jgalswims

Hey there,

Well, my chafing marks are horrific...I'm keeping Vaseline and open air on them as much as possible. I'm starting to get worried because I've to go to an academic conference in two days, and I really don't want these marks all over my neck...people could get suspicious! I really hope they die down soon; last time it took about five days. I also need them to be gone so I can swim my 10/15k and not be dying from the burn, as I was yesterday.

I headed out to the lovely County Meath to visit some really wonderful people: the Caseys! It was a beautiful day, and I increased the glorious depth of my stunning tan! I'm loving it!



We took the boat out to the middle of the lake, and I said adios and dove into the water. It was wonderful...no salt! Although I did miss the extra buoyancy.



It was a great swim, minus the constant burning from my chafing burns. I had lathered about half the tin of Vaseline on myself before getting in, but I still felt the pain. (My fault, I know.) My plan was to swim toward an island, go around it, and head back to the boat slip. Well, I forgot about lake currents! When I was certain I had done a 360 on the island, I looked around and absolutely nothing looked familiar. I didn't panic, but it was concerning because I didn't know which way to swim. Probably not the best idea, in hindsight.

I swam toward what I thought was the other island, but it wasn't, and within about 20 minutes I realised I was going the wrong way. Luckily, there were loads of fishing boats, so I waved one down and asked for directions. 'You want a lift back?' They said. 'Nah, I'm fine!' They must have thought I was insane. Finally, after about 10 more minutes of hoping I was going the right way, I saw the Casey house and knew I'd make it back!

It wasn't too cold, although I was really cold when I got out. I'd say the water was 15 degrees.


Two gorgeous horses!

Special thanks to the Casey family for inviting me out there...it was a great training swim, and I think I'll be back!



me with my 2 girlfriends!

You think I would have learned from my last mistake about the Vaseline, but no. The eejit over here still thinks I can trick the salt into thinking I am a seal, not a human rubbing skin to skin with every stroke. Some background:

Today, I did my usual 6am pool swim with the club team. 9.5km later, I did circuits. (By 'did', I mean did my best.) As I've said before, I have one sporting talent, and that is swimming. Anything else athletic, whether it be walking on the beach, basketball or climbing stairs, I frankly suck at doing. I have no ability whatsoever to even stand on one leg. If you throw a ball at me, I either duck for cover (if I'm lucky), or it hits me in the face before I realise I was supposed to react. This girl was made for water, not land.

Anyway, after my circuits, I realised it was coming close to high tide. I'd less than an hour to get home, shove calories in my gob, and hit the sea. So that's what I did. I quickly made 2 eggs with cheese, 2 toast with butter, tomatoes and a hot bottle of maxim. Sure that should be enough calorie replacement for 3 hours of swimming and 45 minutes of cardio. (Ha!)

When I got to the sea, I remember thinking I wish I had my camera with me, because I wanted you guys to see the waves with which I was about to swim. They were so bad that the boaters and sailors out in the bay started heading back to shore. (ya wimps!) The wind was making my ears hurt, even with a hood on my head. I grabbed my wet-from-the-pool speedo and legged it for cover...in the sea.

Three minutes in, a very naughty curse came forth from my gob. Vaseline. Once again, I had forgotten Vaseline. I had already settled on at least 60 minutes, no matter what the weather (within reason, of course). So I said it was once again time for me to shut my face and simply swim. So I did.

About 40 minutes in, after a few jellyfish encounters nonetheless, I felt the burn, and knew it wasn't going to be pretty. I made my way back to my starting point. The wind and waves were so bad that the onlookers were hurrying home, dogwalkers were shooing along their pets. I was worried about Guinness, as he was waiting for me back there. Luckily, when I hit land at 60 minutes, he was happy to greet me. We scurried home, and 3 hours later these appeared:



a simply gorgeous view of my shoulder/neck


in case that wasn't enough, check out the other side! simply stunning!

I won't show you my underarm ones because, well, that's just unladylike! :) And don't you worry about me; I will be fine. I'm even going to do a lake swim tomorrow to prepare for the 10k open water nationals next Sunday!

jgal

Hey all,

So I convinced my American friend that it is a 'cultural experience' to take a dip in the Irish waters when visiting. This is the result, enjoy:




ps- she is actually a good swimmer...she even does open water back in Baltimore, but wears a (pansy) wetsuit.

