tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15953607555290979842024-02-07T22:10:50.277+11:00Tori's StoryTorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-69365049574685771902015-10-15T21:00:00.000+11:002015-10-16T16:49:41.006+11:00Catalina Channel - Completing the Triple Crown!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Captain Matthew
Webb, the first person to swim across the English Channel, said afterwards:
“Nothing Great is Easy”. How true his words would continue to be 140 years
later in my quest to complete the Triple Crown of marathon swimming.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Preparation for
Catalina Channel consisted of nine long months of training, the hardest part
definitely being the last three months through the coldest winter Sydney has
had in 26 years. Training four mornings a week before work, as well as a long
swim Saturday and a recovery swim Sunday meant that the majority of my free
time from work was taken up with swimming, eating or sleeping! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMpHzdMrxsy20fZMZuVrsmQ973kIluDp9LggYbrMo7P9xH28KCoPkyPn9k7Ui-2usUTzcaixeIQ35i5FERTXkJWFSLCE5wsjWbqrMew8RkHYo6luL9zf-soZuAGhvJOtQlFSSsupjgnTs/s1600/IMG_7567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMpHzdMrxsy20fZMZuVrsmQ973kIluDp9LggYbrMo7P9xH28KCoPkyPn9k7Ui-2usUTzcaixeIQ35i5FERTXkJWFSLCE5wsjWbqrMew8RkHYo6luL9zf-soZuAGhvJOtQlFSSsupjgnTs/s400/IMG_7567.JPG" width="400" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Arriving in Los
Angeles one week out from the swim with my mum, it was hard to believe that the
goal was finally here! We spent the weekend exploring LA before heading down to
La Jolla to train and prepare for the big swim. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Two years ago I
headed to Arizona for the S.C.A.R swim, a four day stage race covering 70kms,
where I met the greatest group of marathon swimmers. My mum, Yvonne, had also
joined me on this trip as my support kayaker and we had had the adventure of a
lifetime together with a group of people who I now treasure as friends. If it
wasn’t for that event, it is very unlikely that I would have really understood
the importance of the Triple Crown, and I definitely wouldn’t have been able to
assemble the greatest swim crew for my upcoming swim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Hanging out in La
Jolla with my dear friend and the current world record holder for Catalina
Channel, Grace van der Byl, I felt relaxed and excited. This quickly gave way
to my pre-race nerves where I tend to have a bit of a rollercoaster of
confidence giving way to doubts. Gracie was awesome in her support, giving me
so much confidence in my preparation and my condition that by Friday 4<sup>th</sup>
September, I felt ready to get out there and smash it. Whilst I knew her 7.5
hour record was not in my reach, I felt strong, I was swimming well and I had
done the kilometers in preparation for a solid sub 12 hour swim. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">The week in La
Jolla was fantastic. The water was a delightful 20 degrees Celcius/ 68F and the
sea lions that live in La Jolla Cove were great company for my daily swims. I
met some amazing swimmers, including Bob West who was the fourth person to complete
the Triple Crown and Dan Simonelli who had swum Catalina just a week earlier.
Mum and I enjoyed dinner at the home of another SCAR swim friend, Barbara Held,
with Gracie and Neil, and were treated to our first experience of Cardiff crack
– a tri-tip marinated beef fillet that was literally the most delicious thing!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Every day I would
swim at La Jolla Cove and enjoy the serenity. It was only marred by the smell
from the sea lions! Swimming over the gorgeous orange Garibaldi fish was
delightful and the many ribbons of thick seaweed were great practice to swim through,
as I knew in Catalina Channel I would face this weed both at the beginning and
end of my swim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">They say “third
times a charm”, however, for the final swim for my Triple Crown they were far
from right!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Mum and I left La
Jolla and headed to San Pedro the day before my swim. We were met there by one
of my awesome support crew, Dave Barra, who had flown in from New York for the
adventure. Dave has done many long distance swims and also is the race director
of the 8 Bridges race in New York, an eight day stage race, so he knows a thing
or two about this stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had dinner
and caught up on the two years since Dave and his wife Clare had visited us in
Sydney. Good times. The next morning after brekkie, I spent a few hours
prepping my kit and equipment whilst Dave and Mum got the crew food and
supplies ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had FaceTime calls
from my sister and her boyfriend, followed by my brother 2 hours later when he
woke up in HK. We wandered down to the 22<sup>nd</sup> Street landing and had
some lunch before retreating for a couple of hours to lie down ahead of a long
night of swimming and supporting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">At 5:30pm the
rest of my support crew assembled. Kent Nicholas had driven across from Arizona
and family friends Bill and Amy Morro had flown in from Chicago. I had an all
American rock star crew (plus Mum!). My support crew donned the Team T-Shirts
with the goal clearly across everyone’s chest. We were there to get the Triple
Crown, and every time I looked at any one of them I was reminded of the goal,
as were they.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">We headed down to
the pier and met Greg my boat captain, and my official Catalina Channel
observers, Becky Jackman Beeler and Keely Preebil. It was so exciting to have
Becky on board as she had also been on our Arizona adventure two years earlier.
It was such a thrill getting the team back together!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">After a safety
briefing by Captain Greg, we left the docks and headed to Catalina Island. This
was my last chance to get some sleep before the adventure ahead, however with
my nerves and excitement I was far too pumped to be able to get any decent
sleep, so I settled for just resting instead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Suddenly we had
arrived at Catalina Island. It was dark, and 10.30pm at night. Being so early
ahead of our intended midnight start time, Captain Greg said we would start
early. My training buddies Justin and Marty who had also completed the swim in
the weeks earlier had had the same situation, so I was not too surprised. The
earlier start time meant an earlier finish but it also meant a good two hours
extra of swimming in the dark before sunrise. I wasn’t too concerned by this –
but later I would definitely change my mind! There was one other swimmer, Asha
Roth, on the other support boat, the Outrider, who had already started her swim
when we arrived. Being the ever-competitive human that I am, I saw this as a
great opportunity to try and catch her throughout the night!</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I called my Dad who was unwell and unable to join us on the adventure and told him I was about to hit the water. He has always been a rock for me in these swims and it was very hard to know he wasn't going to be cheering next to me on the boat. He gave me his amazing encouragement and the last words of "You can do it!". He confirmed the Live Tracking was working via my SPOT tracker as they had me on the big screen back in Sydney at my godmothers house. It was time to hit the water!</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We attached lights to the back
of my swimmers and goggles so the boat crew could see me in the water and I
vaselined under my arms and neck to prevent chafe. Kent was going to do the
first kayak shift and then rotate with Dave so Kent got everything ready in the
kayak and then boarded and paddled out to the grey marine buoy. And then what
felt really sudden, it was time for me to hit the water. As I smiled for the
last photos before entering the water, I felt the excitement and anticipation of
the moment. It was finally time for me to get my goal done.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0dFyMdPi7PqFyfr7aU8QwwXV_2ZS8KXEDGYn7nU1pVvOwmF-zVTdr9qofli38RjPYEgfPFlg3iE1YDZn_9ugH3vtLBRMuTXmWfjpirOtDICNAyAlGWulOanPYf01eiGK2jw8cSD0smQ/s1600/IMG_4341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0dFyMdPi7PqFyfr7aU8QwwXV_2ZS8KXEDGYn7nU1pVvOwmF-zVTdr9qofli38RjPYEgfPFlg3iE1YDZn_9ugH3vtLBRMuTXmWfjpirOtDICNAyAlGWulOanPYf01eiGK2jw8cSD0smQ/s320/IMG_4341.JPG" width="240" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I jumped off the
back of the boat and swam over to Catalina Island where I climbed ashore to
signal the beginning of my swim. It was low tide and the rocks and large
ribbons of kelp were exposed so it felt a bit like an adventure course to even
get ashore. Once on land I yelled out and then we were away. It was 10:53PM.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Entering the
water with very little moonlight was eerie. The water in the lea of the island
was calm and as I began to turn my arms over, I felt amazing. It literally felt
like I was gliding through the water. There is something magical in feeling
weightless and strong in the water. I was excited. This was my perfect swim
day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">As my arms continued
to turn over and entered the water, phosphoresce danced on my finger tips. It
was like I was at a rave underwater. It was absolutely magical. I felt relaxed
and calm and savored every moment. Within an hour the conditions had gotten
quite rough. The swell was behind us but the current was against us so we had a
fair bit of chop to deal with. Then just 1.5 hours in, Kent suddenly was bucked
out of the kayak. I got the surprise of my life, and as I turned to swim
towards him to help he yelled at me to keep going. I was concerned for him and
all the equipment that was probably now floating off in the darkness. That is
one reason why you always have two of everything you need for a swim – a backup
should always be on the main boat. Thankfully Kent is an experienced kayaker
and he had tied everything onto the kayak and he was back in the seat and by my
side not long after. I realized he had saved me from disqualifying my swim – if
I had touched him or the kayak my swim would have been cancelled due to
interference. How lucky I was that he was so switched on!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">It was a very
dark night, so dark that I couldn’t even make out Kent’s head. Thankfully he
was wearing a glowstick necklace and seeing that green circle was the only
thing that gave me an idea of where his head was. The kayak had a ring of
glowsticks around it which made it easier for the boat to see where we were.
During the darkness I had to swim next to the kayak so that the boat knew our
location. This was quite challenging for me as I am a left breather typically.
With the kayaker on the right and the boat on the left, it was quite difficult
for me to take a bearing off the boat. The boat actually sat at a 45 degree
angle due to the currents, so I was forced to take my bearing off the kayak and
breathe to the right. This would have been ok, as I had been training
bi-laterally in case of this situation, but with the added impact of the chop
forcing me to turn my head higher to breathe, my shoulders were pretty sore by
the time I hit the 4 hour mark. I also realized that there was still another
three hours of swimming in darkness to go before the joy of sunrise. This was a
low point in the swim. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Many people ask
me about sharks with all my swims and I must admit I do think about them a lot.
