new address

You can find me here from now on. Musings of an aquatic ape.

colder

After the excitement of Saturday and with the endurance race behind us, but the channel crossing more than 18 months away, we/I need a new challenge. But the temperature has dropped. The thought of trying a mile in sub-four degrees C is a little daunting, so I think we'll try for a sub-four km.

Today we did 6oo yards and felt very cold.

Links for CWSC

http://quickdip.blogspot.com/2011/01/cwsc.html#comments

http://segingembre.blogspot.com/

http://coldwater2011.posterous.com/

http://www.demotix.com/news/564963/cold-water-championships-london

http://www.calgaryherald.com/travel/Gallery+Wacky+weird+swimmers+Cold+Water+Championship/4150581/story.html

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/22012011/2/photo/22012011192106.html

CWSC 2011

photos by Ethan Caines and Kate

Both Highly Commended in the Hat Competition, good time for Carl in the endurance and Kate's raised a bundle of cash for Book Aid International.

on your marks, get set...

Down the lido for a swift 600 yards yesterday with Lisa who's over from Cork and in the endurance race with me. She's not swum in such cold water for a while. I met her outside the lido in flipflops and shorts. Meanwhile I'm in a merino beanie and long wool coat. She said it was the only way she could get cold acclimatised. Needless to say, she shivered afterwards.

And today at the lido for 9am to help set up for the CWSC. Lots of members down to help out. Worth listening to Elizabeth Furth's audio boo about it here. And, below, four of the stalwarts taking a well earned rest.

Chris, Robert, John and Jenny

And I managed to sneak a 400 yard swim in, with t'other Carl, to keep prepped for the endurance. Water still at just 4 degrees. Oh, and we got interviewed again...see the Telegraph tomorrow.

dropping

Thankfully the temperature in the lido is dropping, just in time for the CWSC. Now at 4 degrees C. But what a beautiful day; and the forecast is for no rain over the next few days. Hopefully, then, a sunny and slightly chilly day on Saturday, with the water temperature no more than 4 degrees C.

I thought I'd better keep up the distance, so did 800 yards (8 lengths) to keep my acclimatisation up.

fast, medium, slow

Tipping it down today, so didn't fancy getting soaked in the bike across south London; so took the much shorter trip to Crystal Palace. First km fast, chasing a fast lane swimmer, then losing him (18 mins), second km medium pace (20 mins), then 700 metres slow, but practising breathing sets and gliding.

1st km of the year

Decided to do a little more on entering the lido and seeing the sign saying 5.5 degrees. Got in with Tricky with the intention of doing 8 lengths (800 yards), got to the end of the eighth and felt fine so went on to do another three to make the kilometre.

Kate meanwhile did a fantastic 8 widths (300m) without gloves and boots and didn't suffer white finger. What a difference a few degrees makes. See her first width here.


Meanwhile, t'other Carl comes to the pool and is informed that I'd done a km, so promptly does 12 lengths!

longer and longer

Up to 5 degrees today. 660 yards - 210 more than needed for the endurance. We're now going for a sub-6 degree kilometre.

Kate's gone from 200 yards in a wetsuit at 14 degrees in September, to 266 yards at 5 degrees in just her cossie. A fully paid up member of the hard core club.

mmm...overachieving

I've been up in Cumbria for a couple of days, but unable to swim due to long work hours. So I was really looking forward to a swim in the lido. I've noticed that the temperature has been picking up and hoping that the lido had got a little warmer, but not too much. Coincidently I got a call from the Telegraph journalist who wanted to experience cold water swimming for a piece on the Cold Water Swimming Championships. This morning, I met David, Clara (the photographer) and t'other Carl and we briefed him on how to get in, what to expect and how to recover afterwards. We were kidding him that the pool had warmed up (from 2 degrees last weekend, to 4 degrees today) and that he had no chance of getting hypothermic.

He got in, found it incredibly cold, but perservered and swam a width. Carl and I did 600 yards.

gently does it

Two straight km at Crystal Palace, followed by 200m of breathing sets - 11/9/7/5/3/5/7/9/11 etc and a 100m of kicking on the back. All done at a leisurely pace. Pool mostly empty. Blissful.

things various

1. Met the other Carl and kept up our endurance training - 400 yards at 2 degrees. Brrr. At home later found an email from the CWSC organisers which said channel rules apply. I don't have any 'budgie pouches' so am seeking an exemption to swim in my jammers.

2. Re-read some of 'Do you swim here often?' and was fondly reminded of zen like swimming. Which is where I've had to get to to tolerate 8 minutes in near freezing water. Which leads me to...

3. Found a link, while re-reading, to the wonderful Katherine gets wet - a regular swim blogger from north London.

ripples

Cold Water Swim Champs rehearsal

Kate and I went down to the lido to take part in a dry run of the championships as swimmers. The organisers needed to work out the logistics of how the swimmers get ready to ensure a smooth transition between races. We were randomly allocated races and relay teams, but it was still a little competitive. Kate did her first races without gloves or boots and was fine afterwards; so she's now assured that she'll be ok on the day.

Also met Tricky in the sauna and we decided to also practise our endurance swim. Reader I swam the distance, minus 30m, and was very chilled afterwards. So am now confident that I'll be fine on the day. And even enjoy it.

pining for the sea

Although I love the feeling of swimming in cold water and the perk of the sauna, I'm missing the sea. I've been dreaming of swimming in kelped water, messing about and gliding through shafts of sunlight. Managed more 1 degree swimming today, but wish I was somewhere like this

View from Calshot to the Isle of Wight

on target

Spurred on by the peeing rain, decided to extend my time in the chilly embrace of Tooting Bec Lido. The endurance race on 22 January is 500 yards, or five lengths of the lido. Today I did four lengths. The lifeguards thermometer is broken, so I can only guess at the temperature, but think it was about 2 degrees - double the last time I swan in the lido. Four lengths was my training target, as I figured the adrenaline would get me over the last length, but I thought today that I could have swum more. Acclimatisation works!

upping the pace

Back to Crystal Palace for some lengths. Matched a swimmer in the fast lane for the 1st km to work the lungs out - achieved. Took it slightly easier on the second km, and then did another 400m slowly, on my back and a 50m sprint. Feel like I've had a work out. Chlorine and warmth a bit much though. Back to the chilly embrace of Tooting Bec Lido tomorrow.

warm and humbled

2.5km in the balmy embrace of Crystal Palace pool. Entranced by the swimmer in the next lane who combined all four strokes at a greater pace than my crawl. And she was there from before I got in, and was still there when I was walking out of the centre. Super swim fitness personified.

re-iced

Back to ice. Unable to swim lengths because of the frozen shallow end, we had to swim widths; which feel psychologically harder.

Just above zero

T'other Carl's Dad, who's down visiting, did a brave 30m. Kate contented herself with two widths, I reduced my total to 6 and the ice man did 12. My only excuse being that the first one was a sprint, to see how long it'll take me in the championships; my second width was head up breaststroke, which I find hard to do; so was out of rhythm for the next few. Back to 8 (or maybe 10) on Wednesday, as I'm off for a long, warm swim tomorrow.

1st and 2nd

Decided to up my game and get serious about the endurance race at the Cold Water Swim Champs. Did 180 metres at 1 degree on New Years Day and 240 m at 1 degree today. The pool was a picture of loveliness

And Kate continued her membership of the hard core cold water swimmers with a magnificent 120 m - including a width of head down crawl. From wetsuit at 16 degrees to skin at 1 degree in three months - fantastic!