Two swims today, morning and evening.
Good set this morning on an unusually chilly summer day.
Got our night-swim later tonight, about 9:30pm, and have roped in family support to walk the towpath and ensure we have spotlights near us. If anyone sees four or five green glowsticks bobbing along the Thames, that'll be us. Please give us a wide berth!
Fill you in on details later!
Happy trails!
RNLI donations to
www.justgiving.com/Jeremy-Lovell-Davis
Australian RVCP donations by cheque made payable to RVCP Ulladulla
sent to Barrie Lovell-Davis
7 Skillman Place, Mollymook Beach, NSW, 2539, Australia
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Another weekend closer
Roughly two weeks to go now until our window for the channel. The British weather seems to be brightening up and it's been a lovely weekend, warming the water a little. If this holds up, it might be a good end to the summer and potentially a good crossing.
So, a good friday morning session then a longer swim at Liquid Leisure Saturday morning. I could only spend an hour and a half in the water but still managed 5.6km in 1hr 24mins, leaving the guys to crack on to 2hrs. I'm still thinking that the distance itself; each hour's stint; each hard push against the tide; is not the issue, it's going to be the cold. The cold, as it always seems to be in channel attempts.
I'm managing my shoulders a little every night now. Too much front-crawl strengthens the muscles on the front of your chest more than those on your back, making you unbalanced and pulling arms into an unnatural position. The ligaments don't stretch too much to accomodate, instead they just rub over bones and joints with a nagging, aggravating pain. It's happened to me before when me and the guys were training hard at North Sydney Pool for the ocean-swimming season. Two options, 1) more backstroke 2) a series of exercises. My physios would be rolling their eyes given my lax attitude to self-balancing. I promise i'll concentrate on backstroke when i'm back in the pool; i promise.
I think Lisa, my good Lady, is reaching the point where she's over the whiff of pond-weed and the swimming chat. Roll-on the long weekend in August, she says, after this date we go on vacation and the muddy waters of the Thames and algae-laden waters of Liquid Leisure will be replaced with the crystal clear, shimmering blue mediterranean waters of crete and santorini. Muddy apples and clean, waxed oranges indeed. My lovely Lady has been wonderful throughout this whole effort, kicking me to get organised, checking the kit lists to see if there's anything she can help with, accepting the potential for sea-sickness and being my support person on the boat, putting up with greenish swimmers and generally being brilliant. Thank you, my Lady!!!
Happy trails!
So, a good friday morning session then a longer swim at Liquid Leisure Saturday morning. I could only spend an hour and a half in the water but still managed 5.6km in 1hr 24mins, leaving the guys to crack on to 2hrs. I'm still thinking that the distance itself; each hour's stint; each hard push against the tide; is not the issue, it's going to be the cold. The cold, as it always seems to be in channel attempts.
I'm managing my shoulders a little every night now. Too much front-crawl strengthens the muscles on the front of your chest more than those on your back, making you unbalanced and pulling arms into an unnatural position. The ligaments don't stretch too much to accomodate, instead they just rub over bones and joints with a nagging, aggravating pain. It's happened to me before when me and the guys were training hard at North Sydney Pool for the ocean-swimming season. Two options, 1) more backstroke 2) a series of exercises. My physios would be rolling their eyes given my lax attitude to self-balancing. I promise i'll concentrate on backstroke when i'm back in the pool; i promise.
I think Lisa, my good Lady, is reaching the point where she's over the whiff of pond-weed and the swimming chat. Roll-on the long weekend in August, she says, after this date we go on vacation and the muddy waters of the Thames and algae-laden waters of Liquid Leisure will be replaced with the crystal clear, shimmering blue mediterranean waters of crete and santorini. Muddy apples and clean, waxed oranges indeed. My lovely Lady has been wonderful throughout this whole effort, kicking me to get organised, checking the kit lists to see if there's anything she can help with, accepting the potential for sea-sickness and being my support person on the boat, putting up with greenish swimmers and generally being brilliant. Thank you, my Lady!!!
