During the week of preparation for this weekend's swim we were slightly worried about the amount of training we were going to be able to fit in. Thanks to the beautiful weather we have been having the lakes are all now a toasty 16-18 degrees, which unfortunately is an awful lot warmer than the sea is right now and trips down to the coast before work are slightly unrealistic. Having overheard our conversations, Keith (Daddy Johnson) got to work and kindly converted his beloved hot tub into a ice bath, with the help of our local butchers George Arthur who supplied us with lots and lots of ice to get the temperature low enough and who are probably still freezing large vats of water for us as I type. On one of our many mornings sitting in the cold tub and chatting (the later an activity we are repeatedly told off for when harbour swimming, but is a great way to pass the time and actively encouraged whilst partaking in ice bathing) we were discussing the effects of numbness and what it really feels like. Kirsty then showed me a quote she had found in Sally Friedman's book about channel swimming which I want to share this with you all as I think it pretty much sums up our thoughts every time we have to submerge ourselves in the ridiculously cold water.
"numbness" is generally defined as the absence of feeling, but the process by which one achieves it is invariably painful and when one arrives, it is clear that numbness is nothing more than agony in a different form!
Ice baths done and successfully following our instructions from Rebecca T about what to do the week before the qualifiers, which summed up was to rest and eat lots, we were ready to go!
Another early start on Saturday morning saw the team making their way down to the infamous Dover Harbour. As half the team had completed their 2 hour swims the week before the pressure was now on for the final 3 team members to get in the water and stay in order to qualify to swim the channel crossing in less than 3 weeks time.
We were lucky enough to be joined by some members of Thames Turbo and Uni mates of Kirsty's who provided encouragement both in and out of the water. So after our briefing with Frieda and advice on how to avoid the many sailing boats taking part in a regatta in the harbour (good practise for the open sea right?) we stood on the shore waiting for our watches to reach 10am. Once in the water we all swam together for the first 1hr and 20mins, at which point the girls who have already qualified (Rebecca T, Hannah T, Carolyn and Mandy) made their way back to the shore and took Kirsty in to the shallow waters so she could have a drink of hot Maxim (this is allowed whilst swimming as long as you stay in the water), Kirsty was then joined by Nick and Prendy to complete her 2 hours. Meanwhile Tilly and I had headed back over to the far harbour wall. Having gone most of the way there and with half an hour to go we stopped to decide whether to go even further out or turn round and head back. At this point I was shaking from head to toe and my arms had become so stiff I could barely feel the water or lift them to continue swimming. I can only assume Tilly was feeling all or more of the pain I was in so we headed back towards the shore so as not to be too far out if we got into difficulty. Once over by the other side of the harbour, as far as we could go without being knocked out by a sail boat, we looked at our watches to discover we still had 10minutes left. Now 10minutes sounds like nothing right? How wrong you can be. Tilly and I discussed tactics and decided we'd swim into shore get someone to give us a hot chocolate and stay in the shallows until our time was up. We headed back for the shore only to be shouted at and sent away by everyone telling us we only had 5 minutes left and to get back out there! Unable to hear them or probably and without any acknowledgement of our requests for hot drinks we turned tail and headed back out for another not so quick lap to the buoy. By this point my arms and legs had stiffened up so much I was finding it very difficult to swim and was very relieved when I looked at my watch and found it was finally time to come in. Upon my near arrival back at the pebbly shore I was informed by Keith that Kirsty was only a few metres behind me and wondered if I fancied swimming back out a bit so we could swim in together. Now I love my sister dearly but after 2 hours in the water and having safely arrived back on dry land I could barely stand up enough to get out the water, let alone contemplate getting back in or attempting to swim any more, even if it was only for another second.
Again with much assistance, supportive words and lots of hugs, we have all completed our 2 hour qualifiers and received our certificates, which if the girls are anything like me, has taken pride of place on the fridge door!
I feel that I need to say thank you again to all the friends and family for their continued support. A big thank you to the two boys who were able to push Kirsty through to the finish, at a time when none of us would have had the strength to do so.
