Channeling Positivity

We're back and looking good!

2012-01-13T13:08:00.002Z

So it's a new year and I guess that means a new start. Kate and I have been ticking over since the big channel crossing in July, well that is if you consider Kate's evil swim sessions as "just ticking over!!!" Anyway, we haven't decided on another challenge yet but we do have one immediate goal and that's to get our Channeling Positivity Foundation off the ground. So we are in search of a benefactor or benefactors that would be willing to invest some money into the foundation and help us "to inspire young people to lead positive lives".

Having spent some considerable time working on an application to the Charities Commission they promptly rejected my plea for Foundation status as we could not demonstrate financial independence, despite having raised nearly £13,000 for charity. Therefore in order to get their golden handshake we need a minimum of £5000 in the bank......... ....red tape and hoops ring any bells!!!

So I guess Kate and I are just wondering whether any budding philanthropists out there would like to get behind the Channeling Positivity Foundation? If so, get in touch with me - justine.drury@tigersolutions.co.uk

So that's all for now but we are back on track and ready for action!

NEW - TRAINING DIARY PAGE

2011-09-14T13:14:00.003+01:00

I am just trying to find time to write up the training sessions we did to prepare for our channel swim... but in the meantime i thought some of you may be interested to know what we are up to in the pool these days.. just trying to keep a decent fitness level really at the moment!

Feel free to have a go at any of them, but make sure you let us know how you get on... any suggestions are always welcome!

Apologies for the dreadful layout at the moment... I haven't had time to work on it at all yet!!

Click here to see what we did on Monday!

Happy Swimming!

Channeling Positivity – the journey not the destination! (Just's take)

2011-08-30T10:22:00.003+01:00

Masterpiece left Folkestone harbour around 4.30am. The sun was rising slowly and I was ready to embark on the challenge of a lifetime. In fact I’ve never been so prepared for anything in my life; Kate and I had spent the last 18 months dreaming of this moment and now it was here and we just wanted to swim. Kate slowly entered the water around 5.00am and swam to the shore of Samphire Hoe west beach. Our loyal friends and family bellowed from the cliff tops. Then our official observer blew her whistle, which signaled the start of our English Channel two-person relay crossing.

The first hour went by slowly giving me the opportunity to focus and lay demons to rest. The change over happened quickly, I used the ladder to enter the water and remained behind Kate until she was helped out. This would be the last time I would enter the channel in this way and resorted to a good old-fashioned jump into the sea which made us all laugh, distracting me from the cold sea, which was generously pumping out 16 degrees celcius of heat!

The swell was bigger than expected and I had to work hard to maintain a good stroke rate. It was like being on a fairground ride, just one that restricts your oxygen! The 10 minutes sign was held aloft and I was ready for my hot chocolate and fruit bread. I thought I caught sight of Kate vomiting over the side of the boat, which placed some unexpected doubt in my mind. The 10 minutes dragged on but finally I saw Kate standing by the ladder in her trusted pink cap and smothered in sudocream. She must be OK I thought?

When I got out, the crew attended to my every need and then I quickly learned that Kate wasn’t feeling so good. I then heard a burp, which echoed across the sea; it was Kate being sick in the water. This wasn’t good as I was witnessing something that I have never seen before, Kate struggling in the water. Emma, one of our crew, turned to me and said “Wales, I know you’ve got more in your locker” I nodded and agreed that from that moment on I would swim like a welsh woman possessed; I wasn’t going to let my buddy down.

The hours passed and the super tankers and ferries cruised by, in fact one a little bit too close for comfort, causing me to tread water for 10 minutes until it eventually acknowledged our presence. Despite all my bravado I was extremely scared and cold! Kate commendably swam through her sickness and gradually started to feel better by her third hour. The “rocket girl” was back!

The atmosphere on Masterpiece oozed positivity and we laughed and joked constantly. It slowly dawned on me that I was relishing every second and the thought of jumping into cold salt water and swimming for an hour was exactly what I was born to do. We read the motivational comments that all of our friends and family had written.

France seemed to be getting closer but we ignored the temptation to get excited. I was told to swim my fifth hour like it would be my last. Strangely I didn’t question this; I just nodded and jumped in. Suddenly I was drifting further away from our boat, wondering why they weren’t following me. I then heard the shouts “head for that white house” I stopped, looked up and there was France. I very quickly reached the rocky shore and clambered on. I held my arms aloft, blood dripping from my legs. We’d made in it in 9 hours 58 minutes, in fact we’d smashed it. Kate joined me further down the shore and the two gendarmes made sure we didn’t outstay our welcome. Our journey finally over and our destination truly overwhelming.

A Kate’s Eye View

2011-08-01T12:43:00.003+01:00

_{_{Friday July 22}^nd_{saw myself, Justine and Emma hooking up a caravan to Justine’s van and setting off on a 5 and a half hour drive to Dover. Everyone was in good spirits and once we’d manoeuvred the caravan (leant to us by Kimberley Caravans, complete with giant stickers announcing to the world that we were going the swim the Channel!) off Justine’s drive we were good to go!}}

We’d put together a few cds of motivational tunes that kept us entertained for most of the journey (although the Nottingham to Dover drive is not one I’d choose to do often!)

Stopping at the service station for a much needed coffee and wee break, Justine expertly parked the Van + Caravan in a ‘long load’ space… only to get back to the car and find a big yellow piece of paper stuck to the windscreen… yep… that’s right, clearly someone didn’t consider Van + Caravan to be a ‘Long Load’ … Great!

So… we have Emma marching around the car park determined to find the culprit and give him and earful (and probably worse) .. Justine taking photographic evidence of the length of the Van + Caravan and declaring that she wasn’t going to pay it, and ‘what are they gonna do… take me to court?!’ .. and me suggesting that we go onto money saving expert.com to find out how to protest the ticket!

We left the services in a bit of a rage.

It then dawned on us that we didn’t know how much the fine was.. So I opened the ticket .. Only to find that it was a ‘pretend’ ticket.. Just warning us not to do it again!

Very funny indeed!

_{The rest of the journey was pretty uneventful and we arrived at Varne Ridge caravan park to a lovely warm welcome from David & Evelyn.}

To our delight Mark Preston, his family and his buddy Ryan were also staying at Varne Ridge. Mark and Ryan were in Justine’s lane at the 24 hour swim we did earlier this year so it was nice to see some familiar faces! Mark told us he hadn’t yet been able to get started on his Channel attempt because of weather and tides… time was running out for Mark as his buddy Ryan was going to have to head back home for work commitments, and as any channel swimmer will tell you, your buddy is SUCH an important part of any swim as its their job to make sure you get fed and watered throughout the swim!

Also on our site were a few Australian solo swimmers, including Geoff, who had completed his swim the day before, despite having to do a 15 km detour to try and beat the tides near France.

There were also 2 junior teams over from Australia, along with their families and coach Pauline. The Barracudas were a great bunch of kids and what an experience to have at such an age!

After struggling with officially the World’s Worst Awning Instructions we thought we had cracked it and were about to start patting ourselves proudly on the back for a job well done, when Evelyn popped over and said to us ‘girls.. That don’t look right… I’ve never seen one with poles on the outside’ So it was back to the drawing board. Luckily it was past 4pm which, it would seem, gives us the 1 hour window where Justine’s brain is firing on all cylinders ;-) and Emma and I just followed Justine’s instructions until all poles were on the inside and the awning looked like a proper awning!!

So we were all set up ready for a good nights sleep … (despite a few hiccups that were sorted by David!)… and with our jim jams on we settled for an early night.

Then came the storm

It was a storm like no other storm I’ve heard before… ever!

_{It was terrifying. We were woken to loud thunder and the crashing of lightening that sounded like it was right on top of us. I screamed and was nearly in tears I was that scared. We even invited Justine to come share the one bed, coz obviously under a duvet is the safest place in the world! Justine declined the offer (we later found out she was too scared to move!) and we tried to get some sleep once the storm had calmed down!}

When we got up in the morning we were fully expecting to find the site filled with charred shells of caravans but the only damage seemed to be that the storm had totally bent one of the tent poles of our awning… thank god we’d moved them onto the inside hey!!

3 cold showers later (the storm had also tripped the electricity in the shower blocks!) we were ready to head to swimmers beach to buy some lights in case we had to do any night swimming on the day.

Now, our previous experience on swimmers beach hadn’t been a little mixed as we’d gone to do some training there a few weeks previously, only to be told that our relay was ‘impossible’ and that we’d left it a bit late to come practise in Dover. Not exactly confidence building especially considering this was said with no idea how much we had been training, or our previous swimming credentials! Luckily Justine and I are both tough cookies (despite the storm shenannigans described earlier lol) and actually turned this around to motivate us to show em and prove them wrong!

Anyway, we bought our lights from the lovely Michelle (who likes my hair!!) and went off to go buy some provisions to keep us fed while we waited for our swim to be confirmed.

Our buddy and physio Dani arrived on Saturday evening full of beans and excitement… this was great and just what we needed!

Our friends Karen & Lisa arrived in their motor home on Sunday, along with Louise, Jess, Sally, Mike and Legs (our photographer for the swim) who were staying in a campsite down the road. We also went to Dover Station to pick up Tracey who had travelled all the way from Scotland to come and help us on the boat. Tracey is a Sports Psychologist and it was great to have such an awesome support team with us for what was sure to be the biggest challenge of our lives.

Dave (Justine’s husband) Emma Lou, Mai and Efan popped round to see us and do a bit of investigating on where best to wave us off from on the day.

It really was a special moment when I realised that all these people had come for us… to help us and support us. It made me realise just how lucky I am to have such great friends and family.

After a visit to Samphire Hoe (where the swim was due to commence) we realised that our supporters would have to try and see us off from a cliff edge as they would not be allowed access through the tunnel at 4:30am when the swim was due to start. We were glad that we had done our homework and got it all sussed our before the day, or else our friends would probably have missed seeing us off.

We had a lovely day in the sunshine (me in the shade.. Damn that ginger skin!!) with all our crew and friends.

