Swimming day 472 - Monday 30th April 2012

Back to the start of yet another week.  A grim weekend for rain and wind, but this morning a bright sky brought hope! 

Getting to the beach by 6.40ish (after another restless night) it was dismaying to see such massive waves.  There were about 9 of us this morning, but none of us would risk going in on our beach; and that includes the very strong swimmers.  No matter how strong you are as a sea swimmer, you will never be as strong as the sea; silly to say as so obvious, but sometimes the obvious is put aside in favour of the brave.  We headed over to the girly beach which was better, but not necessarily safe.  Four of us when in; Dr Mark, Shoichi, Simon and Me.  Getting in was easy enough as you are facing the waves and can choose your moment easily enough, however getting out is the challenge and the heart stopper.  Dr Mark was first out and nice and safe, whilst Simon and Shocihi were still out by the silver ball swimming around.  I’d had enough by then, especially as my bloomin goggles kept steaming up which really makes it difficult.  I swam in with head down and legs kicking until I was as close to the shore as I could safely get without the weaves crashing me.  This is when the heart really steps up a beat!   It is a case of swimming with one eye firmly behind you so as not to get caught out; by the time I was almost there the waves had picked up again and were crashing just in a big dip.  You need to avoid the dip at that time as that is the suck and pull down area and very dangerous.  I thankfully timed it well and was on the beach milliseconds before a monster wave curled in; it grabbed the back of my legs as escaped, but that was all. Safely back on land and the heart returns to normal and the endorphins kick in to give you that high; the one adrenalin junkies start to crave, the one that you need to somehow keep in check!!

Let’s see what tomorrow brings!

Swimming day 471 - Friday 27th April 2012

A great sea this morning.  I didn’t read the temperature, but would guess at just over 8 degrees.  No rain which was great, but a strong wind which meant decent waves.  Big Bob and I were in the sea before 7am (so we would have time for a Red Roaster coffee afterwards!) and we headed straight out; or as straight as the sea would allow.  The waves were frequent and big, but manageable (if you are a competent sea swimmer – certainly not a sea for a pool swimmer).  A couple of times both of us had the extra heart beat moment when the waves got big and you wondered if you would have been sensible staying closer to shore and also Bob got rolled over once, however it was basically a lot of fun.  Way to much seaweed however; sometimes it felt like hundreds of hands tying ropes around your ankles and pulling you down, but a couple of shakes of the legs and it soon fell away.

Sadly on the next beach along we could see a number of police vans and police officers; including one officer guarding a white sheet half way up the beach which clearly was covering a dead body.  From where we were out to see just beyond the groin it was a clear view of what was happening.  The sad thing is of course it wasn’t “just a body”, it was a person; someone’s friend, lover, brother, sister, parent; who knows.  I don’t now if it was a drowning, which is so easy to happen if one is inexperienced in our sea or if one is under the influence.  Whatever the story it is very sad. 

Swimming day 470 - Thursday 26th April 2012

This morning was pool morning with Bog Bob.  I met him at Falmer and we did 120 lengths in an hour, with 40% being speed swimming and 60% normal stroke.  It really is bloomin good exercise and fantastic swim training for me; I leave there really knowing I’ve worked out!  Straight afterwards I headed over to Kim (my physio) and she punished my bad legs with an hour of solid thumb pressure – owwwwch. 

That is certainly exercise and pain done for the day!

Tomorrow, whatever the weather, I shall be at the beach and enjoying it!

Swimming day 469 - Wednesday 25th April 2012

 Blimey now that is rain!  The wind this morning was literally howling and the rain was coming down in sheets; sheets of very cold lumps of water.  Sometimes the rain can be almost soft and slightly warm; not today!!

I was up at about 6am having had an almost peaceful night (only a couple of short visits from the kids for a change and they did go back to their rooms), I even was allowed to sleep in my own bed all night; miracle of miracles.  Having looked out the window and being barely able to see past the rain I contemplated not going to the beach today.  I thought about the pool instead, which would have been more sensible, but just didn’t fancy a chlorine breakfast today; some days you just don’t.  So instead I headed to the beach wondering if I would be the only fool there; but of course this is Brighton Swimming Club and I am never a fool on my own.  This morning I was one of five; LB, Mike, Martina and Flick.  We headed down the beach at a jog and by the time we hit the water we were soaked through and shivering. The sea, being around 8 degrees today, was a warm welcome from the driving cold rain; now that clearly is madness.  Whilst my four foolhardy friends stayed in the shallows of the shore I headed out a bit further.  The waves were constant and strong, but the low tide kept it safe; no way we  would have gone in otherwise.  After swimming about 10 minutes straight out I looked up and realised I had been dragged all the way to the west out of our beach and almost to the middle of the next beach along!  The tide and drag were probably the strongest I’ve known in the 2 years I’ve been doing this.  I tried to swim back to my beach but no chance of that so I headed in to waist deep and tried to walk back.  The drag was so strong that even walking back was completely impossible.  So I headed straight to shore then walked along the beach and climbed over the groin back to my side.  Certainly one could say crazy, or foolish or just ask why; I’ll tell you – not only was it fantastic physical exercise both in terms of swimming through a powerful sea and walking against the strongest treadmill you could ever find; but also it really does set you up for the day.  Whilst everyone else is complaining about the “bad weather” and getting soaked on the way to work; I can take cold comfort in the fact that by 8am I have already done a days exercise and am ready for the onslaught of life with a little more of a spring in my step.

