After yesterdays mammoth Steam Room session I eventually cooled down, probably 2 stone lighter!! I was planning on going back to the Pool again this morning, but Bob and I got our messages all mixed up and he thought we were at the beach then the pool, I thought we were at the pool then the beach and poor Shoichi (who was going to join us) had no idea at all where on earth we were meant to be!!
So eventually after much texting and nonsense we ended up at 6.50am at the Arch with a simple sea swim; which to be honest was much better as I have done 3 pool swims this week already. The air was damp as it was lightly spitting, but the air temp was up to around 8 degrees; the sea of course was still a charming 5.4 degrees. Having dashed about this morning I managed to leave my trusted and now valuable swimming socks at home, so once again I was bare foot (which Bob is every day of course as he is tougher that me!!). As it turned out being bare footed was nice as you do feel so much free-er even though colder. The sea itself was very calm on the surface, not a ripple in sight, but there was still a tide pull to the West, although not as fierce as earlier in the week. After my cramp yesterday I didn’t fancy a big swim out, so instead we went just out as far as the cafe building along the pier, then through it and back around and then onto the donut at the groin and then back again. I am clearly getting stronger now as I found the swimming fairly easy which meant I was able to work harder and keep the speed up the whole time, which meant that instead of being the one at the back, we were actually in a direct line to each other – synchronised swimming but without the costumes!
The rest of today is taken up with meetings (nothing new there) and then tonight straight home. Tomorrow I’ll grab some gym time at home and then Sunday I have a midday 1 ½ hour with Ross at Falmer.
Next week will be slightly different as I am in Gibraltar on work Monday & Tuesday therefore no sea swims; although if at all possible I’ll try to get to the beach in Spain, just not sure if the diary will allow. Either way it does mean that I’ll be having to cram the whole week into the last few days.
Emotionally it’s been a hard week with swimming as I really haven’t at any time felt like I wanted to swim either in the pool or the sea, but I guess that’s simply how it is, one week your hot to trot and another week your simply not. The secret is to make sure that however you feel you still do it and that you always do your best. Your best of course can change from moment to moment depending on how you are at that time, but your best is what you have to give.
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This blog is a dedicated blog for Rob Starr's journey from sign up to eventual Channel Swim. Rob's dedication to the Trust is second to none and this commitment to not only the gruelling hardwork, training and preparation for the swim, with his own personal challenges, but also the steadfast commitment to raising £100,000 and creating smiles. Please do follow
Friday, 18 March 2011
Day 211 - Thursday 17th March 2011
Two pools swims today; unexpected.
Did a 2 hr this morning at Esporta, Falmer before heading off to London meeting for 10am. Nothing to report on the swim apart from to say; it was what it was, a cold drizzly morning and therefore warmer in the outside pool than the outside itself.
After London I was back to Falmer for 3.30pm for a gym session, however, Ross had forgotten and gone home. So instead of the gym I went back to the pool. It wasn’t raining now and therefore, slightly warmer in the air, so certainly nicer. The plan was a 90 minute speed session. I started with 30 lengths slow warmup, followed by 20 x 50 meter sprints with 15 second rests, then followed by 3 x butterfly, back, breast, crawl combination, followed by 10 lengths 50 metre sprints with 10 second rests - it was at this point that the pain set in! I got serious cramp in my front left shin area! It came on suddenly and was agony. Nothing I could do would stop it. Impossible to carry on, so I limped inside and into the steam room.
10 minutes later the cramp stopped and I was ready to desteam as it was getting hot in there. As I was about to leave someone I knew came in and started talking to me. I felt it was rude to just leave, until 15 minutes later when I basically was so hot I thought I would collapse that I had to make excuses and leave. Lesson there is “steam room is not a place to catch up with long lost friends”!! Leave that to the bar!!
Did a 2 hr this morning at Esporta, Falmer before heading off to London meeting for 10am. Nothing to report on the swim apart from to say; it was what it was, a cold drizzly morning and therefore warmer in the outside pool than the outside itself.
