Some people love to sprint, they live to sprint. They can't swim long distances or sustain that tremendous pace. I'm not one of them, I have no tremendous pace. That's partly why I took up long distance swimming. So on Wednesdays and Thursdays at my masters swimming club there are some words from our swim coach, Paul, which I dread to hear. We'll be in the water waiting for him to tell us what our 'main set' will be. He starts "Now. Today we are only going to do 12 x 100m, and between each one hundred there is going to be a lot of rest..." My heart starts beating faster, I get anxious, I know what is coming next and I do not want to hear it... "But..." he says - there is always a But - "I want you to swim each one hundred as fast as you can. Flat out." I groan. I always groan at this point.
Saturday...
We are all assembled on the beach, nervous. It's a lovely day, blue skies, water as flat as anything. We think we are going to have a long, long weekend. We're all standing chatting and pulling faces, putting on suncream, collecting our numbered hats from Freda and exchanging chit chat with one another. Freda shouts out "Right Solo swimmers! Today we are only going to swim 4 hours!" Four hours! "But..." See! I told you! There is always a But! "But... I want you to find some poles, do some sprints, chase other swimmers - I want you to really work hard". So. Welcome to the four hour sprint session!
We are all delighted that we are only swimming four hours. What a ridiculous to think, that four hours is an easy session. But it is these days. Besides, we know that next week we will definitely be doing our long swims, so it's not a cop out at all. Freda is trying to mix it up for us. There is nothing worse than getting in to a rut. It's no use at all with endurance training just plodding.
Of course Annette and I have been doing regular sprints for the last two weeks or so, so this won't be as much of a shock to us. I wait for her to get greased up, and as we walk down to the water's edge I ask her what she plans to swim today. Two hours and then she may get in and do another one later, she tells me. Good. So I'll have someone to swim with for at least half of the swim.
9.05am and we're in the water, heading off to the East harbour wall. Gradually over the last couple of weeks Annette and I have been increasing the amount we sprint and decreasing the recovery time. I don't really like to call it sprinting I call it a 'change in pace'. Up the tempo so that I know I am working outside of my comfort zone. We swim easy to warm up for ten minutes and then sprint ten minutes between the second groyne and the East wall, then easy ten minutes then fartlek ten minutes with real sprints between the poles. Then easy ten more minutes, then sprint ten or so. So it goes on. We're having real fun, enjoying it.
The water is flat and glassy and everyone is in a good mood. Because the water is so still, I can see all the swimmers in the water all over the harbour - it's like having the biggest swimming pool in the world.
Our second hour and our second circuit is harder - our shoulders and arms are sore now. Every bit we sprint my arms are screaming NO! But the time flies by when you are sprinting - no time for introspection or moods or self doubt - just time to work hard and concentrate.
Annette gets out at 2 hours 15, I have a feed and go off for another 45 minutes, and then come back in for another feed, and pick her up for the last hour. We work hard today and when we get out we are knackered. Everyone is. But everyone is in a good mood and excited.
Sunday...
After the miserable May weather, June has been beautiful. We've had a lot of sun. Having the sun on your back to warm you makes such a difference to any swim. Today it's kind of cold, pretty grey. And a bit windy and choppy. It's horrible but at the same time it's good to have days like this - to remind us that our Channel swims may not all be in bright sunshine and good weather.
So, again Freda tells us "Three hours today" and "More sprinting please. Stay sharp." OK.
Annette and I (thank god for Annette) head off. I'm always pretty rubbish for the first twenty minutes or so, but today Annette is way ahead of me, by about 100m by the time we get to the wall. I don't understand it. When we reach the wall I say "Wow, you're putting on a sprint today". She looks concerned. "No, I'm not, I'm swimming quite slowly". Shit. "Really? I feel fine. I don't feel slow. Are you swimming slower than normal?" "Yes", she frowns. "I'll swim in front of you and you just try to keep up." OK. We head off to the start of our fartlek section. She's still ahead by the time we get there. She waits for me at the groyne. "OK. Easy/Fast?" she says. I grunt. We set off and do the fast, then in the middle of the easy she stops me. "Are you swimming the easy really really slowly Sally?" No, I'm not. Again she tells me to just try to stay with her. I wonder what the hell is going on with me. Self doubt creeps in. She does the fartlek fast/easy and I just have to do it all fast to try and stay on her tail. What the hell is going on? I feel uncomfortable in the water. We reach the far wall, and head back for swimmers' beach, where I look at my watch. I'm expecting something bad, but when I look at the time, we have swum the first lap in 1 hour 2 mins. Yesterday we did the first lap in 1 hour 3 minutes so we're a minute up in choppier water. It cheers me up and we discuss it. We're both pleased. The second lap we're more of an even match and I feel better. We come in at the end of the second lap at 2 hours 10. The tide and wind made the last section arduous - a ten minute swim took us 14 minutes. Annette is knackered and heads up the beach. I have a feed and head off for my last 45 minutes alone.
One last trip down to the East wall and back. I'm listless and pissed off as I head off. Really would just like to get out. The last hour of any swim is really hard sometimes. I get to the second groyne to begin my ten minute sprint to the wall. I try and up the pace. It works, I'm against the wind and tide and it's been raining but snapping myself out of the doldrums works. It's fun and in no time I get to the wall. Turning around for the last stretch home, I bump into Ali (the Queen of the Channel, has swum the Channel 43 times) and Cliff (who has swum the Channel 7 times). It's great to be in such esteemed company in the middle of this wide open space. They tell me that they are heading off to play on the top of the groyne, which Ali likes to do when the tide is at it's highest and the water laps over the top of it. They head off and I try and keep up with Cliff for a few minutes. The tide and wind is now with us and I feel strong and fast and happy again. This is fun! I feel slightly schizophrenic. Up and down and up and down. I swim past the groyne watching them play and dive off the groyne like children. Last push I'm really cheerful. I head in for the beach and get out at 3 hours 05. Could have done a bit more I felt, I enjoyed the last leg.
A tough weekend physically but next weekend and the long swims will be the real test of our mettle. I'm nervous already and thoughts of the actual swim (in around a month) are already playing on my mind.
Saturday, 58F, 4 hours 5
Sunday, 59F, 3 hours 10