To be honest it hasn't been an amazing week, plenty of highs but a few lows as well. I swim is almost upon me and it feels real now; a real scary thought. Everyone I speak to believes I can do it but I am having trouble believing in myself. Self belief has always been a problem for me so I guess it is just part of the journey.
Sunday was just an hours swim with Howard which was good fun and hard work. I love training with him because I really have to work and it's a lot more interesting than training by myself. Monday I was back in the pool for the first time which was interesting. I was standing on poolside thinking can I actually still dive and tumble turn? Whats the I.M order again? Luckily this wasn't needed as my main set was 1600m, 800m, 2x400m, 4x200m, all in freestyle which I quite enjoyed. Tuesday was a hard day, I was tired, had a lot of work and many people were asking me about the swim. I don't want anyone to take that last comment the wrong way, I am extremely blessed to have so many people interested in my swim and very grateful for all the support but I wasn't feeling great about it on Tuesday so it was hard to talk about.
Wednesday was morning training during which I got a bit frustrated. It wasn't really my set but I did it, okay, I missed some of the kick but I did want to get out before midday. Kingsdown where it was a very low tide which made things amusing. A hard hour with Howard followed by ten minutes trying to get into shore by skulling on our backs so our feet didn't get cut by the rocks below. Very amusing for dad and Charlie.
Thursday was morning training again, main set of 15x200 and 4x300 which was okay but this was really when I week started to go downhill. Didn't have a good day at school and was tired from morning training which allowed the dark thoughts to enter my head and self doubt to creep in. Stayed like this through Friday and this morning when I finally let my emotions get the better of me and had a bit of a cry. I know, I'm a wimp. Thought I felt better but once in the water it started to get rough and I wasn't feeling good. Charlie cut my set a little short and I got quite angry with myself. Spoke to other people in there who all seem to confident about their swims. I know that I am physically very strong but looking back I think my injury knocked me a bit because I felt great before then. I just have to get my head down now, in a couple of weeks it'll be over and I don't want it all to be for nothing.
More soon,
Abby x
Saturday, 11 September 2010
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Time to get serious
Yesterday morning Paul completed his channel swim in 18 hours 19 minutes, an amazing swim in what sounded like very tough conditions. I am totally inspired by his fantastic effort but it has also been a reality check that the elements could be against me as well and I could have to swim for that long or longer. Over the moon for Paul who showed real mental strength to get to France but I can't even begin to imagine what it was like.
Went to Dover today to do two 7 km swims with a feed imbetween. I have done my six hours and am now working on maintaining my fitness and speed endurance before the swim which weather permitting is about 3 weeks away. Swam the first as Charlie instructed as a fartlek, 1km relaxed, 1km fast until my feed. Maxim and mini jaffa cakes at 1 hour 40 minutes and then 5km of relaxed swimming followed by a 2km sprint to the finish. I got a bit annoyed, (okay very annoyed) by the way a few sailing boats seemed intent on killing me in the first couple of laps and to be honest I wasn't in a good frame of mind. I don't know why which makes it quite frustrating. This wasn't a long swim and I was pleased to hear the set but for some reason it wasn't quite there. I think I possibly need some sleep, going back to school takes it out of me and it was a pretty sleepless night when Paul was swimming as I kept checking the tracker!
Got out and was cheered up to hear Paul was coming down and also to speak to Michelle, Howard and Lara who have all completed the channel. Charlie pointed out to me that I shouldn't let Pauls swim worry me as we just don't know what my day will be like and I have, like him, done lots of training. Saw Paul and congratulated him again before hearing a little about his swim; he was very honest about it which I really appreciated and gave me some advice and food for thought about my swim.
So like I said 3 weeks to go. I am praying to God, Jesus and Mary that the weather will be okay. Although I would do it the idea of waiting until next year and doing this all again is not an attractive one. I do feel ready to take on the English Channel and feel although I am very young that it is the right time to do the swim. I am very nervous already but I trust in my team and well, theres nothing I can do about the weather or the tides.