After London I was back to Falmer for 3.30pm for a gym session, however, Ross had forgotten and gone home. So instead of the gym I went back to the pool. It wasn’t raining now and therefore, slightly warmer in the air, so certainly nicer. The plan was a 90 minute speed session. I started with 30 lengths slow warmup, followed by 20 x 50 meter sprints with 15 second rests, then followed by 3 x butterfly, back, breast, crawl combination, followed by 10 lengths 50 metre sprints with 10 second rests - it was at this point that the pain set in! I got serious cramp in my front left shin area! It came on suddenly and was agony. Nothing I could do would stop it. Impossible to carry on, so I limped inside and into the steam room.
10 minutes later the cramp stopped and I was ready to desteam as it was getting hot in there. As I was about to leave someone I knew came in and started talking to me. I felt it was rude to just leave, until 15 minutes later when I basically was so hot I thought I would collapse that I had to make excuses and leave. Lesson there is “steam room is not a place to catch up with long lost friends”!! Leave that to the bar!!
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Day 210 - Wednesday 16th March 2011
This morning I was back at the pool at 6.30am for a 3 hour swim; not an easy thing to do considering I was swimming until 10pm last night. However, did it “I did”.
I basically swam in intervals of 15 minutes slow, 15 minutes fast and so on and so forth for the whole time. It was interesting as at different times I was performing differently, but this was not based on any physical energy it was very much based on mind set. It just goes to prove once again that endurance training in any sport is 90% mind and 10% body.
I might use the gym tonight at home as I feel I should do something else, but let’s see which of either the gym towel or the cold beer bottle grab my attention.
I basically swam in intervals of 15 minutes slow, 15 minutes fast and so on and so forth for the whole time. It was interesting as at different times I was performing differently, but this was not based on any physical energy it was very much based on mind set. It just goes to prove once again that endurance training in any sport is 90% mind and 10% body.
I might use the gym tonight at home as I feel I should do something else, but let’s see which of either the gym towel or the cold beer bottle grab my attention.
Day 209 - Tuesday 15th March 2011
Started this morning with a sea swim with Bob. Once again cold, 5.5degrees, however, not as cold as it has been. The tide was pulling VERY strongly to the West, which means away from the pier. We therefore still did our same swim as we have been doing, but as you can imagine swimming to the pier against a strong tide is a pretty physical thing to do. We swam diagonally to the silver ball in the middle of the pier and then under the pier to the other side; this was definitely a battle of man against tide. However, once I got through the pier and took a sharp right hand turn to come back through it a little further down it was like being shot from a gun. The tide literally picked us up and wooshed us through. Probably was a 12 minute swim out through the pier and then a 5 minute swim all the way back to the beach. Gotta say I really really enjoyed it!
After work it was back home to domesticity duties as usual and then just as exhaustion was setting in I was back up at Falmer for my 8.30pm start. Only Bob and I tonight, but boy he pushed me hard. In the hour I think we did about 1½ miles; but at very quick pace. He is most definitely a hard task master; but it was needed and dare I say almost enjoyable! What is happening to me; am I actually starting to enjoy the pain!!
Tomorrow it’s a pool swim unfortunately as whilst I would love to be in the sea, Fiona my boss lady insists it pool pool pool.
After work it was back home to domesticity duties as usual and then just as exhaustion was setting in I was back up at Falmer for my 8.30pm start. Only Bob and I tonight, but boy he pushed me hard. In the hour I think we did about 1½ miles; but at very quick pace. He is most definitely a hard task master; but it was needed and dare I say almost enjoyable! What is happening to me; am I actually starting to enjoy the pain!!
Tomorrow it’s a pool swim unfortunately as whilst I would love to be in the sea, Fiona my boss lady insists it pool pool pool.
