Sea Swimming

Something has changed.  Friends, work colleagues and family have noticed it.  My physio has remarked upon it.  The swimmers at Source Health & Fitness have commented upon it.  There has been a change.  There is a disturbance in 'the Force'.  That disturbance has been caused by coach Eilís handing everyone their sea swimming schedule on the 1st of May.  No more pool!  Outdoors from now on, and not only that, but a huge jump in the mileage as well - 55km, 75km, 88km etc etc.   Ok, deep breath, how can I make this work?  I need to habituate myself to the cold water (about 11 C at the moment) even though the Channel swim will be much warmer (hopefully 14-16 C), but as I am a skinny person I am currently having huge problems with lasting a long time in the water, and endure shivering and muscle cramping after each swim.  Mentally and physically this is exhausting, and my muscles are paying the price, as my physio has seen.

In order to keep up the mileage, though, I have to now swim twice a day, and do long swims in a wetsuit when I have the time or opportunity.  It's also not advisable to swim on my own, so a bit of organising with others is required as well.  So since the 1st of May I have been doing a lot of driving to do relatively short swims, lots of shivering, then repeating again after work, while keeping an eye on the tide times so that I have enough water in which to swim.  Then home to prepare enormous quantities of food and prepare for the next morning's 6:30am swim.

Needless to say this has consumed an enormous amount of time, and I have been worried about increasing my duration in the cold water, and how to maintain the mileage when this duration is still short.  This is the real challenge.

The real training has started.

Galway Table Quiz

Last night, 11th May, team SleepSwim held a table quiz fundraiser in Lohan's at the roundabout in Salthill, Galway.   A very intelligent crowd showed up on the night, ready to answer all variety of challenging and bizarre questions.  In total 13 tables battled it out for prizes of wine, chocolate and vouchers for cakes.


It was neck and neck for a long time, but then the Food & Drink round allowed team "2swimmers2 gingers" to nudge ahead of "The Zoomers" super-team and claim victory.  A mega-raffle for 20 prizes allowed many who found that the questions didn't suit them to walk away with something interesting, useful or alcoholic.


In total the quiz night and other donations raised €1,232 for St Vincent de Paul's vital work in the Galway region.  The Cork quiz is Thursday 24th May - please come out and support SVP and Marymount Hospice. The pressure is on Cork now to beat the Galway totals..

A big thank you to those who turned out on a lovely sunny evening - lots of swimmers, paddlers, musicians and relatives of Riana.  Thanks also to Quiz master Alice Parsons, helpers Riana & Ciara, and to all those who provided gifts for the prizes & raffle - especially Lohan's, Sheila's Hostel, McCambridge's, River Deep Mountain High, Briar Hill Vet Clinic, The Great Outdoors, Gourmet Tart Co, Catherine Walsh, Orla Parsons, Aengus Parsons, and all the Blackrock Swimming Ladies.

Laps of Sandycove Island

Sandycove Island, for those who don't know by now, is an island close to shore just outside the mouth of Kinsale harbour in Cork.  It is about 18 acres in size, is inhabited by goats and one or two small trees, and is circumnavigated fastidiously like a school of hungry sharks by the Sandycove Swimmers, triathletes and of course English Channel aspirants (ahem..).

A swim around the island is a mile in duration and a lot of people swim around the island a lot of times.  Some even count the number of times they do so.  In recognition of the dedication of these people and their swimming stamina a list is kept of life-time achievement counts of 100 laps ('C' in roman numerals), 500 laps (D) and 1,000 laps (M).  Yesterday, however, the list had to be updated.

Here's a group photo of the early swimmers on the slipway (there were plenty more swimmers later on). Carmel, Alan, SleepSwim, Finbarr, Riana, Lisa and Catherine.  We started early because we wanted to do a long swim.  The sun was out, but so too was a rapier north-easterly wind, which whipped up huge swells at the back of the island, and all the way down the inside too.  Water temperature ranged from about 10C outside the island, to a truly tropical 12C at the beach on the island.

Here's Fin enjoying the sunshine at the slip.  In the end Carmel did 5 laps - a new best for her this season, Alan did his first 2012 lap, myself and Cat swam for nearly 3 hours, and Fin and Lisa stayed in for an astonishing 6 hours.  They both clocked up their 100th laps of the year, with Lisa completing her 500th lap, and Fin passing the Red House for the 1,000th time.  Well done to both.

