So today I went on a bike ride – the first time I’ve probably been on a bike in a few of years. The bike has been kindly lent to me by my good friend Gareth Macdonald who’s doing the Tough Mudder with me. Ha I even sat on it in my house to see if the seat was the right height and I fell off it losing my balance – oh god!
I started off going straight up to the top of Winter Hill without any decline and past the mast. I was looking forward to the decline after the mast until I remembered that it was a ‘pro-route’ – lots of boulders and tough paths to follow. I fell over a few times – EMBARRASSING but needed to remember it was my first ride in ages.
At this point I did something else quite stupid – I went to the Black Dog pub in Belmont – beautiful sunshine and I thought AHHH I’ll have a pint! Wait a minute I have no bike lock – I can’t leave this bike outside chancing it when going inside for the beer. So I cracked on down the main road looking for Rivington Road back to Rivington without realising that the Black Dog pub IS on Rivington Road!! You idiot Paul! I got lost – went as far as Abbey Village near Chorley before getting my bearings. Still it was an epic cycle going 35mph sometimes (in a 30 zone haha) and I went back via the Anglezark and Rivington reservoir path. Had LOADS of fun and was surprised how much fitness I had. I could have done double the distance! I look forward to my next outing! Gareth Macdonald said I can keep the bike up to my challenge so I can train on it whenever I want to! What a legend!
Lisa Eccleshare, one of the ladies we interviewed for the Daytrippers Bolton Charity video, is very keen and reportedly fantastic at getting things for charities and fundraisers free or for discounted rates.
On 1st May Lisa asked me for the routes I’m taking and the towns I’m stopping over at for the cycling route and the running route. Since then she’s managed to contact the following B&B’s along the routes and get the following:
Saturday 28th June – Kirkby Stephen Fat Lamb – Half price B&B £60p for a double room or if all rooms are not fully booked then the room will be free
Monday 30th June – Robin Hoods Bay
Caravan in Filey – Aidy has already arranged for us to stay with his folks in his caravan in Filey
Wednesday 2nd July – Richmond Bridgedown House B&B – Completely free B&B for me and Aidy
Thursday 3rd July – Kirkby Stephen Fat Lamb – Completely free B&B for me and Aidy
As you can see these places have been INCREDIBLY kind! Lisa has also been incredible I cannot be more grateful for her time in this.
We still have two more B&B’s to try and nail but if we end up paying full rates for these I’m still hugely grateful for what we have already – saving us over £200!!!
The Whinlatter Forest part looks hellish although we’re not even taking the super tough route that I did once (never again). We’re sticking to roads whenever it makes sense but going off-road as much as possible.
Gareth Macdonald, one of the guys who is doing Tough Mudder with me this summer and is a dad of one of the players who play for AFC Masters has kindly lent me his bike for the training and C2C2C 8 day challenge.
WHAT A LEGEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m picking it up this weekend for my bike ride I’m hoping to do. CAN’T WAIT!!!
So after putting behind me the 1,000 length swim attempt, today I started my open water swimming training.
I’ll be honest, I was completely dreading it – the thought of swimming in freezing cold water made me very apprehensive. Regardless of this, I turned up at 5:30pm around some very experienced looking swimmers and me looking like a complete novice not knowing what to do.
I got my wetsuit (total hire + entry cost was £16 ouch) and went into the changing rooms. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, how to put on the suit or which way the zip goes, where I store my extra things, if people go out in their shoes, with a towel, where the actual expanse of water is we’re swimming in. SO, I took it really slow watching everyone without looking like an absolutely stalker – all of the men getting changed into their swimming gear must have been getting pretty nervous with this ginger guy taking ages and looking at everybody haha. At one point two friends who were chatting together offered to pull up the back of the zip on the wetsuits since it’s so hard to do it yourself (note: the wetsuit is put on with the zip at the back). I then thought this would be courteous to do this for other people I got chatting to – they gave me a complete look of ‘you touch me and you will be sorry’.
So I got ready, put my stuff in the locker… again very slowly so I could follow one guy out who was brimming with confidence and he knew what he was doing. He was so cool he actually didn’t even walk outside with his wetsuit zipped up, waiting until the final minute to zip it up – what a pro!
So we made our way to the floating island area and I thought I can’t just go in and wing this – I need to tell an expert I’m new and for some information. I also said that I’m doing breaststroke – convinced that this would be seen as a rare/stupid stroke to do in open water swimming after speaking to a few experts asking me to avoid it. A passive but friendly organiser told me that there were two routes to take, one being the full 500m lap or I can cut across half way and do a 300m lap. He didn’t say anything about me doing breaststroke.
I stared at the expanse of water quickly working out that THAT would be the equivalent of doing either 20 or 12 x 25m lengths of a pool but in freezing cold deep water, in a wetsuit – something I’ve never done before. So I asked “Is there somewhere I could practice just to get my confidence up” and he smiled like ‘OMG mate’ but friendly enough pointed to two floating platforms about 20m apart I could swim between.
So rather than jumping straight in like a hero I walked in slowly like a jessie – immediately feeling the cold. I swam 2 lengths between the two floating platforms feeling cold water fill inside my wetsuit – not knowing if this was normal?? Was water supposed to get inside? My god so cold – anyway at this point I decided to go for the 300m and swam like a 60 year old lady with my head well and truly out of the water and taking an age to make some distance. I went down the first section of the lap, looking for the half-way mark so I could cut across for the 300m course but I couldn’t see it due to trying to not panic and also climatise to the water. So I followed everyone else on the 500m course instead.
