Calendar Crazy!

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

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!

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....

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

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?

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

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...