This swim was no different, especially during the seven hours of darkness. I
had been assured that I would be fine and there had never been a situation in
Catalina Channel (so at least I would make the news if I was the first to get
taken!) but growing up in Sydney and with the recent spate of attacks we had
been experiencing Down Under, it was a feeling that I just couldn’t shake. The
relief when the sun came up and I would at least be able to see a shark coming
at me!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Kent’s
encouragement at my 30 minute drink intervals was fantastic, he managed to pack
in one great sentence of positivity for the 10-12 secs it would take me to
swallow 250ml of liquid carbohydrates before continuing to swim. I purposely
kept my feeds to sub 30 seconds throughout as I was keen to minimize the time
added to the swim from floating around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Just before the four
hour mark, the rough conditions had begun to their toll on me. My shoulders had
begun the ache that normally only kicks in after 8 hours. I could tell this was
going to be tougher than I expected. From this point on, I could see that I was
overtaking the other boat out on the seas. It was a nice feeling knowing
someone else was out there battling the same conditions as me!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">At 2:53am, after
4 hours, Kent and Dave had their first change over. I couldn’t believe Kent had
continued paddling after falling in the water, what a trooper!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">According to
Mum’s log of the swim, the seas continued to get lumpier and the breeze started
increasing, having already changed direction once. I could definitely feel the
current pushing against me and swell pushing with me which made for a push
me-pull you like experience. I had to turn my body much further than normal to
get air to breathe, so it was no wonder that my shoulders had already begun to
hurt so early on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I hit a dark
patch mentally at this point – 4 hours swimming in darkness, already in pain,
and the realisation that there was still 3 hours to go before sunrise… and the
constant thought of sharks – it really was a tough period inside my head. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I was shocked
back to reality twenty minutes later by an intense whiplash like sensation
across my chest as a jellyfish hit me. The searing pain that consumed me was
intense. It felt just like the jimbles that we had endured through winter
training in Sydney. Catalina Channel was definitely doing its best to give me a
memorable swim!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I pushed through holding
a stroke rate of 60/61 until just before dawn. My wrists had begun to ache at
this point as well from hitting the rough water as they entered rather than a
nice easy glide entrance into the water. The log shows that for the last three
hours there had been a very strong current against me, so much so that the
“Bottom Scratcher” was almost on a sideways path because of it. Mum noted “it
must have been a very hard swim”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Swimming for long
periods gives you plenty of time with only your thoughts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Sometimes this is
great, but when your mind goes to what I call the “hurt locker” it can be a
tough wall to break through. I was not enjoying this swim. Even after all the
great preparation I had done, the one thing you can never control is the
weather. It is usually what makes this sport so interesting – no swim is ever
the same and you really cant compare your swim to anyone else’s unless they
were in the same water at the same time. However, after a tough English Channel
swim due to the spring tide and cold water (14.8 degrees C) and a tough
Manhattan Island swim (where the tide had turned against us and only 11 out of
42 swimmers finished the swim), I really had thought Catalina would be a delightful
experience. The realisation that it wasn’t awesome was tough. I actually wanted
to get out and go home for about 20 minutes, but I knew I couldn’t and I had to
keep swimming. My crew were oblivious to this hell inside my head. Knowing that
every single person on the boat supporting me had travelled a long way to be
there for me to achieve that goal, meant that I just had to push through and
keep going. I had never failed to achieve my swim goals, and I certainly wasn’t
going to start now. Finally at 6am, I got some reprieve when the light began to
filter in and the dawn slowly began. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">One of the things
I had looked forward to most about this swim was swimming into sunrise. I had
this determined feeling that I would get an amazing photo of me swimming with
the sunrise behind me that would capture this moment in time forever. One of
the things I see often is amazing sunrise photos of other distance swimmers in
social media and I have always wanted that one “money-shot” during a swim.
Sadly today was not going to be that day – the morning was very overcast and
the seas were still very lumpy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">By 6:20am, I was
tried. My body was confused having swum through the entire night, and
everything ached. I was 7.5 hours into the swim at this point, still short of
my standard 8 hour training swim I did every month, yet feeling much worse than
normal. My stroke rate had dropped to 56 strokes per minute.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQlQJQOkMjqGypEe46mVo1OwrO5lXi88IvZCOH60Gu9IIOtdbww-ApgD1bB2XPEsEd2_Idm6y2o4IZpPDsmTrlj7nn64R7lxFYpq-1Y6uEdURMTZa_ltnD4MvjW70z9CsOTB0YdC5TYE/s1600/IMG_4496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQlQJQOkMjqGypEe46mVo1OwrO5lXi88IvZCOH60Gu9IIOtdbww-ApgD1bB2XPEsEd2_Idm6y2o4IZpPDsmTrlj7nn64R7lxFYpq-1Y6uEdURMTZa_ltnD4MvjW70z9CsOTB0YdC5TYE/s640/IMG_4496.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Finally at
7:10am, Captain Greg appeared on deck and played the bagpipes to signal
sunrise. It was a cool moment. I stopped swimming and trod water for the two or
so minutes his rendition went for, it was awesome to finally be able to see all
my support crew on deck and I used the time to cheer with them and wave at them
and clear my head. I was back in business. My stroke rate picked back up to 61
after that and held through to the end. My kayakers changed over and Kent
re-joined me on the water. The winds dropped a bit at this point and my crew
started undressing all their layers from the night. I felt renewed being able
to see my crew and watch them on deck whilst I swam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I was very
grateful at this point for our family friends Amy and Bill Morro, who were on
board. Throughout the night mum had never left the side of the boat, watching
me swim the whole time. She really is quite incredible and I know Dad would have been right there beside her if he could. I had watched Amy and
Bill take turns sitting with mum and keeping her company, and now with
daylight, it was a relief to see mum smiling and chatting with Amy whilst they
drank coffee and watched me swim. Amy and Bill had spent a lot of time with Mum
and Dad in Australia in my first few years of life, so it must have been quite
surreal that this baby they had known so long ago was now grown up and swimming
through the night “for fun”. Ha!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdMNcuNFuAAmXGYHNb3H4Wvowyv7ljodjy7GnByC9d1soLglw0jzVYsTSvujTjEFkhSpjtMvmKzt048mVvdUt5UzQ-9FX2tOmwFT8zgCOAbnLDiJsDtEAstPHqaytRRYDxbS8nuewOk8/s1600/IMG_4509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdMNcuNFuAAmXGYHNb3H4Wvowyv7ljodjy7GnByC9d1soLglw0jzVYsTSvujTjEFkhSpjtMvmKzt048mVvdUt5UzQ-9FX2tOmwFT8zgCOAbnLDiJsDtEAstPHqaytRRYDxbS8nuewOk8/s320/IMG_4509.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I started to
enjoy the swim more at this point, joking around with my support crew, and
whilst I was hurting all over quite intensely, I knew I was only hours from the
finish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Looming ahead of
me, that finish seemed so close! Little did I know I had four hours to go! One
of the benefits of daylight was that I could finally see land and where I was
going. However being able to see land and actually getting to land were a
different story. After dawn I thought I was only two or so hours from finishing
and I said to Kent – “Not much longer right? Its about an hour to go?” Thankfully
he kept it together and said it was “a little more” but backed it straight up
with “you’re swimming great, your stroke rate is so consistent, you are just
doing awesome”. Feed after feed, it felt like land was never getting closer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">At 10:20am, we
had a whale breach off the starboard bow of the boat. I was oblivious, yet I
was glad to hear after the swim that my crew got to see that. The sun had
finally come out. The intensity surprised me and the glare was so strong that
for the last hour I could only breathe to the left as I was blinded if I tried
breathing to the right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwPTwg1foU7DRiDS7STjhnzdsNbnAIe_ri7yJgc3l2Z4hivnK9QKbbqfvZdiSReBK7aDeIxuzIZg3S2_vuDMX8H0YMYtV4h21ViTosriY0FclgX22mXLyHBHH35-s07Jt-Q8LyRHvTvk/s1600/IMG_4505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwPTwg1foU7DRiDS7STjhnzdsNbnAIe_ri7yJgc3l2Z4hivnK9QKbbqfvZdiSReBK7aDeIxuzIZg3S2_vuDMX8H0YMYtV4h21ViTosriY0FclgX22mXLyHBHH35-s07Jt-Q8LyRHvTvk/s320/IMG_4505.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">By this point my
body was in agony. Kent asked if I wanted Dave to join me in the water. Having
a distraction and someone to pace beside was exactly what I needed to get
through this last stretch. After the next feed, the boys went to change over
kayaking and next thing Kent was in the water swimming with me and Dave was paddling
beside us. 30 minutes later Dave and Kent switched in the water and Dave joined
me to swim into shore. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I was so excited
at this point. I could see the beach and I could see the blue of what I thought
was my friends Andrew and Louise Hutchinson and Mikey and Jill Dunstan waving
an Australian flag. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I gave it
everything I had for the final twenty minutes and when I hit the very rocky
beach, I was elated. I stood up to signal the end of the swim, and promptly
fell over, knocked by a wave and completely disorientated after being
horizontal for over 12 hours. I climbed above the high water mark and the horn
sounded signaling the end of my swim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">It was over after
12 hours and 41 minutes, and I could now join the ranks of having achieved the
<a href="http://www.triplecrownofopenwaterswimming.com/" target="_blank">Triple Crown of Marathon Swimming</a>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8jat_KjVrOmm8vC4uFIvcDUgg9S0ElT99-16Sa6rXewHO_5PwPo8Qem65MIGFMP5P1DUw8uYvSRJrRnKd3bCj6YIR05eugb0oVb5f-0vJPkBO04lwPsDIvUlRnIio9LAwvmFL-WPKJg/s1600/IMG_4453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8jat_KjVrOmm8vC4uFIvcDUgg9S0ElT99-16Sa6rXewHO_5PwPo8Qem65MIGFMP5P1DUw8uYvSRJrRnKd3bCj6YIR05eugb0oVb5f-0vJPkBO04lwPsDIvUlRnIio9LAwvmFL-WPKJg/s320/IMG_4453.JPG" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Statistically, I