Happy trails!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Misty eyed
No, that's not a reference to my emotional state this morning...that would be bleary eyed. Actually it's a reference to the temperate climate in the UK when you mix warm evaporating water and cold air- we swam through a light mist this morning. Very tranquil.
We have been joined by Charles, a work colleague of Chris,Newell's and James, a rowing colleague of Matt Baker's. The more the merrier.
As we were starting our final leg of the usual circular route, Chris and I almost swam into a group of triathletes in their dark wetties. I'd not noticed this about them before as i've not witnessed a group up close but it was like swimming into a shoal of tropical fish. All of a sudden I had splashes of neon filling my goggles; hot pink, sunshine yellow, acid green; from the variety of swimming caps these guys were wearing. They're so much easier to see than our whites and off-orange. Might invest.....
Last night we finally got around to having a team meeting to organise kit lists, clothing lists, food requirements, logistics and team name. It's ALMOST like we might be getting organised. As we sat outside the Marlow Donkey pub we were a few moments away from naming our team "The Marlow Donkeys" in an effort to get free t-shirts from the pub, but we veered away from this at the last minute. Sanity prevailed. Still, all else is sorted, a positive and beneficial meeting.
Tomorrow morning is Liquid Leisure at Datchet again for a two hour stint in the lake. All very positive too. Have a good weekend everyone.
Happy trails!
We have been joined by Charles, a work colleague of Chris,Newell's and James, a rowing colleague of Matt Baker's. The more the merrier.
As we were starting our final leg of the usual circular route, Chris and I almost swam into a group of triathletes in their dark wetties. I'd not noticed this about them before as i've not witnessed a group up close but it was like swimming into a shoal of tropical fish. All of a sudden I had splashes of neon filling my goggles; hot pink, sunshine yellow, acid green; from the variety of swimming caps these guys were wearing. They're so much easier to see than our whites and off-orange. Might invest.....
Last night we finally got around to having a team meeting to organise kit lists, clothing lists, food requirements, logistics and team name. It's ALMOST like we might be getting organised. As we sat outside the Marlow Donkey pub we were a few moments away from naming our team "The Marlow Donkeys" in an effort to get free t-shirts from the pub, but we veered away from this at the last minute. Sanity prevailed. Still, all else is sorted, a positive and beneficial meeting.
Tomorrow morning is Liquid Leisure at Datchet again for a two hour stint in the lake. All very positive too. Have a good weekend everyone.
Happy trails!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Thanks to our first sponsor - VOLVIC MINERAL WATER
I wanted to say a big thank you to our first sponsor, Volvic Mineral Water. http://www.volvic.co.uk/
They are supplying 36 litres of Volvic to our team to take on board with us and make sure we have conveniently sized water available with the minimum of fuss. As we'll be swimming in salty water, the most important thing is to keep hydrated with fresh clean water, this should do the trick!
Thanks again and happy trails to the Volvic team in the UK!
They are supplying 36 litres of Volvic to our team to take on board with us and make sure we have conveniently sized water available with the minimum of fuss. As we'll be swimming in salty water, the most important thing is to keep hydrated with fresh clean water, this should do the trick!
Thanks again and happy trails to the Volvic team in the UK!
A midweek update - helpful reading
I'm currently reading a book by a female swimmer Sally Friedman (although i don't think she ever swam the channel, but was the first woman to swim from Rhode Island to Long Island and has also completed the 'Round Manhatten' swim a couple of times). It's called "Swimming the English Channel". I like it, a simple title, does what it says on the cover.
In the early pages (which is as far as I have read thus far) she describes in great detail and with clear emotion the joy and exhilaration of open water swimming, marathon swimming actually, in cold cold water. Now I'm not quite there for 10 mile swims on the bounce, not quite, but I have just read some technical information she gives about the mechanical yet strangely artistic side of each underwater stroke. As such this week I'm going to be focussing on the three-dimensional 'S' of the freestyle pull. Out and down - In and up - Out and down. By keeping each stroke longer and more powerful, you become more efficient in the water. You spin your arms less and make each burnt calorie a positive use of energy. As I expect to be battered by the waves - but worse the 'chop' - (where the tide runs in opposition to the wind, creating small repetitive mini-waves that smack into your arms and make it difficult to snatch a breath) I'll need to be as efficient as possible. The constant correction to being knocked off rhythm by waves is tiring and burns needless fuel.