Post again soon, thanks for reading,
Abby xx
Went to Dover today to do two 7 km swims with a feed imbetween. I have done my six hours and am now working on maintaining my fitness and speed endurance before the swim which weather permitting is about 3 weeks away. Swam the first as Charlie instructed as a fartlek, 1km relaxed, 1km fast until my feed. Maxim and mini jaffa cakes at 1 hour 40 minutes and then 5km of relaxed swimming followed by a 2km sprint to the finish. I got a bit annoyed, (okay very annoyed) by the way a few sailing boats seemed intent on killing me in the first couple of laps and to be honest I wasn't in a good frame of mind. I don't know why which makes it quite frustrating. This wasn't a long swim and I was pleased to hear the set but for some reason it wasn't quite there. I think I possibly need some sleep, going back to school takes it out of me and it was a pretty sleepless night when Paul was swimming as I kept checking the tracker!
Got out and was cheered up to hear Paul was coming down and also to speak to Michelle, Howard and Lara who have all completed the channel. Charlie pointed out to me that I shouldn't let Pauls swim worry me as we just don't know what my day will be like and I have, like him, done lots of training. Saw Paul and congratulated him again before hearing a little about his swim; he was very honest about it which I really appreciated and gave me some advice and food for thought about my swim.
So like I said 3 weeks to go. I am praying to God, Jesus and Mary that the weather will be okay. Although I would do it the idea of waiting until next year and doing this all again is not an attractive one. I do feel ready to take on the English Channel and feel although I am very young that it is the right time to do the swim. I am very nervous already but I trust in my team and well, theres nothing I can do about the weather or the tides.
Post again soon, thanks for reading,
Abby xx
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Sunday was another rest day as we went for a power boat ride along the Thames and to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert in London for dads birthday then Monday I was back in the water for my last weekday morning swim before mum went back to work on Tuesday and I went to school on Thursday. Swam 6km pretty fast and then went home to rest up for the Deal Tri Handicap Swim in the evening. The aim of this swim is that all the swimmers start at different intervals according to previous times of the season so in theory everyone should finish together. For me this meant started 11 minutes 14 seconds after the first person. I was very glad Howard turned up or I would have been totally on my own on the beach for a minute and 14 seconds whilst the second to last person starting swimming. Wasn't good conditions for a fast time but overtook a fair few people and was pretty pleased at the end.
Tuesday and Wednesday morning I went running and Wednesday night was the weekly Kinsdown evening; not a long swim but a hard one as I had someone to swim with who wasn't going to let me plod! Thursday morning was another run before school. The new mobile phone rule being very irritating (sorry Barton Court) because Paul was due to start his channel swim yesterday at midday and I really wanted to know if he had gone. Oh well, I found out after school that he had and am currently glued to the tracker as he closes in on the French coast, just looked again and I reckon he's made it. Absolutely buzzing for an amazing person, can't wait to see him and hear all about it. Anyway thats it for now, going to get ready for school, so happy for Paul!
Thanks for reading,
Abby x
Tuesday and Wednesday morning I went running and Wednesday night was the weekly Kinsdown evening; not a long swim but a hard one as I had someone to swim with who wasn't going to let me plod! Thursday morning was another run before school. The new mobile phone rule being very irritating (sorry Barton Court) because Paul was due to start his channel swim yesterday at midday and I really wanted to know if he had gone. Oh well, I found out after school that he had and am currently glued to the tracker as he closes in on the French coast, just looked again and I reckon he's made it. Absolutely buzzing for an amazing person, can't wait to see him and hear all about it. Anyway thats it for now, going to get ready for school, so happy for Paul!
Thanks for reading,
Abby x
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Ticking all the right boxes
What a week I've had, I'll start where I left off last time.
Went and collected my results from the gcses and as level I did on Tuesday, I absolutely thrilled and very relieved. Well done to everyone! Went down to Dover for a 'long' swim with very good intentions but took one look at the very rough harbour and this became a short swim! Did 8km and actually felt sea sick by the end! Was reasonably happy with that because it was literally like being in a washing machine!
Went to London with Eleanor on Wednesday where we saw Billy Elliot - absolutely amazing! Then very tired on Thursday, delayed train plus sleepover equals getting to bed at two, falling asleep at gone four. Went on a 5 mile run which was quite good, I thought my limit was maybe 2 or 3 miles at the moment but I didn't die. Also wrote a playlist of music to be played on my feed and if I get into trouble in the channel. Tried to choose motivational music and a mix of music I like including Shine - Take That, Airplanes -B.O.B, Flying Without Wings -Westlife, Remember the name -Fort Minor, a bit of Taylor Swift, Jason Derulo, Enrique, The Kinks and Good Charlotte along with inspirational favourites Eye of the Tiger and Footloose.
