An Onion to SAA and a big-up to Heinrich

Well, well, well ... South African Airways have really disappointed. I officially give them an Onion Award! I specifically chose to book a non-stop flight from Cape Town to London, in September, outward bound for my swim attempt.

I specifically chose a flight and carrier that offered me the best possibility to rest, reduce delays, carry my excess luggage with minimum airport delays (and threats of theft) and no stop-overs. My early September,specifically selected flight was happily booked and paid for on SAA quite a while ago.

Now unfortunately South African Airways has decided to cut that route from mid-August and transferred my flight to an SAA option via Johannesburg.

To SAA:

• You have seriously disappointed me
• I could have booked with another airline if I had known you would change this
• You could have first stopped taking bookings from a certain date and then discontinued this service from that date onwards
• You have renegaded on an agreement we made (in good faith from my side) on completion of the purchase of the original ticket
• Your excuses you gave during our follow-up correspondence are, as expected, self-centred and definitely not client sympathetic

On a happier note ... the training is going well! I am really enjoying the swimming, increased mileage, better swim performance and generally feeling stronger in the water.

The next two months will see us doing much more cold water training - no problem at all in finding these cold water bodies ... with winter weather setting in and all water features clocking in at about 13 to 15 degrees Celsius at the moment. The aim is to complete several 6 hour cold water swims in the next two months.

The seas have also gotten noticeably larger, and rougher. Sunday saw us swimming in Camps Bay ... well ... that was not too pleasant! The swell was huge and those waves rough, rough, rough. Many thanks to Heinrich who guided and spoke me through the approach to land after having a minor panic attack while floating in the big swell behind those nasty waves.

Happy swimming!!

Breaking the scale

Aaaaagghhhh ... 99.3 kg. I am sitting there, just below the beeeeg triple numbers. Weird how it is quite a mental thing. I am currently very happy sitting around the 96 to 98 kg mark for my swimming in the cold water. Previous, personal experiences have shown noticeable increases in cold water tolerance between my usual "Ironman" weight of 84 to 86 kg (felt very cold in longer cold water swims) and comfortable cold water swims at 94 kg.

Three of us went for some good cold water, open water swimming on the weekend. My 99 kg at 1.84m tall were useful as I hardly suffered and felt fine in the 14-15 degree water. Both my mates, sitting pretty at 1.88m tall; but only carrying 90 to 92 kg felt the cold and shivered much more.

I am sure the increased training program for the next two months will chip away at my 99 kg ... which is perfectly fine with me as I do love to eat :-)

English Channel Training - 3 Months to go ...

Weight, Happy Feet and Awesome Weather

Hello all from a sunny, awesome spring day in Cape Town. The weather has been absolutely peachy and perfect for some lekker outdoor swimming :-) I once more have a dreaded sinus infection ... nothing bad ... but obviously been pushing my training a little hard of late. That easy week, every FOURTH week, is rather important I presume; but not something I always stick to ...

I had an interesting experience the other day. A little Chinese massage parlour in town, called Happy Feet, is just perfect for a little foot massage before going out in the evening, or after work on the way home. They offer longer and more elaborate sessions; but a 30 minute foot massage, green tea and a comfy seat are just fine. I was not surprised to find the spots under my feet corresponding to my upper back, shoulder and neck tension being quite sensitive (obvious swimming muscle overuse). But the masseuse indicated with rather broken English that my right knee was also a little buggered ... it wasn't really sensitive - neither the knee, nor the corresponding foot area - but I accepted his comment and smiled. Well, the next day during training ... I started with a right knee twinge; which became rather severe and caused some mild limping two days later. The knee has recovered well and I have been for some extra massages for my neck and shoulders ... but it just reminded me how weird and fascinating our body is ... all the wiring and connections we so often take for granted :-)

And I am not really all that surprised that my knee is complaining! I am currently weighing in at a good 97/98kg. The most I have ever weighed, but quite necessary for the insulation required for the 13 - 15 degrees we are swimming in. It doesn't feel overly comfortable - especially with the odd run. But ... who can really complain when one can eat and drink basically anything one wants, every day throughout winter ... aahh ... what a life ;-)

Lighthouse to Big Bay Results 2012

Three cheers for my AquaCoach and Stroke Change

Well ... for any novices out here searching blog sites and getting training ideas ... I have found, or rather eventually adopted, two key components to my training routine. Do not waste any more time searching ... focus on these ASAP!!