Monday, 14 March 2011
Day 208 - Monday 14th March 2011
After a lovely weekend it was nice to be back to the sea for my Monday morning wake up.
It was a fairly quick (in terms of time, not speed!) swim this morning as Bob needed to dash off quickly and also I had a lot to get done at the office this morning. So we were in the sea by about 7.10am and out after about 15 minutes. The temperature was around 5.6 degrees and the sea very calm. Simon swam with us this morning (he is so blooming fast that he makes Bob look likes he’s not moving; forget me on that front!). We did our usual around the silver ball and back. For some reason it felt warmer that usual when I got in, but felt colder than usual when I got out; no reason why, it just did. In fact, 2 hours later I still have pins & needles in my fingers and I’m still a little shivery.
This week I’ve got a busy diary at work and also a few training sessions booked in (pool and gym), so no doubt by the weekend I’ll be tired again, but that’s days off yet so I’ve no need to worry about it now. The weekend just gone was great as we got some much needed sleep Friday night when the kids stayed out; we even managed to use the pool and steam room for the first time; fantastic. Also on Sunday we visited Chobham Rugby ground, they are supporting our Swim4Smiles Campaign. I did a little talk to thank them and then they introduced a fund raiser that they are having in April for us. Sharon and the kids came along and they presented the kids with Rugby shirts; the boys put theirs in their bags, but Mia put her straight on and kept it on until she went to bed that night; gorgeous! They also gave us some fund raising tins that they’ve had in the club house the last few months; therefore was almost £400 in them!! Astonishing! What great people they are to offer us such support.
Every day it seems more people surprise me with their generosity of thought and generosity of pocket. Despite all the bad and sad news in the world, such as the despicable action in Libya at the moment and the tragic conditions in Japan, there still remains an amazingness about the world that never fails to ignite both the passion and compassion in people.
It was a fairly quick (in terms of time, not speed!) swim this morning as Bob needed to dash off quickly and also I had a lot to get done at the office this morning. So we were in the sea by about 7.10am and out after about 15 minutes. The temperature was around 5.6 degrees and the sea very calm. Simon swam with us this morning (he is so blooming fast that he makes Bob look likes he’s not moving; forget me on that front!). We did our usual around the silver ball and back. For some reason it felt warmer that usual when I got in, but felt colder than usual when I got out; no reason why, it just did. In fact, 2 hours later I still have pins & needles in my fingers and I’m still a little shivery.
This week I’ve got a busy diary at work and also a few training sessions booked in (pool and gym), so no doubt by the weekend I’ll be tired again, but that’s days off yet so I’ve no need to worry about it now. The weekend just gone was great as we got some much needed sleep Friday night when the kids stayed out; we even managed to use the pool and steam room for the first time; fantastic. Also on Sunday we visited Chobham Rugby ground, they are supporting our Swim4Smiles Campaign. I did a little talk to thank them and then they introduced a fund raiser that they are having in April for us. Sharon and the kids came along and they presented the kids with Rugby shirts; the boys put theirs in their bags, but Mia put her straight on and kept it on until she went to bed that night; gorgeous! They also gave us some fund raising tins that they’ve had in the club house the last few months; therefore was almost £400 in them!! Astonishing! What great people they are to offer us such support.
Every day it seems more people surprise me with their generosity of thought and generosity of pocket. Despite all the bad and sad news in the world, such as the despicable action in Libya at the moment and the tragic conditions in Japan, there still remains an amazingness about the world that never fails to ignite both the passion and compassion in people.
Friday, 11 March 2011
Day 207 - Friday 11th March 2011
To finish off from yesterdays blog; I never went for that afternoon swim. By the time I got back from London it was already 4.30pm and I was still shattered and my throat even worse from all the presenting in the day.