Swimming day 468 - Tuesday 24th April 2012

What a crazy day; it’s 6pm and I’m just squeezing in a couple of minutes to write this up before I dash off to get to my next meeting (late again!!).

No sleep last night as usual; Mia and Jesse in our bed with Mia coughing all night and Jesse bashing me in the head with his elbow.  I left our room about 3am and basically sat in Mia’s bed reading a book until Asher called for me at 6am – so a normal night for me then!

At the arch by 6.45am and the sea was very flat and calm (yesterday and tomorrow apparently rocking in the sea with big waves!).  I had planned a lazy easy swim as I was dead tired, however Big Bob had other plans.  So exactly 25 minutes later, in a cold 7.8 degree sea, we were back on shore having swum around the pier; a slowish swim, but better than it should have been with no sleep or food behind me (in fact at 6pm now I have still only had a single cup of tea today and nothing else to drink and nothing to eat – appalling behaviour).  Oh yes I also crammed in an hour with Ross in the gym today on back, shoulders and arms – this was a lunch hour I managed to sneak into my day; gym instead of eat, not a good lunch!

Got to dash now as my next meeting is 20 minutes away and was due to start at 6pm – oops!

Day 467 - Monday 23rd April 2012

As expected no training on Friday or Saturday, but Sunday I went for an 8 mile run; took about 1hr 10 mins.  Annoyingly my right leg hut from the start of the run, all the way through until I got back home.  I guess I need some physio on it to get it better before I get back to some longer runs. 

This morning I had planned to be at the beach as usual but Mia was unwell again last night and I didn’t want her to be shlapped  on the school run.  So Sharon took Asher and I stayed at home with the Twins until she got back.  So instead of the sea today I’ll head to work and then after work will get to the pool for an hour; truth is that at this time the pool swimming is equally important as the sea swimming so I probably should be spitting my week evenly anyway (even though I would prefer not to!).

Last night I went to London at 7pm to see the UK premier of an amazing project called Step by Step.  It’s a collaboration between an Israeli School and an Arab School and they have 40 teenagers who have got together to write a musical about the madness in the middle east and how it affects them and what life “should” be like rather than how it is.  It showed that  the kids simply do not want the fighting and that they recognise that they are just kids with the same lives, the same hopes, the same inspirations and the same needs.  All they have to do is convince the older population to listen to them; not an easy task of course after hundreds of years of fighting; but it has to start and the best way is one kid at a time.  An amazing group of individuals and very inspirational to anyone who wants to see peace anywhere in the world.  I felt very honoured to be asked to go along and see it as one of their VIP’s and I’m hoping that the Starr Trust, especially our CHOCS programme can work with these amazing people over the coming year.  Watch this space!

Swimming day 466 - Thursday 19th April 2012

The weather this morning, whilst cold, was not as shocking as expected.  Yesterday when Bob and I were in the pool, the members of BSC who braved the beach had to settle for pilcharding or groin showers only as it was too rough for anyone to get in.  This morning,  whilst not being a very low tide, was low enough to enable you to feel able to get in.  The waves were fairly big and the tide was coming in, which meant it was pulling really hard to the east.  Big Bob and I went in at the donut groin and headed straight at the groin towards the thistle.  The tide however was strong enough to mean that about 15 minutes later we were only just crossing over the beach to the other side; very much swimming on the spot and being bashed by big waves every few minutes.  I don’t think either of us actually enjoyed it that much today; it just seemed a messy sea.  The temperature was down once again; just 7.5 degrees.  It’s amazing to think that just a few weeks ago we swam around the pier day after day; in fact I was going around on my own with no fear.  I simply wouldn’t have done it this morning; too rough and too cold.  Apparently May this year is going to be the coldest May in over 100 years – what’ that about!

After work today I’ll at the gym for an hour on shoulders and biceps; all strength stuff for my swimming.  Tomorrow I’m in London from 9am on meetings all day s no beach for me.  If I can get up early enough I’ll see if I can grab half an hour in the pool before heading off to London.  Then it’ll be the weekend again and I guess time to put my running shoes back on and see if I can get an hours run in (hopefully my legs won’t complain) and I’ll also see if I have the energy for a pool swim; not committing to it yet as still not completely re-energised after the weekend.