Cheers,

jgal

Hello out there, skinny folk,

Today I received the 5th 'fat' comment in the last week. FIVE! And I didn't even blog about it! (Well, not really.) Comments ranged from 'You're looking fat today!' to 'Well done, look at how fat you've gotten!' And that's not even the comments coming from my own self! Ya wouldn't want to hear those!

As a girl, I am sure you're already questioning my intentions for posting this blog. Girls want to be thin; girls want to lose weight; girls want to discuss how much they hate their figure and seek encouragement that they look okay in their skin. So how could a friend of mine call me fat? How could people even mention it! Why, how rude! Well, the thing here is, my goal was to gain weight.

So friends, it is true. I am fat. Overweight on all accounts. And guess what: that's a good thing. I have purposefully gained over a stone for this challenge. Well, if you want to be technical, 1.5 stone, but I put on half a stone the first year I moved here thanks to your friend and mine Guinness. (The beer, not my dog, and on that note he seems to be gaining weight at the rate I am.)

You see, I was a sprite little thing when this started. I've never been the 'big' swimmer; most of the girls next to me made me feel very small, especially when I was 13 and still around 4'10". Aww bless. Anyway, a lot of Channel swimmers talk about gaining weight and how they can't seem to do it. I'll tell you my secret. You simply stuff your face, all day, every single day. Take today, for example. This is what I ate: 2 eggs with cheese on top, 2 whole-wheat toast with butter and jam, strawberry nonfat yogurt, oj, cheese sandwich, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, 2 toblerone chunks off a big bar, pack of wotsits, crackers, granola bar, kiwi, 2 bananas with peanut butter, Slimfast shake, chocolate cake, beans with cheese (goodness, I consume a lot of cheese!), tortilla chips, chocolate milk, 2 cups of tea with milk. And that was a 'light' day because I did not train. You wouldn't want to hear what I eat on a day with more than a 2-hour swim. It's pretty disturbing.

That said, I've put on the weight. I don't eat the unhealthiest, but I certainly don't eat the healthiest. And that, my friends, adds fat. I don't know how much I weigh, but I'd venture to say it's around 160 pounds. (11 stone 4 lbs., or 72 kilos). HAHA even just saying those numbers makes me laugh. I've never been so fat! But such is life. I don't really notice a difference when I swim in the pool. I've had no shoulder problems. (Touch wood.) My speed has not slowed and I actually have a lot more energy from the boosted caloric intake. My jeans, however, do not fit. Nor do most of my clothes! Even my swimming togs are being replaced with larger sizes being shipped from America.

Recently, I made the executive decision that I had indeed gained enough weight to swim the Channel and not freeze to death. I pretty much consume similar foods to those above, although I am known to make gigantic salads; I simply add nuts, seeds, cheese and dressing to get the extra calories! And yes, like you, I find it very ironic that for me to be 'at my best', I need to be a little chunky. It's fine by me; I will do anything to get to France. I'd even gain another stone!, although I really don't know what else I could do to gain weight at this stage.

So, if you see me in person, I know I am fat, and I know my clothes are a bit snug. But I'm not going to lose weight and I'm not going to buy fat clothes! Embrace the fat. Those are the words of encouragement I tell myself every time I look in the mirror, or try to button jeans, or pack my lunch. Don't worry. I am rewarded every time I venture into the sea.

hang loose,

jgal


A lovely pic of me at Chilis in Belfast, scarfing up some TexMex! (ps- look at that stunning tan!) :)

Hola todos!

I recently returned from a short holiday in lovely Marbella, Spain. (Yes, we saw the Belles. xx) It was planned for me to do a couple little sea swims around the shore, but once I arrived, I saw the sea's capacity and knew I had to do something to get in a longer swim.

Using my limited Spanish, I asked a waiter at one of the beach's many cafes if he knew anybody with a boat. He said yes, he did know somebody with a boat. I then tried to explain that I wished to be taken offshore 10 kilometres, and then swim in to shore. After establishing that I was indeed una chica loca, he said his friend would do whatever I wanted, for a price of course. So it was settled, and I was to meet him the next day.

