Swimming day 456 - Thursday 29th March 2012

Woke this morning unable to breath from my nose and with very sore throat; that all came on overnight and was not a nice surprise!  At the arch at 7am, coughing and spluttering (trying not to do that over my fellow swimmers of course) and was in the sea a few minutes later considering the lunacy of swimming feeling like that.  Luckily by the time Bob and I got to the helter skelter he was happy to follow my suggestion of letting James and Shoichi go around on their own and us heading back; my breathing was really making it tough for me.  So instead of carrying on around we headed through the pier and down the other side then back through to our beach and to dry land.  Total swim about 15 minutes, temp in sea dropped to around 7.5 degrees, flat sea and blue sky but with a sticky south easterly tide – basically felt like swimming through mud coming back under the pier.

The rest of the day was however much more relaxing and totally stress free; although that didn’t improve the nose and throat!  I headed to London with Sharon, Darren, Tracey & Ray and we spent the day in Greenwich meandering about, then had a fantaberlous Chinese in China Town before heading off to see Warhorse; a most spectacular play; long but spectacular.

Now, being 1.20am, I am back at home and back to coughing and sneezing.  Definitely not going to sea swim tomorrow; would be crazy.  But I do have a late afternoon gym session which I’ll do and then dependent on how I feel I will try a 2 hr pool swim (it was on my plans, but was without a cold in tow!)

Swimming day 454 - Wednesday 28th March 2012

NO plans at all to sit by the side of the road today!  I was at the arch by 6.45am, but not feeling the best.  My throat my sore, my right knee aching (probably because Mia kicked me out of my bed and I spent a restless night in her small bed with my legs hanging off the side) and  my stomach in knots (maybe crones again or just the anxiety of Mia being unwell yesterday).  A larger than usual crowd at the arch on the boys side; LB, David and Dr Sean all doing their micro dip.  Big Bob, Shoichi, Paul Smith, Charlie and Myself all heading as a group out and around the pier.  My speed slower than yesterday as I felt sluggish because of not being at my best, however after Shoichi raced home I landed seconds after Big Bob and we waited a couple of minutes for Paul and Charlie; first time for a long time I was with the front pack!  

Swim time 23 minutes (again, but felt slower), temp in air maybe 6 degrees, temp in sea 7.8 degrees - still felt cold and after heading around the top of the pier I lost all feeling in my feet!

 As for rest of the day; stuck in the office away from the beautiful 20 degree sunny day and head down to clear yesterdays missed work – oh well, at least it’s in a leather chair and not a dirty motorway!

Swimming day 454 - Tuesday 27th March 2012

 

Today didn’t quite go as planned after all!  Mia ended up in Hospital late Monday night with breathing problems and as such I had to cancel my London work plans.  Early the next day, out of hospital, she was tearing around like a crazy girl without a care in the world – the parents of course are left with the high blood pressure.  Thankfully she seems fine. 

I ended up on the beach in the morning as usual and headed to the helter skelter with Bob. A windy coldish morning to start with, but a flat sea and about 7.5 degrees.  Getting to the helter skelter with lots of energy we took the plunge and headed further out and around the pier; yey us.  Total swim around the pier 23 minutes and a decent pace and fantastic to now be around the pier again.  For us going around in March is a month earlier than last year; both of us very proud and pleased as punch.

As for the rest of the day, as Mia was back on form and Sharon took the kids out I decided to go to the gym for an hour, which I did and worked bloomin hard and then afterwards to grab the afternoon as an unexpected free day to get loads of jobs done; a fantastic plan.  However not all plans go to plan do they!  Sharon called me half an hour after I got home from the gym with a very flat tire off the motorway and 4 kids in the car!  Thirty minutes after that she was driving of into the beautiful sunny hot day with the kids in my car and I was stuck sitting at the side of the motorway with her car awaiting the AA.  At 4.59pm they turned up and towed me home.  Oh well!!

Swimming day 453 - Monday 26th March 2012

Friday’s training day went well; swim in morning, physio and gym in afternoon followed by 2 hr pool in evening with relay team; all team performed brilliantly and very inspiring to be in a pool with such amazing swimmers.

Weekend was great; Asher’s 6^th birthday and the sun was shinning throughout.  Saturday was BBQ time at home (amazing to again open up the garden and crank up the BB) and then Sunday we all went to Beaulie.  No exercise at all for the weekend, which I hope has helped my knee and also allowed my shoulders a rest.

This morning, with the clocks going forward, it was slightly darker than it has been, but still light and clear. 7am at the arch with Big Bob, Little Bob, Lindy, David and Shoichi.  I have to say that whilst it was a relaxing weekend, last night the kids (all 3) played up and I’m not sure I had more than an hours sleep over the whole night; and even that was broken.  At the arch I must have looked about as enthusiastic as I felt; amazing to me that I managed to drag myself there to be honest.  However with Big Bob ready to swim I gingerly followed him in and it wasn’t long before we were at the helter skelter and contemplating carrying on around the pier; which was doable if truth be told.  However despite the very warm weekend weather the sea didn’t warm up at all and was still at 7 degrees; if you mix that in with sleep deprivation then it brings it down even further!  So rather than go deeper out we headed over the pier and swum under to the other side, down a bit and then back through and then straight to the shore.  Total swim time 19 minutes and a decent steady pace.  Tonight I’ll grab an hour in the gym at home, then that’s an easy break into the week.