This morning when I surfaced at 6.00am (despite the kids doing their ususal) I felt refreshed and looking forward to the day ahead. It seems that just the one day off from no exercise was a good idea. Due to early meetings I couldn’t do the pool today, but I was down the beach at 7am and ready to swim. The sea was 90% calm, with waves (some largish) only near the shore. The temperature was up by around 1 degrees to 5.7, which whilst still extremely cold was much welcoming. Bob and I were joined by Damien for a swim and we left the others at the edge (numbering about 6 this morning which was a better turnout) and headed to the silver ball. At the ball we went under the pier, around the other side, back to our side and back to shore. Pretty much we all stayed together the whole way; in fact I was in front a lot of the way, with Bob only passing me coming back in. It was a nice change for me to be as quick as everyone else; the Tuesday nights are clearly starting to pay off now. Coming out of the sea and walking up the beach we bumped into Fiona who was just coming down for a swim; it’s always a treat to see her in the morning at the Arch.
All in all a strong and enjoyable swim to start the day; boy oh boy do I love the sea compared to the pool.
This morning I’m presenting Clickcover (my Affinity Insurance business) to two schools and then this afternoon I’m in a meeting from midday until around 5ish. After that though I shall be heading home to an empty house (kids all staying at my in-laws tonight. Can’t even explain how good that feels) and I shall have a swim in my endless pool which is now fixed and working. It’ll be great to swim in my pool as a “swimmer” as I’ve never yet done that. I’m not sure from a training perspective how good it will be for me, but I do know a number of swimming teachers who advocate them as well as a top channel swimmer (a record holder) who trained throughout on her one.
Next week I’ll make sure I also do a 6 or 7 hour pool swim again as I still need to rack a few of those up.
Weekend wishes to all.
Thursday, 10 March 2011
Day 206 - Thursday 10th March 2011
Today “may” be a non exercise day; not yet sure!
Yesterday I managed to grab an hour in the gym including using my VASA machine and some tough core work, also and I pushed myself hard with a long run (about 10k) at good speed, ending up with a hill run up King George, again at speed. This morning however, I really struggled to get up and get to it. I was planning a 2 hr pool swim before work, but I had a late night followed by the usual sleepless events with the kids and eventually when I managed to drag myself out of bed (or should I say was pushed out of bed by Asher, Jesse and Mia) I found that not only was I feeling fairly exhausted but also my throat was really tight when I swallowed. So instead of “dashing” to the pool or the beach I leisurely had a hot shower, got dressed and slowly drove to the office, where I am currently sitting with a cappuccino and struggling to swallow it without grimacing.
After a 9am meeting here I will be heading to London for a meeting and probably heading back to Brighton around 3pm ish. If during the day my energy returns and my throat relaxes I may well head straight to Falmer for a 1 or 2 hour swim to end the day, but then again if I am still very tired I may just head back to the office and do some gentle paperwork!!
Tomorrow’s blog will reveal all; now is that something to look forward to reading about or what!!!!
Yesterday I managed to grab an hour in the gym including using my VASA machine and some tough core work, also and I pushed myself hard with a long run (about 10k) at good speed, ending up with a hill run up King George, again at speed. This morning however, I really struggled to get up and get to it. I was planning a 2 hr pool swim before work, but I had a late night followed by the usual sleepless events with the kids and eventually when I managed to drag myself out of bed (or should I say was pushed out of bed by Asher, Jesse and Mia) I found that not only was I feeling fairly exhausted but also my throat was really tight when I swallowed. So instead of “dashing” to the pool or the beach I leisurely had a hot shower, got dressed and slowly drove to the office, where I am currently sitting with a cappuccino and struggling to swallow it without grimacing.
After a 9am meeting here I will be heading to London for a meeting and probably heading back to Brighton around 3pm ish. If during the day my energy returns and my throat relaxes I may well head straight to Falmer for a 1 or 2 hour swim to end the day, but then again if I am still very tired I may just head back to the office and do some gentle paperwork!!
Tomorrow’s blog will reveal all; now is that something to look forward to reading about or what!!!!
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