THE BIG DAY ARRIVES UPDATE:

Hi everyone,

 

So, the big day that I had been training for, for the last 3 months finally arrived on saturday. I was ever so slightly nervous. Aside from being forceably entered for school sports days and one 'Race for Life' that I jogged I had never entered a sporting event in my life. My nerves were mainly to do with the process than anything else...getting there on time, checking in etc. When we arrived I was pleased to see it was a really well organised event, with loads going on...farmers market, climbing wall etc...... We got there in time to watch the Elite Atheletes race - the Olympics medallists et al looked like they had motors attached to their feet and came in around 18mins.

I have been training at Taplow lake recently where I have done sessions of 2 laps of a 750m course but I have to say, having the whole distance spread out ahead was a little daunting. Not to mention the March/April-like squally weather and strong winds.

 

I went to prepare in the big marquee and squeezed into the oh-so flattering rubber suit, and my starting time required the equally attractive pink neon hat with my race number on which I put over my usual hat to keep me warm. After lovely encouragement from my supporters I headed into what can only be described as the 'holding pen'  for the 300 odd starting at the same time as me (although greyhound or racehorse I am not!!!). There was also an opportunity to dip in the acclimatisation area to get used to the water temperature. I made sure to cool my head down before putting on my goggles in an aid to prevent them steaming up and tried to get water inside my wetsuit to create a layer that would hopefully keep me warm. The temp on saturday was 17.5 in the water and between 10-13 degrees out (my poor supporters!).

 

Back to the pen to do some warm up stretches and before I knew it we were counting down and off. Strangely slow motion at the beginning since you need to wade into waist deep to really get cracking and the cacophany of other arms and legs is also a bit off-putting. The main barrier however was the massive headwind for the first 600metres of the course, this was causing waves/chop that was a far cry from the smooth waters of Taplow lake. So much so, that few people (myself included) were doing front crawl and most of us sticking to breaststroke in order to breathe! (some even resorting to backstroke!) And I was later told by Adam that there were also some entrants that turned back...! 

I had planned to change to front crawl after the 4th marker once the wind would be coming across and not pushing waves directly in my face and although I did short bursts I actually stuck to breaststroke 90% of the way round as the waves kept pushing my goggles off and the water in my vision was too distracting doing front crawl - at least with breaststroke all the water stayed at the bottom of my goggles! It was very frustrating as my goggles had never leaked in training but I hadn't encountered seriously choppy water before!

 

I pushed on, keen make progress and to get out of the wind and always thinking of my dad, his fight and the generosity of everyone who has believed in me and sponsored me. Between the next markers the wind was behind and to the side of me, and it seemed to take forever to make any progress. Then we were turning another corner and for the final push I was back into a strong headwind....I put in some front crawl here...my anticipation of finishing kicking in. There was the slapboard, and race marshalls helping participants out of the water (since there was a big concrete step hidden under the water- which I and everyone else managed to trip over)...and then jogged jelly-legged through the gantry and I (and my timing chip) crossed the finish line!!!!!!!!

 

I spotted my supporters cheering in the crowd and shouted to Ad- how long? I was AMAZED when he said 33 mins....my fastest in training had been 45 mins, I am obviously significantly more competitive than I like to admit

 

I have attached photos from the day and a link below to some very fetching ones taken on the finish line and podium at the end.

http://www.marathon-photos.com/scripts/index.py

You go to 'British Gas Great East Swim' on the left hand side of the page and put in my race number 4724.

 

So my final statistics were; 33 mins 13 secs, and I came 996th of 3000 people entered....secretly wondering what time I would have managed if I front crawled all the way..............but really pleased to be in the top third of entrants.

 

I want to say an enormously big thank you to everyone who has sponsored me, and sent me messages of encouragement and luck. It has meant such a lot to me to have that support behind me and especially the times that were hards.. when I started training and couldn't breathe properly doing front crawl, the times I drove 45 mins after work to train in the middle of a lake at 8pm in the evening, the times I was  chased by a swan (and Ad has now admitted a water snake too!) in the Thames or was looking for yet another pool to train in since I have been moving around with no fixed abode since signing up for the event. Knowing that together we are making some difference to the lives of those with cancer really puts those mild discomforts and inconveniences into perspective.

 

I would also like to thank my parents and Greath and Heather and Sonja and Nigel for having me to stay during much of this period (and listening to my whingeing about house-hunting and wetsuit-fit...neither particulalry interesting topics I admit) and to them and Adam for their words, hugs and kisses of encouragement and coming down to Suffolk this weekend to stand in the yucky weather to cheer me on.

 

Finally, I would like to express my sympathy for the 36 year old woman who died whilst taking part in the event on saturday which was a huge tragedy and serves as an all too painful reminder of how short and precious life is.

 

I did this as I know how lucky I am to have my dad, and would like to help others to have more time with their loved ones.

You have raised over £2,300 (with gift aid) for the Body Scanner appeal at Poole Hospital, more than double what I set out as a target and there is still a few more sponsorships to come in.....

Thanks again, and hope to see you in the not too distant future,

 

Love Hannah xxx

 

 

Hi there, thanks for coming to look at my page,

As some of you may know last spring my dad was diagnosed with a late stage tonsil cancer that had spread to his lymph nodes and he required months of treatment and care. He received an excellent level of care from Poole Hospital from many departments there- including Sandbanks Ward, the Dorset Cancer Unit and the Radiotherapy Dept.

Fortunately, he is currently doing well since completing his treatment at the end of 2009 and although not totally out of the woods we all have great hope for the future.

I want to turn this period of our lives into a positive experience by helping to ensure that the hospital can continue to provide good levels of care to it's patients and to thank them for all their support.

So, I am enrolled to undertake The British Gas Great East Swim on June 19th 2010   http://www.greatswim.org/events/British-Gas-Great-East-Swim/       

 ....although no match to the bravery of what my dad has endured, the water will be cold and I will have to do some training to propel my unfit body through the deep dark water!! (I say this as no small feat as anyone who has swum with me on holiday will know I get a little paranoid as to what lies beneath the water while swimming!) not to mention that I  haven't done front crawl since I was about 10 years old.....

And finally- I will also have to appear in public in lycra!!!!!!!!

I am aiming to raise £1000 towards the Poole Hospital fund to buy and update medical scanning and associated equipment which will assist in the diagnosis and care of cancer sufferers. These scanners also benefit other patients, assisting in the assessment of breast, heart, stroke and skeletal problems. When speaking to anyone who may have cancer, has had cancer or loves someone with cancer the waiting period for these scans to provide answers to your unending questions is incredibly hard so any way to make the process more efficient and the answers more accurate is obviously helpful and will benefit others just like my dad and our family.

Please, please dig deep, perhaps if you could make a little sacrifice- the cost of some cinema tickets, a round of drinks, the price of your daily starbucks for the week etc  - your donations will be hugely appreciated and provide me with the motivation to go out and train in freezing cold water over the next few months................!!!!!

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you so much, I really do appreciate your support, and when you donate please guess how many minutes you think it will take me......the person closest gets a bottle of champagne!

Hannah xxx