So… its Sunday… the weather is lovely and we’d had a few messages on facebook from Pearl (our pilot Fred’s wife) saying that things were looking good for our planned Monday morning departure, but Fred would phone to confirm at 7:30pm. My word, half seven was a long time coming!

To keep ourselves busy, Justine and I went online and spent some time reading messages of support from friends, family, colleagues and other channel swimmers that had become our ‘internet buddies’ throughout this whole journey. We also went online to see how our sponsorship was doing. We were blown away by the generosity of people. It really was an emotional few hours, and the tears would randomly flow as we read the kind words people had written about us. Even as I type this the tears are flowing remembering how much this all meant to us.

_{We were feeling good and were pretty certain that Monday 25}^th_{would be the day. Then I went to chat to some other swimmers on the site. Mark told me that his swim (which had been postponed several times now) had again, been cancelled. Mark was due to set off the same time as us. This worried me so much. If Mark was being told he couldn’t swim, then surely we wouldn’t go either. Looking (again!) at the weather and wind reports, Monday really did look like the best day… and we just really wanted to get this blooming swim done!}

So it was back to waiting.

Then we got the call… WE WERE ALL ON FOR MONDAY!! We all cheered. It was really going to happen!

That night we all slept quite restlessly but we had expected that and tried to ‘bank’ some sleep hours in the day.

_{3am Monday 25}^th_{July the alarm went off and we all got up and started getting ready for this once in a lifetime experience}

Me, Justine, Emma, Dani, Tracey and Legs all took a steady and nervous drive in the van to Folkestone, to meet our pilots Fred and Harry (Fred’s handsome son!) and load the boat up with all of our kit.

We had SO much kit it was unbelievable… we were covered for all eventualities! 7 plastic boxes full of warm clothes, food, drinks, and gubbins, all labelled up to try and help the crew find things if needed!

Our CSA observer arrived… another female.. Ros. We were wondering if there had ever been an all female team AND crew before?

We all boarded the boat and started the journey to Samphire Hoe. I covered myself in Sudocream (nappy cream) as it has a high zinc content to offers great protection against the sun. We had decided not to grease up as its quite messy and there is no scientific evidence to suggest it actually keeps you any warmer

As we reached Samphire Hoe, we looked up to the cliff top to see (and hear!) our friends and family that had got up at stupid o clock to see us off… it was such a welcome sight and gave us a massive boost just when we needed it!

I was due to start the swim, which meant that I had to get off the boat and swim to shore, whereupon I would raise my arms above my head to signal the start of the swim and then get back in and start swimming. I started the swim just after 5am. When I entered the water I remember thinking how the Trent had felt colder than this the week before when we were training. This gave me a really good feeling about the swim.

CSA rules state that each swimmer must then swim for 1 hour alternately until they reach France. A 2 person relay is considered as difficult as a solo swim as the stopping and starting make it very difficult to maintain a good body temperature, but we had trained hard and acclimitised hard so that our bodies were really ready for this!

I started swimming back towards the boat and tried to find my rythmn. It was so hard. The waves, although not massive, kept breaking my stroke and I felt like I was being thrown around and up and down for the entire 60 mins. I made good progress despite this. The boat was on my left had side, which meant that I have to breathe bi laterally so that I could see the boat and not drift off in the wrong direction. Thank goodness we’d both trained ourselves to do this, as my natural stroke is very lopsided and ‘lollopy’ breathing every 2, and always to the right, so it was a good job we’d practised breathing to both sides! Because of the buoyancy of the salt water and the waves, it was quite hard to keep a decent leg kick going as it often felt as though I was kicking fresh air. My stroke is quite high in the water at the best of times!

Unbeknown to me, my ‘Luck be a lady’ swimming costume (hideous creation I found in the bargain bin!!) was right up my bum and my first 60 mins of swimming were spent exposing my entire white bottom to the whole of the boat! (this was soon to become the least of my worries!)

Seeing Justine and the crew on board when I breathed was really comforting and helped calm me down whenever I started to get overwhelmed by how tiny and insignificant I was in the middle of this massive expanse of water.

_{With around 15 mins left of my first leg I started to feel really sea sick. I battled on and tried to convince myself it was all in my head. Then I saw Emma take out the 10 mins left sign.. Which soon became the most amazing and welcome sight for each leg we swam!… after what felt like 20 mins came the 5 mins left sign.. And then after what felt like 3 hours I saw Fred drop the steps over the side of the boat ready for Justine to get in,and me to get out. This was a pattern that would soon become ‘normal’ each time in my head the last 5 and 10 minutes seemed to last forever!}

_{At the end of my first leg I climbed back on to the boat and asked for a ginger biscuit to try and help with the feeling of sickness… I was wrapped up trying to get warm, and emma handed me an unopened packet of biscuits… I was feeling AWFUL and I just looked at them.. Looked at my hands wrapped up in sleeping bag and gloves.. And threw the biscuits back to emma declaring ‘how am I supposed to open them’ Luckily Emma is very tolerant and I had warned all the crew that there may be times when we would be a bit snappy and mean, I just never thought it would be over a packet of ginger nuts!}

_{I tried to eat the biscuit (once Emma had opened the packet!) but I was really struggling.}

_{Then all of a sudden I found myself with my head over the side of the boat being sick. This continued for the next 2 hours. At one point whilst being sick, I started to feel movement down below and I feared an explosion from both ends. I quickly went off to find the toilet on the boat. I was mortified. I had to get Fred to explain how to work the toilet after telling him that I needed a ‘massive poo’ and I was worried it wouldn’t fit in the toilet. Seriously it was so embarrassing but I remembered being told that the pilots had pretty much seen everything so tried to tell myself that while I was sat on the loo!}

_{Ros, our CSA observer was also feeling a little unwell, and was being sick over the side of the boat for most of the journey. I felt quite relieved I wasn’t the only one!}

_{My first hour on the boat seemed to last forever as I wasn’t speaking much, and was focussing on the horizon as Tracey had told me this would help. It really did help but it took a lot of effort and at some points I felt my eyes roll into the back of my head (maybe sleep… maybe drifting in and out of some form of consciousness) I didn’t tell anyone until after the swim as I didn’t want anyone to worry!}

_{Justine finished her hour, swimming strongly and I prepared myself to get back in the water. I was looking forward to getting off the boat so couldn’t wait to get swimming. Unfortunately the sea sickness continued while swimming. At one point I stopped and Emma held up the ‘smiley face’ sign (we had mad several signs to help with communication between the boat and swimmer) which meant ‘are you ok?’ I gave Emma the thumbs up, just seconds before doing the loudest burp ever. I think maybe people in France heard it.}

So … poo… wee.. vomit and burps. Oh the glamour of the Channel!

_{I put my head down and carried on swimming, all the time thinking about our reasons for this challenge; to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. While I was being sick and feeling sorry for myself, I thought of those young adults who are suffering with cancer and having to have chemotherapy where they can be sick for days afterwards. This put everything into perspective for me and helped me get on with the job in hand.}

_{The second leg seemed to pass fairly quickly and it was soon time to get back on the boat. Oh Joy!}

_{The water had felt colder on this leg than before, possibly because of the sickness and lack of fuel in my body, so it was harder to get warm on the boat. I got myself in our amazing ‘people shaped’ sleeping bag and stuffed some hot water bottles in there for good measure!}

I forced down a piece of crystallised ginger. HIDEOUS… but it really seemed to work! By this time Dani was also struggling with sea sickness.. But was still cracking on with helping Justine with whatever she needed! What a star!

_{Emma & Legs were busy keeping me warm and trying to feed me and keep me covered in sudocream but the smell was making me feel sick so I was resisting having more put on my face (I’d pay the price for that later when I returned to England looking like Rudolph!)}

_{Tracey was a constant motivator on the boat and when swimming. Always there waving us on and keeping us going. We really had an amazing team with us!}

_{At last I was feeling human again. It was like that feeling you get the morning after the worlds worst hangover.. You know the one where you wake up feeling normal, with no headache, or no sick feeling .. And you feel glad to be alive again!!?}

_{My next leg felt amazing.. I was back on it!}

_{My pace picked up and I felt I was cutting through the water with ease. The sun was on my back and the sea looked clear and almost blue! There were a few really cold patches that chilled me right to my core, but luckily we swam through them quickly (apart from on one of justine’s legs when she had to stop and tread water for a few minutes to let a MASSIVE tanker go past!)}

_{I think it was on this, my 3}^rd_{leg, that we were joined by (I later found out) Chloe McCardel, an Australian solo swimmer who was attempting a 3 way swim (E-F F-E E-F) She was swimming at a great pace, escorted by The Viking Princess and her crew. It was great to have a distraction, something else to look at. The crew of our boat and hers were waving and shouting. It was amazing! Unfortunately on her way back to England (after reaching France) Chloe had to stop her attempt due to hyperthermia. I felt honoured to have shared the same bit of sea as her!}

The rest of the swim is a bit of a blur… following Masterpiece (our boat).. And looking ahead at The Viking Princess… passing and dodging a few jelly fish.. Swimming over a REALLY big one and trying not to freak out about it!

_{Eventually France seemed to be getting closer and the White Cliffs of Dover seemed to be getting further away. I tried not to look.. But it was impossible not to!}

Time spent on the boat was taken up looking at messages on face book.. And texting people about our progress. Who’d have thought 10 years ago that in 10 years time I’d be sat on a boat updating people on a social networking site, through a mobile phone!? I also found time to write a note to Justine. The funny thing about a 2 person relay team is that after virtually living in each others pockets for the last 8 months, all of a sudden we’re doing this challenge… but never getting the chance to actually speak to each other throughout!!

My note told Justine how great she was looking in the water and that Dave Haller (her coach a city of Cardiff many moons ago that I knew through my welsh swimming days) would be proud of her as I’d even seen her lick her legs at one point… (a standing joke as Justine has the worst leg kick I have ever seen ;-) )

_{It was lovely to get a reply to my note the next time I was out of the water .. Addressed to Rocket Girl!! (so named because Justine says I swim like a rocket!!)}

_{Before long I was sat on the boat after my 5}^th_{leg when to my surprise Fred started to lower the smaller boat that would be used to escort the final swimmer in to France as the bigger boat has to stay a few hundred meters from the shore.}

Oh My God… we were nearly there!

