Eastenders

With just 46 days to go until my swim, I was just watching Eastenders & wondering where I will be swimming:

My 1 mile open water swim is being help at the Docklands Sailing & Watersports Centre, it was moved to this location last year after the usual location was deemed to have unsafe water for swimming! Which reminds me, I must ring my doctors & make sure my tetanus vaccination is up to date!!

The Watersports Centre is the backwards L shaped body of water on the Isle of Dogs (the U shaped dip in the Thames):

‹Overlooked by the impressive Canary Wharf, the Great London Swim is your opportunity to join thousands of likeminded adventurous swimmers and take a dip in the heart of the capital's docklands.

The new venue allows family and friends to follow swimmers around the full course, cheering them on from the dockside. I'm quite looking forward to having my family there to cheer me on, after all, family is the reason I am swimming! I'm using the swim as a catalyst to raise money for St. Mark's Hospital Foundation, the charity arm of the hospital who continue to care for my sister as she battles IBD.

If you think swimming a challenge like this is worthy of your sponsorship or you would like more information about St. Mark's please visit my Just Giving page:

http://justgiving.com/swimkellyswim 

I'll Take You To The Candy Shop

As promised, tonight I swam! I did my full mile again, 50 minutes seems to be my standard pace. All helped along tonight as I had my waterproof MP3 player to listen to... I won't be able to listen to it for my actual swim (dems da rules) but it really does help to pass the time when I swim.

A lot of people have asked about my MP3 player, it's a Sony one that I spotted on Amazon & my sister in law bought me for my birthday:

I have quite a broad appreciation for music and so the music on there ranges from classical to hip hop and rap to 90's boy bands & even my friend's band My Psycho Analyst (they're pretty good you should check them out!).

Tonight I discovered the most PERFECT song to swim to, the beat it right in sync with my stroke... Candy Shop by 50 Cent! Just need to remind myself not to sing out loud to that one in the public baths, as if my singing isn't bad enough, it is rather explicit! Another  favourites to swim to is Goo Goo Dolls - Iris, this is just a favourite song in general but does have a good beat as does my all time favourite song RUBY by the Kaiser Chiefs... Just wish I knew someone called Ruby so that I could sing it to her!

Oh yes, nearly forgot, I got complimented on my legs today... all that swimming (and horse riding) must be paying off 😉

Progress Update

Training for the swim is going OK, I'm finding it difficult to fit time in to swim around work (or even just wanting to relax on the sofa after a day in the office!) but still aiming for at least twice a week. Definitely training tomorrow as my swimming buddy's car has died on him & so I am driving him to/from the pool so no making excuses to get out of it! I really enjoy swimming when I'm there, it's just difficult to motivate myself sometimes!

I'm excited and nervous about the swim, I don't think that the distance will be a problem as a mile is pretty standard for me now but there are a few things that I am concerned about; I've never swum in open water before so it will be a first, I won't be used to the choppiness of the water or the current, the crowds of people, the temperature or even the added buoyancy of my wet suit. I'm also nervous after hearing that a gentleman sadly died taking part in the Great North Swim last weekend!

So far we have raised £260 but there are plans for more of a push for sponsorship closer to the time and my friend & I have been talking about a cake sale (our last one raised over £100 for her charity) which should all boost our contribution towards St. Mark's fantastic work.

My post on my sister's blog

My sister asked me if I would like to write a guest blog post for her More Than Just a Bag Lady blog. Of course I said I would. It was quite difficult to write the post as it is quite personal and talks about things that I have only ever spoken to my Hubby about and definitely not my family, like how I feel guilty for being healthy! The response to the blog post has been overwhelming; I think it's very important to help raise awareness of IBD and the impact it can have not only on the person who suffers but also their family.