became the 10<sup>th</sup> Australian (4<sup>th</sup> female) and 117<sup>th</sup>
person in the world to have achieved this (English Channel 2012, Manhattan
Island 2013 and Catalina Channel 2015) and I was stoked. Dave and I chose some
rocks from the shore line before swimming back out to the boat.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">That was a long
swim! In fact it’s usually the hardest part of the whole thing to swim back out
to the boat after finishing a big race!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">The boat headed
back to San Pedro to refuel and unload us and we headed around the corner to
our hotel where upon we all collapsed asleep and Amy and Bill headed to the
airport.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJhhxRHpDpcJ5okbUOonCvmv6LLsVrtK1a-E73F9oyfsFUjAThyphenhyphenGNaI0UqH5cXMWHpyxd8OqJUgdsKzwCXsqu8bNZ-2P7Hm7MgoEp_yL8h5i8wdLpTg1_uCXVyfaeesYhDLXHgvWhwbM/s1600/IMG_4589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJhhxRHpDpcJ5okbUOonCvmv6LLsVrtK1a-E73F9oyfsFUjAThyphenhyphenGNaI0UqH5cXMWHpyxd8OqJUgdsKzwCXsqu8bNZ-2P7Hm7MgoEp_yL8h5i8wdLpTg1_uCXVyfaeesYhDLXHgvWhwbM/s400/IMG_4589.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">That night, Dave,
Kent, Bear and I celebrated over dinner. I looked around the table and felt so
lucky to have met these amazing guys who gave up their Memorial Day weekends
with their families to be there for me, and so lucky to have the very best
mumma Bear a girl could ask for. The gratitude I felt was overwhelming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">The next day we
had a farewell breakfast together before the boys headed to the airport and
Bear and I drove to Cronoa del Mar to have a celebratory lunch with my land
support crew of the Hutchinsons<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and
Dunstans before we headed to the airport for our flight back to Sydney later
that day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Sitting at the airport,
Bear and I were exhausted. The reality of what had happened the day before
hadn’t quite sunk in. In fact, five weeks later it is still hard to believe
that it really happened! Thank goodness for log books, cameras and social media
posts that made it all reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Arriving home and
heading to work that day was awesome. My colleagues really amaze me with their
support and love; they had sent a pile of messages in the lead up to the swim
wishing me luck as well as messages for the whiteboard whilst I was swimming,
and I was blown away by the amazing poster they had made me and the afternoon
celebrations they had organized. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I was also
overwhelmed (and still am) reading the posts on Facebook and the love that
poured in. So many amazing people have supported me on this journey over the
last five years, but particularly this year, I was so grateful for all the
friends that rallied to support me to paddle for my long training swims every
Saturday and offer encouragement, home cooked meals, and accept my 9pm curfews
for sleep. This year had a lot of other distractions and challenges going on
and I definitely found it a lot tougher than previous years to keep going to
ensure I had done the right preparation to achieve the goal. To every one of
you that made the journey possible, thank you.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEDANeqSYgRZHxVULsGhJ7W28WravDGWRoQ3UrKEWJGqd6zmWD16sLiTYehKdzgnPFo5FZPZbp4EeENJmaIBjrXcyMtV-izigtW_F986CRqSnSdzabsKJAKEzXMTRUDbsNipDG0SgWJE/s1600/IMG_4681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEDANeqSYgRZHxVULsGhJ7W28WravDGWRoQ3UrKEWJGqd6zmWD16sLiTYehKdzgnPFo5FZPZbp4EeENJmaIBjrXcyMtV-izigtW_F986CRqSnSdzabsKJAKEzXMTRUDbsNipDG0SgWJE/s640/IMG_4681.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-64713462064636805062015-09-05T03:11:00.000+10:002015-09-05T03:11:11.589+10:00Catalina Channel - today is the day!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After four wonderful days swimming and relaxing in the beautiful ocean at La Jolla, it is time to earn my t-shirt! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have approximately 13 hours until I hit the water... and I have a rollercoaster of nerves and excitement going on right now!<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGZVP3hykOEfgw1ayZm1vZuNSHhKMWayhtvWhqBVtXInJx_OIbyasEwj_hSZS47e1WlD_cJTK_cGKU9wpiVGs3t9I2j24oESGSKUMZh7rhO1gPl0ssiGyCURbrmfeHZIJ7GTU2W98YJ0/s1600/IMG_3821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGZVP3hykOEfgw1ayZm1vZuNSHhKMWayhtvWhqBVtXInJx_OIbyasEwj_hSZS47e1WlD_cJTK_cGKU9wpiVGs3t9I2j24oESGSKUMZh7rhO1gPl0ssiGyCURbrmfeHZIJ7GTU2W98YJ0/s320/IMG_3821.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With three successful Catalina Channel swimmers: <br />Bob West, Grace van der Byl, Dan Simonelli<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Catalina Channel solo swim starts at <b>midnight Friday 4th September</b> and will finish at lunchtime Saturday 5th September, 2015 -<b> Los Angeles time.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For <b>Sydney</b>-siders, this is a 5pm start on <b>Saturday 5th September</b> with a very early finish on Sunday morning for those tracking! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The swim is 33km and should take me in the vicinity of 12 hours. In comparison to the English Channel, this will be a "straight-line" swim - no "S" curves for me!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My boat is called the "Bottom Scratcher".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We will leave San Pedro Harbour at 8pm PST and drive across to Catalina Island. I will then enter the water around midnight with my support kayaker Kent Nicholas and swim over to the rock at Catalina Island where the horn will blow signalling the start of my swim. The first six hours of my swim will be in darkness - eek! I know I am already looking forward to sunrise!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Water temps are currently around 20 degrees celsius, so this is going to be a lovely warm swim! My swim finish will be on a rocky beach somewhere around Point Vicente, Los Angeles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To follow my progress live, the following link will provide you my SPOT tracker location. This updates every 10 minutes:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0ps2ZOUH6IgkO2EkXREu0k3uD1q2ZP50Q">http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0ps2ZOUH6IgkO2EkXREu0k3uD1q2ZP50Q</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you to everyone for their support - my Facebook page will post live updates during the swim with global visibility so you can follow my progress even if you are not a Facebook friend! www.facebook.com/torgorman</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoaIDZCLOtpU3QXZ1KtR1LIoRxbx3eELQjhoPRIqrJ-nElOINW9uvMJ_hLWV23lGxj1-xvqvSgQ-F_lDZXsOfrPGR0A89eCqVnv5aGN1GjQWw_aTfbi0iRfSQHDoVxutbWmtYYIM3lVc/s1600/catalinamap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoaIDZCLOtpU3QXZ1KtR1LIoRxbx3eELQjhoPRIqrJ-nElOINW9uvMJ_hLWV23lGxj1-xvqvSgQ-F_lDZXsOfrPGR0A89eCqVnv5aGN1GjQWw_aTfbi0iRfSQHDoVxutbWmtYYIM3lVc/s640/catalinamap.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-62926250008928963662015-08-27T08:35:00.000+10:002015-08-27T08:37:59.582+10:00Countdown to the Triple Crown!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Catalina Channel
is just 9 days away. It’s hard to believe that after nine long months of
training, that the goal is almost here!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I am certainly
excited. Coming back to swimming after my 12 month break has been such a
journey; and to be able to achieve such a big goal like completing the Triple
Crown is such a thrill. It will definitely complete a big chapter of my life as
my 22<sup>nd</sup> marathon swim in just five years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23tbAcpDIoH7a3fz74evT4LgBGrsaUrR9IAQ04DL82NwJp1TWiBe7uJx4k9XkBwE9hRHqLKaJnSHTfHK9wqSR41TCY_j8Zmb0imZGL5f0xisbRjoc-1ZNo4qjK7RrypXH0GsLU005Rb0/s1600/IMG_2465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23tbAcpDIoH7a3fz74evT4LgBGrsaUrR9IAQ04DL82NwJp1TWiBe7uJx4k9XkBwE9hRHqLKaJnSHTfHK9wqSR41TCY_j8Zmb0imZGL5f0xisbRjoc-1ZNo4qjK7RrypXH0GsLU005Rb0/s200/IMG_2465.JPG" width="160" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Setting a goal
like this takes a certain determination, which clearly I have. It also requires
a fair bit of crazy. I do sometimes question the sanity of my response to “What
are you are doing this weekend” and thinking “I am going to swim for 8 hours
consecutively”…. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’s not enough
just to be determined, you have to know what it is in life that will keep
driving you even when you want to stop. For me, I know that once I socialise my
goal, then I can’t back out. This year I have harnessed the social pressure
that I put upon myself to continue to drive myself to go to training, to push
out the extra kilometres and to get to bed to get enough sleep. Let’s face it,
there are definitely days when you don’t want to get out of bed, when you have
had enough and then days when you just aren’t hitting decent performance in the
pool and you wonder if you will ever get faster or stronger. I’d just like to
throw a shout out to you all for your amazing support via social media! It’s
like a big hug and a kick up the butt simultaneously!</span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_lBaM6qr9jCRBOY484tm7sn4dbuPkYHhhUxi-OQMWAHtC0v5bKK6DoTnbgZfMouWzuquBlJsKFvqiXqosvau_j5PUJG-M_RzqbqUsDa04uNfbRrc-vCaqfUUfOydLRCEUFlSg_14V5E/s1600/DSC05296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_lBaM6qr9jCRBOY484tm7sn4dbuPkYHhhUxi-OQMWAHtC0v5bKK6DoTnbgZfMouWzuquBlJsKFvqiXqosvau_j5PUJG-M_RzqbqUsDa04uNfbRrc-vCaqfUUfOydLRCEUFlSg_14V5E/s320/DSC05296.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My training buddies - 2015 Channel Swimmers</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">It also helps
having an amazing group of swimmers to train with who have kept me company,
kept me laughing and enjoying the hours in the water and who all have their own
goals driving them. In the last few weeks, two of my training buddies Andrew
and Dean successfully completed their English Channel swims and Justin Hanby completed
Catalina. Marty awaits his Catalina swim tomorrow and then at the end of
September, Des will finally get to swim the English Channel. Des’ swim will be
pretty special; we trained together for the 2012 Channel season but he had to
pull out ahead of his swim to have two shoulder reconstructions. It’s been a
long road back but finally Des will have his turn to join the “Club” and I can’t
wait to see him achieve this goal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">2015 has been an
incredible year for marathon swimming. There have been some amazing new records
from around the world, many of them by Aussies. Just recently Chloe McCardel,
an Aussie from Melbourne completed a triple crossing of the English Channel.