Fred was rushing me and Legs into the boat so that we could catch up with Justine as it was looking like the hour would just tick over in to my leg for the last few minutes.

Unfortunately the engine on the smaller boat decided it didn’t want to play with us so Harry rowed us in a bit closer then I got the nod from fred to get in and get swimming.

_{Head down and towards the rocks at Cap Gris Nez. I felt brilliant. Every stroke taking me closer to that dream.}

Justine had already finished (unbeknown to us on the little boat, she had actually finished within her hour in a time of 9 hours and 58 mins)

_{As I was meters away from landing a huge wave lifted me up and dumped me unceremoniously on a massive rock. Ouch! I kept swimming and climbed up the rocks so that I was officially in France. We’d done it}

_{It was a very strange feeling landing in France. The picture I’d had in my head was one where Justine and I would be hugging and random French people would be cheering and congratulating us. The real picture was very different to this!}

_{Justine had a couple of French policemen coming over to her… I couldn’t see where she was so was just stood balancing on the rock with blood pouring down my leg and arm (from the rock dumping!) waving to errr… no one!!!! So I got back in the water and swam back to Fred and the crew on Masterpiece… escorted by yep.. Another policeman in a boat!!!}

Back on the boat was the best feeling ever. We’d only gone and swam the bloomin channel!!!

_{Hugs and kisses all round when Justine finally got back on the boat! And then the 2 hour journey back to Folkestone}

_{As we neared Folkestone Harbour we heard a huge cheer. Stood on the dock side were all our friends and family… it was an even better sight than the 5 mins left sign… and the French coast!! we got onto the little rowing boat and Harry rowed us to the side… we felt like heroes returning from war! Lots of hugs and even more tears.. And a well deserved pint… (although our mouths were a bit messed up from all the salt water!!)}

_{The staff at the Mariners pub were great and made us feel really special, donating money to the Teenage Cancer Trust and getting us a drink in on the house!}

_{Our crew were just amazing, and we could NOT have done it without them… Legs .. Now known as (Sea) Legs took some brilliant photos as well as doubling up as buddy to anyone that needed dressing or feeding. Tracey and Dani made sure Justine was kept in tip top condition and did an awesome job! And Emma basically has put up with me and my tiredness for the past 8 months… and been a constant support and motivator throughout the whole thing.}

_{We couldn’t have picked a better Pilot than Fred. He really knows his stuff… and it was due to Fred and Harry that we smashed this swim in less than 10 hours. Putting us second fastest this year (at the time of the swim) Not bad for a couple of open water ‘novices‘!!}

_{When we got back to Varne Ridge David and Evelyn had put a big banner on our caravan that read ‘congratulations on swimming the channel’ everyone came out of their vans and came to give us hugs and talk to us about our swim. I really hadn’t expected this .. It was just fantastic. I would recommend Varne Ridge to any channel swimmers as it was great to share stories and feel the genuine support of the other swimmers. (other campers on the site were also successful… Mark got his chance on the Tuesday and totally nailed his solo swim… and the 2 junior Australian teams both completed their swims later on in the week)}

It was a very emotional day, but I had expected to feel more tearful… little did I know that this was yet to come.. After feeling a bit like a robot on the Monday… by Tuesday I kept feeling myself welling up at random stuff!!… Especially when we went to the White Horse pub in Dover to write on the walls alongside other successful channel swims for the past 40 years… by Wednesday the tears were flowing even more… and its pretty much been the same ever since. Its now Saturday!

_{All the way through this we had maintained that it was the journey not the destination… but hey .. It was one hell of a destination!}

Thanks to everyone for following our story... this is not the end!

We did it!

2011-07-27T10:03:00.004+01:00

Just a quick post to say that Kate and I completed our 2011 English Channel crossing on Monday 25th July in a time of 9 hours 58 minutes! We smashed it!!!!!!!!!!!

Our pilots, crew and supporters are simply the best in the world - FACT ; we are both overwhelmed but very proud. Kate and I will post a write up of the journey as there are some very humorous moments!

I intend to have some celebratory drinks at my favourite pub - The Lady Bay on Friday evening (29th July) from 4 ish......there's some serious catching up to do! Please come and join me and hopefully Kate will make an appearance too (unless she goes camping?)

Kate Vines - thank you from the deepest part of heart for making my dream come true!

Let the good times roll and bring on the next challenge!!! Just x

The Final Countdown

2011-07-24T17:02:00.003+01:00

So it Sunday evening, it's 17.05pm and Kate and I are getting our thoughts together. We've just had a conversation with our fab pilot Fred and it seems that we depart from Folkestone harbour at 04.15 tomorrow morning and commence our swim from West Beach Samphire Hoe at approximately 05.00am. We'll have final confirmation by 19.30pm tonight.

Kate and I continue to be blown away by the messages of support and generosity from all our family and friends; it's means so much to us and I know that the Teenage Cancer Trust is equally grateful. We love you all x

Eeek... its getting closer

2011-07-20T15:23:00.003+01:00

so... its just 5 days away now.. and the nerves are starting to kick in... my life has become one filled with obsessively checking the weather, and sea temps.. and wave heights.. all in a vain attempt to try and work out what's what and whether we'll get to go out on the 25th as planned.

Recent bad weather has meant that several other channel attempts by other swimmers have been postponed and moved to other dates.. so fingers crossed we get a nice little window of good weather to see us through!!

I have been frantically making lists and packing up boxes to put in the caravan ready for friday when we will take a slow and steady drive to dover. We have a few friends coming along to see us off (lets hope its not at too unearthly an hour!!) from Samphire Hoe which will be just amazing and will surely result in a very emotional first leg!!

The closer we get to the swim the more I realise what a great crew we have with us on the boat...We both have absolute faith in Emma, Dani, Tracey and Legs and I, for one am looking forward to spending a good few hours in their company!

Just one more pool session at Virgin and then thats it.. rest and eat our way through the weekend.... and (hopefully) then we're off...

Once again, thank you so much for reading our blog and supporting us on this journey... and MASSIVE thanks for every penny that has been donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust ... it really is an amazing charity!

Peace and love and nice calm seas,

Kate xx

Portland Swimming Club are channeling positivity!

2011-07-19T17:05:00.002+01:00

So the swimmers at Portland SC couldn't get to the coast so instead they are swimming the English Channel distance during their pool training session on Wednesday night. In fact their goal is to exceed the distance and they may even knock up enough miles for a triple crossing! Each of the swimmers have pledge £1.00 to take part and have then collected sponsorship for every mile they clock-up. So big up and massive respect!

Kate and I will be joining the swimmers from 6-8pm and it will be the perfect preparation and motivation for the big crossing on Monday. Anyone is more than welcome to come to the pool and give their support and encourage the swimmers who are all under the age of 16 to swim that extra mile!

All of the money they raise from will go to Teenage Cancer Trust. So awesome effort Portland Swimming club and thank you for your support!

Monitor our channel swim progress

2011-07-17T09:18:00.003+01:00

If you want to follow our progress next Monday then log onto:

www.shipais.com

http://www.shipais.com

then search for Masterpiece (our pilot boat) in the right hand corner or click on Thames/ Folkestone - English channel.

Then move your cursor to locate Masterpiece in yellow amongst the "lots of boats" that you'll see - it's a very crowded channel!

This is a pic of our lovely "Masterpiece" and she's going to get us to France without fail!

THANK YOU; DIOLCH; MERCI

2011-07-13T10:06:00.002+01:00

Before the emotions completely overwhelm Kate and I we just have to say that the support from all of our family; friends; colleagues; coaches; crew and strangers has just blown us away. Kate is spending an hour on and an hour off crying and I'm reflecting on what has been the most amazing journey - believe it or not I've changed...........into something better I hope!

La Manche watch out 'cause we're ready!

Check out the new suits!

2011-07-10T09:23:00.003+01:00

Name - MusucBag Black Large

Description - Bloody warm and so easy to put on

Use - 2 person relay channel swims with the CSA.........

Cost - £89.00 each and worth every penny

Sponsor - Cream Communications - thank you Carrie - you rock!

Owners - Just and Kate (but willing to share after the swim)

Pics - lol lol lol !

2011-06-30T14:55:00.010+01:00

A massive massive thank you to everyone!

2011-06-30T14:25:00.003+01:00

So I think I've just about recovered from Just and Kate's fundraiser on Saturday night at the Lady Bay pub. We had the most amazing time and you guys were so so generous that we have raised nearly £1000 - OMG!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!! Kate and I hope you had as much fun as we did and the feedback from the disco and karaoke DJ's went a little like this "this is the best party and best audience we've ever had" and consequently they continued to play music free of charge for another couple of hours...much to the delight of Emma "tiggerrrrrr" Trent - that girl just bounced all night - respect!

There obviously were some classic moments - incredibly bad singing from my best mate Bex, Chubby Bunnies (all the participants were such great sports and congrats to Mike the winner) and some table dancing using vinegar bottles as microphones! Ali, Paul, Lolly, Steve and the rest of the Lady Bay pub gang - THANK YOU and we will hopefully swing our pants again to celebrate our channel crossing!!!

So I will leave you with some images of the night and most importantly the Teenage Cancer Trust will be that little bit closer to completing a much needed unit at the QMC.

"Magic" journey moments!

2011-06-20T16:21:00.001+01:00

The journey not the destination...

2011-06-20T14:32:00.000+01:00

As the swim gets closer and the nerves start to kick in I got to thinking about everything we have done and achieved over the past year. I know nearer the time things will get a bit manic and I will be that nervous that stringing sentences together will be a real challenge so I thought I'd write this now!!

It really has been life changing.

Whatever the final outcome of our Channel Swim Challenge I know that both Justine and I have done everything we can do to prepare for this swim. I know that there are people out there that have trained for years to attempt this challenge, and that many people commit their whole lives for a good chunk of time to achieving this dream. This was never our plan. We set out to show that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things... and our aim was to show how working towards a dream could fit in nicely around our work and family commitments.

