Well it's nearly time!!! After 2 years of training; spending hours in pools, far too much time in very cold water, hitting the gym, spin classes, weight lifting and cake eating, I have just a few weeks to go until I swim the English Channel. It's 21 miles to the shortest point but the coast falls away either side so the tides usually force you to swim further.
I'll just be in my costume, hat and googles (wetsuits are banned), and it will take probably around 16/17 hours so I will be swimming some of it in the dark. There will be jelly fish and huge tankers to dodge, and I can only hope for good weather.
I have started a project to build a 25m outdoor pool on the Robert Piggott Infant and Junior school site in Wargrave, that will be suitable for the whole community to use. We need to raise £200k to fund this project and I am hoping to kick off the fundraising with my Channel swim.
Things I have learnt during training:
1)The first 2 minutes in 4 degree water are the worst. Once you are completely numb it's not so bad.
2) If you swim in the sea for 6 hours and only breathe on once side, you get a one-sided suntan (see photos).
3) Jelly fish stings can be really, really bad.
4) If you tumble turn while swimming 12km in a 20m pool (600 lengths) you will get seasick.
5) If you are training for the Channel, during the winter months you will ALWAYS smell of chlorine, no matter how much you shower.
I am due to go on the first weekend of August but this is weather dependent. I am covering the cost of the swim so all donations go to the pool project and are very gratefully received!
Many thanks,
Hannah
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