She is the first Australian to achieve this and only the 4<sup>th</sup> person
in the world. This feat is so difficult that it has been 25 years since it was
last successfully done. Remembering how tough it was just doing a one way
crossing makes me marvel at her achievement – one that she has attempted and
failed twice before, but never gave up on. That same week my Kiwi friend Kim
Chambers, who lives in San Francisco, became the first female to successfully
swim 30 miles from the shark infested Farellon Islands to the Golden Gate
Bridge. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another Aussie mate, Simon
Dominguez, who trains with Kim attempted the same swim in the opposite
direction the week before that and got just 3 miles off the Farrellon’s when a
Great White circled him and his swim was aborted after 18 hours of swimming. 18
hours… so impressive. I am always so inspired and humbled following amazing
swimmers around the world in their quest to conquer new and amazing records and
waters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Whilst my Catalina
Channel swim won’t be a world record, it will complete the “Triple Crown” </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
of
Marathon swimming for me. The Triple Crown consists of successfully completing
the English Channel (34kms), Manhattan Island (48kms) and Catalina Channel
(33kms). To date, 113 individuals globally have achieved this, of which, eight
are Australians (5 males, 3 female).<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbOtKjUufrJhMq0C5HITTNbpuDbAw1pQ6ylPfwcj50E7_YjEcj-vQDccd3E760YnvA0WmYzvmztz3C4qanaPWs7H7S0nwyUTf3oEhsL8wpuSDeOkf3mjMbtYq_WbVUepFes1WdealUSs/s1600/IMG_3368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbOtKjUufrJhMq0C5HITTNbpuDbAw1pQ6ylPfwcj50E7_YjEcj-vQDccd3E760YnvA0WmYzvmztz3C4qanaPWs7H7S0nwyUTf3oEhsL8wpuSDeOkf3mjMbtYq_WbVUepFes1WdealUSs/s320/IMG_3368.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beginning training at 5am in winter has been very dark</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">The swim starts
at midnight from Catalina Island on Friday 4th September. Yes – midnight. Pitch black, diving into the
waters, with no shark cage, in just a pair of speedos, cap and goggles and then
swimming for six hours at least until the sun begins to rise is a scary
thought. Scarier still not knowing what is beneath you. I am, however,
reassured by the fact there has never been a shark attack in these waters. In
all my years of training and racing I have been very lucky to have had no
incidents with the marine wildlife other than a small shark or two swim under
me, and fingers crossed that luck continues. Last week on a Catalina Crossing,
the swimmer had dolphins and a whale appear – now wouldn’t that bee a life
highlight, fingers crossed!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">In order to prepare for swimming in the dark, I have begun many of my ocean training swims at 5am and swum into sunrise to emulate the experience I will have in Catalina. It's been a cold, dark winter so this has been scary experience - especially given the propensity for sharks appearing in Sydney this year. Massive thanks to Liz Powis and Sonny Embleton who have gotten up at insane hours to be there protecting me on the kayak for these early starts.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIReZUidzAKXIl6N3cePXShJR023BRA6UOpYFLnKSe5GEi6x_47CxpsJ2OgHD03DPLp8BVEv0mU7EjkLU8cwCxsYugpIJ5Swb5bKkG-dXdtI0E6LFOMCrpdPS6AJJ0Y6VT2w-G6BQMd3Q/s1600/IMG_3240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIReZUidzAKXIl6N3cePXShJR023BRA6UOpYFLnKSe5GEi6x_47CxpsJ2OgHD03DPLp8BVEv0mU7EjkLU8cwCxsYugpIJ5Swb5bKkG-dXdtI0E6LFOMCrpdPS6AJJ0Y6VT2w-G6BQMd3Q/s320/IMG_3240.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">When my swim
begins, I will have a support boat carrying my amazing mum and support crew and
a kayaker in the water. Support crew is a key factor to achieving these goals,
as there are a lot of logistics to be managed whilst I just keep turning my
arms over hour after hour. For Catalina Channel, my mum Yvonne will be Chief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has never stopped her selfless and
amazing support through my whole life, and I am so grateful she will once again
be there alongside me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimX8-TlXqsaB9J4ypQt4eHPeYvMybK-3GuvzR459xvgH2_qvIGO42FvZSF0SiYZd8Ro98dePMnaAF8KJ7eT7MZnm4J5vy-q9Dh1eTjxIIRir4eL4BgUnkEqStW_vqe0MNaLmUC46SrSM/s1600/IMG_3231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimX8-TlXqsaB9J4ypQt4eHPeYvMybK-3GuvzR459xvgH2_qvIGO42FvZSF0SiYZd8Ro98dePMnaAF8KJ7eT7MZnm4J5vy-q9Dh1eTjxIIRir4eL4BgUnkEqStW_vqe0MNaLmUC46SrSM/s400/IMG_3231.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kent Nicholas and I at S.C.A.R</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">For Catalina, a
kayaker is also required. With my dear friend Grace van der Byl and her husband
Neil being unavailable for my swim, due to the wedding of two other swimmers I
met (and whom incidentally also met each other) at S.C.A.R – Darren Miller and
Alli DeFrancesco, recruits were required. Salvation has come in the form of two
of the most awesome and accomplished marathon swimmers and all-round good guys:
Kent Nicholas and Dave Barra. Both these rockstars have completed the Triple
Crown themselves and are experienced and amazing swimmers. Neither of them live
in California! Kent runs the Arizona S.C.A.R swim and Dave just completed a
23.5 hour swim across Cayuga Lake, NY, and is also responsible for running the
Eight Bridges Swim in New York. Kent and Dave have both committed to being my
support crew for Catalina and will take turns paddling and as swim support for
me over the twelvish hours I hope to take. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJxvejDz8XX379VLPs2YGTVut-zAqT_MqRUEcXHh2rdzont_VJnNiymP-CDtKGTl7iXpDUgyNiYvMySINr1xdMDu-HQAbWzmmsHP5d698-T4WG_pSyJo6y_m64o9-HctkKI16ALKoatI/s1600/DSCF2379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJxvejDz8XX379VLPs2YGTVut-zAqT_MqRUEcXHh2rdzont_VJnNiymP-CDtKGTl7iXpDUgyNiYvMySINr1xdMDu-HQAbWzmmsHP5d698-T4WG_pSyJo6y_m64o9-HctkKI16ALKoatI/s320/DSCF2379.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Becky and I at S.C.A.R</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">The Catalina Channel Swimming Federation, who are the official governing body of the swim, provide an official observer and assistant observer for your swim attempt. They are responsible for making sure you don't touch anyone or anything during the swim and ensure that you maintain the riles of marathon swimming. I am also excited that I have been allocated another wonderful person I met at S.C.A.R Arizona, Becky Jackman-Beller. I really have scored the most all-time awesome support crew!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I will also have
an amazing cheer squad on the boat in the form of some American family friends
Amy and Bill Morro who are coming to be my cheer squad. With their enthusiasm I
wouldn’t be surprised if Amy even whipped out Pom Poms! It will be wonderful
having them taking turns with the rest of my crew to keep watch on the little
blinking light on the back of my goggles while I swim through the night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">The water
temperatures are looking good for my swim, although there are cold patches at
various points, I am confident that I am prepared for this with the large
amount of cold water training I have done this year. I am hoping for water
temps of around 19 degrees Celsius, which would be a dream in comparison to the
English Channel and Manhattan Island, which both clocked in at 14.8 degrees Celsius.
As with all my other swims, no wetsuits will be worn. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJxi-unWnY2_jFZt9lO9oQIMsyak3qu1TSLiExbeWm7LTkS98CnkCPo46UpEGhvkw_M6O-lTz1UX1t9cMcDZg0xayZHbzhv89uAPwmOU10pmLv5dz-F6Gsan2PEyrFVLKFqoNx61LXek/s1600/IMG_3217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJxi-unWnY2_jFZt9lO9oQIMsyak3qu1TSLiExbeWm7LTkS98CnkCPo46UpEGhvkw_M6O-lTz1UX1t9cMcDZg0xayZHbzhv89uAPwmOU10pmLv5dz-F6Gsan2PEyrFVLKFqoNx61LXek/s320/IMG_3217.jpg" width="177" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grace, Dave and I</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Swim kick off is midnight Friday 4th September ET/ 5pm Saturday 5th September AEST. I will have a tracker so you can follow my progress. Link will be posted on my blog: <a href="http://torgorman.blogspot.com/">http://torgorman.blogspot.com</a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I am hoping the
swim will take me around 12 hours, and look forward to hitting the beach at lunchtime Saturday at Point Vincente, Los Angeles, where I will have a beach support crew of some close mates from
Australia: Andrew and Louise Hutchinson and baby Rosie as well as Mike
and Jill Dunstan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Only one sleep
left in Sydney before I get on the jet plane! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-68183357142894708512015-07-16T19:17:00.000+10:002015-07-16T19:20:31.801+10:00Return to the water - and the next challenge!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">2015 has seen my
return to the water. It’s hard to believe that 12 months ago I hung up my
googles and cap for a year break from the sport that had defined me for the
previous 4 years.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">That decision led
to a rollercoaster of a year, but at the end of last year I decided I missed
feeling as happy as I do in the water and that I had unfinished business to
attend to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was time to complete the
Triple Crown of Marathon Swimming, with a 33km swim across Catalina Channel
from Catalina Island to Los Angeles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdysLMdg2diU5rMhgr_2KWrxteZ9-p3paBBZlUNmBDNzFiotZ0NYDwz_ZLwRbrjYKQDDOZqkC-JCQ-UWwfvVddC1Ku6IVCpQ_KQ0oJqd6fU2U_63XktzSN4cSY4KY_Ezogs7k-HvidvI/s1600/IMG_2784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdysLMdg2diU5rMhgr_2KWrxteZ9-p3paBBZlUNmBDNzFiotZ0NYDwz_ZLwRbrjYKQDDOZqkC-JCQ-UWwfvVddC1Ku6IVCpQ_KQ0oJqd6fU2U_63XktzSN4cSY4KY_Ezogs7k-HvidvI/s640/IMG_2784.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I returned to the
water on January 12, 2015, and to my coach Vlad Mravec at Andrew Boy Charlton
pool in Sydney. I love this pool; training in an outdoor 50m pool means that
every single day starts differently with a unique sunrise and this year we have
had some absolute beauties. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRTifwS6O1iJkJMqDFcnDXspNkoDfWSyWePi-3paBNgE8n6cppvkIpftm2epL9WZ8XdBSbE6xKKdDw1PMoTw0YdwjM6WcQ3IbrJIG2IJwpO7ZEjs6hple7PNPaf5Y76ruF3sjB93ls2U/s1600/IMG_9793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRTifwS6O1iJkJMqDFcnDXspNkoDfWSyWePi-3paBNgE8n6cppvkIpftm2epL9WZ8XdBSbE6xKKdDw1PMoTw0YdwjM6WcQ3IbrJIG2IJwpO7ZEjs6hple7PNPaf5Y76ruF3sjB93ls2U/s320/IMG_9793.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Sunrise at Andrew Boy Charlton Pool</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">The first few
weeks felt great in the water. I was actually quite surprised at how quickly I
picked up to my old position in the lane. I would definitely credit the amazing
strength and conditioning I had been doing for the previous 6 months with The
Original Bootcamp as a key reason for this. My body was strong and my mind was
stronger. Two weeks after I returned to the pool, I approached coach Vlad with
the goal of wanting to swim Catalina and that I wanted to do it this year.
Would this be achievable? Would my body be able to bounce back into hard core
distance again in just 9 short months? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I am not sure I
actually gave Vlad a choice. My long suffering and ever supportive coach just
smiled at me, with that smile of “here we go again”. He knows that once I set a
goal, that’s it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">The next few
months were great. I started every morning with pool or land training and was
thrilled to be back with my swim buddies. I spent weekends ocean swimming and
surf training and got back into the 2km ocean swim races on Sundays on Sydney’s
beaches. Getting back on the podium so quickly was an added thrill. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNsO4yxQBiHpPPvRyidLpaaxq1U4ByczmIPq8fjTkO2zD0S8cwllvnmqdHoj-U5PYQmVkJ5d_ROyOV-tRxR3k144EuKMMeTTF39wNlLQ-nMcGOZXOeLX9htIm26HUtYAsJfK5VhtTREY/s1600/IMG_9356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNsO4yxQBiHpPPvRyidLpaaxq1U4ByczmIPq8fjTkO2zD0S8cwllvnmqdHoj-U5PYQmVkJ5d_ROyOV-tRxR3k144EuKMMeTTF39wNlLQ-nMcGOZXOeLX9htIm26HUtYAsJfK5VhtTREY/s320/IMG_9356.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>A sign or what!!</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">In February, my
American friend Grace van der Byl came to stay with me for a few days. Grace is
a phenomenal swimmer, with 13 World Records to her name, including the fastest
female across Catalina Channel. We originally met in Arizona at the S.C.A.R
swim in 2013 and forged a special friendship over the four day, 70km stage
race. Just six weeks after S.C.A.R, we reconvened in New York for the Manhattan
Island Marathon Swim, cementing a friendship which I am confident will last for
life. When Grace arrived in Sydney I told her about my goal for Catalina. She
was stoked and so supportive and I knew that this was going to happen. There is
nothing like the upbeat, super confidence of an American to make you feel
invincible. Grace spent the next three days sharing insights and tips with me
and my coaches about the swim and I told my training buddy Marty that I would
be joining him in swimming Catalina Channel that year. We were excited!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1bErG-yNdH3Hm-6y_ekKA3b7WYMEE0yenk4NszrzEyBOmXj8yxQ02OPMDGdxR7MEzF7Fwxp7FawLdXXi-rQ5W7sJrptrxr6uCogXUYcVua5xvsUGZuj1868xAa2lGp9dxE1ftjPxBd0/s1600/IMG_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1bErG-yNdH3Hm-6y_ekKA3b7WYMEE0yenk4NszrzEyBOmXj8yxQ02OPMDGdxR7MEzF7Fwxp7FawLdXXi-rQ5W7sJrptrxr6uCogXUYcVua5xvsUGZuj1868xAa2lGp9dxE1ftjPxBd0/s320/IMG_0002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Myself, Coach Vlad and Marty</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">From February to
now I have been setting goals to challenge myself and push my body right back
out of its comfort zone. I have been amazed how quickly the muscle memory
kicked back in. 11 weeks after my return to the water I headed to the Gold
Coast to race in the 10km Easter Swim from Burleigh Heads to Surfers Paradise.