5km on Friday in preparation for todays 25 kilometre/6 hour qualifying swim. So here goes on the Abby Taylor - Baptie 6 hour swim experience.
Got woken up at 5am as we planned to start the swim at 7am and I have to eat 1 and a half or preferably 2 hours before a swim. Got woken up again at 5.17 by dad after falling back to sleep, already 17 minutes behind in my plans and I was still under my duvet! Got up and went downstairs, made my porridge. Its funny, if I do say so myself I am a pretty good desert cook. I can make cakes, roulade, crumble, biscuits, anything sweet but give me a microwavable tub, milk, porridge oats and I am guaranteed to mess it up. Today I somehow managed to cook it for too long and had to scrape it off the sides of the bowl. Prepared the kit, did my exercises, went back to bed for twenty minutes and we were off down to Dover. Met Paul who is tapering and had a shorter swim (therefore was subject to my curses later in my swim - nothing personal, I think you're a legend but getting out two hours before me is criminal! Was told to do 9km, feed, 9km, feed, 7km OUT! Got in and dad started the stopwatch. Lovely and calm, sun on my back, can't complain (yet.) Got into a rhythm of counting to four as I breathe every four strokes, may sound boring but it's not, it helps me keep focused. Continued this to 1km and then changed to counting to four in French followed by Spanish, Japanese, German and then using letters (a,b,c,d or w,x,y,z) and then phrases. Admittedly curses were used later in the swim. Made it to the first feed very quickly and fed on a mini jaffa cake, a jelly baby and about 300ml of warm maxim in lemon squash which is quite good for me. I find it very difficult to drink over 100ml or so in one feed but I need more than this because too higher concentration makes me feel ill. I am quite lucky in that I am 5 foot 7 and 58 kilograms so compared to my dad who is 5 foot 11 and 83 kilograms or a man who is bigger I need to drink a lot less but as today I was feeding very infrequently (most people feed every hour in a 6 hour swim) I needed to drink more than I would like. The next 9km I madea very silly mistake; boosted by my speed during the first 9 I set off very quickly after my minute long feed and consequently suffered in the latter stages. Reached the next feed aching a lot and unable to take in as much maxim. Drank some black coffee, maxim and ate a sponge finger and agreed with my dad I would feed again with 2km to go to enable me to sprint the last bit (yeah right.) Swam for five kilometres with very aching arms and shoulders getting a bit emotional. I had been swimming alone for 5 and a half hours by the end of this and I was very tired but knew the channel was going to be a lot tougher than this. Met dad in the kayak for my final feed, a piece of flapjack that I had swam for for the past 23 kilometres and told him I was going to cut off a bit. He told me what I knew he would say that I never cut corners and if I started now I would regret it. I don't think I really had any intention to, I just needed some encouragment! By 23 kilometre sprinting meant increasing my stroke rate by about 2 strokes a minute not a lot more like usual and I finished in 5 hours 59 minutes. Waited until 6 hours 2 minutes to get out (breaststroked into shore) because there was no way I was doing that again if they decided 5 hours 59 minutes wasn't close enough to 6 hours! Really pleased to finish and qualify to swim the channel; dressed, ate, went home, ate more (eggs - protein to help with muscle repair.) and now looking forward to another trip to London tomorrow to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert and take a speed boat up the channel. School and morning training next week. School means I will be even more tired as I need to keep up my intensity and do a day at school and homework so I will probably be a bit grouchy. Sorry family, friends, teachers and anyone else who has to risk talking to me! Still less than a month to go (two weeks until taper time) and then I big swim. Only a little bit excited! =D
Thanks for reading,
Abby Taylor - Baptie signing out.
xx
Went and collected my results from the gcses and as level I did on Tuesday, I absolutely thrilled and very relieved. Well done to everyone! Went down to Dover for a 'long' swim with very good intentions but took one look at the very rough harbour and this became a short swim! Did 8km and actually felt sea sick by the end! Was reasonably happy with that because it was literally like being in a washing machine!
