This post is all about our romantical getaway on the Kent Riviera. Two days swimming in Dover Harbour with some additional supporters by the names of Mark and Mike. It was a weekend of firsts for Deirdre, Tory and myself and involved my tears tears, man up princesses and battles of mental demons. Read on for the long version......
This weekend was always going to be a tough training weekend. From the outset I knew the time swum was going to be at least 6 hours on both days (something I'd never completed), the water temp has only just hit 14c and the winds were around 20 mph. Before I even got to Dover, Friday was spent checking BBC & met office weather and wind forecasts along with the CS&PF website for the latest in winds and water temps to assess just how bad it would be. In my head I knew it was going to be tough physically which meant mentally preparing and promising myself I wouldn't have a repeat of last Saturday when I got out early, seasickness aside.
Saturday morning alarm goes off at 6am and the routine kicks into gear - snooze alarm once; get up; swimming costume, t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms on; boil kettle to fill flask; make breakfast and maxim; load car; drive to pick up Deirdre, Mike and Tory from Clapham Junction for the drive to Dover.
Driving down the hill off the A20, the first glimpse of the sea was white horses outside the harbour - immediately I thought what about the harbour. The tide was low which meant the breakers at the far wall were rolling nicely onto the sand, good for now but meant as the tide came in the washing machine would kick it up a notch. The near wall was relatively calm, in my head I knew where I would be spending my time.
On arrival at the beach, swimmers must check in with Freda and anxiously await the General's decision. First comes the questions, name, number, then the 'when's your swim?' then 'how far did you swim last weekend?' Answer 5 hours - response 'you're in for 7'. WTF??? My mouth fell open, 7 hours the longest I'd completed in the harbour was 5, I was mentally prepared for 6 not sure I can do one more. Back comes Deirdre from check-in she has 7 too, Tory has 5 (her tide is later), Boris (another serps swimmer) has 7 and Nick only 6. It was going to be a long day on the beach for our support crew (Mark, Mike & Sakura). Time to glug some more water and maxim, see Barrie for some grease slapped under the arms, back of neck and straps - see you 7 hours he says.
Nine am, I'm loaded to the point of bursting or vomiting with food, water and maxim, my toes have hit the water, the watch has started and as it's low tide you could walk the length of the harbour, time to start swimming. As always the swim with the current & wind toward the far wall is easy, I was making real progress with the waves picking me up and pushing me along toward the ferry terminal. On reaching the wall and turning around the stark realisation hit, I'd have to swim back through that. Remembering the advice of Kevin Murphy last week - stay horizontal, swim hard and you won't get sea sick, easier said than done. Wave number one went straight over the top, my left arm in its recovery phase got battered and I was contorted into a twisted pretzel shape. This continued for 30 minutes as I swam against the current and waves across the harbour until reached the calm of the near wall. With only 45 minutes of my allotted 7 hours down and 5 mouth fulls of salt water already taken, I administered a strong 'man up princess' I was cursing the sea, cursing the person I'd seen in a wetsuit and getting angry. This would most definitely keep me in. The two hour feed came and we were rewarded with jelly babies and hot maxim. My tactic going forward was to down the feed swim back to the calm of the near wall, then sail down the harbour to the slopey groin, turn slog it back through the waves to the near wall then back to the beach for the next feed. This one hour circuit was repeated over and over, occasionally popping up to say hi to another swimmer or how about these waves it's tough going.
At 5:15 I was in an unhappy place my arms hurt, I still had 1:45 to go. I saw Deirdre by the near wall, it was calm with no wind and we decided swimming laps of the wall seemed like a really good idea to preserve our sore arms and shoulders. So out against the wall we swam to the end, in the protection of the wall this was nice swimming, you could get into a rhythm, stroke properly and breathe properly, pure bliss. Then came the moment when I turned around to swim in, the tide was running out and all of a sudden I had a realisation that my idea had not been so good. With the tide running out, I was swimming looking at the same lamp post which I didn't appear to be passing. Time to put in the after burners, stroke a bit harder and start to kick, otherwise at this rate I may start my channel swim a little earlier than planned and end up outside of the harbour walls. This only served to increase the pain I was feeling. Once reaching the safety of the inshore I continued on my laps until the 6 hr feed. By this stage people were getting out, I was cold, tired and wanted out, but I still had another hour. I kept thinking Man up Princess as I was edging my way up the rocks, preparing to do a runner and get out as Mike came scurrying across to give me a feed, told me I was doing really well and to keep swimming. Damn, I was fed, I couldn't escape, I felt guilty, I couldn't get out now, Mike had given up his birthday weekend to come to Dover to support Deirdre and here he was feeding us.... I had to swim on for the last hour, one more circuit was my mantra, you can swim for one more circuit. The seasickness had now started to set in, the tablets were wearing off, I was cold, sick, dizzy & miserable. On finishing, I got up, fell down, got up, fell down and was hauled out by Mark, after which he had to help dress me as I kept falling over with seasickness and dizziness.
Saturday over, Sunday begins with rain, wind, cloud and cold. On checking in Freda was threatening Deirdre and I with 6 hours off the back of our 7 the day before. On some pleading over our sore arms and shoulders we were let off with 4 and Tory was not impressed when she was given 6 to our 4. In the pouring rain we were greased up and straight in the water, the two hours went so slowly, I was cold, my arms hurt and hadn't loosened off from the day before, the wind was bad and while there weren't white horses in the harbour just yet I was determined to make it through the first two hours. There was man up princesses flying through my head, along with cursing Freda, the warm people on the beach, the sea, the wind, the rain and the cloud. Then I remembered my friend Jenny was running some stupid amount of miles between the Lizard and Lands End for fun, and at least I wasn't running. At some stage in there a pack of relay swimmers swam straight over the top of me, to make it worse, the guy who actually hit me, then pushed my head under for a second dunk before I was allowed up. There were tears welling in my goggles, I was gasping for air and now I really wanted out. No it was man up princess time, I was staying in the threat of experiencing that feeling of failure again was enough to get me going until the 2 hour feed.
When I got to the 2 hour feed I was still toying with getting out, I could just get out, I was cold, tired, sore, I hurt. Mark gave me a banana and Sakura some form of words before I could even get my complaint out. I'd had my feed I now had to go off and do one more circuit for the next feed. At the 3 hour feed I stood next to Deirdre who was thinking maybe we should stay in for longer, we looked at each other and thought no way in hell, I'm out at 4 hours. Triumphant I hopped out at 4 hours feeling rather tired, cold and exhausted, and really glad I had only been given 4 hours after my shameless pleading. Tory pulled out her first 6 hours in the harbour, cold and exhausted she emerged and had enough energy to throw her fists into Nick who was out and dressed warmly after hopping out early to help relay swimmers.
This weekend saw Deirdre, Tory and myself get in 11 hours of training, the first 7 hour swim for Deirdre and I, first 6 hour swim for Tory and Mike Deirdre's husband completed 1 hour on Saturday and 30 minutes on Sunday for his first swim in Dover harbour.
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