Three weeks later, I headed to Melbourne for Cold Water Camp – a phenomenon
that can only be considered modern day water torture where over 4 days our
coach Vlad puts us through eight training swims both day and night in 15 degree
water, culminating in an eight hour swim in Port Phillip Bay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfSdWY0SN7du7Cpq7IsrFTbotydywgvna8N_9F3CNw40-Np4qKGqeFYvM9MQmNtN2jFyJug2Sl5TDcx6v_utZ7dgs69xBwmdEW7T9xfQzmBEZPZoBeELkWhdF2Ks_sY1sMWKHup31h4k/s1600/IMG_0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfSdWY0SN7du7Cpq7IsrFTbotydywgvna8N_9F3CNw40-Np4qKGqeFYvM9MQmNtN2jFyJug2Sl5TDcx6v_utZ7dgs69xBwmdEW7T9xfQzmBEZPZoBeELkWhdF2Ks_sY1sMWKHup31h4k/s320/IMG_0007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">This was the
ultimate mental challenge. If you can get through Cold Water Camp, then
mentally you can do anything. Two hours into the eight hour swim I hit a
massive wall. I questioned what I was doing. Realistically I hadn’t done enough
preparation for the camp, having not done any cold water training for the last
18 months. I was also tired, having already swum 20kms in the previous 36
hours. And to top it off, I hadn’t swum 25kms in one hit since June 2013 –
almost 2 years previously. The conditions were rough. The water was freezing
(15.4 degrees). The sun hadn’t yet risen and I really wanted to change the eight
hours to just six. This little mental war went on in my head for the forty
minutes it took to swim around the marina. And then as I swam into Brighton
Baths for my next feed I saw a bunch of the guys who were training for their
English Channel swims. I knew how important it was for their mental confidence
to achieve the 8 hours and I also knew that I needed to be there for them. I
sucked it up, reversed my mental state and then spent the next 20 minutes
telling myself that this was the choice I had made and how I needed to do this
today if I wanted to do Catalina in 5 months time. This sport is definitely
torturous – both physically and mentally. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqV1IjqAtPRcu_7I9Dcgc7WulE4C8yfDNXjBtZjoY5GpuyvRGbX8GsXMgt3NSLkFrz0m5F1EZWNQuFLKmZr3XQ4aZwmHOrSb1wKpcbhTjr35r_ZPESQ5ZrtPiU3captCzbvdkk5dEc9Tk/s1600/IMG_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqV1IjqAtPRcu_7I9Dcgc7WulE4C8yfDNXjBtZjoY5GpuyvRGbX8GsXMgt3NSLkFrz0m5F1EZWNQuFLKmZr3XQ4aZwmHOrSb1wKpcbhTjr35r_ZPESQ5ZrtPiU3captCzbvdkk5dEc9Tk/s200/IMG_0004.JPG" width="200" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">The day continued
on, and round and round the marina I swam, picking up some of the other guys at
various points and swimming side by side for a lap. Watching one of my training
buddies going down with hypothermia was yet again a frightening experience.
Normally much faster than me, I physically had to drag him for his last lap of
the marina. Once we got him into the pen I was relieved – it is amazing
watching someone go down with hypothermia and how everything slows, and their
speech becomes drunken. I was so impressed that he continued for another hour
within the baths under the watching eyes of our coaches Vlad and Lawrence
before being pulled out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Solid effort. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">At the end of the
eight hours I was stoked. I had made the time and the 25km distance goal I had
set myself and I knew I still had the mental game I needed for the challenge
ahead.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbd-ZdKKI6RGSrLh_RW0i1PRnxFr2j31yf3FlB7qNPQIDf1jBKUydh-oMBf3E8IO86qjeDatJu2u52s_JqYZ1uGlNDLxbmVgx9at-4gOjr5tJtKMrEviPggUApwpD45vGKXxl1D5cVZA/s1600/IMG_0691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbd-ZdKKI6RGSrLh_RW0i1PRnxFr2j31yf3FlB7qNPQIDf1jBKUydh-oMBf3E8IO86qjeDatJu2u52s_JqYZ1uGlNDLxbmVgx9at-4gOjr5tJtKMrEviPggUApwpD45vGKXxl1D5cVZA/s320/IMG_0691.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Four weeks later
I returned to my favourite swim, Bondi to Watson’s Bay. This 10km swim is along
a spectacular section of Sydney coastline and at the 8km mark, sees
participants swim through Sydney Heads. It is an amazing experience. I have an
amazing rockstar support team who step up for me every year for this event: my
ever trusty and incredible Paddler Joe, who having had his second baby just
three weeks prior to race day was a total star to get back on the water with
me; my long suffering best friend Amelia who has never missed this race for me
even though she gets terribly seasick every year, and then the additions of my
sister Bel and her boyfriend James. Mum and Dad also accompanied on the boat
alongside. I had the Flying V formation around me for the race, which considering
how sharkie it is, is always welcome, because I am actually pretty scared of
sharks!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I had a great
race, even made the podium in third!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7PhGiE2WK0EZ92EHX7FjDPGe1WZ5GtHhkbNgyHr6xD2TAhHGEJexSAJUixsrabK99NSjykmY27uZc6JgoJdhI4QQcWl_g0BeCcbNsQA-zCEn3pO7JUOUqCzTCXL02tjYOxIaQ7cm5N8/s1600/IMG_0682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7PhGiE2WK0EZ92EHX7FjDPGe1WZ5GtHhkbNgyHr6xD2TAhHGEJexSAJUixsrabK99NSjykmY27uZc6JgoJdhI4QQcWl_g0BeCcbNsQA-zCEn3pO7JUOUqCzTCXL02tjYOxIaQ7cm5N8/s640/IMG_0682.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What a team! - it takes this many people for me to achieve racing - definitely not a solo sport!</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Two weeks later
is was time for my next 8 hour training swim. For this years preparation, Vlad
has set me an 8 hour training swim every month from April until the swim in
September. With only one to go now I am actually finding having the monthly
goal a good way to break down the weeks – 3 weeks build, one week recovery, 3
weeks build etc. I reached out to my friends via Facebook seeking paddlers for
the 8 hours. This year I have been overwhelmed by the support from my friends
who want to be able to help me achieve this goal. I am totally indebted to
people for their time in keeping me safe from sharks while I spend hours in the
ocean. This 8 hour swim proved to be a challenge not because of the sharks, but
due to the stinging jellyfish that whipped us constantly throughout the swim.
We all ended up with welts on our bodies and the sting in these seemingly pretty
anemone was fierce. Over the eight hours my 10 support paddlers who cycled
through in shifts were given the joy of hearing expletives firing from my mouth
and would screams each time they hit. They sure did hurt and I still have a
scar across my chest 8 weeks on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2_w3TcvE5-sTxYJWwkiP9WkCelRfiCRamKfF5QUp90OqDDXk6GadHpkEp8q_6LvYHGpm31T7_o5YtePjqId0Xg7q07yyChOWK-arAidL7SWcUTN9ekKhFKu0a4F8GDE1bf1-NjtqP7M/s1600/IMG_2812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2_w3TcvE5-sTxYJWwkiP9WkCelRfiCRamKfF5QUp90OqDDXk6GadHpkEp8q_6LvYHGpm31T7_o5YtePjqId0Xg7q07yyChOWK-arAidL7SWcUTN9ekKhFKu0a4F8GDE1bf1-NjtqP7M/s320/IMG_2812.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Sunrise at Manly</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Four weeks later
I completed the next 8 hour swim at Manly, doing loops from Shelley Beach to
Freshwater and back which is approximately 5km. We started this session at 5am
to start building some experience of swimming in the dark since Catalina will
begin at midnight. Whilst it was bitingly cold, we were rewarded with the most
stunning sunrise. My favourite moment was accosting some guy running along the esplanade if he had a phone and could he take a photo of us and then text to to the mobile number we shouted across the water - whoops, sorry neighbours!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">The next 50 days
is the final slog to the goal posts and my key aims are to keep fit, strong and
stay healthy. It is a very cold winter so I feel like dodging sick people has
become my latest sport! As they say, it’s the final countdown!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3KM_FsdOPovUCpw5a9FRqS5MDbu7dBE-8rdkU2vj8B8eXeHiIQmHqQdIUNKdnhV5j-rtVOdQ8fkWucG1nkts0oVaHt65LBAxmEfVi_9sImC4t4f6HRdzIjnQDFh652g-4nsrfYeFM-4/s1600/IMG_2111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3KM_FsdOPovUCpw5a9FRqS5MDbu7dBE-8rdkU2vj8B8eXeHiIQmHqQdIUNKdnhV5j-rtVOdQ8fkWucG1nkts0oVaHt65LBAxmEfVi_9sImC4t4f6HRdzIjnQDFh652g-4nsrfYeFM-4/s640/IMG_2111.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Post paddle and swim lunch with Tash</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_aaTCfbe0lCqDuxAcB9oG1cPw55xH-nr09knh0f8cp1WR9roX67Irb73jPoLtD00XrptR8Uw40QTU7MEOfGudjXrXBCi1zru0YEpIMDBnuKZQ2ks2tPTR8mlf0NEOVhvE7aeyQCDMs8/s1600/IMG_2133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_aaTCfbe0lCqDuxAcB9oG1cPw55xH-nr09knh0f8cp1WR9roX67Irb73jPoLtD00XrptR8Uw40QTU7MEOfGudjXrXBCi1zru0YEpIMDBnuKZQ2ks2tPTR8mlf0NEOVhvE7aeyQCDMs8/s640/IMG_2133.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sunrise at Brighton le Sands</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1y1gZrZpZxRloFjP2suL4rEMoNGbgDSFlyasws4k_t2OOB6vPQOOsJsWtruVcr455fE0vnNpOapFfoIEM8WA_cmJFBIqizyX5vgu2PNBqU5gdoVH5JtGK32_Y1K6iNDJ_UYbGh6d-EVA/s1600/IMG_4777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1y1gZrZpZxRloFjP2suL4rEMoNGbgDSFlyasws4k_t2OOB6vPQOOsJsWtruVcr455fE0vnNpOapFfoIEM8WA_cmJFBIqizyX5vgu2PNBqU5gdoVH5JtGK32_Y1K6iNDJ_UYbGh6d-EVA/s640/IMG_4777.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (or MIMS as
it is known for short) is an annual race for marathon swimmers covering a 46km
counter clockwise circumnavigation of the island. To qualify for this race, you
must have completed an English Channel or Catalina Channel crossing within the
last two years or something of similar difficulty. Entry is by acceptance of
application and a small select field (40) is taken. Applications for June 2013 filled well over
the fifty mark within the first 20 minutes of registrations opening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">MIMS, whilst being the longest marathon
swim in the world, was not in my opinion touted as the hardest of the swims. In fact to me,
MIMS was ‘the guaranteed’. The hardest part about this race was getting a spot,
the next hardest was getting back into training after a successful Channel swim
and then backing up to do it all again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>How wrong I was going to be.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4hLYKlg_O7y-gUGaSd-dw3F1pjsqStJFY1rJXaB9onS5lvooSkqq8oi1yDWKWTAF9XAvGYiAEkIsrXqosXpw9jLKCC_vwCemfYJi2CdTD_NQDnXp5rJyExdwKKDqrhfSY7lLQCyyzeo/s1600/DSC_0615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4hLYKlg_O7y-gUGaSd-dw3F1pjsqStJFY1rJXaB9onS5lvooSkqq8oi1yDWKWTAF9XAvGYiAEkIsrXqosXpw9jLKCC_vwCemfYJi2CdTD_NQDnXp5rJyExdwKKDqrhfSY7lLQCyyzeo/s640/DSC_0615.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>View from the the Rockefeller Centre</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US">This race was definitely a challenge for me
personally, but the thing that excited me most as I met up with my fellow friends/competitors
in New York in the days before the race, was we would all be celebrating
together post race on Saturday night. This is something that just isn’t
possible with Channel swims where only 30% succeed. Week on week during Channel
season dreams are achieved and lost as some swimmers make it and some don’t. For
this swim, the thing I was really looking forward to was everyone being successful
because the heartbreak of watching people you care about miss out on their
dream sucks. Every distance swimmer knows how much it takes to achieve these
marathon swimming goals: the dedication to training, balancing work, life,
family, friends, diet, keeping your body healthy, happy and being able to do
this week on week, month on month until race day, and then to have the ability
to break through the walls of pain on the day on top of everything else, well
it takes a certain type of crazy person to revel in this. Being one of those
crazies, it is a nice feeling to know that all those who have qualified should
be able to complete the swim in the allowed 9.5 hour timeframe, and that we
would be out there together in the same conditions on the same day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Arriving in New York, I was excited! I
walked into the apartment my family had rented to be greeted with a “SURPRISE”
from my sister who had flown in from Sydney, joining my parents and my brother
Mark from Hong Kong as my support crew for the week. I was impressed, amazed,
gob-smacked. I actually live with my sister and never even realized she was
going to come – she had cited firm work commitments would render it impossible!
