jgalswims

Hey all,

I had a great weekend of training in the sea. After my Saturday pool session, I was wrecked and sleepy, but I knew high tide was just after 12, so I knew I had to get geared up for the session. I asked Gerry, a friend and coach, if he fancied a dip and he said sure. We met up and I told him I was going to do an hour. (Previous record for this year in Dublin: 46 minutes). The weather was not great, very overcast, rainy and choppy water. We negotiated a course and off I went. It was not a great swim. I was really disoriented at times by the waves, and I didn't know where I was at one point. Not a great feeling when you're all alone in the water with no one near you. My nerves were a bit 'heightened' by this experience. I tried to calm myself down, but it was official: I was panicking. So I turned around and got myself closer to shore. It was only 41 minutes when I came back to Gerry who, thankfully, I had seen watching me when I was out to sea. (Always a calming measure!) So I told him where I was going and that I'd be back soon enough to complete my 60 minutes. I was going hypothermic and I knew it...I couldn't subtract 7 from 93 and my alertness was waning. Time did fly by though, and by the time I got back I had 30 seconds to flaunt around before my 60 minutes ended. It was a great feeling, but it was close to my max for cold exposure. I hopped out and got dressed as fast as I could. Surprisingly, after my shower I was fine...no shivers or delirium, so that made me feel better. It wasn't a great swim, but I needed to do something like that because it helped me mentally.

On Sunday I headed out with my crew with another hour in my mind. The day was better. Not a lot of sun, but very calm water, almost like a pool. I set off and was comfortable. I kept thinking, 'Wow, if the Channel is like this for even some of the swim, I will be so happy!' I flew down past the tower, then alongside the beach. I was pretty far out from shore, about 100 metres, but it didn't really matter because there was no chop anywhere. I sauntered along until 25 minutes, where I flipped to head back. Going back took longer, as I had imagined, but I made steady progress anyway and felt okay. My hands and feet were numb, and my lips were tingling, but I wasn't cold cold. (There is a difference!) I was getting proud of myself before I even finished because 60 minutes has become the new 40. I finished at 60 and hopped out. Most the guys were already gone, so I just focused on hurrying to get in my warm car. I was really frigid, but a few minutes in the heat and I was defrosting!

I'm really happy that I was able to do two 60-minute swims this weekend. The water has warmed, slightly, but it still has a long way to go before it's 14-15 degrees, which is trainable. The Channel will be 16-18 degrees when I swim it, so happy days! I did spend all yesterday (and somewhat today) in bed with stomach flu. I'd imagine it was from the water on Saturday or some vegetables I ate...no clue but I was not well yesterday and slept from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.! I think the bug is leaving so I should be back up on my feet in no time! I bet I lost some weight in the process though, so soon it's back to the calories!

jgal

Hello!

I've had a few people asking me about summer training and my plans. Other than my pool sessions with Coolmine, my sea sessions with the gang and on my own, and other swimming races around the country, I've scheduled a few training trips for myself to mix things up.

Marbella, Spain
In just two weeks, I am headed to Marbella. (Rough life, huh?) Two of my friends (Hey 'Ole Shivo and Helmi!) decided that we needed a sun break, and I said I was up for anything along the coast of anywhere. So Marbella was booked, and my Speedo two-pieces are ready for action. I will be there for 4 days, and hope to get a couple long-distance swims completed while I am there. Not to mention relaxation! I will keep you posted on everything.

Copenhagen, Denmark
At the end of May, I am off to Copenhagen for an academic conference. I did a little research into pools and discovered that Copenhagen is host to a load of open-air pools and natural springs. I am really excited about this as well! It's not really open water swimming, but it will be fun to mix everything up.

London, UK
When I say London, I really mean Dover. Hehe. A while back, me and my Canadian friend Gail decided to head to LDN to see none other than Britney Spears. Well, being in the UK, I figured I better tie my swimming in with everything, so I will be visiting the Tooting Bec Lido with my SwimTrek friends Mark and Lucy. I can't wait to swim in this pool; it looks fantastic! As the concert is on Saturday night, I will be trekking down to Dover for the Saturday and Sunday sessions. Which means I have to be on my best behaviour Saturday night if I'm going to swim on Sunday. ;)

Cork, Ireland
I'm going to Cork in the middle of June for at least a week of long-distance swimming with the Cork Channel aspirants. (There's like, a bazillion of them!) During my time down there, I will be competing in the Irish Champion of Champions, which is a 5k, rest, 3k, rest and 1k sprint around Sandycove Island in Kinsale. I can't wait! I had to miss it last year thanks to breaking my ankle, so I am looking forward to competing this year.

