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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

couldn't resist

Got up with Kate this morning and thought I might as well go to the Lido earlier than usual. Signed in at 7.45am and met Jo Scanlan on the way in. She's doing a 10K swim in September in the Lake District, but I'd met her on a Swimtrek holiday in the Inner Hebrides last year.

I thought (see Mission accomplished post) that I'd stick to 2km, but I felt fine in the sunshine, so kept going to 2 miles. Then had a long luxurious sauna, met Alex in person, had a chat about TI and Art of Swimming styles with Elizabeth, then hopped back on the bike for a ride home.

Log - 3.3km or 2 miles at 12 degrees.

old McDonald

Walking up to the lido today and bumped into Jim McDonald on the way in. I haven't seen Jim for ages - as he's usually behind the wheel of a black cab. He's been going in all winter and thought I'd gone soft, until I told him what I was swimming these days. Spurred on, Jim decided to go for 12 lengths. I got in before him and had done 4 by the time he got in. I'd done 18 when I paused mid-length and asked him if he was getting out - as I wanted more of a chat. He said, "Oh, I'm feeling fine, I'm gonna do another ten." I thought, "What the hell, that'll make around 28 lengths for me."

That is, until he stopped me at the end of my 24; he'd managed another 4, and said he could only manage 2 more. So I ended up doing 26. And on exiting I know why he wanted to stop, as he didn't stop shivering for the next 45 minutes as we chatted over coffee about the sad shower that are our political representatives.

2.38km at 12 degrees. Feels so much warmer than 8!

creeping upwards

A mile on Tuesday - and at 8 degrees it felt cooler. And two kilometres today. The difference in Tooting Bec Lido is 4 lengths. Am aiming for two miles (36 lengths) by the end of April - when I'm hoping it'll be above 10 degrees C.