Tomorrow no swim or exercise as I’m in London on meetings from about 8am until 6pm, so just no chance.  Wednesday however is Bob’s last day at the beach for a few days so if the sea stays flat we will definitely go around the pier.  I’ll also aim to get a couple more gym sessions in and also another 2 hr pool swim on Friday on my own; then Sunday will give my knee a try and do a half marathon distance.  Please kids give me a break for the rest of the week and let me go this with an abundance of energy rather than none!

Swimming day 452 - Friday 23rd March 2012

Unless one can include lots of driving and bags of meetings as exercise I did nothing yesterday; pressures of business simply got in the way of pressures of exercising.

This morning however it was with a smile on my face that I headed down Brighton beach with Big Bob at 7am and into a very calm and beautiful looking sea.  The sky was seriously clear, the sea was seriously calm and Bob & I were seriously heading for the helter skelter at a decent pace.  In truth we could have gone around the pier today as the conditions were perfect, however at 7.2 degrees it was still just a tad too cold for us to want to.  Instead after getting to the helter skelter we headed back diagonally against quite a string undercurrent to the donut groin and then back in.  Total swim over 19 minutes;  and as the pier only ever takes us about 20 minutes it shows we can do it now – so next week is definitely around the pier and then that means we are firmly heading towards summer and the buoys will be back in the ocean very soon; can’t wait.

Rest of today, ignoring the work in between, I have a 1.30pm physio for half an hour on my running knee problem, then 3pm-4pm session in the gym on shoulders, chest and back and then 6pm-8pm swim in the outside pool with my entire relay team.  So a very busy day trying to get my work done around all that and a decent physical day to end the week.  Even though it’s a lot of exercise in one day and that sounds extremely tiring to me, I’m pleased to be doing it as I am feeling like I’ve put on a bit too much weight.  That of course is a stupid statement as I am meant to be putting on weight for my channel swim and I spent all of last year stressing about not putting weight on so I should be pleased with that, and of course by the end of today I will probably have lost all the pounds that are bothering me anyway.  I guess it shows that my weight is still a “mental” issue for me that after 42 years I have still not come to terms with it.  I’m certainly not one who has an eating disorder at any level, however I do think that the line between having an eating disorder and not having one is a very short line; otherwise why do I look in the mirror and think I look fat when clearly I am not and clearly my swim needs me to put weight on.  A confusing dilemma for me for sure.

Swimming day 451 - Wednesday 21st March 2012

A Scooby Doo morning this morning; fog over the pier and hovering just over the top of the sea.  I was at the arch on my own at 6.40am and slowly lowered myself into a very clam and flat sea by 6.45am.  It’s been a while since I swam in the sea on my own and it was quite weird to be the only one in the sea, especially when it was so foggy you couldn’t even see the shore when you were a few feet out. I swam out to the silver ball and then diagonally along to the donut groin and the then back along the coast to my blue crocs patiently awaiting me. Total swim 15 minutes and 7 seconds; sea temp 7.1 degrees by my watch.

By the time I had finished my swim the fog had almost gone, just a splattering around the pier. Big Bobs crocs were on the shore next to mine; so either they came down to the edge  to join my crocs on their own for a croc party or else he was having a swim; it was still foggy enough I couldn’t see him.  Back at the arch LB, Dr Sean (back from his 3 months travels), David and Simon were just heading out.  Dr Sean came back to the arch after about a minute, even before Little Bob; it seems very wrong that he has only just returned and is now trying to steal the micro swim title from LB; come on LB have a word!!

At the office now ready for my first early meeting of the day, then it’s a half day of Starr Trust work and then a half day of Seico work; variety being the spice of life!  Then tonight, after the kids are in bed and Sharon is out at her concert rehearsal I shall either (a) Fall asleep on the settee at 9pm (b) Use the gym at home then fall asleep at 10pm (c) Have a very large scotch and pretend I used the gym and then fall asleep.  Hopefully B, possibly A, more likely C !!

Swimming day 45 - Tuesday 20th March 2012

Boot camp was ard!!!  I got to Falmer at 8.30pm, after a long day, and was hardly enthusiastic.  However Bob turned up bright as a button and also Shoichi was waiting for us and ready to rock and tumble.  So in the outside pool we went and proceed to spend the next hour bashing out 2800 metres.  A decent swim and very energising; certainly woke me up! 

After getting to bed at about 11pm it was great that we had no visitors until 6am, just as I was getting up – every now and then the kiddies surprise us with a decent nights sleep (not enough, but each one is appreciated).  At the arch by 7am and in the water with Bob and Charlotte (she has a good pace on her).  We swam to the hotel and back rather than out; much less stress on the heart as we stay closer enough to shore to stop the worry.  Total swim time about 15 minutes and temperature usual 7 degrees. 

Afterwards it was a dash home to get into a suit and then off to London; getting back to the office (just now) at 6pm ready for another hour of paperwork. 

Anyone fancy swapping with me!!!!!