Return of the Jellies - deja vu again (by Julian)

So we found ourselves back in Dover on Saturday for attempt 2 at our qualifying swim. Sue and I got given 2 hours with the rest of the team getting only 1 hour 30 minutes - lucky things.

But the team wouldn't be divided. They all elected to do the full 2 hours with Sue. They surrounded her and swam up and down the harbour with her. Even if she wanted to get out, they weren't going to let her!

This time we went down the harbour and back in an hour. Then we went back down most of the way and back - but we were still 20 minutes short (little did Sue know!). As we approached the beach, it was time to drop the bombshell...that we had 20 minutes more to do. But it was too late by then...and soon the team were all "qualified".


And the lucky ones amongst us received a special tattoo to remember the experience - the jellies are back! Nice mark on my left arm...and as a first, I was stung on the left ear (painful!!)

The long drive from Marble Arch to Dover (by Sharron)

Saturday was the day that all the pieces of training, waiting, thinking and planning all seemed to start coming together. Congratulations to Sue who qualified to swim the Channel , she bravely spent two hours in the depths of Dover Marina. I and the team are so proud!

In the meantime Ian and I had to drive the run route from Marble Arch to Dover. Planning the stopping points for the team along the way and trying to figure out how far and how fast everyone would be. All the time reminding ourselves that we were not the one's running, only driving!

London seemed the easiest of the whole route to navigate and trust me that was a surprise! I have no doubt that plans will change and amendments made but we are ready to take on the challenge. I am getting excited now for the whole team, your routes will be printed and ready by tomorrow!

Go Arch to Arc!!!!!!

Qualifying...for a replacement body (by Julian)

Nearly 2 weeks ago and we were back in Dover for our 2 hour qualifying swim. No wetsuit. Just a normal costume and hat and googles. And 2 hours in the cold water.

And it was cold. It was long. It was tough. And we nearly all made it...but not all. Since we don't leave any one behind, we are back again on Saturday to do it all again.

In the meantime, we have to run and cycle. My foot has been playing up for a month or so - I thought that I had broken something or bruised the ball of the foot very badly. It doesn't get any better but the training has to continue. And by favouring the other foot, I developed cramp in my calf!

Definitely too old for this...but it is the dentist tomorrow to see if I can get the tooth fixed. One step at a time...but don't mention steps yet...

Run fatboy run. (by Kevan)

Good training week this week, Managed to do 120 lengths of the pool on Tuesday night, which is what I was doing before I had the shoulder operation. Shoulder was a little sore on Wednesday morning though

Wednesday night is running night. Managed a new personal best on my run from Brasted to Riverhead and back. 6 and a bit miles in 50 mins 15 seconds. If only I hadn’t stopped to tie my shoe laces twice, I would have beaten the 50 minute barrier.

Thursday night I was back in the pool, managed 100 lengths before I felt a funny sensation in my shoulder and thought I had better stop. It was a little annoying as I had planned to do another 120 but I’m not going to risk it in any circumstances.

Decided to take a break Friday so ran on Saturday morning instead, I needed to get another run in so, in the blazing heat, took to pounding the pavement again, a lot slower than Wednesday, really had to slog it out as my legs felt so heavy in the heat of the morning. If you see me running up and down the main road from Brasted to riverhead give me a cheering wave, The only encouragement I’ve had was from my children as they are ferried about, “run fatboy run” and “ lift those knees up lardie” from my two most loving daughters.

Polished off the week with an hour and a half cycling on Sunday morning.

Get back in....(by Kevan)

3rd cold water swim, the long journey back down to Dover

On the way down we muse over how much the water temperature has risen, could be by as much as one degree. Again a grey overcast day with the possibility of rain, but that of course makes no difference when you’re swimming.