It hasn't quite worked out that way!

As the months went on we have both come to realise that its not that easy to do this level of training whilst holding down a full time job, feeding and entertaining partners and family, and trying to maintain some form of life outside of the pool / river / lake!

... but we have tried to stay as normal as possible! (!?)

We have had to adapt normal channel swim training to fit around our life and work commitments... most Channel swimmers head to Dover most weekends to Swimmers Beach to join Freda Streeter and her team for some training. Justine and I have not yet managed to make it to Dover due to one thing and another, but we are planning on going in July for the weekend a couple of weeks before the big day! Until then we will continue to train in the River Trent in Nottingham, racking up the miles in the coldest water we can find!!

We may find on the day, that we wish that we had been able to go to Dover more often.. or any seaside for that matter. But I know for sure that we are both ballsy girls and will attack any challenge thrown at us with guts and gusto.. so bring it on!! and what will be will be!

The training we have done to get here has been amazing. Our coach Nick Dunn has kept us motivated and challenged throughout.. working with him and getting to know the rest of the Virgin team (Lucy, Richard, John, Sally & Richard ...and anyone else in the pool or gym that chats to us about whatever we're up to that day!) has been real highlight of this journey for me...

The events we have done, (Eton 10km and the 24 hour swim at Guildford) have both been amazing .. both were excellent preparation for the channel, and both gave us the opportunity to meet and chat to other swimmers attempting similar challenges. The support of these people can never be underestimated... the number of supportive emails and messages and Facebook postings that have helped through out this experience has been amazing. I find myself checking blogs and profiles to see how all these new swimming friends are getting on with their challenges and can't wait to hear their stories of success when they achieve their goals! People I feel compelled to mention are Colin Hill, Brynn Dymott, Karen Throsby and Paul Bates.. you have no idea how much it has helped reading your messages and blogs!

The final point I wanted to make was about the way this challenge has changed me as a person. By putting myself through this whole experience I have come to appreciate just how lucky I am. Not only in that I am physically able to swim and enjoy it, but also to have the support network I have in my own family and friends (Emma has been just AMAZING throughout and I couldn't ask for a better wife!) and Justine and her gang... not to mention work friends (who have been bloomin' brilliant in my quest to fatten up and generally being supportive and understanding when I come in smelling of chlorine or pond weed!), gym friends, and people in general that show an interest in what we are doing and why we are doing it. I feel truly blessed!

A massive thanks must go to the gang at South Nottingham College for having faith in us and getting us sorted with our support boat and many other things!... Carrie Eames we have you to thank for helping us get the sponsorship from the college (and getting us hooked up with the BBC and many other things where Justine and I have to parade ourselves around in our swimming cozzies!).. and not forgetting Kimberley Caravans for helping us with our accommodation when we're doing the swim!

I can't finish this without mentioning Justine... It was all her idea after all!

Seriously though Just, you have been brilliant! I know there have been plenty of times when you must have really hated me and nick... and the sessions we would bring to the pool, but without fail you cracked on and got on with it (with only a bit of a protest!) ! Your determination through this has been a real inspiration to me and I know that between us we make a pretty formidable team.

Which brings me back to the beginning;

Whatever the outcome of our challenge, it's the journey not the destination.

LETS SMASH THIS!!

... and then can we go to the pub ;-)

Gossip......

2011-06-13T16:14:00.004+01:00

So just to keep everyone up to speed with things. Firstly it's only 6 weeks until our big swim OMG! I'm starting to get rather apprehensive from time to time and last week I had to endure a mental battle with myself and for the first time I got really niggy in the pool (bad tempered for the non-welsh!). And to top it off I ended the week swimming in HPP regatta lake during an almighty thunder and lightening storm with hail stones the size of sprouts. Thankfully I live to tell the tale!

So following our 10 km swim at Eton I headed down to Cornwall with my family to do some sea training. This turned out to be a really valuable experience; the water temp was 11-12 degrees Celsius and the swell was massive! In fact Dave (my hubby) and GB marathon kayaker Big Matt were suffering from sea sickness whilst piloting me on one of my daily jaunts into the ocean. Anyway the conditions did settle during the week and the taste of salt water became bearable.

Kate has just returned from Norfolk and her sea training so we'll catch tomorrow for a full debrief. The River Trent is proving to be a great training venue; there seems to be less fleas and less swan poo, although our cossies have turned brown! Our usual Trent days are Monday and Friday mornings - entering the water at 6am. So please come and join us and I bet you'll be surprised how much you enjoy it.

And don't forget that we have our Teenage Cancer Trust fundraiser on 25th June at the Lady Bay pub - disco, karaoke and BBQ starting at 7.00pm. It would be great to see everyone there and the perfect opportunity for Kate and I to thank everyone in person for their support - it's been one hell of a life changing journey! Come on us - we can do it!!!!!!

Big thanks to Speedo!

2011-06-13T16:02:00.002+01:00

So I had a quick visit to the new Speedo head quarters at NG2 last week which is very very impressive. Dr Tom presented me with a box of goodies for both Kate and I and then to top it off Graham, also from Speedo aqualab donated some ace cossies. I also had a quick catch up with James Hickman - it just seems to be that everyone who works there looks incredibly fit and is bloomin nice. So a big thanks guys from Channeling Positivity and you're all invited to our charity fundraiser at the Lady Bay pub on 25th June - disco, karaoke and BBQ...now who could resist!!!

Eton 10km

2011-05-31T12:29:00.007+01:00

Saturday saw me and Justine attempt our first ever 10km swim. Here we are rocking the 'homeless' look before the start!

The venue was Dorney Lake which is where the rowing events will be held for London 2012... Disappointingly, we were in the not quite so impressive lake next to the main lake but to be honest, once your in and swimming you could be anywhere so it really didn't matter … I suppose !

Arriving at the lake I bumped into Colin Hill, who I swum with at the 24 hour swim in Guildford last month... Colin is a very experienced open water swimming ,and chatting to him seemed to settle some of my nerves. He is also officially the nicest , friendliest man in the world so it really was great to see him!

Things were pretty cold.. and I was a bit anxious about how cold the water would feel once we got in... the sign claimed that the temperature was 15.5 degrees.. so pretty similar to the temp of the Channel by the time we swim in July! Looking around there were a lot of wetsuited bodies hanging around... BUT a decent smattering of mentallists like me and Justine that were going to attempt to swim without a wetsuit! It was really good to know that we weren't alone in our efforts!!

The start was cold and way more aggressive than I thought it would be.. it was 10km after all... but that didn't stop swimmers going off like rockets and fighting their way to their own bit of water. This is the reason I know I would never like to swim an event like this as a race... its just plain scary!!

Confident that I could find my own space... and my own pace, I tried to get out of the crowds (easier said than done) and get on with things!

The 10km consisted of 3 laps of the lake... my sighting .. as ever .. was shocking, but I found the 'lane lines' and tried to follow them when I could see them! After the first lap I felt fine, but could no longer feel my feet as they were that cold... I started to worry about how I would actually exit the lake with my 'dead man's feet' !!

My watch had been bashed in the hustle and bustle of the start so I had no idea how I was swimming speed wise, but I just kept on in my little bubble.. at my own pace... singing Queen's 'Don't stop me now' in my head (it had been playing over the tannoy before the start and seemed to fit in quite well with what we were doing!!)... when I got bored of queen I started repeating my little mantra (given to me by Bryn Dymott who is another Wild Swimmer!) of 'I am WARM.. and i'm doing well' and it really did help me to forget the cold and just carry on!

I didn't bother with feeding or drinking.. I just couldn't be bothered to stop!!! I didn't feel any ill effects from not feeding so it seemed to work for me!!

The last lap was not quite so comfortable as the other 2 but it still felt much better than I had expected! .. it was great to pass people that were wearing wetsuits and feel that little bit of pride that I was doing it the hard way!!

I passed the yellow buoy for the final time and tried to work out with the F*** the finish was!!!... I just followed someone else in the end.. arriving at the end to be told I had to run to the timing thing... stagger is a more appropriate description of how I chose to do it!! My face in the photo below sums it up !!

I heard the announcer say that I was 4^th female out ( turns out I was 5^th but hey ho!) and then the announcer exclaimed with some surprise in her voice '...AND WITHOUT A WETSUIT'.. I felt so proud!!

I got to the tent and tried to Ride The Shakes out! .. it took a while but soon enough I was warm and back to normal despite a few bumps, bruises and bites (from insects rather than swimmers.. altho there was one marking on my hand that looked human!!)

My time of 2:37:58 put me 30^th overall (male and female) and 5^th female... and 1^st in my age group category. Justine came 6^th in our category in 3:12 … Not bad for out first ever 10 km!

I can't say i'd rush to do another one... but I did really enjoy it and it was great practise and confidence building for the Channel!

More local support from F.Bailey & Son High Class Family Butchers

2011-05-27T08:53:00.002+01:00

So the story goes a little something like this....... I love PORK PIES, it's a fact; one that maybe I haven't declared in front of many of my female friends. Anyway my friend Caz has a very clever Dad who just so happens to make pork pies. And not just any old pork pie, the official Melton Mowbray Pork Pie, which only a very small and exclusive minority of butchers can make. They're so special that even Jamie Oliver has bought one from Caz's Dad!

So Caz's Dad has very kindly offered to sponsor Channeling Positivity with a weekly PORK PIE to help Kate and I (especially me) to fuel up for the big swim. And I have to say they are bloody gorgeous and last barely 36 hours in my house!

So I say to all of you secret lovers of the PORK PIE - go now, move with hast to F.Bailey and Son High Class Family Butchers and bags yourself one, two or even three today!

Thank you Lady Bay and visitors to Open Gardens

2011-05-23T15:06:00.002+01:00

Just a quick thank you to all of the Lady Bay garden visitors that I managed to chat to over the weekend. Everyone showed a genuine interest in the channel swim and made a much needed donation towards our £15 000 target for Teenage Cancer Trust.

