.  Sea temp up now to 15.9 degrees, which was welcome and air temp about 16 degrees, also welcome.  We were joined by Dr Sean and the three of us headed out to the first buoy and then the second buoy, before Sean headed back in to the safeness of the beach and the arch.  Bob and I hung out a little longer and battled the waves with some butterfly; a hard stroke, especially in a tough sea. 

Back on dry land we headed to the Red Roaster for coffee and then the day starts – let’s see what it brings!!

Swimming day 508 - Thursday 28th June 2012

After yesterday pool session I was hoping for an easy swim today; followed by a jolly day out.  The first never happened, but thankfully the second did!

The weather felt unsettled in the morning; warmness in the air, but a feeling that a storm could be brewing.  Big Bob and I decided on a once around the pier swim and headed clockwise for a change as the tide was seemingly strong to the West and we felt we would be better to go against it through the pier rather than battle against it all the way around.  A sensible decision as it happens because the tide turned out to be really strong, that is despite a flat sea.  As for an easy swim; it certainly wasn’t that.  We had to really battle our way through and I could literally feel the muscles in my forearms and biceps straining all the way.  However we did make it around and I was pleased that I was leading all the way; it seems that I am getting stronger and faster each day and that the incessant training is at last paying off.  After the swim I headed home as I am having a day off!?!??!  However rather than just getting home and relaxing whilst I wait to be picked up I instead headed straight to my gym and used the VASA for 15 minutes until my arms and shoulders were literally on fire.  Seems crazy I know, but at least it gave me the night off later!

The rest of the day was spent in the company of a good friend at Goodwood Festival of speed ogling some amazing cars and some very blinged up cars – a lot of fun and how nice to be taken out and driven around for a change!  Then afterwards in the evening I was taken out for a gorgeous Chinese feat, also courtesy of someone else – treats all day for me, how spoilt!

Swimming day 507 - Wednesday 26th June 2012

It’s not often I big myself up, but this morning I am biggin myself up on my blog.  Why?  Well let me tell you.  It was simply because I went to the pool and did my best; despite my best being less good than previous days and despite really not wanting to go.

I was almost “exhausted” physically from all the training I have done over the last three weeks  without rest, generally without much sleep and on top of some major work projects.  Then last night, after going to parents evening at school, we joined our fellow parents for an Indian meal in Brighton.  Even though I have to have the plainest Indian food possible, my chrones disease still finds the plain food a struggle.  As such this morning I was not only tired from lack of sleep, but my stomach was really hurting me.  Getting up at 6am and having to face the pool was just about the last thing I wanted to do.  

However…..

6.30am in the car park at Falmer and by 6.45am I was in the outside pool with Big Bob (my saviour as without him being there I really might not have turned up!).  We did a 400 metre warm up, followed by 100 meter sprints x 10 sets with a few seconds rest between each set, then followed by a “punishing” ¼ Mile leg only session with a float – youch on the cramp; followed by a 200 metre cool down.  Despite not being as fast or as strong as I would have liked to have been, it was still Job very much done.

 A wise man once said “Always do your Best”.  Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick.  Under any circumstances, simply do your best and you will avoid self-judgement, self abuse and regret.  I’m not sure what wise man or lady said that, but what wise words they are indeed.

Swimming day 506 - Tuesday 26th June 2012

Continuous skin friction can produce skin damage or abrasions of variable severity. This starts at the surface involving the epidermis first. If it goes deeper into the dermis, it can produce severe pain – similar to a burn – and/or bleeding. Below the dermis sits a layer of fat. If the skin is well-padded or the fat layer is thick, the skin protrudes. This exposes more skin to friction and produces more severe “burns”. In other words, more slender people report that they are less likely to abrade."