Instead of swimming to a point and back, this morning we are told to swim for an hour, we register with the overseer, get our numbered hats and wait for the 10 o’clock start that comes too soon. The extra degree really isn’t noticeable. The cold water shock is still as utterly unpleasant. I lose Andy, my swimming ‘buddy’ almost immediately, goggles misted up as they hit the water, he’s nowhere in sight. I will swim on my own. Turning left from the shore with the current. It is very choppy, impossible to breathe to the right as if looking out to sea, the waves are too high, intermittent higher waves cover my right arm so it doesn’t leave the water, this breaks my rhythm. It’s a tough swim. I turn past the sloping pier and now head back against the current. Having been breathing to my left, I must now change and breathe to my right. I’m not sure why but my shoulder doesn’t like the constant breathing to the right. I push against the tide and head back along the coast past the point where I entered. As I look towards the shore I see landmarks on the promenade that pass so slowly. It’s a slow swim back against the current and onto the main harbour wall. The wall is reached eventually, my hands feet and face now hurt with the cold. Only the swim back with the current left, my focus is on getting back as fast as possible. I push on a pace. I reached the shore, as before my balance fails me from the cold and I crawl up the pebbled beach, the overseer is there to meet me “you are 15 minutes early, you’ve only done 45 minutes, go back out”. I’m not sure whether he’s joking, he’s not, can’t be only 45 minutes, my mind is confused. I submit to his instruction, turn round and crawl back into the cold, cold water for a further 15 minutes.



It took me around 30 minutes to recover, after which time we walked a few hundred yards into Dover, my feet weren’t feeling right, the blood had yet return, I walked as if drunk.

On our return to the beach it was time to do it all over again, another hour, this time I would go further on the first leg, harbour wall to harbour wall so as not to finish early.

When I got home I slept, in the middle of the afternoon, exhausted

Freezing water or mind numbing tooth pain - not a great choice (by Julian)

Saturday rolled around again and we were back on that delightful road to Dover. The car was chatty as we headed south - helped a little by the better than anticipated weather (i.e. it wasn't pouring with rain!). However as we came over the hill and began to descend down to the harbour, an awkward silence fell.

We had enquired - for planning purposes - of our trainer, Freda, how long we might be swimming. The news wasn't good. Perhaps she would have relented in the intervening days and would only gives a little bit more than the 45 minutes last time. And don't forget the water temperature had come up a tad...

But however you positioned it, it wasn't going to be good. We finally admitted defeat and got changed on the beach, ready to receive our vaseline from Barrie and our instructions from Freda. ONE hour...ahhh.

Once again I was swimming with Sue who despite suffering the worst from the cold - that will teach her not to get so fit running and cycling...you need those extra fat reserves in the swim - was still at the front of the team heading into the water.

From my previous week's adventures, I was not looking forward to following her in. The cold water is horrible - but my body soon goes numb. It was the tooth that I was worried about. I had taken a couple of Nurofen in anticipation but I knew that an hour later when I finally emerged from the water, I would have 15 minutes of shrivering before I was rendered horizontal by tooth ache!

So why hadn't I seen my dentist? Well I had. His verdict - probably microfractures from grinding my teeth or a nerve which was freezing and then defrosting. He tried artifically freezing it - and the experiment worked...a painful tooth resulted! To resolve the issue, I had 3 choices: 1. whip the offending tooth/teeth out; 2. major reconstruction work; or 3. Lots of Nurofen. Not being a fan of dental work, I opted for the Nurofen.

And so I struggled up the shore after an hour, got dressed, took 2 more Nurofen and promptly passed out. 30 minutes later I was able to converse normally again - albeit my team mates were generally still defrosting.

75 minutes after the first swim and we went back in to repeat the entire exercise. Sue achieved a personal best this season of another 30 minutes and then I headed down the harbour to complete a full circuit to both walls. This took me an extra 45freezing minutes due to the wind, waves and tides - making it in total a very long 2 hours 15 minutes of training.

But somehow the extra 45 minutes of freezing swimming wasn't quite as bad when it delayed the inevitable- 30 minutes of tooth pain. And what was worse, I calculated that I had now had the maximum dose of 6 Nurofen in a 24 hour period.

You know things are REALLY bad when you sit staring at a packet of Nurofen considering whether taking another 6 pills - and suffering the consequences - would really not be preferable to having to wait for the tooth pain to subside...

Oh well...we get to do our 2 hour qualifying swim soon. Ahhhhh.