Not only that, she had arrived in NYC five days before me, and despite bumping
into numerous Sydney people during her stay, not a single one had let it slip
on Facebook. It was a huge surprise! So armed with my entire family yet again,
I was ready to take on Manhattan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpRDhiAcKKPi82mRmRiIz6-dBQHlpHzKRImrSyxdvnN1RNyV0FXYsu1AISNZgYYGIkVFB3OiGXQgML7pISfaSRVb4SphSsu2YRtGWuOWhkYtU8_D_fISbz2HSyYRNpsbmaaObBWmjpvE/s1600/DSC_0636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpRDhiAcKKPi82mRmRiIz6-dBQHlpHzKRImrSyxdvnN1RNyV0FXYsu1AISNZgYYGIkVFB3OiGXQgML7pISfaSRVb4SphSsu2YRtGWuOWhkYtU8_D_fISbz2HSyYRNpsbmaaObBWmjpvE/s640/DSC_0636.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_jVqeeGeLM2xiYLotc7b7f4HZcCquwGqe6jq6LBLrjieU-WpGYsBWIVY4smRiLm2XiJT6F_JwUbSHgHPd9NACq5jr2Zt0f3G0pIT3qm_NX6QVH-u-rf_bCBS-MAcb-4fdHTL3h6iQP9Y/s1600/IMG_3762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_jVqeeGeLM2xiYLotc7b7f4HZcCquwGqe6jq6LBLrjieU-WpGYsBWIVY4smRiLm2XiJT6F_JwUbSHgHPd9NACq5jr2Zt0f3G0pIT3qm_NX6QVH-u-rf_bCBS-MAcb-4fdHTL3h6iQP9Y/s400/IMG_3762.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Training with fellow MIMS swimmers at Brighton Beach</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US">The week leading up the race consisted of a
daily swim at either the New York Athletic Club or venturing down to the
freezing cold Brighton Beach, training my arms with retail therapy, eating the
most insanely delicious food (New York knows how to do food) and doing the
required site seeing. We had a ball! I’m sure it goes to say that New York is a
much better venue than Dover for a pre-swim time kill!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Forecasts for race day were not looking
favorable in the lead up. Water temps were slow to warm up and it appeared that
this would be the coldest water temperature in the history of the race. We all
started freaking a few days before the swim, suddenly realizing that this swim
would be comparable to our Channel swims, and with less cold water training and
less Channel weight than last year, this would be a challenge. Thankfully my
eight-hour swim in Melbourne five weeks earlier in 15 degrees C gave me, and
fellow training mate Lochie Hinds, quite a bit of mental courage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufx6H96MiBD6_lDSEiuHfKA45eWXTMDaTPFS-05G-ePqPwIoZrnC_kKzI9HJd7QIRAmQSjfULvIFw9piNnzQWKH6QAJbfJykczTgy81bH69wAkBxpHKUV6oXp4yw55WWWIsEJTsP6Q40/s1600/IMG_3816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufx6H96MiBD6_lDSEiuHfKA45eWXTMDaTPFS-05G-ePqPwIoZrnC_kKzI9HJd7QIRAmQSjfULvIFw9piNnzQWKH6QAJbfJykczTgy81bH69wAkBxpHKUV6oXp4yw55WWWIsEJTsP6Q40/s400/IMG_3816.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Statue of Liberty </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US">In New York one of the best race
preparations I did was take a three-hour boat cruise around Manhattan Island
three days before the race. This fantastic cruise gave us a full view of the
course the whole way around as well as some great historical stories to go with
it. My crew later said it was a key part to the actual race as they were always
prepared with what was coming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">There were also some other pre-race issues to
deal with. The organisers had accepted a record number of swimmers this year –
40 solos and 3 duos, which meant they required 43 support boats, but
unfortunately due to Cyclone Sandy last year, many boats had been damaged and
were not ready to use for race day. Further a number of boats that had locked-in,
withdrew in race week as they realized they wouldn’t be operational in time.
Swimmers were asked to pair with other swimmers and share a boat where possible,
and more observers were sought. They also changed the start and finish point of
the race due to damage from Sandy to the Pier we would normally start. As a
result, our start/finish position was moved down the Hudson River meaning
slightly different race tactics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The last issue we had to contend with was
the massive storm that hit New York for the 24 hours before race day. The
rainfall was huge – you couldn’t walk outside without being drenched and the
rain just didn’t let up. It was still pouring as I went to sleep the night
before. As a result of all this rain water temps were very low on race morning
and the tidal flow which is usually very strong at the start, had been substantially
mitigated. There had also been a sewage leak at Ward Island and the New York
Sanitation Dept was threatening to cancel the race on race morning. Thankfully,
I didn’t know this prior to the race, but it would explain why I was hit with a
very unpleasant stomach bug 24 hours after the race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAofQC6NApdcbQ4Z0eLS6oqAm0s9SUCHZnYAOekQjzNCiDQ21Ho60wx3ju0anru7jU4kO_d7dmOthvQDsZUIcH2FfnadHw92z8kKqhbozs3Ptlk8uZYDu_b0gjWCsro3xEzkzmYqaWGw/s1600/DSC_0693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAofQC6NApdcbQ4Z0eLS6oqAm0s9SUCHZnYAOekQjzNCiDQ21Ho60wx3ju0anru7jU4kO_d7dmOthvQDsZUIcH2FfnadHw92z8kKqhbozs3Ptlk8uZYDu_b0gjWCsro3xEzkzmYqaWGw/s640/DSC_0693.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Gorman family pre-race</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Pre–race I felt good. I had had a good
build up to this race: Rottnest Channel in Feb 2013, followed by the four day
60km S.C.A.R swim extravaganza in Arizona in May, and then winning the South
Head Roughwater in Sydney just before I flew out to New York. It had been a
busy four months trying to balance everything, but I felt I was in good form and
would have a solid race, and I was so stoked to have my whole family here with
me in NYC while I did it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The race briefing was like a big summer
camp reunion. So many friends were there whom I had made from the Channel last
year, S.C.A.R this year, Rotto, even London the week before the race. I have
been so fortunate with the amazing swimming people who have become my friends.