Both Kate and I are really looking forward to the big swim on the 25th July and if you need to get in touch with us, please feel free to leave a comment underneath; visit our Facebook site at Justine-Kate Channel-Swim or email at channelswim2011@yahoo.com

NLP

2011-05-20T08:10:00.003+01:00

Last night i had my first ever NLP session with Louisa Lera at the Natural Health Centre in Nottingham.

It was so great!

After seeing David Walliams being hypnotised by Paul McKenna before his Channel swim, I thought it may be worth a shot to help with my fears and concerns about our forthcoming challenge.

My main fears are focussed around swimming in the dark and swimming with unknown creatures (not justine.. i know her lol!!)

To cut a long story short.. by the end of the session my fear about the 4 foot long 'sneaky and sly', slimy sludgy brown fish creatures that might swim next to me... had turned into a sausage that was swimming next to me and keeping me company and actually guiding me and helping me through the swim!! I know how mad that sounds... but every time i think of the sludgy brown things.. within seconds they have turned into funny swimming sausages!!!!!

I left the session feeling really happy.. and SO excited about the swim.. and instead of being scared of certain aspects.. i now feel that they will only add to the whole experience!

It really is fascinating and Louisa has suggested that i come back to see her again nearer the swim so that we can work on some other things.

Louisa has also, very kindly offered to donate 10% of her fee for my sessions to the Teenage Cancer Trust, which is such a lovely thing to do. I have been really overwhelmed by the generosity of people we have worked with throughout this project, also this week one of my work friends, Reg has arranged to donate some money raised through a Jamie Oliver party she's having! It it really appreciated and we can't thank people enough!

Just and Kate on the BBC - The Big Splash Campaign!

2011-05-17T10:14:00.001+01:00

Will Just and Kate make it ?

AWESOME PHOTO

2011-05-11T11:49:00.003+01:00

thanks to Mike from the Channel Swimmer Forum for sharing this photo... i have added a little bit to it.. can you tell what?.... lol

Open Water Training starts...

2011-05-09T12:41:00.002+01:00

Friday saw me tentatively dipping my toe into the murky (and cold) waters of Holme Pierrepont for the first time this year!

I decided to go 'sans wetsuit' seeing as I need to start getting used to the cold water.. Justine will be doing the same on Wed night (unfortunately I have a hairdressers appointment lol!!)

I have no idea of the temperature on Friday, but luckily we were blessed with sunshine which always helps!... a real guess would be 12 degrees.. but I am not sure what I am basing that on!!

I tried to block out the other swimmers exclamations as to how cold it was as they were getting in ... in their wetsuits... and just did what I did in Hunstanton; got in and got on with it!! Its a very different mind set when you know you HAVE to do something in order to prepare for the big swim... there really is no backing out!

Anyways.. i lasted the full session which was probably about 50 / 55 mins and was ready to get out then!!... a warm shower and a hot choc.. and no shakes.. BRILLIANT!!! (if only they could put a hot tub / shower on the boat when we swim the channel then that would be ace!!)

I felt confident that I could get back in again another 5 times and do the whole thing again (which will be what I think we will have to do on the big day!) so all in all a good experience!

Our 24 hour swim challenge

2011-05-02T10:06:00.001+01:00

so this weekend Justine and I took part in the 2swim4life 24 hour swim challenge... and what a challenge it was!

The aim was to swim a mile, every hour, on the hour for 24 hours... at Guildford Lido

The challenge started at 10am and Justine and I set off at a nice steady pace, me in lane 1 with Colin, Danny, Kim and Cheryl and Justine in lane 2 with 'Her Boys'. The water certainly felt a LOT colder than the 24 degrees we'd been told it would be, which made it hard to keep a steady pace as everything inside was telling us to speed up to try and keep warm! Luckily it was a glorious sunny day, so those first few hours weren't too bad, as we were able to warm up in the half an hour rest we were getting before having to set off again!

We got ourselve into a little routine with the help of our 'Buddies' Emma, Laura and Dani (without them i think we would have lasted about ten minutes.. they were amazing!) we'd swim our 32 lengths (50 m pool) jump out and get dried off and into a dry cozzie and warm clothes.. then back to the tent / picnic blankets to rest up and try eat some food and take on some fluids.. great practise for the Channel swim.

we both found that eating little bits often seemed to work, and i for one didn't struggle with feeling hungry or thirsty at any point... altho i did discover that too much 'go-go juice' makes me windy!!!!

The factor 50 suncream was essential.. and even through that we both have lovely pink faces complete with goggle marks!

Miles 6 and 7 came and went.. and gradually the air temperature started to drop.. this was when we both started to struggle.. not with the swimmming, but with getting and staying warm after the swim.. even whilst wearing thermals, hats, gloves tracksuits and big coats and being inside a sleeping bag and tent

As the hours went on my pace slowed a little from 22:30 mins to about 25 mins by mile 11.

It was after mile 11 that i made the decision to stop at 12 miles. For both justine and I the challenge was about seeing what we could do and learning from the experience. We are still in heavy training and we needed to be sensible, and as more and more little signs of hyperthermia started to show themselves we decided the safest thing to do would be to call it a day and get ourselves warm and healthy! The last thing we wanted was to come away from this injured or poorly!

It was a great decision!!!! My last mile felt great (!?) i did it in 24:30 and i was pleased to be heeading home in a nice warm car feeling proud of what we had achieved.

Things i have learnt from this:
1 go go juice makes me burp and trump... lots
2 its hard to keep a steady pace when your cold.. we must work on this!
3 food that worked well for me were small moist things like philippas delicous lemon cake! also trying to take on small amouts of fluid often (although the regular trips tpo the loo were getting a bit tedious (i must learn to wee whilst swimming!)
4 we both need to try really hard to get fatter
5 we both need to get some seriously warm clothes for the boat
6 our swimming is strong and between us we both covered over half the channel distance (which is what we need to do on the day)
7 support and a positive mental attitude is essential. Our Buddies were awesome in helping sort our heads out and helping us remember to eat and drink
8 travel lodges suck ass

i think thats about everything!... it was a great event and we were swimming with some great people that really helped support and get us through! I will look forward to seeing who finished the full 24!

we'll pop some photos up when we get a chance!

a quick dip at the seaside

2011-04-26T14:30:00.004+01:00

What wonderful weather we've just had... and how better to spend the glorious bank holiday than a trip to the seaside.. well thats what I thought whilst traveling to Sunny Hunny!

We arrived at about 11 o clock and I decided I would brave the sea without a wetsuit, to sea if the cold showers we've been having had actually done any good...

I tried to hide my nerves as I strode into the icy water and just tried to keep calm and keep going .. I knew that if I stopped I would most likely chicken out.. so I kept going...

Then came the point where I had to submerge myself in the water and start swimming...

I have never felt anything like it.. cold isn't the word!a

I felt my breath being taken away from me and had to do a couple of breaststrokes to stop myself hyperventilating ... but once i'd got moving I settled into a nice rhythm. The strangest thing was feeling like I wasn't ever warming up.. even after 20 mins my hands and feet.. and my lips were cold. I decided to keep going for a bit then head back to shore before I got too cold and ran into any problems!

I landed back on the beach easily, and felt pretty pleased with myself... and then came The Shakes!... wrapped up in hat, scarf, gloves and tracksuit I was still shaking all over as my body tried to warm up.. it was just plain weird! Luckily I had read similar things online so was prepared (hence the packing of hat and gloves on the sunniest day of the year!) and after a few minutes my body calmed down and off we went for some chips!

All in all i'm pretty pleased with how it went, but now realise how much more cold water swimming we need to get in before the big day so that our bodies are as used to it as they can be!

The Big Swim .....part 2

2011-04-17T09:54:00.004+01:00

Another Saturday morning swim and my goodness it was rather long! Kate decided that we would up the distance from 2 one hour swims to 2 one and half hour swims just to give our endurance a bit of a test. So we entered the water at 8.15am and started swimming. An hour went by fairly quickly and I glanced at my watch which read 1.01 indicating only 29 minutes to go and my god they were the longest 29 minutes of my life - it was all getting rather boring by this stage. However, our strokes were strong, energy levels were good - it's just the mental battle we both seem to go through. In fact at one point I seemed to slip into a swimming type coma and was rudely awoken by Kate turning on top of me - no injuries sustained!

Anyway the hour rest was well deserved and we sampled some more energy delights. I went for an a different high carb energy bar - cookie and cream flavour, 400ml of a low GI / creatine mix and of course 250ml of "go go juice. I felt that I should have eaten some more but I just couldn't stomach it. Kate stayed with her malt loaf and "go go juice" and sampled a high carb bar for the first time. The hour once again passed quickly, although this time I was feeling stiff so I engaged in some mobilisation exercises which got my body going again. I was also feeling a bit sick which concerned me and I was worried that I hadn't taken enough fuel on board and that I should have force fed myself! Anyway hat - check; goggle - check - off we set, another 90 minutes up and down the pool with of course our beloved drag shorts which make the experience so much harder.....great!

Time went by slowly but we both felt strong and maintained the same stroke rate - so between 460 and 520 lengths later (Kate's faster than me!) and over 3000 calories we got out, showered, drove home and spent the rest of the day eating........this truly is the best thing about training for a channel swim!

Tickets on sale now

2011-04-06T21:16:00.002+01:00

You can now get your hands on tickets for our big fundraising night on 25th June at the Lady Bay Pub. Tickets are £5.00 each which includes disco, karaoke and BBQ - how fab is that!

You can purchase your tickets from Just and Kate. Come and swing your pants - we need your support!

The start of the big swims

2011-04-03T17:29:00.002+01:00

So kate and I were back in the pool at 8.15 am Saturday morning to embark on the first of many long training swims. The purpose of these swims is to start the real toughening up process. We have to condition ourselves both mentally and physically for long tedious swimming and just as importantly work out our nutritional needs during our 1 hour rest periods.