Went to London with Eleanor on Wednesday where we saw Billy Elliot - absolutely amazing! Then very tired on Thursday, delayed train plus sleepover equals getting to bed at two, falling asleep at gone four. Went on a 5 mile run which was quite good, I thought my limit was maybe 2 or 3 miles at the moment but I didn't die. Also wrote a playlist of music to be played on my feed and if I get into trouble in the channel. Tried to choose motivational music and a mix of music I like including Shine - Take That, Airplanes -B.O.B, Flying Without Wings -Westlife, Remember the name -Fort Minor, a bit of Taylor Swift, Jason Derulo, Enrique, The Kinks and Good Charlotte along with inspirational favourites Eye of the Tiger and Footloose.
5km on Friday in preparation for todays 25 kilometre/6 hour qualifying swim. So here goes on the Abby Taylor - Baptie 6 hour swim experience.
Got woken up at 5am as we planned to start the swim at 7am and I have to eat 1 and a half or preferably 2 hours before a swim. Got woken up again at 5.17 by dad after falling back to sleep, already 17 minutes behind in my plans and I was still under my duvet! Got up and went downstairs, made my porridge. Its funny, if I do say so myself I am a pretty good desert cook. I can make cakes, roulade, crumble, biscuits, anything sweet but give me a microwavable tub, milk, porridge oats and I am guaranteed to mess it up. Today I somehow managed to cook it for too long and had to scrape it off the sides of the bowl. Prepared the kit, did my exercises, went back to bed for twenty minutes and we were off down to Dover. Met Paul who is tapering and had a shorter swim (therefore was subject to my curses later in my swim - nothing personal, I think you're a legend but getting out two hours before me is criminal! Was told to do 9km, feed, 9km, feed, 7km OUT! Got in and dad started the stopwatch. Lovely and calm, sun on my back, can't complain (yet.) Got into a rhythm of counting to four as I breathe every four strokes, may sound boring but it's not, it helps me keep focused. Continued this to 1km and then changed to counting to four in French followed by Spanish, Japanese, German and then using letters (a,b,c,d or w,x,y,z) and then phrases. Admittedly curses were used later in the swim. Made it to the first feed very quickly and fed on a mini jaffa cake, a jelly baby and about 300ml of warm maxim in lemon squash which is quite good for me. I find it very difficult to drink over 100ml or so in one feed but I need more than this because too higher concentration makes me feel ill. I am quite lucky in that I am 5 foot 7 and 58 kilograms so compared to my dad who is 5 foot 11 and 83 kilograms or a man who is bigger I need to drink a lot less but as today I was feeding very infrequently (most people feed every hour in a 6 hour swim) I needed to drink more than I would like. The next 9km I madea very silly mistake; boosted by my speed during the first 9 I set off very quickly after my minute long feed and consequently suffered in the latter stages. Reached the next feed aching a lot and unable to take in as much maxim. Drank some black coffee, maxim and ate a sponge finger and agreed with my dad I would feed again with 2km to go to enable me to sprint the last bit (yeah right.) Swam for five kilometres with very aching arms and shoulders getting a bit emotional. I had been swimming alone for 5 and a half hours by the end of this and I was very tired but knew the channel was going to be a lot tougher than this. Met dad in the kayak for my final feed, a piece of flapjack that I had swam for for the past 23 kilometres and told him I was going to cut off a bit. He told me what I knew he would say that I never cut corners and if I started now I would regret it. I don't think I really had any intention to, I just needed some encouragment! By 23 kilometre sprinting meant increasing my stroke rate by about 2 strokes a minute not a lot more like usual and I finished in 5 hours 59 minutes. Waited until 6 hours 2 minutes to get out (breaststroked into shore) because there was no way I was doing that again if they decided 5 hours 59 minutes wasn't close enough to 6 hours! Really pleased to finish and qualify to swim the channel; dressed, ate, went home, ate more (eggs - protein to help with muscle repair.) and now looking forward to another trip to London tomorrow to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert and take a speed boat up the channel. School and morning training next week. School means I will be even more tired as I need to keep up my intensity and do a day at school and homework so I will probably be a bit grouchy. Sorry family, friends, teachers and anyone else who has to risk talking to me! Still less than a month to go (two weeks until taper time) and then I big swim. Only a little bit excited! =D
Thanks for reading,
Abby Taylor - Baptie signing out.
xx
Monday, 23 August 2010
"A mere ditch that shall be leaped".