Well, if you fancy a read please follow the link:

http://morethanjustabaglady.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/guest-blog-from-kelly-my-sister.html?m=1

Wetsuit

So tonight I decided it was finally time to try on my wetsuit:

It's times like this that I'm actually pleased my Hubby works away in the week because me pulling and squeezing my way in to that thing was not a pretty sight - as my Dad says, a video could be worth a few quid from Harry Hill in You've Been Framed!  I did get worried at one point that I might get stuck... Pretty sure I looked a bit (a lot) like this poor girl:

And oh my goodness it was so hot inside that thing! Let's hope 30th August is not as hot and muggy as today or that will be unbearable, though something tells me the water isn't going to be that warm so I might be thankful for the insulation!

New Shoes

I had a pair of flip flops that I used to slip on for driving to and from the pool as it made it so much easier than having to fully dry my feet and worry about putting socks on after so that I could wear trainers/shoes/boots. The flip flops broke a good while ago and I don't have any others that have a strap that goes around your heel so didn't have any suitable to drive in. After a few soggy sock episodes, I decided to buy myself some new shoes for the sole purpose of driving to and from the pool, shoes that won't need socks, shoes that won't matter if my feet are still a bit wet, shoes that my Hubby thinks makes me look 'special'...

What do you think??

It's Been a While

Tonight I got back in the pool after nearly 4 weeks away... No I've not been lazy, granted work has been hectic but that's still not the main reason, I've actually been injured!

As some of you may know my other passion in life is horse riding. I ride once a week at a local stables, riding the school horses as I'm not lucky enough to have my own horse (yet!). It was the Thursday before Easter and when I got to the stables I was told I'd be riding Paddy, a new horse at the stables I'd never riden before. 

He's such a handsome boy and a real sweetheart to ride. That night we were playing games, on the way back from one of my runs Paddy's saddle slipped to the right, I remember my teacher telling me to get off so I pulled the reins to bring him to a hault and took my feet out of the stirrups... Next thing I remember is being sat in the stables office very confused, being asked if my Husband was at home.

Apparently, as I tried to stop Paddy he'd brushed his leg against a post which had spooked him and caused him to run... With a sideways saddle and my feet out of the stirrups I had no chance and had fallen off. I must have banged my head pretty hard as I was knocked unconscious even though I was wearing my riding hat. I'm told I wasn't out for too long and slowly got up and with a bit of help walked to the office. That explained the confusion! However, I had not taken my phone with me, couldn't remember if Hubby was at home or not and couldn't remember his mobile number! 

As I had been knocked out my teacher rang the non emergency version of 999 (is it 111 or 101? Something like that!) and because I didn't know whether Hubby was at home they didn't want to risk me being home alone with concusion so I agreed to a little trip in an ambulance to A&E. 

After racking my brains and so far only remembering the home phone number for our old house (which is no longer in service) I managed to remember my Mum & Dad's phone number. I also vaguly remembered that Hubby was home as I'd eaten some of his pasta tortellini. So before being taken away in the ambulance, I rang Mum & asked her to contact Hubby and for him to meet me at A&E.

I don't remember a lot of the ambulance journey, but remember being very uncomfortable as my lower back was very sore. When I arrived at A&E Hubby was there and he stayed with me as I was examined. The doctor explained to him that I had concusion but that they were not too worried and quite happy from the obs that I hadn't sustained a more serious head injury. What they were worried about was my back. The doctor felt down my spine and I had to tell him when it hurt and boy did it hurt when he prodded me! "I just need to lay you down flat" I was told and the bed was lowered flat. I thought he wanted to know whether it was still as sore when I was flat but no... I wasn't to move, I was being sent for spinal X-Rays as I may have damaged my vertebrae! GREAT!

Anyway, the X-Rays came back all clear and I was allowed home. The pain in my lower back and right in the centre of my right buttock hung around for a good couple of week, slowly easing last week from the constant pain to a dull ache every now and then, just in time for my bestie's hen weekend in Barcelona 😊

Despite the pain in my right buttock making a reappearance last night, I was determined to get back in the pool today... It's amazing how much you miss something like swimming when you are unable to go! I started off with a few lengths in my usual medium lane but was concerned I may push myself too much if I swam at my usual pace so decided to swim with my friend in the slow lane and take it a bit easier. I did 40 lengths (1km) at a nice steady pace and feel ok... Think I will feel it in the morning as my back is starting to make itself known but I'm glad I managed to get back in the pool. 