This is one of the things I love most about this sport – it’s intimate, it’s
special and inclusive and it’s full of the most passionate and dedicated
people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<h3>
<b><span lang="EN-US">Race
day: Saturday June 8, 2013</span></b></h3>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6se6aAy_xhiCuYhd1_f_fyMyew60c47bXk2Vp1i6jtWP61YjM-GUphhdcKJgbQKaDZSH6wLU2KRc3MXXx_wy3nOkmPv91EuYZf4SrABTJrupeg-sygOD73qZ1CQyDjBC1w2ZpYHSqWg/s1600/DSC_0742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6se6aAy_xhiCuYhd1_f_fyMyew60c47bXk2Vp1i6jtWP61YjM-GUphhdcKJgbQKaDZSH6wLU2KRc3MXXx_wy3nOkmPv91EuYZf4SrABTJrupeg-sygOD73qZ1CQyDjBC1w2ZpYHSqWg/s400/DSC_0742.jpg" width="266" /></a><span lang="EN-US">Wide awake at 3:30am, ready for the day
ahead. Race day nerves can be so annoying some times! I spent 40 minutes lying
in bed, thinking about the day ahead, and going through how I would pass
through each wall of pain I would encounter. Sometimes knowing the challenge
ahead is not always a good thing and I did wonder how I would hold up mentally
when I hit the inevitable wall. I had been through this process a few times now
and sometimes it actually gets harder the more you do it! Support crews were due
at Pier 25 at 5am, so my ever-dutiful mum and dad headed out the door just
before 5am. Fifteen minutes later my brother Mark and sister Bel and I were in
a cab heading downtown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
Arriving at the Pier, the excitement was
high. The water temperatures, however, were not, measuring only 14.9 degrees
Celsius. There was much organisation on the pier with check-in procedures and
boat loadings and departures. Unfortunately approx. five boats did not turn up
on the morning so more boats were forced to double up with swimmers. Many
swimmers found themselves paired with someone they didn’t know who potentially
was not of similar speed. More re-shuffling of swimmers again and boats
unloaded and reloaded. It was a bit of a nightmare, and to be honest, a miracle
we actually even got onto the water. We were all pretty cold by the time we boarded the start vessels and my trick of dressing in a garbage bag, whilst good, was not enough!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDAIvCkBTCmClo7nz_n6t9g4zXH6ENL_2wWk7jKpZMU-M1rw0RlJ42d3TcSmUwF-x9JBustT962VU-fbtqniINw6OBi9R88X4dzrMromPsgOZgdCD5vo8-D3C4jamHYy-26iF9dKUgeE/s1600/DSC_0762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDAIvCkBTCmClo7nz_n6t9g4zXH6ENL_2wWk7jKpZMU-M1rw0RlJ42d3TcSmUwF-x9JBustT962VU-fbtqniINw6OBi9R88X4dzrMromPsgOZgdCD5vo8-D3C4jamHYy-26iF9dKUgeE/s400/DSC_0762.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTsTPxKa8KKS7JsV-_AjQ3ob8XkCuxfKmuCcw5s0j5XgH01IOLbxhUm5evD2ivkjiv22fEAuRUFlGWpXiZWxD3xoz9ZRgc2RuyS8l1D0QAAb7raHcAEis40nAkITxmqe715ohR4L6_byI/s1600/DSC_0764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTsTPxKa8KKS7JsV-_AjQ3ob8XkCuxfKmuCcw5s0j5XgH01IOLbxhUm5evD2ivkjiv22fEAuRUFlGWpXiZWxD3xoz9ZRgc2RuyS8l1D0QAAb7raHcAEis40nAkITxmqe715ohR4L6_byI/s400/DSC_0764.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPTDEiLiRK9C2sErHxFVl6R8sZMF2bkSTox-riHMLGVhD1IBidnjzvqfsi81KB2IJ1t3m597XSJaomP-ri44KH_-51fqqE-okmzyaRjoDZP3IY336uttAL1Xv18FVqPfkmx9s8aJZ7cHQ/s1600/DSC_0768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPTDEiLiRK9C2sErHxFVl6R8sZMF2bkSTox-riHMLGVhD1IBidnjzvqfsi81KB2IJ1t3m597XSJaomP-ri44KH_-51fqqE-okmzyaRjoDZP3IY336uttAL1Xv18FVqPfkmx9s8aJZ7cHQ/s400/DSC_0768.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Finally, covered in zinc, Vaseline and
wearing a new pair of Speedo’s with the Aussie flag across my chest, I boarded
the start vessel along with my fellow wave 3 starters and we headed down to
Pier A. Cheers from my brother, sister and pal Hugh Selleck were heard as we
arrived and my paddler Mike came and identified himself to me just before I
jumped into the water. Most people were relying on a local paddler whom they
had never met, myself included, and Mike turned up and we exchanged three
sentences before I hit the water. He said “Hi, I’m your paddler” I responded
with “Thanks so much! Appreciate the support. I feed every 30 minutes” His
response: “Great, what side do you breathe?” “Left” and that was it! They
called my start and we were in the water and 30 seconds later it was “go!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4Cgb8phFTJX__7LCqhS3Zy2T2RbyBvYWBXCZ5jeeNPmFnSUG33S3M2pxKNC1x0Or5VoFaRollyUNf1gcd4hXJMSk4nKPhrRB97StekyDTTukhDzE82oscjlChFST4SV81d8wExJJMic/s1600/IMG_4136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4Cgb8phFTJX__7LCqhS3Zy2T2RbyBvYWBXCZ5jeeNPmFnSUG33S3M2pxKNC1x0Or5VoFaRollyUNf1gcd4hXJMSk4nKPhrRB97StekyDTTukhDzE82oscjlChFST4SV81d8wExJJMic/s400/IMG_4136.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had done my
research prior to this race and read every blog out there, spoken to previous
swimmers and worked out that the biggest gap to be gained on the other swimmers
was in the first section of the East River, so the key was to go hard and get
as much distance on everyone else as possible in the first few hours. So hard I
went. I ended up the lead swimmer of my wave, and the fastest wave who left only
four minutes after me didn’t catch me until the Williamsburg Bridge, 55 minutes
after we started. I felt like I was flying. Two hours into the race, the wave
behind me who started only two minutes behind me, still hadn’t caught me. As we
passed Queensborough Bridge, the water temperatures moved up to 16C/60F.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The city skyline enthralled me. We were swimming very quickly with the
current. We only had minutes of seeing each building towering above us as we
swam along, my paddler Mike navigating a great course working the currents. We
passed the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building (one of my most
favourite buildings in all the world) and the United Nations and as I passed
Roosevelt Island and headed up towards Hell’s Gate, I marvelled at how unique
this view of the city was. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKOjDsngSWkLsWH6aqmgO_18tcT-lNphYpLscH1j4ASvigafySu0Dc6eKXQQojdwGUQPPBaD2HN073fDg1BmP_0lqFk6WJGDikMFm-RJB3to5W0gDVD17I0_Rs77ruzHXFdSVtSkzcgY/s1600/IMG_4151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKOjDsngSWkLsWH6aqmgO_18tcT-lNphYpLscH1j4ASvigafySu0Dc6eKXQQojdwGUQPPBaD2HN073fDg1BmP_0lqFk6WJGDikMFm-RJB3to5W0gDVD17I0_Rs77ruzHXFdSVtSkzcgY/s640/IMG_4151.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The field ahead</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCg_Ze3YIjXZwru6aPSP3ecMPq7ReKihuUWcTks2Kkfy37z9iMsXtk28NSL2Fx235nyd1Ukk2W2-zBxgeBTKOszpqTiYdbXzMFe6ANDbpagfl0YAty2ywbkHdJ8LsXkrFXDdOVmEk9kM/s1600/IMG_4169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCg_Ze3YIjXZwru6aPSP3ecMPq7ReKihuUWcTks2Kkfy37z9iMsXtk28NSL2Fx235nyd1Ukk2W2-zBxgeBTKOszpqTiYdbXzMFe6ANDbpagfl0YAty2ywbkHdJ8LsXkrFXDdOVmEk9kM/s640/IMG_4169.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Empire State Building</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfftSfkLNoYZ8LrhfBK1oyP9si6jR22urqadyPC1MHax9C1UnQUBzhuD9cxgSdxhPgm0XL213h2deJlX7kRGnNzDE4Y5cNMXlISSskNcQyl3b-xsf34mW66dV_rjPidcygpTss_-24TuU/s1600/IMG_4185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfftSfkLNoYZ8LrhfBK1oyP9si6jR22urqadyPC1MHax9C1UnQUBzhuD9cxgSdxhPgm0XL213h2deJlX7kRGnNzDE4Y5cNMXlISSskNcQyl3b-xsf34mW66dV_rjPidcygpTss_-24TuU/s640/IMG_4185.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The United Nations</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The time for marvelling was cut short, as I
reached Hell’s Gate I noticed the water had gone slack and there was a slight
current against me. Over the next few hundred metres this quickly built against
me and I head Dad yell “Tides turning!” Suddenly I was having flashbacks to
<a href="http://torgorman.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/crossing-english-channel-from-agony-to.html" target="_blank">last years Channel swim</a>, and I knew then it was time to crank up my pace to
push through the current. I noticed four NYPD police boats all surrounding the
boats and swimmers behind me who were approximately 150m from me at that point.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37Het03YljUPidk69Nfczz8JKdrrIoKKOMNW-sQewG-Pd-BeUG2aCNS8wMXuyxOCBb4niNBRrgJnz2lSgIVBQeNFwv6iJi6O5ubzQbdmhkARLXafU7jUcAwsijudxu1CoWqULCEjzrsA/s1600/DSC_0886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37Het03YljUPidk69Nfczz8JKdrrIoKKOMNW-sQewG-Pd-BeUG2aCNS8wMXuyxOCBb4niNBRrgJnz2lSgIVBQeNFwv6iJi6O5ubzQbdmhkARLXafU7jUcAwsijudxu1CoWqULCEjzrsA/s640/DSC_0886.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Beautiful conditions just before Hell's Gate</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">What I didn’t realize was that the
conditions had gone from relatively flat water to rapids against the swimmers
in a matter of minutes. My brother and sister were standing on land cheering me
on and watching the chaos that suddenly occurred as paddlers were swept
backwards and the officials started making the calls on the radio to the NYPD
to pull the swimmers. Nothing was coming through to my crew, but they could see
what was happening and urged me forward knowing that I was on the edge of the
tide and needed to break through it. According to my GPS I literally did not
move forward for 6 minutes, swimming on the spot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Slowly I crept forward, gaining ground and
focusing on reaching Ward’s Island Bridge and the swimmer ahead of me. I
stopped for a feed break and realized the current was still against me so we
skipped it and pushed on to break at the bridge instead. I saw the boats that
had been behind me driving past. I figured the swimmers must have been pulled
out and were being dropped off ahead. Mike confirmed this was the situation. I
stepped up the gas for the last slog to break through the tide. Finally, I was through
it and swam under Ward’s Island Bridge. I had gone from eight-minute kms to a
33 minute km. It had been tough, but I had made it. I would later find out it
was by a mere one hundred and fifty metres because if I had I had been back
with the rest of the pack I would have been thwarted by the tide with everyone
else, with no chance to break through the rapids that suddenly appeared as the
waters from Hell Gate sucked south down the East River to the Hudson.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQlmfBmfCqq4iHV_hEvZfeB7iYUDGTHDSpDZPps2FH8Ez28SnSrCZJcyq3FkMyH7QAF8bM5-BOMTIkWxfqZ75XQWqZwg_h2VjjBTft27GnnNww8wls75JPZh_VJTPgeBPpXD1F1Rz6-g/s1600/DSC_0897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQlmfBmfCqq4iHV_hEvZfeB7iYUDGTHDSpDZPps2FH8Ez28SnSrCZJcyq3FkMyH7QAF8bM5-BOMTIkWxfqZ75XQWqZwg_h2VjjBTft27GnnNww8wls75JPZh_VJTPgeBPpXD1F1Rz6-g/s640/DSC_0897.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The tide turns: Paddlers battling to get through the currents at Hell's Gate</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjoTK6cbIs4Zf8C5_Ls9oOBiducVNmeXXtvCCUKcGt1sqvNOTpBIpdmiPf30AVol9V7mhPVExdYDw2Z3wRwRSP06pMAQ0U7N3Icjy8lvI6fZSOSowhHqo8MRDEeTOX-O_LX1gTaQ1Gtc/s1600/IMG_4300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjoTK6cbIs4Zf8C5_Ls9oOBiducVNmeXXtvCCUKcGt1sqvNOTpBIpdmiPf30AVol9V7mhPVExdYDw2Z3wRwRSP06pMAQ0U7N3Icjy8lvI6fZSOSowhHqo8MRDEeTOX-O_LX1gTaQ1Gtc/s400/IMG_4300.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ward's Island Bridge - through the tide turn</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">At this point I overtook fellow Aussie