Ouch!!  Yesterday after our quick and long swim I had some chaffing under my right arm; caused no doubt by the amount of swimming and training I have been doing lately, mixed in with a choppy sea and me powering along as fast as I could and maintaining the speed throughout.  It was really red and felt like a sunburn.  The plan this morning was to apply some Vaseline to the area and not swim at quite the same pace.  Naturally with this in mind all night, I got to the arch (with sleep deprivation as Mia was next to me all night and coughing and kicking me throughout) , got changed, walked into the sea and was two minutes into my swim before I realised – bugger, I forgot the Vaseline!  Oh well I thought at least I’ll take it easy today which will help; mmm, maybe not.  With such a gloriously flat sea and a tide pushing to the West, Bob and I swam against the tide to the East, from our beach under the pier.  Around four buoys and back to the shore; at a really good pace; possibly the fastest I’ve fun so far during the last two years.  Ouch ouch ouch.  The patch under my right arm was literally pulsing and sitting here at my desk it feels like arm and my side are sticking together each time they touch.

Tomorrow is a pool day so no salt water; however I wonder how the chlorine will react to it.  Definitely going to smother it is Vaseline though (I shall not forget, I shall not forget will be my nightime mantra!). 

I’m at the gym after work with Ross so will have to also be careful not to do stuff that will aggravate I and I think I’ll definitely lay off the Vasa training tonight.

Oh the joys of being an athlete !

Swimming day 505 - Monday 25th June 2012

A lovely start to the day; lovely in terms of a clear sky after last weeks gails, lovely in terms of a flattish (just a bit bumpy) sea and lovely in terms of starting the week in the most amazing swimming pool that mother nature could have dreamt up.  Despite waking up with stomach pains (Crohns for some reason playing up?) a short minute standing still in the sea up to my shoulders soon dealt with that; once again the healing power of the sea amazes me.  Big Bob, having not exercised for a few days (unlike me who so far has done 10 consecutive days in the gym as well as all the swimming), decided we needed to do a longer swim today.  So we went around all the buoys on our beach, then around the pier, to the furthest buoy the other side, then back through the pier and back around our own buoys and then in.  Total swim time about 40 minutes and temperature slightly up (no up enough still) to 14.6 degrees.  It was a good strong swim to start the week and really set up the day/week ahead.  What was pleasing for me was that all the swimming and excess training is starting to pay off (finally!).  Not that I’m so super fast still, but I am finding that Bob and I are pretty much together from start to finish, which for me is great, especially as he is himself a lot faster than he was last year.  I need to just keep the pressure up and keep thinking about my technique as much as I think about the physical exercise.

Not many at the arch again; LB absent which was unusual – getting well wishes winging their way to you LB!!

This week will be gym everyday at home before bed, two gym sessions with Ross at Falmer, 4 sea swims and 1 pool swim.  That’s 14 training sessions this week.  With the Relay just 6 weeks away I need to do all I can and them some!

Swimming day 504 - Friday 22nd June 2012

The wind doth bloweth; in fact the wind doth howlleth!!  Last night Gail was  seriously blowing; blowing so hard that she even moved our metal garden furniture to positions that she clearly thought were more suitable than the ones we’d chosen.

Luckily it was a very low tide this morning and that meant that we had a play ground to enjoy at the beach.  Big Bob and Moi were at the arch slightly earlier than usual and apart from Paul F & Shoichi already having finished we were alone – as it turned out LB, Sea and David did turn up soon after but they went to the girly beach; which meant Bob and I had our sea all to ourselves.  The wind was blowing very very strong east and the tide was keeping up with it, which meant that we go in right at the donut groin and attempted to swim West against it.  With lots of powerful strokes we eventually made it across out beach onto the next beach and a little way along, before turning and literally zooming back to the buoy on our beach.  The waves were coming thick and fast and some really did bash you and spin you over, however the low tide meant that they were not full of water and not dangerous.  A fantastic Friday morning play and a decent shoulder workout.  You really needed to be there to understand the fun ; we really were playing in the sea like ten year old kids in a funplex; running, jumping and cheering – wonderful to be a kid again.

Afterwards, along with LB and Sean, we headed to the Roaster and had one of their best coffees for a long time, creamy and yummy and warming.  Now for me it’s off to London for Lyrics meetings all day; whilst Big Bob heads to work to count his numbers, Sean heads home to have a nap and LB rushes home to count his vegetables; aren’t we all just living the dream!

