jgalswims

Ok, I have my schedule finally. This summer is going to be busy! Here are some of the bigger races I am going to rock:

-5 July, 2008: Grainne Uaile 10k race in Newport, County Mayo, Ireland
I don't know anything about this race as I am new to some of these longer races this summer. I'm doing 2 races through the Irish Long Distance Swimming Association, so these races are going to be big challenges for me. I do know that Newport is a gorgeous town in County Mayo, very close to my favourite town Westport :). I should make some good friends and have a lot of craic afterward! 10k won't be that bad, I shouldn't hope!

-12 July, 2008: Salthill Promenade in Galway, Ireland
This is another newbie for me, and everybody. It is the first race to my knowledge in Galway, so I should have a great time. (I'm going to be putting lots of kms on my car!) I know Galway is a very fun and vibrant little city, so I can't wait for this race! It shouldn't be a long one, but since it's in a new city I thought I should mention it.

-19 July, 2008: Lee Swim in Cork, Ireland
To really make myself exhausted, I'm going all the way down to Cork for my 2nd Lee Swim. I had a great time last year and won the women's event and placed 3rd overall. I feel that last year this was a breakthrough swim for me because I really started to get in the groove of the season at this swim. It was also very fun to meet a lot of people from Cork and have made some good friends down there, so it will be good to go back and visit. The race is only 2k, but it's good for me to go and race through the town...very fun indeed!

-26 July, 2008: Irish Open Water 5k Nationals in Dublin, Ireland
A break from the travelling! I'm going to have a blast at this year's open water nationals. I won it last year, so hopefully I can re-achieve a victory. I remember this race as being very, very cold. By the end of the race, I could not feel my entire arms and was completely dazed and confused. Hopefully, this year will not be as harsh on me, and it won't take me too long to recover because the next week, I have...

-2 August, 2008: Irish International Championships in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland
A very long and arduous 17k swim in Lough Erne! This is my other Irish Long Distance Swimming race...and it is one LONG race! It will definitely be the longest race of my career to-date, and will be a great gauge for my long-distance training for the English Channel. I can't really think about it right now because I get extremely anxious when I see that distance in front of my face. But rest assured, I will be ready and able that weekend to do my best and overcome my fears!

-9 August, 2008: Inishbofin Island 8-mile in West Ireland
I just now realised that I'm swimming a lot of long-distance races back-to-back! Oh well, the season is short and sweet, so I have to pack in my distance while I can! I'm new to this race this year. Apparently, we're swimming from Ireland to an island off Ireland called Inishbofin. Should be really fun once it's over because we're stuck on an island for a night! This will be a rough swim because it's open sea on the west coast. BRR!

-30 August, 2008: Wicklow 3k in County Wicklow, Ireland
After a little break and a holiday in Portugal, I should be ready to finish the season strong with the Wicklow 3k. I thoroughly enjoyed this race last year because we timed the tides perfectly and we all FLEW to the finish line. It was gorgeous! I would take a stroke and travel like 10 feet! Ok, maybe not that much, but it felt like I was flying. So this should be a great race if we can time the tides right again!

-6 September, 2008: Liffey Swim in Dublin, Ireland
No season is complete without the Liffey Swim. I simply cannot wait to swim through the water and take a disinfecting shower when I get out! Or the after party at the Guinness Storehouse! This will definitely be a great finish to a long and rewarding sea swimming summer.

That's all for now. I think I now need to just focus on training and getting in the best possible shape of my life. Time to start taking Maximuscle supplements...

--Julieann--

I'm literally dying of excitement for the sea swims this year. The first one is on 7th June... only a few weeks away. I've been training in the sea more often and am up to 25 minutes continuous swimming...which is great considering it's still probably around 9 degrees C. (hopefully!). In the next few weeks, it should warm up and I'll be able to swim at least 45 minutes. and then...hours!

I'm still working on finalising my summer swimming plans. As of now I may be going to Galway for their first-ever Leinster-recognized sea swim (to my knowledge)...so that may be fun to head west. I'll keep you posted. For now, happy swimming!

jgal

i'm back to action and have come back with a vengeance. to my utter luck and surprise, i'm not that out of shape. i'm swimming fine and have been back to the sea a few times. i got up to 11 minutes in the sea before entering a slight form of hypothermia...i got realllllllllllllly chattery and purple-ish... but it was SO refreshing! i know you all probably think i'm mad, but i just absolutely love the sea. i'm also running...CAREFULLY. i am only running on the treadmill at the gym and on the track at UCD...so i won't really be "running" the risk of falling into potholes.

we got our sea swim calendars recently. the swims start 7 june and are pretty much every weekend until september! so i'll have lots to write about. i cannot wait!!! the sea should be warming up now...i'm going to have a swim at seapoint tomorrow night because the tide is late. don't worry, i'll have a partner swimming with me!

more later,

jules