April update...

Hello!

Very exciting, open water swimming has started! The first dip was in the Albert Dock, Liverpool, the water temperature was just under 10 degrees, I stayed in for 12 minutes. I have built this up slowly and have now reached an hour @ 13 degrees. So the distances are picking up again and my body is getting used to the cold. Of course it's really cold and as soon as your head goes under, you get a headache! but it's very stimulating and really rewarding when you've finished. The pain of the cold fades away as you get more & more numb! I did about 3km on the last swim and felt good. The jelly fish are around, in their large shoals but of course they are still very small at the beginning of the season. It's very strange how to begin with they were one of my biggest fears, and now they feel like my friends! I say hello every week and talk to them as I swim by, in a strange way it's like having company!

First Dip in the dock!

The slime almost looks like pleasant green grass?!

The boys still aren't convinced that the dock is too cold for them! Soooo....

when we got home we had to replicate the dock... needless to say from their facial expressions, it was COLD!!!

Boundary Water Park, in Knutsford, Cheshire starts up tomorrow which I'm looking forward to. So in a few weeks I should be able to make good use of both these open water sessions and should really get in 4hrs of open water in each week.

My first open water event will be the Albert Dock 4mile on the 23rd May. This will be quite tough mainly because the water will still be really cold.
The next 'gathering' apart from the weekly swims, will be my trip down to Dover at the end of June. This will be for one of the infamous 'training weekends'. I will be heading down with just Mark as his very kind parents are having the boys for the weekend! I am really grateful for this as it will give me time to concentrate on my swimming (while Mark nips to France & collects some 'provisions'!

Beginning of July I intend to swim a 2/3 way Coniston. This is about 5.5miles long so I need to do at least a two way for my 6hr qualifier.

18/19th July I will head down to Dover again for a training weekend. This time Mark AND the boys will be with me! So that will be fun.

The following weekend is the final trip down to Dover..... we have two weeks accomodation booked and I hope that my swim will fall inside those two weeks. Of course, as I have mentioned before, this is so weather dependent so I just have to keep my fingers crossed for a good summer!

Thanks again for ALL your support..... & I will keep this updated more now the swimming is 'heating' up!

Cheers,

Jacqui

March update.....

Once again it's been a while since I updated this, sorry!

Firstly - to invite you ALL to my fundraising event. Details are as follows:

I am going to be holding a fundraising event at The RAA (Richmond Athletic Association) on Saturday 30th May 2009! I am hoping this will start as a great 'family' day out and then follow with a good party in the evening. The event will be running from 2pm until late evening (11pm ish). There will be a price of £15 per person (no charge for children under 13). This will include a hog roast meal which will be served around 5pm. There will be an open cash bar from arrival until the end. There will be a bouncy castle for children along with a couple of other games and an 'assortment' of activities for the adults including either a live band or DJ in evening.Please come along! This enormous challenge has been the main occupant of my mind for a very long time! The training is exhausting, along with juggling family life & work - so please support me and help me reach my target of raising £5000 for WEZIMBABWE. The support that I have received so far, by either donations directly to WEZIMBABWE, or through the many messages & emails that I have received, has been amazing. I hope this event will be a great gathering of friends & family. I will then be able to personally thank everyone who has helped so far....So, PLEASE accept this event ASAP if you plan to come along. At the moment it's running as a facebook event 'Channel Swim Fundraising Fun Day for WEZIMBABWE!' - go on there and join the event, it's open to everyone. I will then forward the details to everyone on how to purchase tickets. Please pass this on to all your friends & family, the more the merrier.... If you don't have a facebook profile please just email on jacquismith@baileysmith.co.uk and I will send details on to you directly!P.S. For those of you that do not live near enough to Richmond to be able to get a train / bus / cab home, here is a link with hotels / B&B's - not sure on availability so I'd call sooner rather than later!http://www.activehotels.com/wl/servlet/search/freshSearch.do?trkref=SMU&latLong=51.469131,-0.294897 http://streetmap.co.uk/postcode/tw92ssSo - onto an update on my swimming!!! - Training is going WELL! The new year was good and I felt really strong after starting up at the gym again. January was a great month and I managed to cover a lot of distance in the pool. February I found very tough. For some reason I felt like I had hit a brick wall! I asked advice from fellow swimmers and I also emailed Alison Streeter - Queen of the Channel - swum it 43 times! The feedback that I got was to maybe cut back on either the gym work or the cycling. Maybe I was overdoing the 'less necessary' parts of keeping fit. Rather spend more quality time in the pool, than spend half hearted time in the pool because of being too tired. This seems to have worked and at the moment I am either cycling in the morning and swimming at night, or going to gym and then swimming at night - not all three in one day! Also I think I was pushing too many weights. I have gone back down to doing 'few weights and many repetitions' - for endurance rather than strength as it were.