Swimming day 503 - Thursday 20th June 2012

Yesterday – After work yesterday (4.00pm) I headed to the beach and in a much choppier sea did twice around the pier in almost exactly an hour.  It was perhaps foolish to go and do that on my own, especially since the swimming death yesterday; however I did feel strong enough and confident enough to do it.  I like to think that if I were to get to the beach on my own and have any fitness doubts or condition concerns then I would stay closer to shore rather than head out.  It was all in all a good tough swim in a warm sea (around 15 degrees at that time in the day – although some much warmer patches and much colder patched thrown in along the way).  Afterwards I headed home and with Sharon our (every night this week) it was around 8.30pm before I got the kids to bed and managed to get up to my gym and do my 15 minutes on the Vasa – this was particularly hard as I was rather tired at that point.

Today – Another early start today (6am and in the car to Kent for a board meeting) and then back to Hove for a office meeting and then off to Asher’s school for prize giving.  No swim this morning (again!?!?!?), however despite the rain and general change in the weather I still aim to hit the beach at 4pm ish. Then tonight naturally I shall be back on the VASA and maybe a stint on the running machine or cycling machine; assuming the kids hit the sack in good time.

Tomorrow – Back to the beach first thing for my 7am swim (wey hey hey hey hey) before heading of to London for a long but exciting day all about the Starr Trust and my plans for building The Lyrics Art Centre – now that is exciting for sure.

Swimming day 502 - Wednesday 20th June 2012

Just seen on BBC news website that a 24 year old man drowned yesterday afternoon in the sea between the piers.  His body was washed up at about 5.30pm; soon after I left the beach.  During my swim I stopped at the head of the pier on my second time around as a helicopter was hovering quite low over me.  I looked up and floated a little bit as it was unusual to see a helicopter that low; then I carried on and swam around and then back to shore.  The news story on BBC news website shows a picture of the helicopter doing a search.  How scary to think that whilst I was swimming around the pier someone else was in the sea near me and drowning; kind of makes you feel a little sick.  It shows how dangerous the sea is; even in a relatively calm and hot day the sea can still be as deadly as ever.

Today
Another 5am start today; certainly earning my salary at the moment!  No swim this morning as expected, but hopefully will finish last meeting by 4pm ish and then (if the weather holds again) will be down the beach and parading my sculptured body in front of the lily white tourists on the beach.

Talking of sculptured bodies, this is a cool article that Bob sent me to read (his way of pretending we look 20 years younger than we are – Bob, even 20 years younger still aint young my friend!!)-
Swimming workout.
A pool might not be the first place you think of going when you're looking to shape up and slim down— but perhaps it should be. No other workout burns calories, boosts metabolism, and firms every muscle in your body (without putting stress on your joints) better than a swimming workout.

And you don't have to be an Olympic gold medalist to get the perfect body. When researchers at Indiana University compared recreational fitness swimmers with non-swimmers, they found that swimmers of all ages had more lean muscle and trimmer waists and hips.

And while swimming may not offer the lace-up-your-shoes and-go convenience of running, all you need are three key items—swimsuit, cap, and goggles—and you're set to hit the water.

Why Water Works
The body-shaping benefits of swimming are the result of a perfect storm of calorie burn and muscle recruitment. An easy swim burns around 500 calories an hour, while a vigorous effort can torch almost 700. And because water is nearly 800 times denser than air, each kick, push, and pull is like a mini resistance workout for your entire body—especially your core, hips, arms, shoulders, and glutes. So in addition to blasting calories as you swim, you build lean muscle, which ignites your metabolism so that you burn more calories once you've showered and dried off.

The irony is that while swimming makes you lean and mean, it's also kind to your body. Water basically neutralizes gravity, so you become virtually weightless when immersed, giving your joints a much-needed vacation. "You can swim almost every day without risking injury," says Joel Stager, Ph.D., director of the Counsilman Center for the Science of Swimming at Indiana University at Bloomington, who has studied the effects of swimming for years. "You can't say the same for running or strength training."

