Jim 1: Channel 0. Now for the return match!

[Monkey_Monkey_Underpants]

Morning all! Now 13km out into the Channel. I'm sure I'd be able to see France if it was a clear day, rather than being so blasted foggy!

I managed 66 lengths this morning - which is not bad. Not as good as some days, but I was quite tired.

Slight digression: That's not a normal kind of number for me, - because even in my new ability to resist the 4 - 4 - 4 - 4, I haven't got out of thinking in 16s! - but it was a bit confusing this morning. I was aiming for a mile (64 lengths), and was matching a colleague in the lane next to me up to the 40 mark. She's pretty much as regular as clockwork, and always does 40 lengths. But when I thought we were at 40, she didn't get out! She got out 2 lengths later. So I started to doubt myself: had I lost count at some point? (8 - 2 - 4 - 2 isn't quite as easy to count as 4 - 4 - 4 - 4) So when I thought I'd done 64 I did 2 more in case I hadn't. Then, when I got out I asked Di, and for some reason she had done 42 this morning! So - I was reassured that I really can count, and I've got 2 more lengths on my tally.
I'm still well ahead of the average I need for my target, which means that technically I could slow the pace a bit. But I'm scared that then something would crop up to stop me going for a couple of days, and jeopardise me achieving it. So I'm still going hell for leather!

And I was almost mown down by a ferry this morning. Well, that was what she said she was. It was another colleague, swimming in the next lane. Suddenly she boomed loudly then swam straight at me, shouting "I'm a ferry, I'm a ferry!"
If I say "some people are weird", I confidently expect comments along the lines of pots and kettles. But they are!
And heaven help me when she decides to be a jellyfish.

I've also discovered that you can fool the cramp, just a little bit, when it comes to get you, by changing strokes. But that doesn't last long, and it'll get you in the end!

But, anyway, I'm still swimming, and that croissant is getting ever closer.

More tomorrow...

 

[MadameLaMinx]

Hahahahahah.

Nice to see your colleagues getting into the spirit of things. Thats not weird, its hilarious!

Mind you, if she had done that to me I would probably have laughed so much that I drowned. So rather you than me!

 

[fillymum]

Next time she shout ferry, ferry you shout back........." be prepared to be boarded " lol.

Keep swimming, France is getting closer and think of all that duty free you can bring back with you on the "ferry".

hugs xxx

 

[Monkey_Monkey_Underpants]

Mind you, if she had done that to me I would probably have laughed so much that I drowned. So rather you than me!

Fortunately it was in the shallow end!

Anyway, sorry I haven't been on for a few days. So, quick catch up:

On Friday I had a day off, so I did the lunchtime shift in the pool, rather than the early one. And without the time pressure, I made it to 96 lengths!
I was kind of hoping for a few more, but when the cramp hit for the third time, I decided to give in.

And when I got out, I was so tired, and so hungry, that instead of walking straight home I went to the pool café & had a jacket potato with cheese & beans, a large Diet Pepsi, and sat there for a while without anybody bothering me. It was lovely!
Then I had to walk home, and get on with a zillion jobs, but it was still worth it.

I had my day off from swimming on Saturday.

Yesterday I went to the pool, thinking I could get another good long swim in, because it's open for one long session at the weekends, rather than the odd couple of hours here & there.
However when I was all changed and ready, I realised I'd forgotten my goggles! I made it to 48 lengths, but by that time my eyes were stinging so much that I thought I'd better stop.
On the bright side, a 48-length-swim, which used to be about the longest I ever did, when I managed to get in early enough in the mornings, felt like a walk in the park - gentle & relaxing. So I must be getting fitter!

I've got a meeting in another hospital this morning, so haven't done an early swim. I hope I'll be back in time to go at lunch time, otherwise I'm going to struggle this evening, as I'm already charging around from pillar to post as it is, with picking up DD from one place, delivering her to another, and then having to go out myself.