So, unfortunately there is not anything particularty exciting in winter training to update you with! However, open water starts very soon which I'm really excited about. The first 'dip' in the Albert Dock is on the first Sunday in April. This is going to be a nice breath of fresh air after the stuffy indoor pools! Amazing how quickly your body adjusts to actually enjoying the cold!

There has been a lot to think of in the last month or so. I am in the middle of booking all my swims for the year. There are three or four organised swims that I will register for but one that I will have to attempt individually is Lake Windermere, which is 10.5miles. I need to cross this successfully in order to qualify for the Channel (it's required that you do a 6hr swim in 16degree water). However, this is not the only time I intend to swim for that long in cold water. I intend to go down to Dover for one of the 'training weekends' that are available in the harbour for aspiring Channel Swimmers. Apparently these involve a long hard 5/6hr swim on the Saturday and then another on the Sunday. Usually the distance covered is that of the Channel, or nearabout.

So. Once the open water starts again I shall post some pictures up and keep you up to date with swims I intend to take part in!

Thank you SO much to everyone for their support. To date I have raised £970 for WEZIMBABWE. I am so pleased with this as I haven't even swum the Channel yet! Thank you EVERYONE.

Coming soon will be a raffle - open to all. Many great prizes so far - but watch this space for a more detailed update!......

Cheers for now,

Jax

After the Christmas break....!

Hi again,

I thought I would put a little update on for the New Year. Training is going very well and I can feel myself getting fitter & faster. My times have come down per mile / km and I'm feeling very strong. Gym is obviously helping, and possibly the fact that I've stopped drinking!

Christmas was a little quiet as I wanted to spend some quality time with family before this hectic year of training. However, I did manage to get to the Albert Dock on Boxing Day and do about a 40second swim! - it was apparently 3.5Degrees Celsius so it was not really a 'swim', but more of a dip for people who wanted a 'kick'! It was good fun & actually not that cold because of the amount of time spent in the water. Unfortunately Mark was (selfishly!!!) really sick on Christmas Day & Boxing Day, so my designated photographer wasn't there!!! However, I managed to get some pictures from another source that was there photographing for her website, she managed to get me in one!

Me on the very right, contemplating the dip - I did get in I promise!

A nice clear winters day.

Plunging into nearly freezing water...

It might have been sunny but it was cold!

Otherwise, I'm busy planning my dairy for the year! - it doesn't look like there is going to be a free weekend for a few months. Hopefully it will all fall in to place and as soon as the open water season starts I'll be back in Salford Quays every Thursday evening, and the Albert Dock every Sunday morning. Along with my other 3 nights a week of swimming, every day cycling & gym work, I'm hoping this will be sufficient for my crossing! At the moment I'm managing to swim about 12/13miles a week, cycle about 15miles a week, and about 30mins of gym 4 times a week. Along with sit-ups & my physio exercises at night, this is about all the time I have spare! At the moment I get home at about 8, eat dinner, sit down for half an hour then go to bed! Ready to get up at 5.30 to cycle, then sort the kids out for nursery, get to work, finish work, straight to gym... and the circle repeats itself! Luckily I'm still working four days a week so I manage to get a nice quality day on Friday with the boys, otherwise I would feel like I never see them. Josh is really sweet and knows that I'm going to try and swim to France soon.... I took them swimming the other day and told him 'this is where mummy does all her swimming' and he asked me 'so is this France'! IF ONLY!

I'm really enjoying it at the moment and am loving feeling so fit. The putting on weight thing is going quite well. I'm a few kg's heavier than before Christmas, however, it's not as easy as you'd think with all the exercise.... never thought I'd be allowed to eat so much in a day.

Will keep this up to date & will make sure I post new news when I get any!

Thanks again everyone for your support.

Jacqui

A little update! (20th November '08)

Will I be this happy at the end of the Channel? Or will I need one of these rings midway through?!

Someone said to me the other day that nothing much happens on my blog! Sorry...... I thought it might be boring to post my training updates but maybe not.......?!

When I last wrote I was trying to find a squad to join to enable me to get more constructive sessions in - rather than plodding up and down a pool on my own. Well, I have been quite lucky in finding a gym which is on my way home - in Denton... (an Esporta gym). They have two sessions a week 0n a Monday & a Thursday which are pretty tough. I must admit that they don't compare to the sessions I used to do, they are not as long and probably not as tough. But, I think they are pretty good - I'm always exhausted afterwards. I tend to do half and hour or so in the gym first so that contributes to my fitness. I am starting weights tonight so from now on I will do some running / cycling, followed by weights, followed by swimming on Mon & Thursdays..