And that makes swimming something you can do for your entire life—a major bonus because it can literally help you stay younger: "Our research shows that habitual swimmers are biologically up to 20 years younger than their actual age," Stager says. The data, which were presented at an American College of Sports Medicine Conference, revealed that a swimmer's blood pressure, cholesterol levels, cardiovascular performance, central nervous system, and cognitive functioning are all comparable to someone far younger.

Swimming day 501 - Tuesday 19th June 2012

7.50am sitting in a Starbucks in the heart of the City of London in a suit sipping a tepid coffee is seriously not the way I like to start my days anymore. Not that I ever much like it, but since starting my sea swimming and since selling a big part of my business (and hitting my 40's) my need for starting and ending the day the way I want has become a necessity. Quality of life and an inner peace are vital nowadays and whilst I haven’t guite got there yet, my morning swims go a long way towards it.

The plan today (and the next two days in fact as I have early London starts Wednesday and Thursday as well) is to get back to Brighton by 5pm ish and get an afternoon end if day swim instead.  Also I'm really now getting into using my VASA swim trainer every night for 15minutes - in fact did it yesterday at 10pm after I had finished my ironing !! It's a great machine and really starting to improve my swimming; why oh why didn’t I start using it properly when I brought it a year ago. Better late than never I guess.

On a positive note about today, I might be in London but the sun is shining, I have an hour between meetings and am outside The Globe by the Millennium bridge sitting on a bench soaking up the rays and the atmosphere; see even a working day in London can be a positive experience if you look beyond the surface.   

4.00pm – Back in Brighton, extremely hot from a very warm day.  Straight to the arch and within minutes was walking down a fairly crowded beach in my speedos and swim cap getting a few odd looks – which is exactly why I like my private early morning swims from an empty beach!  The sea was completely flat and still and the sun was beating down; Mediterranean afternoon if ever there was one.  The afternoon sea temperature was naturally warmer than the morning would have been; probably about 14 degrees; still a chill, but very warm patches around.  I did twice around the pier  in a decent regular pace and enjoyed every stroke of it.  Walking back up the beach, cap & goggles in hand trying to look a little more normal, I was called over to the lifeguard tent.  Wondering what on earth I might have done wrong, it was a nice surprise to see Alex sitting there (Alex from my relay team and BSC member).  In all his life guard refinery he looked every bit the Baywatch boy! 

A lovely end to an OK day.

Tomorrow is another day when I have a very early start (up at 5am), so no chance to get a morning swim; such a shame.  So will try again to head to the beach after meetings and then onto the VASA in the evening.

Swimming day 500 - Monday 18th June 2012

 

500 days of swimming / 175000 words on my blog / hundreds of gallons of seawater drunk /

And so so so much more in terms of people I’ve met, experiences in the sea (good & bad), life changing swims (some literally life threatening not just life changing) and a change in my body shape that I really couldn’t have predicted; not to mentioned a whole new lifestyle in terms of what I do before work now (ad most likely will always continue to do).

The channel relay swim is now only 8 weeks away now and that is both exciting and scary.  As a relay I know I am more than able to complete all my 1 hour swims during the challenge; as will all my team.  The only area out of our control is the weather and this year particularly has stayed much colder than previous years and the weather has been unpredictable.  However I know for sure that come our week on 8^th August that the weather will e very much in our favour and we will get this done; a life changing experience for my whole team and I.

As for today; a decent round the pier swim in 13 degrees and a clear sky.  The sea was very flat, although a hugely quick tidal pull to the east.  Bob and I were joined by Yvo and we swam really well; I particularly felt strong today.  All the recent (daily) training on my VASA is starting to pay dividends for me and I am now (at last) grasping the fact that bending my arms and using my elbow to my wrist rather than a straight arm is so much more powerful.  Over the next 8 weeks I’ll be working on this daily to make sure that come the swim day I am as strong and a s quick as I can be. 

500 days of swimming; almost can’t believe it can be so many and that my life could have changed so much because of it.

