So, the 'crocodile' in the English Channel turned out to be a bit of wood. Darn, my perfect excuse,it has been swept away by the tide.
Right, back to business, Sunday morning was a couple of hours at Kingsdown fighting the current one way and surfing back. Good session and great to see Howard back in the water. Today I went running then had a five kilometre swim in the rather rough Dover Harbour. You know several people have said to me that I wouldn't be considered a wuss to pull out, just sensible and looking at the waves crashing on the stones sending spray onto the pier I didn't think i was a bad idea. Just kidding, I loved it. I was literally being tossed out of the water and not being able to breathe for 15-20 strokes at a time. At one point I stopped swimming and yelled 'this is madness' at the beach. I don't think mum heard me though. Anyway Evie joined me halfway through which was great, haven't seen her for ages and it's always nice to have a good old chinwag when your bobbing up and down in waves taller than yourself. Thrope Park, eat your heart out because I have never been on a rollercoaster as good as that one. (Probably because I hate rollercoasters but that is besides the point.)
Anyway on this rather grey afternoon I have decided to write a bit about English Channel Swimming for anyone who has asked me a question, enjoy...
1) Historically only 1 in 10 people who attempt the English Channel make it across. TRUE
2) The others generally get eaten by sharks. FALSE contrary to Eleanors belief sharks are rarely seen in the channel and never Abby-eating ones. Most people get pulled out due to hyperthermia, feeding problems or sheer exhaustion.
Okay I'm being serious now - too much salt water does funny things to people, I do apologize for my terrible jokes. Can I just point out I am no expert on channel swimming so if my answers make no sense please forgive me.
How far will I swim?
Well, the English Channel is 21 nautical miles at the closest point between England and France(approx) however there are strong tides that can push you forwards, backwards and to the side so you cannot swim straight to France. Most people swim in an 'S' shape, the wider the 'S' the longer you swim for.
How long will I take?
Your guess is as good as mine, as long as I need. Ideally yes I want to do a fast time but hey, if the tides don't like me I will be in there for a very long time. It doesn't really matter to be honest, I just want to get out the other side! I can always watch Eastenders on iplayer.
Why do I want to swim the English Channel?
Several reasons.
1) I love to swim, especially in the sea.
2) Because I told my gran I would when I was five and I want to do it for her and make her proud.
3) Because it's a challenge and a great way to raise money for Demelza House.
4) Because it will look good on my university application.
5) Because I am a raving lunatic.
6) Because it's my dream.
Where do I start and finish?
Start - Shakespeare beach or Samphire Ho - you'll be the first to know when I find out.
Finish - in France with any luck, Cap Griz Nez is the closest point but anywhere along the coast will do - wherever the tide takes me.
When do I start?
My window is on the neap tde (no, I don't know what that is either) between the 26th September and the 1st of October so probably between those dates. You cannot swim until three days after your sixteenth birthday so I can't swim before the 20th September. What a great birthday I'm going to have - pasta and an early night!
Do I have to put on lots of weight?
The saying is that to swim the channel you can't be too vain to gain but lets face it, I'm a 15 year old girl who has always been weight conscious. I am very lucky in that although I have a low body fat percentage I don't feel the cold that badly. I have put on a couple of pounds as I have a very slow metabolism but my weight fluctuates a lot so I may have lost them by next week. An example of how bad my metabolism is, is that my parents worked out with my activity level I should be eating 3000 calories a day yet I put on weight if I go over 2200 - it's a hard life. I will probably put on a little bit of weight when I am tapering because my activity level will be lower but I will need to eat more than usual to make sure I have enough energy to complete the swim but I will hopefully burn that off during the swim. However generally speaking it is good to have lots of body fat as it keeps you warm.
How much training do I do?
I generally swim about 40000 metres a week, more at the moment. I am currently swimming all my metres in the sea. I also do running, karate, cycling and gym work to keep my fitness up.
Who will come with me on the swim?
I will be accompanied my a boat containing a pilot and his assistant, an observer to make sure I do it by the book and my support crew. My support crew are my long suffering parents Maggie and Alec, my support swimmer Howard (who can join me in the water for an hour every three hours) and hopefully my sister Emma and maybe one other person.
Can I wear a wetsuit.
Wetsuits are for wimps, fact. (Sorry wetsuited readers) to swim the English channel I can wear a standard swimming costume, 1 hat and a pair of goggles which I can change if I want.
Do I use goose fat?
As a vegetarian it would be against my principles to use animal fat and I heard it stinks as well. I use large amounts of vaseline. Contrary to popular belief goose fat or vaseline do not keep the cold off, they just stop chaffing.
What do you feed on?
As I can't touch the boat or anyone of my crew I have to feed on things I can eat in the water. Everyone is different but in training I have fed on maxim (energy solution) in lemon squash or black coffee (Milk makes me sick in the water) with jaffa cakes, ginger biscuits, sponge fingers or jelly babies. I am not a fan of maxim but it doesn't make me sick so it has to do.
What do you think about?
Lets face it, try as I might I cannot deny the fact that swimming for hours on end is boring. Generally I just let my mind wander until I get bored then I do difficult maths problems, alphabets of different things, dream up characters and plots for my stories, sing songs, imagine that Taylor Lautner is swimming next to me and pray.
How do I use the toliet?
Use your imagination.
On that note the Abby guide to swimming the channel is complete.
Adios amigos.
x
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