So this session, to start us off was just 3 hours. An hour in the water, an hour rest and then back in the water for our final hour. And to be honest it wasn't as hideous as we expected - in true Just and Kate style "we just got on and did it". The first hour swimming seemed to drag on longer than the second and unsurprisingly the rest period felt like 15 minutes. However, we set a steady 4km an hour pace and maintained that for both hours so "tonk your locker" and bring on the channel!

During the rest period Kate entertained a banana sandwich, malt loaf and battery drink (commonly referred to as go go juice) and I went for a low GI and creatine 250ml shake, go go juice and a large carbohydrate power bar. Of course all of this accompanied by OK and Heat magazine. So when we both got back in the water for the second time, Kate felt a little stiff but very quickly got into her stroke and I felt empty - nothing in my locker. I was concerned as I thought I wouldn't make it through the hour but I calmed my nerves, focused on my stroke and all was good in the end. So I need to get my feeding right during rests and eat more - this is why these training swims are so important.

So 4 months to go - the mood is positive and the swimming is strong.

Uh Oh....

2011-03-25T12:42:00.002Z

Oh no!.. they've spotted a 50 mile long stretch of algae in the channel...

Click here for more info!

I hope we don't have to swim ROUND that.. or it may end up taking us a while!!

Luckily its a far distance from Dover and its claimed that is safe to humans so we should be ok!!

SUCH FUN

2011-03-25T12:40:00.003Z

Well.. we have a great day filming with the lovely Gemma and Ruth from the BBC! We were with them all morning doing various bits and bobs... it was Such Fun!!

Gemma and Ruth really helped us to relax and enjoy the day and we had some laughs along the way... we'll keep you posted on when the piece goes 'live' so you can all take a look!

Exciting stuff...

2011-03-18T12:04:00.002Z

This Sunday we are doing some filming for the BBC ... they will be asking us about our challenge, and the training thats involved... along with filming some of our training! We have secured a slot at Keyworth Leisure Center and will be heading there on Sunday morning for a session using all our gadgetry .. including THE GRUDGE BELT... (where justine will wear one end around her waist.. and I will wear the other end.. and then we swim in opposite directions in a tug o' war fashion!!)

I'll let you know how we get on!

We're also heading over to the Trent to so a spot of Kayaking with Matt Enoch (Ex GB marathon Kayaker)

So.. by sunday night our shoulders will be seriously tonked!!

Thank You Lady Bay Pub

2011-03-06T19:22:00.003Z

Well we've been quite overwhelmed recently by the amount of support offered to Channeling Positivity by local businesses and our local community. We are even more motivated to get across the channel and raise as much money as we can for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

So a massive thank you to our most recent supporter - the Lady Bay pub and Ali (the most generous land lady ever!) for allowing us to host a fundraiser event on June 25th - exactly one month before the big swim!! We know that it will be a night to remember - disco, karaoke and BBQ - what more could you want?

The event will be ticket only so keep checking out the web site for a release date and more details - remember you snooze you loose!

Cold showers...

2011-02-24T14:50:00.004Z

In an attempt to acclimatize to the cold waters of the English Channel, we have started taking cold showers after our sessions...

This morning we managed 6 minutes ... although i'm not sure how we'll cope when Justine has to shoot off to get to work ... I'm not convinced i'll be able to stay in so long without her challenging me to keep the water cold!! We also raise a few eyebrows in the showers as people can't really understand what we are doing!!

I had attempted a cold bath last weekend.. but that was sooooooo painful i think we need to build up to that one!! I had serious claw foot going on!! .. i'll keep you posted on our progress!

A little bit more press

2011-02-24T14:47:00.002Z

The Evening Post have done a little piece on us and all the people helping us...

Click here for article

Justine and I would like to say a MASSIVE thanks for all the support and help from everyone involved in our challenge.. you have all been amazing!!

24 miles in 24 hours swim...

2011-02-11T14:32:00.003Z

Ok.. so we may have taken leave of our senses but we've entered a killer event this week in preparation for The Big Day!

The event is being held at Guildford Lido (which is a lovely heated outdoor 50m pool!) and the challenge is to swim a mile, every hour, on the hour.. for 24 hours ... eek!!

The first year the event was held only 7 people completed the challenge.. so its not to be underestimated! www.2swim4life.com

We figure that it would act as a great warm up (!?) to our channel swim and will help us get used to stopping and starting.. and trying to re fuel while resting... which, for this event won't be for very long!... i am guessing at a steady / easy pace we'll be getting about half an hour rest each hour!

Its on April 30th ... we'll let you know how we get on!

Calendar Crazy!

2011-01-25T15:17:00.004Z

Justine and Kate put on their swimming costumes on a cold Monday morning (24th Jan 2011) to sell the 2011 Channeling Positivity Calendar to the staff and students arriving into college that morning. In an hour and a half the girls raised approximately £75 for the Teenage Cancer Trust pot. Well done girls - it was soooo cold!! We still have calendars left to sell - at £2 each such a bargain that lasts all year. Please get in touch if you want one!

Stroke Analysis

2011-01-21T13:06:00.002Z

This saturday we are going to be doing a lot of work on our technique. Nick has secured us a spot each on his Stroke Workshop at Southglade Leisure Center in Nottingham. There will be an hour of swimming where video of our stroke will be taken, followed by an hour of looking at the videos and discussing possible improvements .. and then back in the pool again to work on the points raised.

Our aim through this is to obtain the most efficient stroke possible. When swimming the Channel, any tiny thing that you can do to make life easier is worth having a bash at!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-01-04T13:17:00.002Z

so.. its 2011...

Year of The Channel Swim!!

The real hard work starts now!... just under 7 months to go...

I'm starting to get really nervous about it all... and reality has set in. Determination and focus will be the keywords for the forthcoming months so any advice, words of encouragements, or kicks up backsides will be gratefully received!!!

We hope you enjoy following our blog, let us know if there is anything you would like us to include, or if you have any questions for us!

and ...

HAPPY 2011!!

Sweet Dreams....

2010-12-20T13:25:00.001Z

last week i dreamt that a fish bit half my finger off whilst I was swimming in the sea.

I am sure this is the first of many such random sea related dreams to scare the living cr@p out of me before July!!

Christmas Training

2010-12-20T13:16:00.002Z

As Justine is rushing around moving house, I am busy planning quite how much food I can consume during the Christmas Break (all in the interest of creating the perfect channel swimmers' physique you'll understand ;-) )

I think our main goal over Christmas is to try and maintain a good level of fitness, ready to come back and train hard in the new year. We have to be realistic and accept that at this time of year sometimes its not that simple to fit in as much training as we would like... but we're sure gonna try!! (i'm working on a 50/50 approach... to try and spend as much time training as I will do eating lol!)

Nick has continued to put us through our paces in the pool in the mornings and I, for one am finding it great fun and really challenging! Arriving at work with a bright red moon face and google marks is now a regular thing !!

The new year will bring a whole new challenge for me as a plan on a tee-total few months in the lead up to The Big Swim... Maybe I should get sponsored for that too hey?!!

Not sent your Christmas cards out yet?

2010-12-10T13:29:00.004Z

Well its not too late to include a Teenage Cancer Trust Name Drop card...

Just print out this file.. Cut them out.. And pop one in with each card you send

Spread the word of the Teenage Cancer Trust and all the great work they do!

Please send on to all your friends!

Crazy Comeback

2010-12-10T12:43:00.003Z

Well... This morning was my return to the pool from my sick bed and OMG didn't I know it!!

Everything seems so much harder, which psychologically was a nightmare as I had been feeling really great the week before in training. Still, it was only a cough / cold / sore throat and I did keep thinking to myself that the guys we are trying to help with this project at the Teenage Cancer Trust have to deal with way more than this on a regular basis, so I guess it puts it all into perspective...

Nick and Just kept me going so big thank yous to them both!

ps SPOTTED whilst watching way too much daytime tv.... the blonde geordie one from loose ladies... denise someone (my favourite loose lady!) wearing a TCT brooch ... and I also read in a magazine article that Jameelia Jamil from T4 is now an ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust...

Wednesday......just Wednesday

2010-12-08T14:31:00.003Z

So my session plan this morning went out the window after 25 minutes of non stop F/C swimming; my arms were hanging as a result of my new and improved technique! So I had to change to a 600m fast kick set on my front and back with fins and no kick board to help me recover. I then went back to F/C full stroke starting with 100's and then finishing with a set of 50's. Not what I had in mind! Anyway, I'm going to persevere with the new technique and hopefully I'll be blogging some positives next week. Roll on Thursday - session 3 with Nick.

I forgot - Miriam and I attended SNC's Student Council meeting yesterday and we had a really encouraging response from the students about getting behind Channeling Positivity. Come on SNC - let's show the rest of Nottingham what we're made of!

Technique Tuesday

2010-12-07T20:57:00.002Z

So I've learnt how to swim all over again and my goodness it feels great - what a revelation! I'm pulling differently under the water and my recovery above the water involves a much longer glide. It's hard work and I'm going to have to practise my new technique for a good few weeks before it starts to feel natural. The most obvious difference is in the increase in forward thrust that I'm able to generate which consequently means faster and more controlled swimming - no more lollapping from me!

So this morning's drills involved lots of skulling. Firstly on my front using just my hands with my arms straight in front of me, followed by the same again but with bent elbows and arms at 90 degrees, followed by alternate arms pulling straight past my thighs and then putting it all together in the form a super powerful doggy paddle. Sounds crude but very effective and bloody knackering! There are of course some key descriptors which I have to keep repeating whilst attempting my knew pull technique and these are pop, push and glide.....pop, push, glide....pop, push glide and so on and so on..............who said swimming was boring. NOT ME!

So tomorrow is reinforcement Wednesday - no Nick tomorrow so I'm planing to put in a solid non stop hour swim and use my new technique for at least one 25m in every 100m. Anyone fancy joining me?

Training with a world champion!