Swimming day 499 - Friday 15th June 2012

(last night) 6.30PM – 11.30PM – A magnificent Starr Trust event at Brighton City College.  A “hells kitchen” event put on by the Starr Trust in partnership with Hilton Hotel Group and City College catering students; just a wonderful night.  The trainee chefs were astonishing, the trainee front of house staff were wonderful and the guests were all engaged with the evening.  One of our Patron’s, Robin Cousins, was in attendance to meet everyone and hand out the certificates at the end of the night and he was truly a star.  Just a great evening for all.  A fantastic way to unwind and relax at the end of the week.

Until 3.50am the next morning of course!

(this morning) 3.50am after being kicked out of my bed yet again by the Twins I plodded along to Mia’s usual empty room and settled on her little bed for a doze; and it really was just a light doze, mostly with my eyes awake and feet dangling.

6.30am heading to the Arch under a windy but dry sky; the radio telling me however that by early afternoon we’ll have wind, rain and hail (I assume that is hail stones and not hail Marys?)

7.05am heading into a slightly warmer sea (13.1 degrees), but a sea with high waves.  Big Bob and I headed out and around the pier in lots of highs and lows, lots of bumps and a lot of sea water whacking you straight in the face and some sadly finding its way into the mouth as you’re grabbing a breath.  I recon I swallowed a pint of sea water today; charming!  The swim was actually great fun for some reason (don’t know why); a serious shoulder and leg work out as we were being hurled all over the place and at certain times, especially near the helter skelter way out in the depths of the ocean and then again around the end of the pier the waves got really big and lifted us way up into the air before literally dropping us back down again.  As I keep saying, not for the faint hearted at all!

8.00am at the Red Roaster and I am more than delighted to say it was back to its best.  Wonderful creamy cappuccino with a flavour only the Roaster could deliver.  Yesterday is forgiven.  A very interesting chat with Big Bob and Little Bob as well.  Watch this space for a photo of Big Bob with his Madness style dress code at 18 and Little Bob with his long hippy hair, straggling beard, driving his caravonnet to manage some up and coming rock star on the way to fame and fortune; yeh baby!!

Next stop after work (meetings over meetings over meetings today) is the Gym at 5pm with Ross for an hour, then 15 minutes on my Vasa swimming machine at home afterwards  (desperately trying to copy the shoulders Big Bob walks around with) then a farewell to my lovely wife as she heads out for a night on the town with the girls whilst I have to negotiate “just one more book” with my little angels!

Swimming day 498 (nearly 500!) - Thursday 14th June 2012

I managed last night to get all the kids to bed at a decent hour; 7.40pm and all were asleep.  After a mammoth ironing session, dinner and a short gym workout I headed upstairs to my bedroom at 10.45pm and look what I found – two kids in my bed.  It gets to something when they get into my bed even before I do; at least Jesse stayed in his own – 1 out of 3 staying put isn’t good, but could be a third worse!  They did let me take them back before Sharon got home at 11ish and none returned until about 4am; so some sleep was had thankfully.

The morning started with the sun shining and no rain clouds to be seen; apparently as the day goes on that will change of course.  The arch this morning was once again very quiet in terms of people; Big Bob, Little Bob, Me (the third Bob) and David.  Paul F and Shoichi were leaving as we were going in and then Fiona and Bella were going in as we were coming out.  So 8 in total, which seems average these days for the morning sessions between 6am-8am, sometimes different names, but the numbers seem to be the same.  I think there’s maybe another 10 who come and go during various times in the day, but that still only leaves about 20 in total for the day, which in a City the size of Brighton is not even a recordable percentage.  Of course if you had seen the swim Bob and I did this morning you can understand that!

We did the same as yesterday, buoy, around pier, buoy other side, back to buoy our side and in.  However unlike yesterdays calmness, today really started to chop up as we were half way around.  By the time we got to the head of the pier we had lost each other a couple of times and were being washed around by a very fierce and bumpy westerly tide and wind.  Coming around the pier and heading back down the east side we had to swim diagonally just to avoid being dragged into the pier; getting across to the buoy  was a challenge in itself.  Despite all this action and his age & health, David was still out there with his fishing bamboo and floating around the pier on his back hunting for his breakfast – the man is quite incredible.