On Wednesdays I have been going to Stockport Central where they have, once again, a rather exhausting session. They are all part of a 'masters' scheme which is mostly made up of ex-GB swimmers.... hence the sessions being quite hard. I am trying to make sure I do two forms of excercise every week day.... ie: I cycle most days at 5.30am unless I'm going to be going to gym before swimming that night!... I am feeling pretty good and slowly feeling the fitness picking up.

Socially I think I've been good too! I have pretty much stopped drinking in the week altogether. I have a couple of drinks over the weekend unless there is a big party scheduled! I know December is going to be a bit hectic, obviously, with Christmas parties etc but I'm justyfying any drinking by being really good beforehand! Offering to be the 'designated' driver helps a lot.... it's rather boring but it's not forever! As I'm sure I've mentioned before, from the 1st January I will stop drinking until I have crossed the Channel.

This coming Monday I am going to try and do a 3/4hr swim at Esporta gym. I will take some energy gels and will only stop to feed / drink every hour or so. I will keep going unless my shoulder starts to ache. I don't want to take any uneccessary risks at this stage. The plan is to try and increase this distance / time every couple of weeks and then do a 10/12 hour swim indoors at some point in the beginning of the New Year.

So apart from my training update, there is not much else to let you know. I will post updates when I've done my indoor 'longer' swims to let you know how much I managed.

Hope this is sufficient for those of you that are interested in my progress!

Thanks again to everyone who has given me support up to now. WEZIMBABWE are so pleased with the current donations (already £525). I am really proud of this amount, considering that my swim is still 8months away. Sounds like a long time but as each week passes my nerves grow, time is flying by!

Thank you & 'watch this space'!!! x

Loch Earn Swim, September 13th 2008 - 6.5miles

Josh & Alex looking happy when I'd finished!

Josh pointing to Loch Earn on the map, while I try to enjoy a Magners!

Josh & Alex keeping Jason entertained!

Mark looking tired after 4hrs on 'lifesaver' duty without ONE cigarette!

Mark checking his lifejacket, me greasing up &......

Josh testing my cap & goggles!

Eventually making our way into the water, nearly an hour late!...

Josh in very capable hands? Jason that is a GUILTY look, what are you hiding?!

Danielle & Alex waving bye to Daddy on the boat!

Discussing tactics with the boat handler!

Okay. Sorry this is a little late... but better late than never....

After many weeks of preparation and nerves, we made our way up to sunny Scotland on Friday 12th. It was a long drive, nearly 5hrs after stopping half way to let the kids stretch their legs. Danielle & Jason had flown up and then hired a car.. we met them at the lovely cottage we'd rented for the weekend. Friday night was spent relaxing.... a good pub dinner (with no booze for me!) followed by a very early night.

I was really nervous on Saturday morning, mainly not knowing what to expect. Before now, as you will probably have read, my longest swim was the 4mile swim at Rivington Reservoir. When I used to swim for Zimbabwe, the longest I had ever spent in a pool was probably around 2.5hrs and the temperature was no where near the 14ish that I was about to attempt! I started the day with a huge bowl of cereal, topped with syrup & sugar. This was followed by a couple of energy bars! During the few weeks leading up to the swim I have never eaten so much, so continuously! - it was fun, but filling!.... amazingly enough I didn't put that much weight on because of all the exercise I was doing. The aim was to put on a lot of weight, so I am going to have try even harder before the Channel..... I have been told a good stone or two is very good insulation!

On arrival at the Loch, there were a couple of familiar faces, being some of the people I have spent the past few weeks swimming with in the Albert Dock, Liverpool.... so that was encouraging. A lot of time was spent hanging around, greasing up, loosening up etc etc. I have learnt a lot from this swim - first thing being, do not undress too soon. I was all ready and greased up about half an hour too early! I was chilly before even starting. Anyway.... at 10.50 we jumped in and got in a straight line. The rules are to swim out and your 'boat' will come and find you. Mark was my lifesaver & food & juice provider! I am SO grateful to have been able to have him on the boat otherwise I would NEVER have carried on... and so that is down to Danielle & Jason for making the effort to come all the way up to watch the boys, and me of course!!!

Mark was under strict instructions to give me energy juice (Maxim) every 30mins and then on every hour, to give me a 'Smart Gel' followed by another drink of Maxim. This went well and it was the first swim I'd ever done where I'd 'eaten' so I was grateful none of it came up! The water was icy, the wind was icy, and my body was icy! I found this REALLY hard and really mentally challenging. The wind was coming from the left and therefore I spent the entire swim breathing to my right.... this was nice as I could see Mark ALL the way..... whatever he did, I saw it! He has learnt a lot from this too - don't cross me when I'm swimming! Anything would have got to me during those few hours. When he yawned I felt angry, when he said 'you're doing really well, keep going' I felt angry! But most of all, when he pulled his hood up because he was cold.... I felt FURIOUS!!!