On the final section of the lap I started to get a little used to the water and noticed there were actually quite a lot of people also doing breaststroke, some actually getting their heads underwater. I started to try this but again my god the water was cold! My quadriceps were killing from keeping my body flat because my head was so much out of water. So I kept trying little by little to put my head underwater. I even got a mouthful of water – EWWWW seriously it was horrible – like pond water.
After completing the lap, I got out for a little breather not knowing if we were allowed to do another lap?! The organiser I spoke to previously was kind and warm and asked how did I feel and am I going to do another lap? So after a quick breather I got back in, this time feeling miles more confident and started trying to get my head underwater.
I started getting used to it and up to a point after half way round my second lap I was doing full breaststroke like I would in a pool, full head underwater looking at all of the water weed and sediments pass under me like I was going warp speed in outer space ha! My imagination!!
After the second lap I took a breather at the floating platform but not getting out. There were also a few other people having a break and for some reason I next said something pretty stupid. I heard a guy complaining about a particular ailment he was having with his neck and that he was only able to do 2 of the 3 laps he wanted to do. He was going on about how he didn’t feel too disappointed but would have like to have done 3. Then next I asked another guy close to us all how many laps would be a mile and he said just over 3 laps. So I thought with the extra swim I did between the two floating platforms at the beginning I shouted “I may as well crack on with it then – I’ll never forgive myself if I get out just doing two” and swam off thinking “what the hell did you say that for? That guy and everyone doing one or less will be cursing you to death”…. aaaahhh oh well I didn’t know em anyway!
My final lap was fine – it takes a while to get round it but to be fair it is the equivalent of doing 20 laps without a break. My head was that much underwater my eyes actually started getting used to the dark-greenness of the water and I started to see lots of lovely objects inside. I was going at a fantastic pace once I learned how to do breaststroke in open water and guess what? I zoomed past ‘the guy’ who went outside without doing his wetsuit zip up until the last minute! Yeah ZOOOM just shows my pool training has massively helped me!
After my final lap I got out and immediately felt the warm water in my wetsuit drain out of me! So that’s what it does!!! It pulls in water and your body heats it up and you (technically) don’t get cold apart from your hands, head and feet. I felt great though – I could have done a fourth lap but I thought that would be something I could aim for next time I come.
I felt really REALLY proud of myself! It was nowhere near as terrifying or as difficult as I thought it would be. I took a quick picture and video with my waterproof camera which you can see below.
I was keen for today’s run not just because it’s a nice change to swimming hundreds of boring lengths of a pool but to see how my pace was since my form has considerably changed lately.
So pleased about my pace!! I’ve never ran as fast over this distance ever!! Overall averaged at 8 min/mile and one of my miles running a 7:21 min/mile, my slowest at 8:30 min/mile which is normally my super fastest pace.
Well today was the Big Day! and it almost went to plan! I had to retire at 830 lengths because my lungs were so sore from the constant breathing for 13 hours. The top and lower part of my breathing hurt incredibly which resulted in me breathing quicker in the mid-range. This resulted in me not getting the carbon dioxide out of my lungs consequently making me breathe faster and faster (AKA hyperventilating) causing more pain and dizzyness! Towards the end my breaks were taking longer and longer as I was needing more time to recover before getting back into the pool but at 830 lengths my breathing didn’t recover and in fact got worse – so I had to retire which was absolutely gutting!!
If I have to be honest, although the Horwich Leisure Centre have been amazing with setting up everything, making me comfortable on the day and providing me with so much support – it wasn’t really the ideal venue to do the 1,000 with hindsight. It was TOO warm as I stated in last week’s article (500 length Practice Swim) which resulted in me having to breathe more and cool down more often getting out of the pool. I completed 700 lengths at Manchester Aquatics Centre without any complications knowing perfectly I could have done 1,000 on that day but at 500 lengths in at Horwich Leisure Centre I knew something was wrong. My form was great, energy, muscles and everything – even my knee wasn’t too bad with the knee support I put on. But I knew my breathing was getting sore and I just hoped it wouldn’t get any worse – which unfortunately it did! After 830 and getting out of the pool, getting changed and sitting on a chair at the Leisure Centre entrance I realised I needed an ambulance. I was quite distressed to be fair and it took ages to be assessed seriously at Bolton Hospital until I was given some very strong painkillers to allow me to breathe properly.
BUT what was incredible was that my friends Danny and Karen decided to jump in the pool and finish off the 170 lengths swim with the lengths my brother Pete already did with me during the day!
The support I got throughout! WOW it was incredible. From charity members to friends and family – getting cheers and roars of encouragement and waves and smiles it absolutely helped me to even get to 830. Pete my brother did 150 lengths with me (his previous PB was 50!!). Tim Cromarty got in the pool with me and did some lengths and coached me and making me comfortable throughout! Suzy who organised everything including getting up early on the day to make sure I got in the pool OK and everything and even did my warm up lengths with me too.
Summary: Swimming 1,000 was never a personal achievement. Don’t get me wrong it would have been amazing to have got there but I am proud of my 830 lengths with the thousands of lengths training I have done previously! HOWEVER, my personal achievement and main aim was to raise a ton of cash and awareness for the two charities which I DID FANTASTICALLY! We smashed the £1,000 mark last night so it was amazing knowing that this morning. So many beautiful caring people I’m so lucky and blessed to have them in my life!
I will move onto the Great North Swim event now still brimming with confidence and training starts next Monday!
Run Fat Ging Run 