A strong swim, definitely not for the faint hearted or the inexperienced.  Sadly, and I mean this with as much sincerity and sadness as I can muster, the Red Roaster let us down afterwards.  Unusually we decided to join LB for a coffee afterwards (not usually a Thursday treat for us) to warm up and talk about our mighty braveness.  Apart from waiting the time it takes for the tide to change to get our coffee, when it came it was flavourless and milky.  A disaster of epic proportions!  First time ever the Roaster has not performed to Olympic standards. We will of course head back there tomorrow for our Friday treat and I hope for everyone’s sake that today was just a blip in an otherwise tremendous record of achievement!

As for the rest of today; apart from a short gym at home after work, it is off to City College for a Hells Kitchen event in aid of the Starr Trust – very excited about that. 

Then tomorrow apart from my morning swim and afternoon gym I was meant to be joining my Relay team for a 5.30pm sea swim to the West Pier and back.   However the forecast is for the wind to keep picking up and by tomorrow apparently we will have 50mph winds and rain and crazy waves and tide.  The likelihood is that this swim will be cancelled, which will be a real bummer as it was hard enough to get everyone to be able to agree a date in the first place.  But I guess that’s the point when you are doing a sport that involves the elements; the control is simply not yours; it lays in the hands of a greater force!!

Swimming day 497 - Wednesday 13th June 2012

At last the rain has stopped and the sun has almost come out; does that mean the June winter is at last abating; corse not!!  It’ll be back to it’s full strength tomorrow for sure; but in the meantime we shall enjoy the respite.  So with a smile on my face (despite a sleepless night – Asher and Mia both kicked me out of “my” bed at 2.00am) I drove to the beach and joined Big Bob for our morning dip.  For a man with a bad leg and using a swimming aid this morning he was like a rocket; either that or I was swimming on the spot most of the way.  We swam up and around the pier, against a very strong westerly tide, then around to the further buoy the other side and then zoomed west back under the pier to the next buoy and then back in.  I’m not sure how long the swim took, but it felt like Bob did it in 10 minutes and I did it in 40 minutes; probably nearer 20 for him and 25 for me!  The temperature was still a cold 12.2 degrees and despite the sea being flat and calm the cold made it quite challenging.  In fact it was midday and my third cup of strong coffee before I actually warmed up.

Tonight I’ll be grabbing an hour or so in the home gym and back on my vasa swimming trainer; all assuming I can get the kids to bed at a somewhat decent hour.  Then tomorrow back in the big blue for more fun and games.

Swimming day 496 - Tuesday 12th June 2012

After my gym session yesterday I had to get back to the office to finish some reports and then onto a meeting; ended up getting home 9.30pm with a raging headache and feeling a little sick (probably caused by long day, exercise and little food - still haven’t learnt re the whole eating nonsense).  After a handful of headache pills I hit the sack and tried to get to sleep.  Luckily no children turned up until 5.30am, so I did manage a good 4 hrs sleep, however the headache and the sick feeling still lingered this morning which was annoying and not overly conducive to morning exercise.

More rain and grey skies again; where oh where is the summer; come on sun it’s June for goodness sake?  Even though I was early again I sat in the car on the seafront for a bit as I wanted to swim with Bob this morning; also I really wasn’t feeling well enough to rush.  Having swum in the pool yesterday Bob had injured his leg and said he would just swim a little, certainly not a big swim or going around today; suited me just fine the way I was feeling. The sea was calm and flat despite the rain and we were heading for the end of the pier before I really had time to think about it; so much for not doing a big swim!  Coming around the head of the pier was splashy and the tide was against us most of the way, but apart form that it was an easy enough swim.  The temperature however has dropped yet again; a massive 1 degree drop from the last few weeks, down to just 12.2 degrees – it should be more like 15-16 degrees by now!  Coming back to dry land I was a little wobbly coming out of the sea, I think the headache was the reason, and I had forgotten to wear my crocs, so it was a pebble walk back to the arch. 