And finally one last thank you to every member of Deja Vu, our channel swimming team. We push ourselves to our limits every time we train and have all been there for one another at various points in this process. The training for this challenge can be horrific at times but with the support of all the other girls, in the water, during the week via email, and snuggling in sleep bags at the end, it makes it bearable. You are all amazing and I feel so privileged to take on this challenge with you all. Congratulations to you all on your Qualifying swims, only 3 weeks to go. Good luck girls.
Written by Rebecca Johnson
"numbness" is generally defined as the absence of feeling, but the process by which one achieves it is invariably painful and when one arrives, it is clear that numbness is nothing more than agony in a different form!
Ice baths done and successfully following our instructions from Rebecca T about what to do the week before the qualifiers, which summed up was to rest and eat lots, we were ready to go!
Another early start on Saturday morning saw the team making their way down to the infamous Dover Harbour. As half the team had completed their 2 hour swims the week before the pressure was now on for the final 3 team members to get in the water and stay in order to qualify to swim the channel crossing in less than 3 weeks time.
We were lucky enough to be joined by some members of Thames Turbo and Uni mates of Kirsty's who provided encouragement both in and out of the water. So after our briefing with Frieda and advice on how to avoid the many sailing boats taking part in a regatta in the harbour (good practise for the open sea right?) we stood on the shore waiting for our watches to reach 10am. Once in the water we all swam together for the first 1hr and 20mins, at which point the girls who have already qualified (Rebecca T, Hannah T, Carolyn and Mandy) made their way back to the shore and took Kirsty in to the shallow waters so she could have a drink of hot Maxim (this is allowed whilst swimming as long as you stay in the water), Kirsty was then joined by Nick and Prendy to complete her 2 hours. Meanwhile Tilly and I had headed back over to the far harbour wall. Having gone most of the way there and with half an hour to go we stopped to decide whether to go even further out or turn round and head back. At this point I was shaking from head to toe and my arms had become so stiff I could barely feel the water or lift them to continue swimming. I can only assume Tilly was feeling all or more of the pain I was in so we headed back towards the shore so as not to be too far out if we got into difficulty. Once over by the other side of the harbour, as far as we could go without being knocked out by a sail boat, we looked at our watches to discover we still had 10minutes left. Now 10minutes sounds like nothing right? How wrong you can be. Tilly and I discussed tactics and decided we'd swim into shore get someone to give us a hot chocolate and stay in the shallows until our time was up. We headed back for the shore only to be shouted at and sent away by everyone telling us we only had 5 minutes left and to get back out there! Unable to hear them or probably and without any acknowledgement of our requests for hot drinks we turned tail and headed back out for another not so quick lap to the buoy. By this point my arms and legs had stiffened up so much I was finding it very difficult to swim and was very relieved when I looked at my watch and found it was finally time to come in. Upon my near arrival back at the pebbly shore I was informed by Keith that Kirsty was only a few metres behind me and wondered if I fancied swimming back out a bit so we could swim in together. Now I love my sister dearly but after 2 hours in the water and having safely arrived back on dry land I could barely stand up enough to get out the water, let alone contemplate getting back in or attempting to swim any more, even if it was only for another second.
Again with much assistance, supportive words and lots of hugs, we have all completed our 2 hour qualifiers and received our certificates, which if the girls are anything like me, has taken pride of place on the fridge door!
I feel that I need to say thank you again to all the friends and family for their continued support. A big thank you to the two boys who were able to push Kirsty through to the finish, at a time when none of us would have had the strength to do so.
And finally one last thank you to every member of Deja Vu, our channel swimming team. We push ourselves to our limits every time we train and have all been there for one another at various points in this process. The training for this challenge can be horrific at times but with the support of all the other girls, in the water, during the week via email, and snuggling in sleep bags at the end, it makes it bearable. You are all amazing and I feel so privileged to take on this challenge with you all. Congratulations to you all on your Qualifying swims, only 3 weeks to go. Good luck girls.
Written by Rebecca Johnson
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