Firstly I eventually invested in a Speedo AquaCoach watch. Secondly I eventually adopted some decent stroke changes. Both are by no means new to any seasoned swimmers, but both should be drilled into any novice swimmer keen to take their hobby to a new level. I would equate these to certain must-dos in cycling: bib-shorts, tubeless MTB tyres and cleat pedals ... these items definitely change the enjoyment and success in ones sport :-)

Speedo AquaCoach

No more counting laps ... and more concentration on form and strokes per length. Really simple actually. It doesn't have to be a Speedo watch specifically ... but a swim watch that counts laps, average strokes, time, speed, etc ... For me this has made a huge difference.

Changed Stroke

I have read about, heard about, watched and been familiar with stroke rates, efficiency and styles for a while. I even thought I was implementing it semi-properly. But I had a rude awakening ... or rather the penny eventually dropped ... when I went to my chiropractor for a wrist niggle and we got into stroke rates and stroke style ...

BINGO!! Lawrence just described it so well. Thanks doc, you are a star.

For those that are into swimming and have not linked through to the Swim Smooth website ... go now ... immediately ... and don't forget to download the Mr Smooth app. The website is really well written, simple and to the point. Not as boring as some of the books on the market, and easy to reference back to on a regular basis.

Big up to my AquaCoach and Mr Smooth :-)

Time for a laugh ...

Lighthouse to Bigbay Swim 2012

Saturday morning ... flat seas ... water at 12 - 13 degrees Celsius ... 10.5km swim distance ... thick fog ... and a variety of support craft ... perfect conditions for a great swim. Many thanks Derrick for organising such a great event.

The start of the 2012 Lighthouse to Bigbay Swim, in Cape Town, had to be delayed by an hour due to the thick fog at the start line. The swim is a one-way, shore hugging, 10.5km cold water, sea swim. The conditions were really great, albeit a tad chilly. And getting out beyond the waves was at first a slight challenge ... especially for some of the longer life saving paddle crafts our dedicated support crew from the local life saving association were using.

The somewhat chilling swim went off perfectly. Practising my new stroke, feeding well ... and constantly hungry! Waters were flat. The constant view of the shore line was lekker. Seals were out and about. Shipwrecks, Table Mountain views, an assortment of paddlers, kayaks, stand-up-paddlers and a variety of rubber ducks all added to the mental stimulation in an otherwise, simple, run-of-the-mill, mind-numbingly boring swim :-)

I was quite happy with my 3h16 ... a good steady sub one hours per 3km pace. Minimal shivering at the end. A cool 33.5 degrees core temperature after the swim. Hot chocolate. Good lucky draw prizes and a great crowd.

... what more does one want from a day out swimming :-)

Winter is here

Well, winter has arrived in Cape Town ... cold, wet, windy and red wine weather. The latest weather and sea conditions limit major open water swimming options: Silvermine has become rather cold and the sea is rather rough these days. But ... we have found a real pleasant 50m indoor swimming pool in Strand - about 40 minutes outside of Cape Town itself.

Friday morning (Freedom Day, public holiday in South Africa) we went for a good long training session. 15km ... tedious 300 lengths up and down ... swimming. Actually quite enjoyable. I followed this up with a short 3km swim on Saturday and a little 4km swim Sunday ... All in all a good weekend.

Overall the training is going well. A slightly unproductive week two weeks ago - suffering from a high fever and high pulse, accompanied by body aches ... but that dissipated quickly and now been feeling very good again. My gym trainer is putting me through my paces once a week with a thorough core and upper body session and I am aiming for at least 25km per week in the water.

What an awesome swim this morning ...

Sitting in the office right now, looking outside at the cloudy sky and pumping wind, it is difficult to imagine I was enjoying a really great swim four hours ago.

Cape Town must be the best place to be training for the English Channel!

A slightly chilly morning at 07h00. Left Robben Island at about 07h45, heading on a good 11/12km swim to Three Anchor Bay. 13 degrees in the water; with outside temperatures topping out in the thirties. My progress was monitored by an early morning police boat, a mid-morning seal and a late morning dolphin parade ... all round, an entertaining morning :-)

A steady swim throughout ... continuous stroke rate of about 68 ... feeling strong and enjoying my swimming immensely.