Just a short one, anxiously waiting for results (even though I only have a few to collect this year) but I couldn't sleep so was reading about other peoples swim and found out my post title is a quote from Napoleon when he was crossing the Channel to invade Britain. I kind of like it but unfortunately unlike me he didn't have to do it in his swimming costume!
Going for a long swim today and to the physio after going into school then BILLY ELLIOT tomorrow - not at all excited obviously.
Going for a long swim today and to the physio after going into school then BILLY ELLIOT tomorrow - not at all excited obviously.
Thou shall not be eaten by a crocodile
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
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
Saturday, 21 August 2010
Half way there
First and foremost, happy birthday to my long suffering father today who is half way to 100. I've only been around for nearly sixteen years of his first half century and I should be there for all of the next; bet that makes him feel so much better!
So, 12km swim on Tuesday went well with just a bit of an ache in the shoulder. Went to Kingsdown and had an awesome swim; very rough, strong current, I loved it! Rested Thursday and a 6km swim yesterday in the harbour, not as fun but a lot easier!
This morning was an 18km swim which I'm not going to say I enjoyed but it was certainly a positive experience. I felt a lot more focused than before as I know time is only just on my side now and after the first 7km and feed I just thought, 'okay, only eleven kilometres to swim, thats alright' and carried on easily. I have this holiday developed an obsession with writing stories which provides me with entertainment in the sea. It is amazing the ideas that come into my head out in the water.
Hectic rush this afternoon, we got dad out of the house and final preparations for a surprise party tonight which I have just slipped away from. I had 35 cupcakes to ice, a trifle to finish and a fruit salad to make (I was desert-maker-in-chief) as well as getting changed. Note to self: Channel swimmer chic is not suitable for parties. All the family arrived and dad got home - he didn't have a clue which shows how often he listens when I speak because I have definitely let it slip a few times! Really nice get together with family, including baby Kasen who fell asleep on me for half an hour. I've only just got rid of the pins and needles on my arm.
Another long swim tomorrow and an exciting week ahead. Results day on Tuesday which I am not looking forwards to at all but it's all fun from there. LONDON on Wednesday with Eleanor to see Billy Elliot and be tourists which I am very very very excited about and then LONDON again on Sunday (oh yes!) for a power boat trip up the Thames and Pricilla Queen of the Desert. I deserve it, I haven't moaned once about going back to school yet. (Actually I haven't moaned once, I've moaned about one hundred times but never mind) Anyway Abby Taylor - Baptie is going back to the party.
Thank you and Goodnight
Abby x
So, 12km swim on Tuesday went well with just a bit of an ache in the shoulder. Went to Kingsdown and had an awesome swim; very rough, strong current, I loved it! Rested Thursday and a 6km swim yesterday in the harbour, not as fun but a lot easier!
This morning was an 18km swim which I'm not going to say I enjoyed but it was certainly a positive experience. I felt a lot more focused than before as I know time is only just on my side now and after the first 7km and feed I just thought, 'okay, only eleven kilometres to swim, thats alright' and carried on easily. I have this holiday developed an obsession with writing stories which provides me with entertainment in the sea. It is amazing the ideas that come into my head out in the water.
Hectic rush this afternoon, we got dad out of the house and final preparations for a surprise party tonight which I have just slipped away from. I had 35 cupcakes to ice, a trifle to finish and a fruit salad to make (I was desert-maker-in-chief) as well as getting changed. Note to self: Channel swimmer chic is not suitable for parties. All the family arrived and dad got home - he didn't have a clue which shows how often he listens when I speak because I have definitely let it slip a few times! Really nice get together with family, including baby Kasen who fell asleep on me for half an hour. I've only just got rid of the pins and needles on my arm.
Another long swim tomorrow and an exciting week ahead. Results day on Tuesday which I am not looking forwards to at all but it's all fun from there. LONDON on Wednesday with Eleanor to see Billy Elliot and be tourists which I am very very very excited about and then LONDON again on Sunday (oh yes!) for a power boat trip up the Thames and Pricilla Queen of the Desert. I deserve it, I haven't moaned once about going back to school yet. (Actually I haven't moaned once, I've moaned about one hundred times but never mind) Anyway Abby Taylor - Baptie is going back to the party.
Thank you and Goodnight
Abby x
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