I know it won't really matter if I miss a day, as I'm well ahead of my target. But I don't want to. Given that I am doing so well, I really want to keep going, and see how close I can get to the full round trip. (I'll stop for a croissant & a pain au chocolat, but then just turn round and swim for home.)
I know I won't get all the way back - but somehow, now I've really got into my swimming, and am so far ahead of where I thought I'd be, it doesn't seem right just to stop, after maybe only 3 & a bit weeks, if that's all it takes, and then be able to say I've done it. It doesn't feel like a big enough challenge any more, not if I can do it that quickly.
So even though I'm pretty sure I won't make it all the way back, I feel that I should still keep it up as though it's still a tough target, otherwise it won't seem as though I've done a big thing for Lent.
That sounds silly, given how enormous a challenge it seemed at the beginning, but that's kind of where I've got to with it.
Does that make sense?

 

[Monkey_Monkey_Underpants]

Wooohooo!

Afternoon - just a quick update.

I did my lunch time swim. 80 lengths. So now:

I'M MORE THAN HALF WAY ACROSS THE CHANNEL!!!

It's a bit cloudy today, but I thought I caught a glimpse of that lighthouse-type thing in Calais. I'm sure I did!
So my pâtisseries are getting ever nearer.

That's making me hungry...

 

[MadameLaMinx]

Ignore the patisserie! Think of the target! Think of it!

 

[Monkey_Monkey_Underpants]

Ignore the patisserie! Think of the target! Think of it!

I'm thinking of it, Minxster.
But I'll allow for it in my syns.
I am NOT swimming all the way to France without getting at least one pain au chocolat!

And, just in case I don't get on for a fuller update later, I can confirm that another mile was beaten into submission this morning.

It's getting easier to do these longer swims, so I must be getting at least a little bit fitter. But it's much more boring, just powering up & down that pool - oops, sorry, Channel! - now that I'm doing nearly all of it in just one stroke.

 

[Leapfrog]

By the way, don't forget that French pâtisseries close in the afternoons, sometime between 1pm and 5pm. Some are closed on Mondays too. I'd hate for you to arrive when they're all closed

 

[Monkey_Monkey_Underpants]

Ignore the patisserie! Think of the target! Think of it!

I'm thinking of it, Minxster.
But I'll allow for it in my syns.
I am NOT swimming all the way to France without getting at least one pain au chocolat!

And, just in case I don't get on for a fuller update later, I can confirm that another mile was beaten into submission this morning.

It's getting easier to do these longer swims, so I must be getting at least a little bit fitter. But it's much more boring, just powering up & down that pool - oops, sorry, Channel! - now that I'm doing nearly all of it in just one stroke. Still: no pain, no gain. Or so they say.

 

[MadameLaMinx]

Weird duplicate post shenanigans!

 

[Monkey_Monkey_Underpants]

I'm blaming it on the network. It was off and on like a ****'s knickers this morning!

 

[MadameLaMinx]

Im blaming it on the thought of the patisserie.

 

[Monkey_Monkey_Underpants]

There is always that possibility!

 

[Monkey_Monkey_Underpants]

By the way, don't forget that French pâtisseries close in the afternoons, sometime between 1pm and 5pm. Some are closed on Mondays too. I'd hate for you to arrive when they're all closed

Thank you, Leapfrog. I'll try to time my arrival carefully.

But if they're closed, I'll just camp outside until they open. I'm not leaving without my breakfast!

 

[Maximus]

Hi Sarah

Out of interest, how long (approx) does it take to complete a mile or approx 64 lengths (2m lengths)?

I fancy doing something like this but it would be a logistical nightmare to fit it all in bewtween boring stuff, like work, life, my walking etc.

I figured on approx 1hour per mile (30 second lengths) but that is very much guesswork on my part. It is a long time since I swam for anything other than fun/recreation.

Have you any approx timings.

Oh and very well done by the way. This would certainly get my weight-loss moving if I can fit it in.

Steve

 

[Monkey_Monkey_Underpants]

Hi Steve. Thanks for popping in.

I'm happy to help, but a bit confused.

My pool is 25m, so a mile is 64 lengths. That sounds like yours. But that means that if a mile took an hour, you'd be looking at 1 minute lengths, not 30 second ones. So - ??