Ten weeks to go

Well, from today there are 10 weeks left to the start of my swim tide, the 10th - 18th July.  After months of training and hard slog, suddenly it's right there in front of me, only 70 days away.  I am 4th on the list for my pilot, and you never know what the weather will be like, so my actual swim date is still an unknown - nothing to do but hope for good weather and a short wait in Dover.

What will happen in the next 10 weeks?  The transition from pool to the outdoors will increase drastically, even though the weather is terrible at the moment and the sea water temperature about 9 or 10C.  Soon there will be no more pool swims - a great relief to the sinuses and lots more space in the pool for the regulars.  There are some organised swims coming up in the next few weeks - repeats of the Round Spike swim, a 6-hour sea swim in 2 weeks' time, and a 9-day Distance Camp with daily long swims in June, including another 6-hour sea swim.

Preparations for the swim will also start in earnest - booking flights, co-ordinating crew, planning swim feeding schedules, making sure equipment and backups are all ok etc.  This is a busy month for fundraising for me also - two table quizzes to hold, plus a few other ideas as well.

Ten weeks to go.  These are the weeks to hold the nerve, look after the shoulders, keep to the training program, enjoy the long outdoor swims, and hopefully watch the water temperature rise and rise.  In the meantime, as Muhammad Ali says - "Don't count the days, make the days count."

Fundraising Events - Galway and Cork

In order to fundraise for my two charities, Marymount Hospice and St Vincent de Paul, I will be holding two table quizzes.  If you are living in either Cork or Galway please support these events, bring a friend (or a table-full of friends) and spread the word.  There will be food, prizes and plenty of fun.  Many thanks in advance.


The first Table Quiz will be held in Lohan's Bar & Restaurant in Salthill, Galway, on Friday the 11th May.

Kick-off is at 8pm.

All money raised will go to St Vincent de Paul West.

The second Table Quiz will be held in The South County Bar & Cafe in Douglas, Cork, on Thursday the 24th May.

Start time is again 8pm.

All money raised will go to Marymount Hospice and St Vincent de Paul in Cork.

Swimming for a cause

I will be using my swim to fundraise for two very deserving charities.  I will be running some events in the coming months, but I have also set up webpages where you can donate from the comfort of your computer at home.  So if you enjoy following this blog and want to do some good, then please consider a donation.  Thank you.

Marymount Hospice

St Patrick's Hospital, Marymount is a Cork institution that has helped countless people over the past 140 years.  They provide essential caring services for the elderly, and palliative and hospice care to those with life-threatening illnesses.  They do great work. You can support them here.

Society of St Vincent de Paul

The SVP deal with the poorest and most deserving in the community, on a personal and basic level.  They provide an essential safety net for those who fall through the cracks of welfare, and are a strong voice for equality for those without power or influence.  You can support them here.

Swimming Spots - Blackrock, Galway

Blackrock diving boards

Any time I visit Galway, a trip to the diving boards at Blackrock is pretty much compulsory.  Blackrock is at the end of the famous Salthill Prom, a pedestrian path along the shores of Galway Bay that is very popular with runners, speed-walkers, rollar-bladers, dog-walkers, strollers, and anyone looking for some exercise and fresh air.  The Prom is almost 2km long, with a fabulous view of the Bay, County Clare, and the Aran Islands.  A promenade is completed at Blackrock with a kick of the wall at the end of the pathway, and an about-face for the return journey.  Except, of course, for the swimmers.  These people, usually with a small bag under the armpit and a firm gaze to seaward, take a left turn and head for the diving boards.

Changing area

Blackrock is very well set-up for swimmers.  There are benches at a changing area with hooks on the wall to hold your towel, and a roof over your head that offers protection from the wind and rain.  There are toilets, a fresh-water shower and lots of steps and ladders into the sea.  There is a constant stream of swimmers arriving, changing, swimming, chatting, departing - no matter what the time of day, the tide, or the season.  There is always water for swimming, there are always swimmers for the water.

The Rocks

Achievement is measured by rocks here.  Along the Salthill Prom a number of rocky outcrops separate the different beaches.  A swim to the First Rocks is a round trip of 250m, to the second and back is 450m, to the Fourth Rocks,  Ladies' Beach and back home is about a kilometer.  Of course nobody is counting the distance, just the number of Rocks.

Bird's eye view of the Rocks

 The next time you're in Galway, stroll down to Blackrock and come for a swim..