2010-12-06T15:31:00.003Z

So kate's been wheeling and dealing again and has organised our pool training sessions for the next 6 weeks with Nottingham's very own Nick Dunn - current World Champion Triathlete. How lush is that.....? Anyway unfortunately Kate has been claimed by a nasty bug so I'm in the pool this week on my own with Nick - so I thought I would blog my sessions and experiences........ as to be honest I'm a little nervous!

So session 1 consisted of 25 x 100:

5x100 F/C with fins @ 1.30

5x100 F/C pull @ 1.40

5x100 F/C full stroke @ 1.30 - 1.40

5x100 F/C pull float and paddles @ 1.40- technique focusing on elbow pop

5x100 F/C full stroke starting @ 1.40 - technique focusing on consistent leg kick

Cool Down

Great session, although tough going in places and my lungs were burning. I hate F/C off 1 minute 30 secs - it makes me want to puke! Also my weakness believe it or not is full stroke with a decent leg kick. Therefore, Nick very generously, is going to work on my technique which I thought was sound but it's not! Damn! But I'm ready and eager to learn even at the age of 38!

So I'm less nervous about tomorrow as it's "Technique Tuesday" (Nick's phrase which I've stolen), which means lots of drills focused on my arm pull under the water. Bring it on!

More name dropping...

2010-12-01T15:05:00.003Z

...And we continued witht the big name drop in the gym, with assistance from the Lovely Lucy and Kev!! Thanks Gang!!... and thanks to the helpful photographer whos session we interrupted to get these snaps!!

The big name drop

2010-12-01T15:00:00.006Z

This morning we had some fun in the pool experimenting with the Teenage Cancer Trust's Big Name Drop

It was lots of fun, and we even managed to squeeze in a bit of training!... Thanks to Ronnie the best lifeguard ever, for helping to take the photos!

Channeling Positivity... Snow Problem!

2010-11-30T12:23:00.003Z

The recent bad weather hasn't halted training for the Channeling Positivity Team. Seizing the opportunity to acclimatise to the cold tempertaures we may face during our Channel swim, we donned our Bathers, hats and goggles and got out in the snow this week!

Completing a short circiut training session,we soon warmed up with a run through the streets of Lady Bay followed by skipping intervals and some boxing based drills, although i'm pretty sure this was just an excuse to wear some gloves!

We plan to repeat this excerise whenever possible. 'The cold really gets in your bones when you're swimming in cold water, anything we can to to prepare our bodies for this is going to help! Hyperthermia is one of the biggest risks when swimming the Channel, so we will do anything to avoid this. Ice baths are also on the agenda for the new year!' said Kate as she ran back indoors!

Kate and Just as "Loose Ladies" on BBC Radio Nottingham with "Sony Award Winner Frances Finn"

2010-11-12T14:49:00.009Z

CLICK HERE

to listen to our Loose Ladies Debut....

Oh Nooooo.. Please don't ban it....

2010-11-03T08:29:00.000Z

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-11664240

How not to swim the channel............

2010-10-31T10:24:00.001Z

Channel Swimming...the highs and lows!

2010-10-31T10:23:00.001Z

No shorts, no bra...!

2010-10-15T21:07:00.003+01:00

Admittedly the dark and rather chilly mornings have taken their toll on me this week. I have stumbled into the gym each morning not really knowing how I got there! In fact on Tuesday I spent 10 minutes wandering quite aimlessly around my dark house looking for my trainers only to find them in my hands......doh!

So I spent 3 mornings on the trot in the pool (as I always have a pair of bathers in my kit bag) swimming my little socks off.............how dull! Anyway I made amends on Thursday and Friday. So note to self....be more organised next week Mrs Drury - we have a channel to cross!

Bring it on!

Forgotten PE kit

2010-10-12T12:58:00.003+01:00

This morning Just forgot her PE kit leaving me to train with Evil Emma The Trentinator.

Thats all I wanted to say!

Thanks Just!! ;-)

Teenage Cancer Trust and Channeling Positivity

2010-10-09T11:07:00.003+01:00

So the Channeling Positivity Team had a really productive and inspirational meeting with Heather from the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) last week. It's so great to be raising money for such a vibrant and proactive charity, which have only had a presence in the East Midlands region since June.

We brainstormed lots of fundraising ideas which will help to get the staff and students at South Nottingham College feeling a real part of the Channeling Positivity vibe. One of our priorities, we agreed, is to sign up some inspirational student ambassadors that can help us raise as much money as humanly possible - so watch out for the posters around the college campuses. Also TCT will be joining Kate and I at SNC's Student Conference on 2nd November, so make sure that you bag your place!

On a different note, Kate and I may be joining our DJ friend Frances Finn on the wonderful Radio Nottingham on a Friday lunchtime to help host Loose Ladies!! So come on Fran - give us a call -we're ready and waiting!...and of course always keen for a gossip!

Also big up Becky Adlington - she is soooo my heroine!

Eye of the Tiger....

2010-09-22T00:00:00.000+01:00

Just and I have been back in training this week after a week of trying to regain the use of our legs following Robin Hood half marathon! .... Tuesday featured a super hard boxing based session. We both fessed up to being achy this morning (despite Just trying to style it out and act tough!!) but still managed a decent training swim... just need to find a way of getting some longer sessions in now so we can up the mileage!... get in touch if you have any training suggestions for us.. we'll try anything once... twice if we like it!!!

Inspirational Athlete

2010-09-15T07:55:00.002+01:00

Whilst huffing and puffing on the treadmill at the gym this morning I happened to catch an article on James Wood, and felt compelled to highlight this massive challenge he is about to embark on (weather permitting!!)

James became paraplegic aged 19 following a road traffic accident, and is attempting to swim the Channel at some point this week (Channel swims are at the discretion of the pilot of the boat and the actual date of the swim will be decided upon by the pilot taking all things into consideration to ensure that the swimmer has the best chance of completing the swim, hence the 1 week 'slot' that James has been given!)

I will try to follow his progress and keep you all posted!

Look out for us in our kit!!

2010-09-13T11:56:00.004+01:00

2010-09-13T11:23:00.010+01:00

Sunday 12th September 2010 - we get ready to run the Robin Hood Marathon with our banner. Feeling ready for the burn!!

Right at the back of the running group - only 9,998 people in front of us!

5 mile point - collection bucket really full!! Met Miriam to empty the heavy load but still carrying the banner!

Home straight!!

Phew!!! Finished!! Sweaty, hot but feeling great!

With our trainer Emma

Ready, steady......go!

2010-09-10T21:13:00.002+01:00

What an unreal week it's been. A photo call for the Evening Post on the embankment in bathers, a booking for Nottingham Radio and an expression of interest from ITV! Kate and I are freaking out....in a good way! So...we have some thank you's thus far. Firstly Kate and I would like to thank everyone involved with the "Channeling Positivity" team, especially South Nottingham College and Carrie from Cream Communications for making our challenge a reality! Secondly, another massive thank you to those of you that have donated to our chosen charity "The Teenage Cancer Trust"through our Just Giving page. I can honestly say that it's given us such a huge burst of inspiration and motivation...so bring on the half marathon this Sunday and the english channel!

There are of course plenty of other people behind the scenes (they know who they are) but we do have to give a massive "big up" to Virgin Health Club in Nottingham who are continuing to support us with our training and allowed me to loan some kit for this weekend. Respect!

The training continues to go well, despite a week of illness for Kate! Our training kit has arrived and we are wearing it with pride every morning...in fact I'm even wearing mine to work...is this wrong? Anyway, it helps us both get in the zone! So until Sunday we'll taper and prepare like true professionals...........

We get ready for photo shoot with Evening Post 080910

2010-09-10T13:01:00.005+01:00

The long road back..........

2010-08-16T10:31:00.002+01:00

So, it's been 5 days since my return from very sunny and hot South France and the training has resummed! To be honest it's been tough, in fact, I'm in pain right now just sitting down. My first session back was an interval hill running session on the tread with Kate followed by an abs class.......nice; spinning with psycho instructor on Friday, who just kept shouting "turn your dial"....."add resistance" and a hideous resistance swim session this morning in the pool with Kate and all of our gadgetry! I'm also cycling to and from work just to catch up on some of my lost fitness..............so all in all I should be back in the zone in a weeks time. Bring on the channel!!!

3km race at Holme Pierrepont

2010-08-12T08:19:00.008+01:00

well....

Saturday saw me compete in my first ever open water race... a 3km swim at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham.

I decided to steer well clear of the pushing, pulling, ducking and shoving at the start and kept myself near the back until the crowds started to break into smaller groups.

I progressed nicely and found a good comfortable pace.. until the lake weed struck (you'd think i'd be used to it by now!!) It was like swimming through tar... horrific. At one point I actually had to stop to try and remove myself from a tangle web of sticky weed.. and in doing so, swallowed half the lake, ending up coughing and spluttering and generally feeling as though I was about to die. Luckily I managed to recover and carried on with the race...

The water was brown and it was really difficult to see where anyone or anything was. My sighting was shocking and hence I swam a wibbly wobbly version of the 3km route!

On the home straight I picked up the pace, still feeling comfortable and was challenging another swimmer with about 200m to go... then I nearly swam head first into a concrete pontoon.. I was saved by a helpful canoeist who steered me out of danger... stopping .. again.. to say thank you I carried on full speed ahead to the finishing point recording a time of 44.45.

The race is on (before the concrete pontoon!!)... thats me on the left!

This is what swallowing half a lake does to you:

Tired but pleased I was delighted to hear that I was the first woman out of the water. The official results confirm that I was 12th overall, and first lady over a minute ahead of the 2nd place lady!!

Me with my medal:

New record in channel swimming

2010-08-02T08:19:00.003+01:00

A new Record has been set in Channel swimming... check this out... what an achievement!

56 year old Jackie Cobell has lost 8 stone in the past 5 years and set herself the challenge of a lifetime ... to swim the channel.

28 hours and 44 minutes was her official time, which is amazing! 28 hours of cold, dirty, jelly fish infested waters is something that is not to be sniffed at!!

This is exactly the kind of achievement that we hope to insipire through out Chaneling Positivity campaign.

not my legs...