Next swim will be Wednesday, probably another gentle one before easing myself back in to the medium lane once I'm happy my back will be OK... Just need to make sure I stay on my horse between now and end August so that there is no more distribution to my training!

Fundraising

I'm really excited because my St.Mark's Foundation fundraising pack arrived today! I've been asking them for a vest or T-Shirt to wear while I train in the gym, after swimming etc to help raise awareness - they have sent me both 😊 I've also got a water bottle (handy) and a band/bracelet as well as sponsorship forms etc

Swim training is going really well, the mile is a standard swim now at roughly 50 minutes so I'm now pushing myself to the 2km point (80 lengths) which should get me prepare for the effect of the current & tide

I do have a gym programme to follow which should supplement the swim training but the gym is always very over crowded and I can never get on the machines so I have started doing a bit of running in the mornings now the weather is nicer & it's getting lighter earlier. I'm surrounded by fields, bridal paths & public footpaths where I live so there are plenty of nice routes for me choose from. I'm surprised at how unfit I still in am terms of running fitness, despite all my swimming but I guess I just need to build it up like I did from widths to lengths - I'll keep you posted with my progress!

I know my swim is still 4 months away but your sponsorship is very much appreciated, donating via my Just Giving website means the money goes straight to St.Mark's and they can put it to use right away, doing research & helping people like my sister:

www.justgiving.com/swimkellyswim 

Fake boobs - swimming help or hinderance?

After seeing a very attractive, slim young woman with obviously fake boobs at the pool today, I couldn't help but wonder the impact this would have on your swimming ability...

Do they act as a buoyancy aid? 

Do they weigh you down? 

What's the impact on aerodynamics?

Do they just get in the way?

If said young woman is anything to go by, they are a hinderance, as she spent most of her time standing around posing & pouting while everyone, and I mean everyone, had a good look (me included, obviously or I wouldn't be writing this post) before finally heading back to the sauna after only managing 2 widths. 

However they never seemed to get in the way when Pammy was on Baywatch... 

C.J. always managed to swim out and save lives with no sign of her boobs getting in the way! Or was that just Pammy's excellent acting skills convincing us so??? 

Quiet February

I have to admit and apologise that it has been a very quiet February on the blogging and swimming front.  For the whole month I have only clocked up 2km across two swims, both of which were only this week!  I had a week’s holiday mid-month (and took a little break from swimming beforehand) and planned to go swimming every morning in this pool before breakfast but my good intentions were scuppered by the freezing cold pool temperatures before the sun had chance to warm the water - brrrrrrrrrr. 

 

I was also concerned that the pool seemed to be salty water rather than chlorinated and there were a lot of children in the pool during the day and without the chlorine to protect me, I didn’t fancy swimming around in their wee!  I had wanted to get some open water practice in by swimming in the sea but it was so rough & the life guard had the red flag out every day, I would have been way too dangerous!

I’m now re-focused, not only on my swimming but also on the supporting gym programme and eating plan.  I’m also going to challenge myself to swim 12km in March – 480 lengths, aiming for the mile each time I poke a toe in the pool.  I also want to work on improving my stroke technique and my speed, but one step at a time… still 6 months to go until the big day!

 

My sister is poorly and back in St. Mark’s Hospital, potentially requiring further surgery.  It’s absolutely devastating for her and the whole family as we all hoped and prayed (yes, even I prayed!) that the operation in January would be the last one and that 2014 would be her year, the year she got her life back.  So far, this doesn’t appear to have been the case but we still have 10 months of the year to go and I will remain positive that everything happens for a reason and this can still be her year – I often struggle to understand the reason, but I have to believe there is one!

 

With this in mind, it is even more important for me to continue on my mission of raising awareness for IBD and fundraising for the amazing St. Mark’s Hospital. www.justgiving.com/swimkellyswim.  

All you Pattonair lovelies, get saving your pennies as there will be a cake sale shortly to help top up the totalizer!  