Other than that (ha!), I will be swimming around Dublin and other areas of the country. Basically I cannot wait for all of these upcoming trips! I think I have done a great job so far at making Channel training as fun and enjoyable as possible. My morale is still as high as it was when I left Malta, and I am happy with everything. I feel strong! Yesterday I was in the sea for 46 minutes...I am simply dying to get to 60. I will hopefully hit it this Sunday or next. Keep your fingers crossed!

Happy happy happy,

jgal

Hello out there,

Well, as the title states, I am officially tan. Malta gave me a great base, but I had a ways to go as I arrived there pasty white. Today, I can finally state that my 2009 tan has begun! For those who are not Irish, to get a tan here is, well, kind of a big deal. Espesh if it's not out of a bottle. But the Irish seem to forget that glorious sea surrounding them, and this sea makes you really tan if utilised correctly! So does sunbathing in the park for four hours, but it's the sea that really counts!

I had a great weekend. On Saturday I did a sprint session in the pool. Pool sessions are becoming increasingly draining on the mental front. Do any other sea swimmers feel this way? I look at the pool and sigh. In fairness, I have spent my life in the pool, eyes glued to the bottom, since the age of 5, give or take a year or two. So I kind of have second thoughts the odd time as to why I still do this. But, unfortunately, sea swimming requires pool training. So I have to make the best of it, and somehow find humour in it. (Remember, humour is my fuel, alongside personal affirmations/compliments...and Britney Spears!)

Sunday is Funday in my world, because it means sea swim day! I had a guest with me, Gail, who is a fab pool swimmer but does not fancy the Irish sea! She's also Canadian, so that in itself says a lot about who she is. (America's suburb, anybody?) ;) Anyway, I lasted a record 40 minutes, with no hypothermia! I had a fit of the shivers, but it was nothing a Starbucks couldn't fix. I'd say it was 9-10 degrees, which is fantastic. I'm definitely going to be hitting the hour-mark soon, and then the fun begins. (Seals and jellies, beware!)


me warming myself in the car after the swim! a bit shivery!


gail 'recovering' from her 2 sea swims, one for a minute, and one at the end for 2 mins (in which I dunked her head under the waves so she'd actually swim and not scull like an old lady!)

I'll leave it at that because I need to go to sleep! Training is going great, and I am happy!

love and luck,

jgal

Hey all!

This will be short because I really need to go to sleep (I have to train at half 5!), but have a look at my personal account on the Headway Web site...it gives you a little insight as to why I chose to raise money on Headway's behalf.

Big update tomorrow, LOADS to discuss!

xx

jgal

Happy Easter from the sea! (Thanks for the pic, Eddie!)









For those who know me off the blog, you are probably aware that I am a complete freak when it comes to food and eating habits. I'm not going to deny this fact; it is true. In the last couple years I have managed to maintain a healthy weight, but stress and exercise still negatively influenced the scale. For a very long time, my 'goal' has been to keep certain weights. As in, not go under a number. I based all my food servings on calories...and knew I needed to eat x number of calories to maintain my weight. Recently though, I haven't had to focus on food as much, because I finally seem to have an appetite. ish. ;)

While my current method was great for maintaining a healthy weight, it is not beneficial for an athlete in training to cross the English Channel. When I went to my GP for my physical, she recommended me to gain weight, lots of it! I know how to add calories to my meal plan, but usually this means chocolate and eating whatever crap foods I can think of. Sure, I gain weight, but I do not 'feel' better. I've realised this is because I am choosing the wrong foods for putting on weight. What can I say, how was I supposed to know that cake and ice cream isn't always the best remedy to having a low weight? :)

That said, I decided I better do some research into sports nutrition. After all, I know that my common diet of crackers and peanut butter, yogurt, cereal and diet coke will not get me across the Channel. Nor will my tendency of eating 10+ servings of fruit each day, and 0 servings of protein. You would think I would have figured this sports nutrition stuff out by now, but no, I haven't. I've been swimming since I was 5 and have yet to eat the appropriate foods to compliment my training. (Better late than never, right?)

To start, I want to put on weight, but not stuff my face with bad-for-you foods. So I found a book recommended by other Channel swimmers. It's called Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes by Monique Ryan. I've found it amazing, to be honest. I'm not here to sell a book, but I really think that Channel swimmers (among others) should check out this book. Basically, she shows you how many calories you need based on your daily training routine. For me, on rest days I need 1850-2200 calories, and on hard training days, with 2+ hours swimming, I need 3800-4500 calories. This does not take into consideration days where I swim more than 2 hours in cold water. Basically, on those days, it's a free-for-all eat-til-you-pop feast-fest. Luckily, because I have virtually unlimited access to Maxim and Ensure, these crazy calories can be obtained rather easily.