2010-07-22T16:53:00.001+01:00

ps... they're not my legs on the Drag Ring photo below... i know i've been without a bathroom for over a week now, but they're not THAT hairy lol!!

gadgetry...

2010-07-22T12:56:00.006+01:00

This week we have been experimenting with various training gadgets when in the pool... with somewhat mixed success!

Firstly Just tried out the Parachute Pants...

The basic theory is that the parachutes add drag and create resistance, making it harder to move through the water.. and thats exactly what it does!.. its solid lol!

Then I bought myself a Drag Ring ...and a Belt of Cups:

Both work on the same theory as the parachute and make those lengths seem a whole lot further! The drag ring works when working on pull sets (arms only) but tumble turning with both legs squeezed into a ring of water filled sponge is pretty amusing... on more than one occasion both Just and I thought we were drowning.... which moves me on to our experimentation with multiple gadgets at once....!!!

We attempted to swim a length (yep... thats one whole length!!) wearing the parachute AND the drag ring.. AND a pull buoy. The result was a near death garroting experience when turning at the end of the length... not helped by laughing so hard i nearly wee'd myself!!!

Needless to say that these training 'aids' will form part of our training in the next year as we try to simulate swimming against the tide, which will happen a fair deal on the big day! They have also added a bit of fun into those laborious pool sessions!

I am also working hard on trying to breathe bilaterally (to both sides) as there may be times during the channel swim when we have to swim with the boat sheltering us from wind and waves... which means that we need to be comfortable breathing both to the left and to the right. Just seems to have seamlessly incorporated this into her swimming, whereas years of being a lolloping one sided distance swimmer as a youngster seems to be making it tricky for me to pick up bilateral breathing and maintain it. As soon as i get tired i find myself breathing every stroke and slipping back into my lollop!

Training for the half marathon continues... this week has been another hard one and i'm in need of a rest day soon... lucky for Just.. she's off on her holiberries soon.. jealous... moi?!!!!!

catch you soon

k

Thank you!

2010-07-12T20:33:00.003+01:00

I attended the South Nottingham College Student Awards on Friday - it was a fantastic event and congratulations to all of the students that were shortlisted for awards. It was also a really successful night for Channeling Positivity as we managed to raise approximately £600 in the form of a raffle.........a big big big thank you from Kate and I for your support.

So I guess Channeling Positivity is slowly getting into the public domain which makes matters all the more real for Kate and I. The official launch will happen once our charity has been decided. Currently staff and students at the college are voting for their preferred charity via the college portal.

The training is going really well and we pulled out 2800 metres in the pool this morning. We're boxing as usual tomorrow morning; Emma our trainer has mapped out a hideous session which involves speed and endurance of our arm muscles predominantly...oh and we throw in an equally painful plank triangle at the end.........maybe you could try it:

30 seconds of plank followed by 30 sessions of crunches - 10 seconds rest
45 seconds of plank followed by 45 seconds of crunches - 10 seconds rest
1 minute of plank followed by 1 minute of crunches - 10 seconds rest
1 minute of plank followed by 1 minute of crunches - 10 seconds rest
45 seconds of plank followed by 45 seconds of crunches - 10 seconds rest
30 seconds of plank followed by 30 sessions of crunches - 10 seconds rest

Let us know how you got on.............remember pain is strength and pain is your friend!!!

eugh....

2010-07-05T14:00:00.001+01:00

I think we have 'swimmers itch'...

Jayne at Absolute Tri has done a spot of investigation and this seems the most likely cause!

nice!

Consequences!

2010-07-04T20:52:00.004+01:00

And there are always consequences. Mine are a complete pain in the arse.......in fact there are many on my arse! I was eaten alive. I will find these creatures and I will seek revenge. When we looked there were none.......

How wrong were we! Just is currently seeking sponsorship from Germolene Anticeptic Cream.

Outdoor Swimming Again!

2010-07-04T20:18:00.008+01:00

Friday 2nd July - Kate and I embark on another 2000 metres or so at Holme Pierrepont regatta lake.....in bathers again whilst every other normal swimmer around us is dressed in a wetsuit. This always gets my back up! I'm particularly apprehensive because the weather has been unusually dry and sunny which has caused a truly amazing amount of weed build up in the lake.

The following pics sum up my mood perfectly! Anyway, we just get on with it...again in true Just and Kate style and I attempt to hang onto turbo charged Kate, who is swimming like a demon at the moment...go on Kate!

href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JKWhJTXMstw/TDDj43r7lLI/AAAAAAAAACs/70Xe5BIhmKk/s1600/IMG_0186.JPG">

The great thing is that we had moral support on the embankment in the form of Dave, Emma, Mai and Efan. Both Kate and I found this very comforting despite my near drowning episode with the biggest and most flee invested clump of weed, going unnoticed. How rude! Anyway the water was warm and the swimming was fairly pleasant. The feedback from our onlookers although suggested that I need some form of SAT NAV to keep me going in a straight line and Kate could do with improving her bilateral breathing....Dave's suggestion Kate....but what does he know!

So all in all and a can on coke later, to neutralise the wonders of the Trent, along with a few cheeky glasses of red wine much much later, we live to tell the tale. RESPECT Kate!

Training Update

2010-07-01T07:33:00.001+01:00

We're both training hard, completing a 3.7km swim this morning in the pool. The Magic Watch reliably informs me that this is approximately 1024 calories burnt... burgers for breakfast anyone?!

We are planning another trip to Holme Pierrepont on Friday to revisit the scene of the flesh eating bugs... I, for one, can't wait! We will be testing out Avon So Soft, which apparently also repels bugs and fingers crossed, will stop us getting devoured!

I have also been keeping an eye on the temperature of the sea... its a positively tropical 14.9 degrees today!

Robin Hood...

2010-06-16T13:57:00.002+01:00

We have decided to run The 2010 Robin Hood Half Marathon in September to kick start our fundraising campaign. Rumour has it we may well be sporting swimming costumes... hats .. and goggles for the full 13.1 miles!

EATEN ALIVE!

2010-06-14T08:22:00.002+01:00

In addition to Justine's report i would like to add that i have been eaten alive by God knows what whilst swimming at HP! 174 bites at the last count...!

I am currently looking into ways of avoiding this in the future so any top tips then just throw them this way.

I've had myself one itchy weekend!!

Kate

Swimming without wetsuits!

2010-06-13T13:33:00.006+01:00

Kate and I decided that we have to embark on some cold water outdoor training. We have tried to ignore the fact that we're swimming in the sea and not a pool but every good thing comes to an end. So rather hideously we donned our bathers, red hats and goggles and foolishly jumped into Holme Pierrepont regatta lake with a number of other swimmers (in full wetsuits!) to embark on some outdoor distant swimming.

To be honest I was scared. My thoughts preceding the swim focused on:
What if I swim into a swan? What injuries will I sustain from a swan beak and wings - haven't people died in a human and swan dual?
Will I catch Viles disease?
Is there an equivalent of the Loch Ness monster? Stupid I know but it did cross my mind.
And weed. Lots of weed. How will I swim through weed?

Anyway, we survived. Kate was like a rocket and I took things a little more steady until I dealt with the above. The experience was strangely enjoyable but it was hard! My arms we're throbbing and I had a touch of cramp in my thigh and calf. I'm thinking that this could have been down to the cold or more poor technique at the start of the session. But training with Kate is great and a real motivation. We swam just over 2000 metres which is a good start and we were in the water for about 50 minutes. So same time next week?

Channelling Positively begins..........

2010-06-13T12:57:00.004+01:00

So it's confirmed we're actually going to do this! Kate and I are swimming the channel from England to France in July 2011 in the form of a 2 person relay. This means one of us swims for an hour whilst the other is on a boat and then we change over; this continues until we reach the otherside. And of course we have every intention of doing this!

The reality is a little frightening but we're going to achieve this....by hook or by crook! Both Kate and I felt that we still had a swimming challenge left in us, maybe the thought of turning 40 in the not so distant future gave us an added boost! Anyway we have some sponsorship and we have a little, but very dedicated team of helpers or supporters. There's Carrie, who basically organises us and liaises with our sponsor and Emma who is the trainer - she's rock hard and uses phrases such as "pain equals results!". We do exactly what she says!

But more importantly we're going to raise money for charity whilst promoting the fact that any Tom, Dick or Debbie can engage in a challenge, no matter how big or small and without turning your life upside down. Kate and I are just everyday people, with partners, kids, cats and full time jobs as major priorities and we're going to achieve our channel swim with exactly that in mind.

So, we'll use our blog to tell you about our trials and tribulations over the year and how we attempt to prepare ourselves for the big swim! I'm guessing they'll be lots of laughs and maybe a few woes but we'll do our best to be honest and hopefully entertaining.

Keswick Mountain Festival

2010-05-25T12:50:00.011+01:00

Dipping my toe into my first ever Open Water event, I headed over to The Lakes this weekend for the Keswick Mountain Festival.

The weather was amazing.. the water temperature was a positively tropical 16 degrees on the saturday and then a slightly chillier 12-13 degrees on the sunday. The atmosphere was brilliant and i am SO relieved that i loved the swim... or else the Channel Swim would have been taking on an even more terrifying form than it is already!

Because of algae the course was changed 3 times, and i had NO idea where i was going thanks to the slight delay in the organizers putting out a second buoy to swim around... but a bit of audience participation (spectators shouting at me and frantically pointing!) I got back on track and finished the mile swim feeling comfortable and not too cold!

I even jumped back in to go round again to help out my new friend Martin, who wanted to have a go at swimming it without his wetsuit and needed a buddy to go with him!

Here are some photos from the weekend!

...trying to 'work' the cap and goggles combo...

... trying to remember how to swim...

... personal trainer on hand to offer support and directional shouting...

...and i'm done!

We must be mad...

2010-04-15T08:16:00.000+01:00

Ok... So it really looks like this is could happen! We're really swimming the channel in 2011!

Training has started and is going well so its just securing some sponsorship and getting things organized (stocking up on goose fat etc!)

We'll be keeping you posted on our progress so watch this space for any updates or events that may tickle your fancy!