If you are on Twitter, please follow me and help spread awareness: @_kelly_welly

Wednesday's Swim

So Wednesday's swim started off with this Tweet:

I really didn't want to swim and would have much rather stayed at home on my sofa, with my blanket, and potentially a Chinese takeaway... But I made myself get in the car and drive to the pool.

When I got to the pool, I did my usual assessment of how busy the slow & medium lanes were and which of the regular faces I could see to decide whether I'd be OK to be fast in the slow lane or slow in the medium lane. With only 3 people in the slow lane & a busier than usual medium lane, I decided on the slow lane - good decision!

There was one lady swimming quite slowly but she was really considerate and when she knew I was coming up quite close behind she would stop at the end of the length and let me set off ahead of her and this really helped me to get a good rhythm going and keep it going - as a result I managed my 1 mile (64 lengths) in my fastest time ever, 55 minutes! 

The furthest I'd ever swam was 70 lengths so I decided to try and beat this and pushed myself up to 80 lengths... A full 2km! And I felt really, really good! So I just kept swimming:

And I got up to 90 lengths, but I couldn't stop there, despite feeling really tired and having aching shoulder blades, and I continued... 91, 92, 93... All the way up to 100 LENGTHS! Yes that's right, I did this:

It felt so good and I was so so pleased of myself - a few excited texts went out to my Sister, Hubby and Dad!

And to top it all off, it took my January total to 10,050m - beating my 10km target with over 1 week to spare!  Not bad for someone who didn't want to go swimming 🏊

That's got to be worth some sponsorship:

www.justgiving.com/swimkellyswim 

Too Fast For The Slow Lane, Too Slow For The Medium Lane

I meant to blog last night but swimming just 1km (40 lengths) really took it out of me and I was too tired to even type the words so took myself to bed with a DVD on the laptop at 8.30pm.

 

I’m not sure why just 40 lengths felt so hard last night when 64 is my norm – I probably could have pushed myself to the full mile but every stroke just felt like too much hard work!  Maybe because I swam in the medium lane and tried to keep up with some of the faster swimmers in there.  You see, I am now too fast for the slow lane, and conscious that I don’t want to make any of the other swimmers feel uncomfortable by catching them up and overtaking them all the time, but I’m that little bit too slow for the medium lane and end up being that person that everyone wants to get past.  I am quite considerate of my fellow medium lane swimmers and if the person behind me is clearly a faster swimmer I will wait at the end of the lane so that they can go in front of me as I don’t want to hold them up – if only the sloooooow people were as considerate in the slow late.  I think they need to create a new lane… I tried to Google for a word that would represent this lane in between slow and medium but I just got results about when to switch from slow to medium flow nipples on babies bottles, something I have no desire nor need to know, so let’s just call this the Kelly lane!

 

On the plus side – I am now 76% of the way through my January target of 10km.  So far I swum 7550m and spent 4 hours and 45 minutes in the pool – that’s an average swimming speed of 1.58km per hour, far off the speed of the fastest breaststrokers who, according to our friends on Wikipedia, can swim about 1.57 metres per second (5.65km per hour) but not bad for someone who couldn’t really manage a couple of widths a few months ago!  I am swimming twice more this week, my usual Wednesday slot then again on Thursday – I usually horse ride on Thursdays but have been asked to stay late and do a presentation to a Customer at work so won’t make it home in time for riding, but should get chance for a quick swim.  With this in mind, and only 2450m left to reach the 10km target, I think I might just do it this week with 1 week to spare – next week’s swims will just be bonuses!  Maybe I need to set a more challenging February target?!

The Twitter Campaign

My sister started tweeting different people about me doing the swim asking for re-tweets, she got RT by @StMarksHospital who have 171 followers and also @Great_Swim who have over 5000 followers!

So to help raise awareness and hopefully get a few extra £ for my sponsorship I've also joined Twitter! Look out for @_kelly_welly and #GreatLondonSwim

And I've already had a RT from @Utdforcolitis who have over 1700 followers 😊

Twitterrific!

Today's swim was brought to you by...