I'm lucky that I eat fairly healthfully already so, for now, all I really need to do is focus on eating balanced meals and snacks throughout the day, with careful attention to fulfilling the required daily amounts for each food group. I'm going to write down all my food intake for the week starting tomorrow, and try to figure everything out as I go along. I think I will do well, but I am not looking for perfection. (Ha!) I am just going to make small adjustments and see how I get on.

Also, a lot of athletes complain about seeing food as fuel and not enjoying it, but I kind of like seeing food from this angle. I like eating my meals knowing that they are going to directly aid in replenishing glycogen stores, increasing muscle mass and providing energy to my training...and eventually, aid me in getting across the Channel. Now, instead of approaching food with [massive amounts of] apathy, I'm actually liking meal preparation and grocery shopping. It's hard not to flip out when I know I am ingesting over 4000 kcals a day, but I kind of have to on long days of training, and because I will do anything to get across the Channel, it's not so bad.

I looked at my watch and realised that in exactly 4 months, I will be in Dover. I may even be preparing for my swim on the 13th...depending on my slot and all that, but still. In one week and four months, I will have swum the Channel. And that is worth all the calories in the world! :)

jgal

Hello all,

I am pleased to say I am officially back in Dublin. It was a long week of travel and swimming, but I had a great time and learned a lot, so that's great.

I really, really enjoyed my Swimtrek. It was such a help for me both physically and mentally. I was so nervous and anxious about all the swimming, especially the 6-hour, but I was able to accomplish all my goals with relative ease. And by ease I mean I was not pulled from the water hypothermic and/or unconscious. That would by uneasy. (Swimming and not dying is a plus, you know!) Anyway, my confidence is pretty high at this point. I still know the difficulty of the Channel, and I've still a long way to go, but I know I am on the road to France, and that is a road I will stay on until August, when my hands touch its shores. Call me an optimist, but I'm ready to have a blast in that Channel, just like in my 6 hour! As my coach told me in a text after my 6-hour swim...'the Channel will be [my] bitch!' That may not be the reality, but that's my mentality. My day is the opportunity to capture my dream; I am ready.

France is becoming a visual reality for me at this point. I keep imagining what it will feel like when I take my final strokes...where I will land...what will be going through my head. (Hopefully more Britney Spears!) Even now, sometimes I will just be driving along and I will get goosebumps thinking about the swim. Time is ticking away, and I've just over four months until Go-Time. That is NOT a lot of time, and I know the importance of every day. It was one thing to train to get in shape. Now I am training to cross, and cross well. I love the feeling. I think I was destined to do this sort of thing. :)

Anyway, I really need to stay focused on the present, because right now I'm already planning 2010. Unfortunately open water swimming takes a lot of time and preparation to make swims a reality. You can't just show up to a swim and let everything fall into place. I signed up for my English Channel at the end of 2007. In 2008 I had to do the longest swims of my life so I could acclimate myself with long-distance sea swimming. I also joined a club team to get myself out of the pub and into the pool! (What an adjustment!) I also chose my Charity, Headway, and have been doing my best to raise money, so DONATE! (NOW!) This year I've had to fork over the majority of my life savings to pay for my pilot, pass a physical and pass the 6-hour. Not to mention adjusting to being fed by liquid calories and stuffing my face with food to beef myself up. (Says I with a carton of Ensure Plus by my side. Go Team Calories!) Is it worth it? Yes.

I'm also learning tidal patterns, currents of certain waters and how to read annual weather charts. I did take meteorology at university, but I think I was only interested in the clouds. (typical..!) Perhaps an email to my legendary lecturer and weather connoisseur Troy Kimmel is in order. Go to his meteorological forecast lab, you'll never be want for weather information ever again! He has it all! Knowing my sea helps me know my swim. You don't play golf on indoor courses and suddenly throw yourself on an actual one outside. You have to know what you're in for, at least to the best of your ability. I'm learning, slowly. Wind and waves and the elements should not scare me. They should ignite my excitement and, apparently, laughter.

Anyway, I am looking at doing two very long swims in 2010. One is conveniently located in Hawaii, which also happens to be where my dad/step-mom live. I think having (free!) housing and local liaisons will make this swim a reality. I'll give you a hint at what I want to do...read up on Penny Palfrey, she did the swim I want to do, but I think in the opposite direction. I want to swim from Maui to the Big Island. I've no more information than that. :)

I'm not even going to mention the second swimming proposition until I complete my English Channel. That road will be crossed eventually, but first, let me swim to France.