One main thing that came out of this swim was a lesson with regards to the feeds - .......do not use feeds as a break, it only discourages you when you have to start up again. Mark said I lost so much time during each feed, I never realised how much I was being pushed back. I think he was a bit scared this time to tell me to hurry up! I now know that we need to devise a feeding system - ie: a piece of string on a rod! - it took me ages to make my way to the boat and then get back on track again. I have also learnt that I need to do a LOT more mental preparation. The kids were with us right till the start, which I loved, but I think that my mind was not in the right setting before I got in! I thought it would have been good because it kept my mind off the nerves, but realistically, I need to prepare more.

The most distressing thing that has come out of this swim is my shoulder pains! About 1.5 / 2hrs into the swim, my left shoulder starting aching and I remembered that it had happened in my Rivington swim, but of course that was only a 1hr 53min swim so it was not sore for long. I carried on swimming, thinking that it must just be a natural ache from continuous swimming with the wind blowing onto it. But it didn't improve and at the end I was crying constantly under water. It was agonising. I don't know if I should have carried on but I just wanted to finish! - stubborn or stupid I don't know. I went to the doctor when we got home and he said to rest it for two weeks and then go to Physio. So I'm booked in for that next week and I just hope it goes away and doesn't disturb any future swims! The tears underwater brought back horrible memories of crying underwater, when I was about 10, during early morning swimming when Mr Mathieson was being horrible!!!!!!!!

So, all in all, it was a great experience and I'm so glad I finished. It took me 3hrs 54mins in the end. That is longer than I had hoped but everyone said afterwards that it was a tough swim so I was glad to have finished at least. I tried really hard to celebrate afterwards, but my throat was so sore from swallowing cold water, that cider didn't slide down well, I was in bed by 9.30! Saying that, Danielle was asleep BEFORE me. Now, does that prove that watching two kids under 4, and a 30yr old fiance, is more tiring than swimming 6.5miles. Maybe?!!

So. The plan for winter is to step up the training in the pool. I am in search of a 'squad' to join nearby home / work so that it is feasible for me to go as often as possible without putting too much strain on the family life. Mark has been amazing up to now and so THANK YOU to him! In summer I was going a couple of nights a week to the Manchester Aquatic Centre, straight after work, and then every Sunday to the Albert Dock - which meant at least half the week he was getting up at 5.30am - getting to work for 6.45, a long hard 10hrs at work... then straight home to fetch the kids, feed them, bath them & put them both to bed!.... a LONG day. So thank you again, I REALLY do appreciate it.

I'll update this soon & thank you all for your interest. Lets hope next summer is better than this one so that the Channel is WARM!

Cheers, Jacqui

26th August 2008

OK. So it's about time I started to update this. I won't bore you with daily updates but I'll keep you informed when I've done a big swim / cold swim / boring swim / hard swim etc etc!

If you have arrived at this page, I'm sure you would have read the reasons why I'm attempting to swim the English Channel next July. I'm sure you would have read about all the hurdles I need to overcome and I'm sure you would have read all about my training schedule!

I am still going swimming at either Salford Quays, Manchester 0r Boundary Water Park, Knutsford on a Thursday evening.... and then Albert Dock, Liverpool on Sunday mornings. I am managing to fit in two indoor swims every week aswell - usually a Monday & Friday evening. I'm still running every morning (weekdays only!) which is keeping my fitness up. When the open water swimming comes to an end at the end of September, I am planning to join a gym and start to work on 'muscle building'! Through winter I will try to maintain 4 swimming sessions a week, aswell as my runs in the morning (which I will try my hardest to do in just shorts & a T-Shirt no matter how cold - followed by the usual cold shower!), and I will then work out a routine of gym sessions too.

To date I have done the Albert Dock 2mile race and the Rivington Reservoir 4mile race. The next challenge is Loch Earn on the 13th September. I am especially nervous of this one - not because of the 6.5mile distance so much as the COLD water. I have been told it can be as cold as 12degrees. So please please please let the next three weeks warm up so the temperature may pick up to a lovely warm 14 at least! I will make sure this is updated after my Loch Earn swim unless anything particularly extraordinary happens in the meantime! (ie more jellyfish down my costume!)

Cheers for now,

Jacqs

August 2008

Please bear with me while I get this up and running! I promise to update it a.s.a.p!

Jacqui