Otherwise, I'm good right now. Have worked out that one rest-day is good but two rest-days are bad and allows the body to get comfortable. This is important to the taper week and if we have to wait at all before we go. You can't wait too long between swims but you can't sit around resting if the weather-window does not open.
Team meeting tonight to clarify plans and kit lists. We might almost get to a stage of being organised! My wife, Lisa, jokes that you can tell there are no girls in the team on account of us having planned absolutely nothing! Now that's funny because it's true.
Happy trails!
In the early pages (which is as far as I have read thus far) she describes in great detail and with clear emotion the joy and exhilaration of open water swimming, marathon swimming actually, in cold cold water. Now I'm not quite there for 10 mile swims on the bounce, not quite, but I have just read some technical information she gives about the mechanical yet strangely artistic side of each underwater stroke. As such this week I'm going to be focussing on the three-dimensional 'S' of the freestyle pull. Out and down - In and up - Out and down. By keeping each stroke longer and more powerful, you become more efficient in the water. You spin your arms less and make each burnt calorie a positive use of energy. As I expect to be battered by the waves - but worse the 'chop' - (where the tide runs in opposition to the wind, creating small repetitive mini-waves that smack into your arms and make it difficult to snatch a breath) I'll need to be as efficient as possible. The constant correction to being knocked off rhythm by waves is tiring and burns needless fuel.
Otherwise, I'm good right now. Have worked out that one rest-day is good but two rest-days are bad and allows the body to get comfortable. This is important to the taper week and if we have to wait at all before we go. You can't wait too long between swims but you can't sit around resting if the weather-window does not open.
Team meeting tonight to clarify plans and kit lists. We might almost get to a stage of being organised! My wife, Lisa, jokes that you can tell there are no girls in the team on account of us having planned absolutely nothing! Now that's funny because it's true.
Happy trails!
Monday, August 10, 2009
An icon for our boat on the navigational charts
My friend, Kathryn, designed us a little icon to be used on the navigational map as we bob across the channel.
All I need to do now is to convince the AIS that they should use this as their normal convention for all channel swimmers instead of the normal boring blue pentagon.
Thanks Kathryn, this is very very cool of you!
Just not feeling the love this morning
Groan- I am not feeling it this morning.
After a wonderful weekend on the south coast, finally with some sunshine, the return to the banks of the Thames this morning was a bit of a chore. The boys were just as jaded after a busy weekend of parties though!
I didn’t manage to eat anything after my swim for about an hour and a half, which meant that within an hour of finally eating my body was saying to me, “wait a minute young man, you’ve asked me to work hard, which I did, but you’ve not taken care of me afterwards and I’ve not refueled for two and a half hours. As a result of your ingratitude, I’m going to have a rest now while I wait for the fuel to make a difference. To hell with what your brain thinks, they’re coming along for a kip too.” It was a bit of a battle this morning to get enough umph into the day to be honest! Lesson learned, must eat quickly after the exercise!
Happy trails!
After a wonderful weekend on the south coast, finally with some sunshine, the return to the banks of the Thames this morning was a bit of a chore. The boys were just as jaded after a busy weekend of parties though!
I didn’t manage to eat anything after my swim for about an hour and a half, which meant that within an hour of finally eating my body was saying to me, “wait a minute young man, you’ve asked me to work hard, which I did, but you’ve not taken care of me afterwards and I’ve not refueled for two and a half hours. As a result of your ingratitude, I’m going to have a rest now while I wait for the fuel to make a difference. To hell with what your brain thinks, they’re coming along for a kip too.” It was a bit of a battle this morning to get enough umph into the day to be honest! Lesson learned, must eat quickly after the exercise!
Happy trails!
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