Happy training out there,

jgal

don't be fooled, just because it looks so nice and peaceful doesn't mean that water can't hurt the bod!


up on the rooftop...notice the pale skin! (pre-tan!)


freezing after my 2 hour swim...all bundled up and blogging!


me utterly ecstatic that my freckles made their first appearance for 2009! summer of sun, here i come! (please god!)


lisa before the 2.5 hour...little did we know we were doing a 3-hour right after it!


the blue lagoon!


the blue lagoon! gorgeous!


blogging on my 'day off!'...notice the ice cream, fergal! weight-gaining legend, i am.


pre 6-hour swim...post stuffing face at breakfast. (notice the tanlines!)


getting ready for my swim!


the gang, all nervous and ready to swim the morning away!


me during the 6-hour


swimming in the bay


spot the swimmer


if you only knew how many jellyfish were in that area...


6 hour swim


and i'm finished...eek!


6 hours, FINISHED! way to go, guys!!!


that was great, but get us out of here!


me with the guides and freda streeter...aka the channel general...aka legend! what a great week! thanks for all the support! :)

jgal

I can officially say I did my 6-hour swim! (Yeaaa!!!) I cannot believe that I actually spent 6 hours swimming in 15 degree water, but apparently I did, so excellent.

The swim was incredibly tough. We didn't have the best of weather, as in, it was pissing rain and at one point a storm was fierce upon us and I wondered if they were discussing pulling us from the swim on the radios. (They were.) (I knew it!)

I don't remember everything, but I do remember that at 45 minutes to 2:45 I was freezing. Really, really cold. I lost the feeling in my right foot first, as usual, then the left. My lips were going as well, but they came back quickly. I finished the swim cold, but not hypothermic, so yippee!

It was actually, in my opinion, a hilarious swim. Perhaps I suffer from delirium when I do long-distance swimming but, like the 3-hour on Monday, I found this swim to be hysterically funny. I was laughing my head off from literally 2 hours to the end at 6. Everything cycling in my head was causing me to laugh, to go 'ha!', to ache in my stomach from the pain of laughter. And the funniest thing of all, I was laughing at really mundane, bleak (but sometimes legitimately funny) things! For example, we got caught in a massive patch of jellyfish. We're talking little tiny brown monsters that stung the living daylights out of my body. You should see my stomach / side...I'm covered in them! One even found its way into my swim suit via my chest. I had to stop, squawk like a hen and fish it out of me, all the while getting stung by his cousins in the process. It was a sight to see, and naturally, this made me laugh. We stopped for a feed, I believe at the 2-hour, and our guide Lizzie (brilliant!) was being all nice and positive when she was likely soaked and cold and generally awful. This again made me laugh. I also associate people with songs while I am swimming, apparently, because every time I saw her I thought of The Beatles song Dizzy Miss Lizzy. It was killing me. I was in stitches laughing. Yes, I realize you ALL now think I am insane. Trust me, this ALSO made me really ecstatic. I was thinking about how we swimmers had all paid these people to virtually inflict massive amounts of torture upon ourselves. I also found great pleasure when a guide would commend my efforts. Anything along the lines of 'Well done!' or 'Good on you!' made me leap for joy underwater. I'd repeat what they said, over and over for a good long while! Compliments and well-wishes are half my fuel.

The laughter that made me literally UNABLE to breathe occurred on hour 5. We were in the bay, doing our final laps and I knew I had the swim in the bag. So every lap we did, once we got out to the ladder where we were to turn right, I flipped onto my back because I honestly wanted to get an equal tan. It was only about 20 minutes into these little backstroke parts that I realized how insane an idea it was, but only because I found myself whistling on my back and singing renditions of Britney Spears...wishing to God that I could bottle up the pee when I had to take a leak so I could use it to help with my stinging body from the jellyfish. It was then that I knew I had lapsed over to the 'real category' of open water swimming: utter madness. And, of course, what was my response? Laughter.

Now I'm not saying the swim didn't hurt...it did, kind of. But it was not unbearable and it was not excruciating. I kind of like the fact that I get into these laughing fits because the swim turns into a fun adventure. I know, madness, but at least I get to have fun in my delirium!

I received my certificate of completion by the great Freda Streeter tonight, and I will have pics up shortly, along with my overall learning experience of the whole Long Distance Swim Camp thing... :)

Again, a HUGE thanks to all my friends and family who have supported me during this process. I know I'm sounding like a robot at this point, but you literally have no idea how much your positive thoughts change my swims. Every time I had a negative thought, I replaced it with a compliment from my Facebook wall, or from personal emails. Those thoughts very easily replaced the negative ones...and I can only offer sincere thanks and gratitude to you all. Your support means laughter and positivity on my swims...THANK YOU!

I'll likely write my synopsis when I return from Scotland...my next adventure. Celtic Nations here I come. Go Ireland! :)

jgal