Two Way Windermere - Still Training!
I started to write this post at the end of May whilst sat at Banana Wharf at The Hamble after joining my husband’s sailing club regatta dinner in Cowes on the Isle of Wight but life has been super busy!
For the last few years I have gone across for the whole weekend of the regatta with @yummymermummy and the littlest mermaid and we have enjoyed some sea dips and adventures whilst the boys lost sailing races!
However, this year my training programme for two-way Windermere requires quite a high level of input from me so this weekend provided a great opportunity for me to stay at home and immerse myself in the lake and get some decent kms swum
On the back of what had already been a solid week of pool swimming and strength training the weekend included a 4km pool swim on Friday, 6km lake swim early on Saturday and to finish off a further 5km in Box End Park lake on Sunday morning before taking what turned out to be an epic drive to Southampton on Sunday afternoon!
On arrival at the Royal London Yacht Club I met up with some of the crew, they had retired early from the race with a broken halyard and were doing what they do best and sitting in the bar with a bottle of fizz on the go! I was invited to join them (I had secretly been hoping for a nana nap before the evening’s frivolities) and was poured a sparkling cold glass of Tattinger whilst they shared the weekends fortunes and mishaps!
These guys all know that I swim, and Charlie had obviously told them I had been training this weekend so throughout the evening I was asked lots of questions about how it was going, so I thought I would share them with you.
What are you training for?
Two-way Windermere on the 9th September – its 21 miles or 34km for anyone who likes numbers
How on earth do you train for that?
The first few months of 2019 had all been about consistent technique, mainly in the pool – trying out some stroke tweaks and concentrating on the process so that the art of swimming becomes automatic.
Since April it has been about getting back in the lake and getting acclimatised in the differing water temperatures and putting the pool training into practice in the Blue Seventy wetsuit.
From hereon its about getting the cumulative volume of time and distance in the water on a weekly basis aiming to cover upto 34km. I’ll never swim the 34km in a day before I swim 34km in a day!
Don’t you get bored?
No, every pool session is different, has a slightly different focus and a programme that keeps me interested. I have a great coach and no two swims are the same.
Weren’t you training to be an Open Water Swimming Coach last year?
Yes, I qualified as an STA OWS coach last year, tutored by Keri-anne Payne but having my own coach for my endurance swimming is also really important – I have no idea how to train for an ultra-swim marathon.
How far is a swim marathon?
Swims over 10km are generally considered as a marathon swim so 34km puts this in ultra-marathon territory.
How long do you think it will take?
I don’t honestly know and like sailing it will depend on conditions on the day and because it’s a there and back swim the conditions are unlikely to be favourable both ways. One way took me 6.5 hours so I’m guessing double it then add some!
How and what do you eat in the water?
I’m really pleased that Swim the Lakes are providing my kayak support again this year. I will have an agreed feed strategy like I did for one way, Pete would stop me on the hour every hour so that I could bob up, tread water for a minute and take on around 300 calories to keep the calorie tank topped up. On the swim I had peanut butter sandwich thins, chipolatas, jelly babies, grapes, mars bar bites and ginger nuts (in case of sea sickness) all sloshed down with an electrolyte drink. At the moment I am thinking the feed stops might be more frequent as the time in the water will be so much longer, but I’ll work that out with my coach and Mel who is supporting me this time will be in charge of the in swim buffet! There are no extreme cream teas like you guys have!
Are you raising money for charity?
I haven’t committed to this yet but it seems like a lot of effort to go to without trying to raise a few quid for a worthy cause so I am sure that I will decide closer to the time. I’ll let you know!!
Footnote:
Training is going well, I’ve had a few confidence/ability wobbles but that’s natural. Part of me wants to swim close to 34km before I swim the 34km but my head (and coach) keep telling me that’s not the plan – the focus is consistent technique and managing my mind to take me through the process and as Ross Edgley says focus on the process not the end point. Hearing Ross speak at Cambridge certainly helped me focus my thinking on resilience and mindset. So, I am considering that any wobbles or off par swims now are character building and something to draw on for resilience on Monday 9th September!
You can follow more of this journey on Instagram.