Upon arrival that next day, I got a bit nervous about what I was actually about to do. To get into a tiny boat with somebody who speaks virtually no English is quite daunting, even though I speak Spanish. There was a level of trust I had to have, and I really hoped everything would go well. I realised that if an emergency occurred, I could be in great danger. The boat was tiny, so there was no way that the girls could go with me. I met my pilot, Pino, and we waited for the boat to get pushed into the sea.



We started off to the open sea. I think Pino only somewhat understood for what he was actually being hired. He kept looking over at me with a puzzled but intrigued expression. We were driving straight away from the shore. Soon the land became a bit small. It seemed really far off, so I asked Pino how far we'd gone. (Pino is a fisherman, and his knowledge of the currents was beyond amazing). He looked at me, gauged, and said 6. Well 6 seemed very far away. He said 'this ok?' and I said 'nope, keep going, cuatro más kilometres.' He seemed baffled, but said ok.

When we finally arrived to 10 kilometres, I had a sinking, almost awful feeling in my stomach. This was not like any swim I have done before. In Ireland, even in my long swims, I am always close to land. This was the real open sea. There were a few fishing boats sparkling on the horizon but, if I am realistic, we were in the middle of nowhere in the Mediterranean. I had no idea if there were sharks, or whales, or dolphins (the most evil of the three, you know) [showoffs!]. I began to regret the entire thing. But there was no way I was going all the way out there to not swim, so I vaselined up and simply jumped off the boat into the sea. I had done a shorter swim the day before, so I knew the water was not too cold.

It took a little while for Pino to understand that I was not the leader, but he copped on really fast and I began to settle into my swim. Because it was only a 10k, I didn't bother with feeds. Pino did such a great job, I cannot commend him enough. He seemed to be enjoying the entire thing. I saw him cleaning his boat and relaxing, so everything was great.



At an hour I fell into my stride. Land was in sight, but far away. I think I now know what it like for Channel swimmers when land starts to appear as you swim closer. I know the Channel rule is to keep your head down and swim until you hit land, but my goodness the temptation to look up was astounding. I felt compelled to gauge my progress. As if I could tell from my vantage point 80% submerged in the sea. It was a great lesson for me. I became so frustrated when I didn't feel that I was moving closer. The Britney was not flowing in my mind either, so that bummed me out.



In any case, all I could think about was the fact that I was getting an incredible tan. (Which I did). That kept me going, and Pino started taking pictures of me with his camera phone, so that made me laugh. He later told me his friends would not believe him if he told them what he had done that day, so he needed photographic evidence. Fine by me! We got closer to shore and I knew the swim was about to be over. I was more than thankful, as I was wrecked. I used this time to imagine what it will be like when France is so close within reach. I could now see the bottom of the sea, and I knew I had finally entered the shoreline. The sea bottom got closer and closer to me, which I felt was a lot better gauge than looking at shore.

Pino pulled his boat to the side, and I realised it was time to swim into shore. I swam onto a secluded beachfront. There were sunbathers staring at me, and this made me laugh. How odd it must have been to have a random girl swim into the beach. I love this sport! I touched the rocks, got out, and Pino was clapping for me and cheering. I actually felt so accomplished, even though it was not near my distance or time record. I hopped back onto the boat with Pino, and he was grinning from ear to ear. He showed me where we started from, and wow, it was far.

Because of the currents, I wasn't able to swim to my starting beach, but I got to fly in the boat back to our shore. That boat can literally fly! It was great, and I wasn't cold in the least bit. I believe, based on weather forecasts, that the water was about 17 degrees, and I was only cold in tiny patches, so it was lovely to swim without shivering and wishing I was in a hot bath.


me with Pino after my swim

I couldn't do my second planned swim the next day because, shockingly, the weather was bad for a day and it rained! :( We had fun anyway, so it didn't matter.

I would really like to do more of these types of swims off the coast of Ireland, but I do not have a boat. The training is different than swimming along the coast. So if you know of anybody with a boat, get in contact!


enjoying lunch after my swim!

Tanned and tired, hasta luego,

jgal

(Photo courtesy of Eddie Delahunty.)