Ludovico Einaudi

The Calling

Jay-Z

Kaiser Cheifs

Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Backstreet Boys

Bruno Mars

Destiny's Child

Gwen Steffani

Faithless... Amongst others that I can't remember!

My sister-in-law bought me a swimming MP-3 player for my birthday back in November and I've only just got round to downloading some music to listen to on it and I used it for the first time tonight & it was FAN bloody TASTIC!

So far in January I've swum 4.35km in just 3 swims - bang on track to at least hit, if not exceed my 10km target for the month!

Not sure what to do tomorrow... Tuesday should be a gym day but it's likely to be really busy still, should I just swim instead? Might have to be a quick 1km though as the casual swim is only open 5.30 to 6.30 on Tuesdays... Gym or swim - decisions decisions!

Things That Annoyed Me Whilst Swimming Tonight

1. Having to reverse park in to a tight spot as the car park was so busy with all the New Years Resolutioners going to the gym & Weight Watchers class
2. Someone had walked mud all through the 'shoe-free zone' that is the ladies changing rooms
3. The smell of the disinfectant cleaning stuff they use (see 2 above)
4. The slowest swimmer I have ever witnessed in my life was in the slow line - I know we all have to start somewhere but this was just taking the biscuit!  I think I would have moved faster if I'd just laid on my back and tried to stay still!  And because it was so busy it was hard to over-take without nearly crashing in to the on-coming 'traffic'!
5. People who block the end of the lane.  I know people need to stop and take a break but leave a little room for the rest of us to touch base and turn around.  One woman kept leaning back against the side and stretching her legs out in the pool in front of her - right where you are supposed to start your new length meaning you had turn around and push off directly in to the path of the people swimming in the opposite direction!  I'm sure she spent more time doing this and chatting to her friend than she did actually swimming & I'm concerned that the IT boys at work said that people are having a wee when they do this (the leg kicking disguised the yellowness apparently) - yuck!
6. Nasty women - 2 women were in hysterics at the breathing technique of one of the men in the fast lane.  I'm sorry love, but if that helps him swim multiple lengths in the fast lane without stopping, I don't think you should be laughing, especially when you are said leg kicker above!  If we were all to be bitchy and laugh at our fellow swimmers you wouldn't want to set foot out of the changing rooms the way you look in your swimsuit - MEOW!
7. The fast lane swimmers' encroaching arms and legs under the lane rope - kicking and hitting me
8. New swimming cap hurt my ears (though did keep my hair dry and make it quicker and easier to get dry after)
9. Goggles kept fogging up so couldn't wear them
10. Eyes got stingy (see 9 above)
11. I stink of chlorine

Right rant over - I really must learn not to sweat the small stuff....

And on that note - Oh yeah, new PB tonight of 70 lengths (1750m) in 65 minutes

 

First Swim of 2014

I really wasn't sure what to expect as I emerged from the changing rooms tonight - would the lanes be busy if the world & it's dog had resolved to swim more in 2014?? Luckily swimming doesn't appear to be top of many peoples 'to do in 2014' lists (though worth noting it's top of my Sister's list: http://morethanjustabaglady.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/bucket-list.html?m=1) - not many new faces but some of the familiar ones were still there!

I seem to have injured my right leg just below the knee - I'm not really sure what it is but I get a niggly pain every now and  then since my Christmas Eve pub ride. I wasn't sure how this would hold up in the water tonight as I could feel it when I went swimming last time on 28th Dec. When I got in tonight, I could definitely feel the pain as I kicked out so I used a little less force in my legs and it seemed OK. I was only going to do half a mile (32 lengths - 800m) as I don't want to push my leg and do any damage but my rhythm felt smooth (for some reason it gets easier the further I swim, totally opposite to how I would expect!) so I cracked to to 1km (40 lengths). Should also help me work off the lemon cheesecake I are at work today!

Hopefully I won't be paying for it tomorrow & my leg will hold out for my return to the gym - though looking through the window tonight, a lot of people have certainly resolved to work out more as it was really busy! Wish me luck!