So. Another year, another attempt to get to France.
A few of the swimmers I trained to swim the Channel with last year, and who got across successfully, have told me that they are envious that I get to do the training all over again. Doubtless I made some great friends last year and it was a fantastic experience. I pushed myself hard and did things on the way towards my goal that at the beginning of the year seemed impossible. But it was sometimes tough as well, relentlessly boring at times, cold, grey, repetitive. I wonder how it will be this year? Am I keen to do it all over again?
Of course some of it will be very different. I know now that I can swim for hours on end. I know I don't get too cold, unlike some. Those things are good. I know I am more confident of my ability to just get on with the task. But I also know I need to be faster and that I need to train harder in the sea. I know I need to curb my instinct to plod.
So, what's the plan? Well, I've decided to be less uptight about my training this year. I'm one of those people who is very fastidious and highly organised. Last year I had my strategy worked out well in advance. I divided my year in to sections, I had a training plan and I stuck to it. I noted down every metre I swam in the pool. I had all my races and milestones worked out in advance. I planned and planned and planned. I was aghast when people went on holiday in the middle of their training. I wondered what they were playing at when they skipped a swim session. Were they working hard enough? Taking themselves seriously enough? Mostly they got across, though, and I didn't. So much for my conscientiousness.
This year I have a more lighthearted approach. I'm still training hard, but am not fretting so much if I have to miss a session. I'm not writing everything down.
This year I think it's more about the quality of the training than the quantity.
For me, my Channel training is divided into three distinct parts.
First: winter pool training. This is for getting speed up and getting a base fitness on which to build. I'm trying to get up to around 20k a week in the pool. At the moment I'm swimming around 15k. I know other people swim much more than that. But it's boring and there is no point in doing hours and hours a day and getting bored and injured. This phase will take me up to May when Dover training kicks in.
Second: winter cold water training. Controversial. Most people think it's a waste of time, a marginal pursuit practised only by lunatics. I think it's a great idea. Once a week at Tooting Bec lido, an unheated pool in South London, 30 metres at a time only at this time of year - that's 30 seconds of training a week at the moment. This will be built up as the water gets warmer throughout spring. By the time May comes and everyone else can only just cope with the cold water in Dover harbour I'll be thinking that compared to now it's tropical. That's a physical and psychological advantage.
Thirdly: Training in Dover begins in May. This year the plan is to swim harder in the sea. Last year my Dover training was too work-a-day. I swam for hours and hours at a comfortable pace. Yes it was boring and tiring. But mostly it didn't hurt. This year I tend to swim harder - to do more interval training in the sea to keep my speed up. This is my main plan.
To be honest, I now am looking forward to it all. I hope this is my year. I'm ready to go, I want to swim. I don't want to be that woman who swam for 21 hours but still didn't reach the other side. Bring it on.
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