Anyway, I can give you some of my timings, which may help slightly, although obviously everyone swims at different speeds.

When I started, I was doing less than 40 lengths in half an hour, and my first challenge was to get my swimming up to that rate. (Mind you, I was swimming a mixture of strokes at that stage, and my breast stroke is definitely not the fastest!)

Now I'm doing mostly front crawl, and getting a mile done in about 45 minutes.
I'm not always the fastest person in the pool, but I'm probably much nearer to the fast end of average than the slow end.

I think that if you were starting from very little swimming, but were a competent swimmer, a mile an hour is something you could hope for: you might find you were already there, or it might be a first target to aim for. Because it's not only getting to a length-a-minute speed, it's having the stamina to maintain it for an hour, isn't it?

Give it a go, and let me know how you get on!

 

[Woodland girl]

Loved reading through this and I think I will have a pan o chocolate with you when you get there!!

 

[Monkey_Monkey_Underpants]

Just a quick update, in case you think I've drowned.

I'm not going to manage a swim today. (And I can't quite decide whether that merits a or a !)

I knew I wasn't going to fit it in first thing, as I had too many pre-work jobs to do, and an early meeting.
So I brought my stuff, and planned to go at lunch time.
But then I looked at my calendar, and discovered how much I had to get done prior to ANOTHER meeting, at 1 o'clock, and realised this just wasn't feasible either.
And I've got Latin straight after work, and then a Church meeting later.
It's just not going to happen today.

And, to be honest, by how I felt on the walk to work, and the extent to which I feel totally shattered today, it won't do me any harm to miss a day. I might actually get a chance to recoup a little bit of energy.

HOWEVER...

... if I'm on here again tomorrow saying I just can't fit it in (or, worse still, if I don't appear here at all), you have my permission to KICK me all the way to France. And back. Any excuse I came up with tomorrow really would just be an excuse. Today it is genuinely circumstances beyond my control making it impossible.

 

[Maximus]

Hi Steve. Thanks for popping in.

I'm happy to help, but a bit confused.

My pool is 25m, so a mile is 64 lengths. That sounds like yours. But that means that if a mile took an hour, you'd be looking at 1 minute lengths, not 30 second ones. So - ??

Anyway, I can give you some of my timings, which may help slightly, although obviously everyone swims at different speeds.

When I started, I was doing less than 40 lengths in half an hour, and my first challenge was to get my swimming up to that rate. (Mind you, I was swimming a mixture of strokes at that stage, and my breast stroke is definitely not the fastest!)

Now I'm doing mostly front crawl, and getting a mile done in about 45 minutes.
I'm not always the fastest person in the pool, but I'm probably much nearer to the fast end of average than the slow end.

I think that if you were starting from very little swimming, but were a competent swimmer, a mile an hour is something you could hope for: you might find you were already there, or it might be a first target to aim for. Because it's not only getting to a length-a-minute speed, it's having the stamina to maintain it for an hour, isn't it?

Give it a go, and let me know how you get on!

Sorry, I got Olympic-size (50m) and 25m confused.

 

[Monkey_Monkey_Underpants]

Morning, Peeps. No kicking needed today. I'm back. As promised.

I did a mammoth 100 lengths today!
(And Steve, I checked the timings:
2.5 km in 67 minutes, so averaging 2.239 km/hr.
Or 1.3911 miles/hr.
Or 1 mile in 43.13 minutes. Ok?)

I feel particularly knackered now, but I felt a bit guilty after yesterday, and this morning I had the time to be able to keep going, so I did.

I can DEFINITELY see France now! I'm not close enough to smell the croissants (or the garlic!) yet, but I'm certainly getting nearer. Where I am, all I can smell is sea. And ferry diesel.

I HOPE my new ticker should now be working, to show my swimming progress. The trouble is I can't see tickers on the work PC, so I can't tell whether it's updating properly. Can anyone tell me? I think it should be showing me at 22.7km. Wooohooo - that's almost two thirds of the swim done!