Usually Wednesday would be my pool day, but Bob doesn’t want to do it so he can give his leg a chance to rest an I get a feeling it will be another day before I feel back to strength again so I’ll probably give it a miss as well and just stick to the sea this week.  I thought a week away on holiday would leave me full of energy on my return; somehow the opposite has happened. 

Swimming day 495 - Monday 11th June 2012

11^th June came around pretty fast for me; one day I was on holiday in the South of France in 25 degree heat and sunshine and the very next I was standing in Brighton in rain and greyness.  I am not sure after a week away if I have retained the interest of anyone reading my blog (I hope I haven’t lost everyone so close to the swim!!  Is anyone out there there there there echo echo echo), but for my own sanity I will keep writing for art least if I write it down then it makes me believe it is all still happening and not some dream.

After a wonderful family holiday, which included swimming in the water of Monaco in 25 degrees and lots of big fish, I was back at the beach today at 6.30am.  I almost however didn’t go!  All last night instead of reading and sleeping my usual 4 hours I spent the time fretting – should I swim in the morning or start again Tuesday; why Tuesday and not Monday; just because, no other reasoning than that! My mind was going around and around; swim don’t swim, swim don’t swim, what’s one more morning off, go on lie in, no I can’t, I must swim, I must swim and on and on and on.  By 5.30am I was up and dressed and totally fed up with the endless arguing in my head.  Sitting in the car in my drive at 5.50am, having has a glass of orange juice to settle my nerves (scotch not allowed before 6am!) I decided swim had to win.  I was therefore at the beach by 6.15am and sitting once again in my car outside the pier and looking at a wet and raining sky, a semi rough sea and only one or two drenched runners.  The mind was once again busy; swim to the first buoy and back, don’t swim just get in and our, go to work why bother swimming, swim around the buoys and on and on….  do you et the picture!!  6.30am in the arch and in my trunks and all alone again (Paul F was there and gone by this time); should I wait for Big Bob, LB and Mike et al, or should I go now, or should I go to work, or should I go back to bed arggggggg!

6.40am in the sea, not as cold as I expected and headed on my own around the pier.  I really didn’t expect to do that, but all the arguing in my head had to stop and the best way to do that was have a decent swim.  If only I realised it would have been that easy I would have gone at 5am!

Hopefully, now I am back in the swim of things, tonight will be a sound sleep and I can join Big Bob and LB for a gentle and normal morning.

As for right now, I’m off to the gym for an hour; or should I go home, or maybe stay at work, or go to bed or arrrrrrrggggghhhhhhh………

Swimming day 494 - Friday 1st June 2012

1st June - Pinch Punch, White Rabbits and all that.

Also a good luck to Lizzie for her Diamond Jubliee – go queenie go !!

Today the sea was back to calm; in fact eerie calm.  There was almost a tranquil calm before the storm feeling in the air.  No air movement, no waves, only a minor tide to the East and a greyish sky; quite Scooby doo in the middle of a lake.  On top of that there were also dozens of sailboats laterally languishing out near the buoys all ready for their annual sail over to France.  Bob and I decided to avoid the pier today and head West.  We swam out to the first buoy and then went west, past the groin and onto (near) the Brighton Centre.  Once at our destination we headed out into deeper water to the furthest buoy out and then floated a little eyeball the armada challenging it to come get us.  Without our challenge being taken up we turned and headed back to our beach half an hour after leaving it.  The sea temperature was almost exactly 13 degrees, which is almost comfortable and the swim was a real easy one with no mid week rush.  Back on dry ground in our civvies we headed to the Roaster for what will be my best coffee of the day. 

After work it will be at the gym with Ross for an hour ad then home to pack for our pending hols.  A week with the kiddies in France; can’t wait, very pleased to be getting away again.

Hopefully in my absence the armada of sailboats won’t come back seeking vengeance for our trespassing on their turf; if so then Big Bob will simply have to battle them on his own; but he can handle it he’s a big boy!

Next blog on 11^th June and hopefully some French tales to tell!