So I made a complete eejit out of myself on my Sunday swim. I don't know where my mind was, but it obviously was not on the swim, because I did about everything wrong in the books! At least I had my swim suit...right?

So I arrive, in shorts, because in my mind it is May, so it is summer. Mistake number 1. I don't honestly know if it's ever summer on an Irish coastline, because the wind was heavy! We went out and looked at the empty sea in front of us. Apparently we were going to have to climb over rocks to get to a starting cove. I went back to get changed, and I realised I didn't pack my flipflops. Mistake number 2. Ugh, oh well, I thought, I'll live. I probably would have been fine, but climbing over barnacle-infested rocks is like walking on glass shards. It was painful, and I felt the piercing cuts on my feet, but I had to swim, right? When I finally got in the water, my knee jabbed right into a rock just under the surface. I won't call that a mistake because I couldn't see it. Regardless, it hurt, and I have a bruise to prove it.

So I finally get over all the drama and start to swim. My stroke is sluggish, likely after the 25x400s (10,000 metres) I did in the pool the day before. I am not cold, so that's good. I head along the coast toward the tower, and start to feel better because the sun was semi-shining. The water felt thick; I was not gliding through it like I usually feel like I'm doing. It felt like I was trudging along in too-thick snow. Every stroke felt like I was lifting a 2kg dumbbell. Whatever, negative thinking will get you nowhere, so I tried to sing some fun songs. And then I realised, 15 minutes in, that I had forgotten to put on Vaseline. Huge mistake number 3. A slew of curses erupted from my mouth. In all honesty, I would have been better off turning around then and there and calling it a day. But then I remembered that people had swum the entire channel without Vaseline, so I felt like I could stomach one swim and be okay. Mistake number 4. I was wrong.

I got to 25 minutes and felt sluggish, bored and unstimulated. For those who know me, I am a fairly energetic swimmer. I love to swim in a happy stupor, singing great songs and laughing and smiling all along the way. Well Grumpy McGrumpsalot was not having any of that today! I was moaning, knowing the burning pain in my underarms was going to create large, red, stinging chafes on both my armpits. Mistake number 5. No happiness emanated from my mind or body. For me, that swim was just about as bad as it gets. I trudged back toward the starting point. Just get in the car and go home was all I could think as I swam. (What a moody cow!) Mistake number 6.

So, of course, when I finally arrived back, I literally cut my foot in about 5 places. At this point I did not care. I was in about an hour, 50-something minutes. I was utterly exhausted. I grabbed Guinness, tried to smile a goodbye, and literally ran to my car. I can't find my goggles, brand new blue seventies, so I guess that's mistake number 7. (Hopefully somebody has them?!) I wasn't even cold, really. My underarms and neck were on fire, and I dared not look at them until I returned home.

That said, after my shower, I slept for 6 hours. Six! I was tired. So tired that I literally could not formulate a single thought. I just slept and slept. And then I felt better. My pits? They do not feel better. I had a pool session this morning, and even with them smothered in Vaseline, each stroke caused immense pain. Think razor burn times one thousand. I got in a sea swim tonight and it was better, even with the bad weather.

I would like to say that I could have acted better on Sunday but, really, if I am honest, I would say that I acted entirely appropriately. I wasn't prepared, I didn't think, and therefore I had every right to moan and groan! Still, even at this stage, it's humbling to know I still make rookie mistakes. I need to be more focused for my sea swims at this stage. It is no longer a dip in the sea and chat-time for an hour afterward. I need to start pushing the distance, the time and the speed.

I've learned from my mistakes, and now I am happy and full of the joys! :)

I am off to Spain on Thursday, long sea swims here I come! I'll have lots of pics when I return. See you next week!

jgal

Hello!

Just a quick update to inform all of you that as of today, thanks to all the incredible help I've received, I have raised over 2 thousand Euro for Headway! This number will only go up from here, so keep donating, and thanks as always for your support.

A special thank you to the NAC Masters Swimming Club. Each year NAC donates its pool session fees to a charity, and this year they chose to donate to Headway for my swim, raising €530 Euro on my behalf. I greatly appreciate all of your support, NAC!

Cheers,

jgal