swimmer Tim Donovan who had had a tough slog with me in the current and we headed
up the Harlem River. What I didn’t realize at this point was that every other
swimmer who had been behind me, (25 in total) and boat assisted up the river, was
no longer officially in the race, and I suddenly found myself very much alone
in the river. We were only three hours into the race, and I would have six more
hours swimming alone for the rest of the race seeing only one other swimmer just
before I swam out into the Hudson River at Spuyten Duyvil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdSFjtLsfADkoOOu0pQ8fMHO1W5IhtjbXyTQNtBq74nprrKl026YRVLSKpJ58W3A138H-slszEGL_gj9PE6Q0_H3VYfsszzes0QjYgiwX3H9aQ6LMKcvnVktL4gFtyrqDnGumMBCq7Nw/s1600/IMG_4387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdSFjtLsfADkoOOu0pQ8fMHO1W5IhtjbXyTQNtBq74nprrKl026YRVLSKpJ58W3A138H-slszEGL_gj9PE6Q0_H3VYfsszzes0QjYgiwX3H9aQ6LMKcvnVktL4gFtyrqDnGumMBCq7Nw/s400/IMG_4387.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As we headed up the Harlem River, we passed
under bridge after bridge (14 in total) and I enjoyed the different designs and
architecture as I swam under them, often rolling onto my back and doing a
couple of arms of backstroke to take in the bridges full majesty. As I swam up
the Harlem River, the water became filthy. For an hour and a half I dodged
plastic bags, an empty syringe, rubbish, dead birds and even got hit in the head with a condom! It
was putrid and there was no escape. I was definitely keen to not have to do
that section of the swim again. My boat crew tried to find the clear sections
of water and my paddler Mike said I should have seen some of the things he was
flicking out of my way. I am very glad that I didn’t. When I told him about the
condom, he said: “We call them Harlem White Fish” – you have the love the
American humour!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ddVYG2VaoeIGLRLHXiEz2VzXUVAJQ7djoHJj4BCvrZgt7qZWuBkBeJOYsc4bOE-8_wEm3FkMpE8SnGd6m-XhgWyEOf9lrjNtnlmPjK_4tiNLDNSe4kbxR3qSJ9PGdwOyBdvt64vwRdE/s1600/IMG_4503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ddVYG2VaoeIGLRLHXiEz2VzXUVAJQ7djoHJj4BCvrZgt7qZWuBkBeJOYsc4bOE-8_wEm3FkMpE8SnGd6m-XhgWyEOf9lrjNtnlmPjK_4tiNLDNSe4kbxR3qSJ9PGdwOyBdvt64vwRdE/s640/IMG_4503.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Syringe, condom and other rubbish I had to swim through in the Harlem River</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Finally, six hours after the start, the
very long and lonely Harlem River was over as I arrived at Spuyten Duyvil,
passed fellow swimmer Ellery McGowan whom I had a quick chat to, and headed out
into the Hudson River.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Wow, what a change that was. The relatively
peaceful albeit dirty river turned to highly turbulent waters and suddenly the
water went from being extremely salty to very brackish. It was a welcome relief
for my mouth, which swells from the salt water during long races. I used
Listerine to combat the swelling throughout the race but the brackish water was
far nicer. The water also seemed to rise a degree in temperature, which was
also very welcome, as the sun seemed to have disappeared behind the clouds at
this point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBuhxoS_qgWMJLUJ9Ik108MZycC4hs2hVxMDoiXnxcCmDb1kF-_IPYSDckPNOq2LQKyfrdZq1i4pK53RXA7_fDzdQWT4scocu1IAwUGGw46mRuMGDL5tkb3BLdl2Ric672amnMVRfSDg/s1600/DSC_0852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBuhxoS_qgWMJLUJ9Ik108MZycC4hs2hVxMDoiXnxcCmDb1kF-_IPYSDckPNOq2LQKyfrdZq1i4pK53RXA7_fDzdQWT4scocu1IAwUGGw46mRuMGDL5tkb3BLdl2Ric672amnMVRfSDg/s400/DSC_0852.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mark and Bel - best siblings in the world</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">For the next 14 kilometres, I swam an
average of 7-8 minutes per kilometer. I was flying with the current down the
Hudson but battling the rough and bouncy wind-against-tide waters. A lot of the
Hudson ended up in my tummy. At various points my brother and sister in their
matching shirts would pop up on the shore cheering me along. It was like playing a game of "Where's Wally" seeing where they would pop up. I found the last
section quite difficult mentally – I knew I had a good 2.5 hours of swimming to
go and I was pretty lonely in the water, and getting cold. Onwards I swam,
under George Washington Bridge, passing by the Sailors and Soldiers Memorial,
and the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier. At this point I was stopped by a ferry
coming into the wharf and had to wait for it to pass before continuing my swim.
For the last five kms the current eased and I slowed down. The views as I
approached the Financial District were amazing. This was what I call the “money
shot” – an iconic photo to remember the swim by. I passed by piers and saw
friends waving on the end, and as I got closer to the finish, I heard my name
being cheered and yelled. My New York friends had all turned up for the finish!
Massive thanks to Hugh Selleck, Tom Christensen, Jacquie Purcell, Andrew and
Marliesha Bartop and baby Edie, Sally and James Bertouch and baby Sophie,
Camilla Crane, Pete Davies, and of course my incredible brother Mark and sister
Bel, who had followed me almost the whole way around Manhattan on foot.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRJFphE2vNcIbrRdswzYOdktjCRiNSX392BqQ7mSgQ5f_BEA2M9sgcDNQGiCWN_g8wrm44YEgHP7Aqg-jvEz_7hZvrXymUv5BVBbLv91ZrERra6RgRDaUk3g2rugDh1Enlvo7xP7Z3V0/s1600/DSC_0928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRJFphE2vNcIbrRdswzYOdktjCRiNSX392BqQ7mSgQ5f_BEA2M9sgcDNQGiCWN_g8wrm44YEgHP7Aqg-jvEz_7hZvrXymUv5BVBbLv91ZrERra6RgRDaUk3g2rugDh1Enlvo7xP7Z3V0/s640/DSC_0928.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The last 500m</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As I swam the last 500m the crowd on the
wall were all cheering, my friends were running and cycling alongside me and my
parents on the boat were waving. I finally rounded the corner at Pier A and saw
the finish buoy where I gave it a very solid slap to finish in 8 hours and 53
minutes, coming 10<sup>th</sup> overall. Official Results <a href="http://nycswim.org/Event/Event.aspx?event_id=2302&from=results" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBP9m_Q6pXCICeMC1y0Eo9QhdW_Y7xQHhS873T6RRy7VMwZJ2qxWQZGvKNE0agZbithLk3HiDSFCipOvdrzwH2I3cXMebvn1DySI0SPDCMbp-GoB6YTA06s2FtYcvGP0rv4jSDjGD_X9Y/s1600/DSC_0937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBP9m_Q6pXCICeMC1y0Eo9QhdW_Y7xQHhS873T6RRy7VMwZJ2qxWQZGvKNE0agZbithLk3HiDSFCipOvdrzwH2I3cXMebvn1DySI0SPDCMbp-GoB6YTA06s2FtYcvGP0rv4jSDjGD_X9Y/s640/DSC_0937.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsSw5GTrhhUY9XtcKSo-mWEmzL9LQHDtpKmzxPf0NsB2OvWgW4UxSrZLH6QdEURSPaaX3SaM4Kzq8bVo3mcf9K_e5gMHnj4bxpLOZhv_GJ3ZZC7Y8FHNrvzxvZgorWje2mpLLAQMWXVg/s1600/DSC_0940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOsSw5GTrhhUY9XtcKSo-mWEmzL9LQHDtpKmzxPf0NsB2OvWgW4UxSrZLH6QdEURSPaaX3SaM4Kzq8bVo3mcf9K_e5gMHnj4bxpLOZhv_GJ3ZZC7Y8FHNrvzxvZgorWje2mpLLAQMWXVg/s640/DSC_0940.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The finish! 8 hours 53 minutes</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A swim like this is pretty iconic. Being
able to swim past icons like the Financial district, the Empire State Building,
the United Nations building, the Chrysler Building, Gracie Mansion where the
mayor is meant to live (Michael Bloomberg doesn’t as he prefers his own home),
the Yankee Stadium, the Pepsi Cola sign, Hell’s Gate Bridge which is a complete
mini replica of the Sydney Harbour Bridge by the same architect, just to name a
few, is a pretty spectacular way to “see” New York. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I was very relieved to have made it, but
devastated for those swimmers who got pulled. It seems ridiculous that only 11 of 42 swimmers finished. It was not what was meant to
happen, and it was devastating that we couldn’t all be celebrating our
achievement that night at the prize giving. The evening was full of mixed
emotions. Fellow Australians Paul Newsome and Ceinwen Williams took out first
male and female overall, and my swimming buddy Lochie Hinds was second male
overall. These results were definitely cause for celebration, but it was
bittersweet that not all ten Aussies were official finishers, especially when
they are all such great swimmers. For my international friends who came along with their entire families, it just doesn't seem fair. I cherish the time we got to spend together before the race, however, t</span>here is nothing that would entice me back in the filthy waters of New
York.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Three swimmers DNF'd and were taken
to hospital due to hypothermia including my buddy from S.C.A.R in Arizona and the
current Catalina Channel World Record holder Grace Van der Byl, and 10k FINA
World Cup swimmer Gustavo Helguera. It was the coldest MIMS on record by some
margin at officially just on 16.0ºC (60.8ºF), compared to 2012 which was 19.9ºC
(67.8ºF).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I must call out a massive thanks to my amazing support
crew whom were all allocated to me randomly by NYC swim: my boat captain Tony
and his wife Denise were so positive, smiling and happy and were totally
wonderful to my parents, my observer Tom who had flown in to volunteer for this
event and diligently took my stroke count and measured the water temperatures
throughout the race, as well as cheering and taking photos throughout, and my
paddler Mike, whom I found out has done this race five times previous to 2013
and is a super keen kayaker. Mike’s knowledge of reading the currents
definitely played a huge part in my success and his calm and patient attitude
kept me sane throughout. He also told me interesting facts about all the
buildings at every feed, and later when I found out he was a schoolteacher I
was not surprised!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49QGteP_xDQ4GnVIrEztICMDOEieNQ1fLIWsfyw2xEBSKsqp23Fj0DJqvLoz_GgxBqQqdy5-Bl_S_RJa-QY9xw122-pPIucnjrWtaQLob3sH8f0SfdhOe4FcJp3ZlKwrqCwOXcOjXaMk/s1600/DSC_0702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49QGteP_xDQ4GnVIrEztICMDOEieNQ1fLIWsfyw2xEBSKsqp23Fj0DJqvLoz_GgxBqQqdy5-Bl_S_RJa-QY9xw122-pPIucnjrWtaQLob3sH8f0SfdhOe4FcJp3ZlKwrqCwOXcOjXaMk/s640/DSC_0702.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My amazing support crew: Tom, Denise, Tony, Mum and Dad</i></td></tr>
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<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQj-Pj90StGGoyZlUCCkJE0Uy0VfYQ68ePteqajIRjEq8GR3MNKUYxh0MQ0bxCXZDU_-wU1ZMj8ymIjsflqRyGWkUn7rKJmr_yMCALtQ64Pp7nSbXgm7wdKy9ABazcVvbPo3L4ueM8KsA/s1600/DSC_0692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQj-Pj90StGGoyZlUCCkJE0Uy0VfYQ68ePteqajIRjEq8GR3MNKUYxh0MQ0bxCXZDU_-wU1ZMj8ymIjsflqRyGWkUn7rKJmr_yMCALtQ64Pp7nSbXgm7wdKy9ABazcVvbPo3L4ueM8KsA/s640/DSC_0692.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Observer Tom, Mum, Dad and I pre race</i></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">To my family, having you all there as
I achieved this goal meant so much to me and I was so thrilled I could share
this with you all. We are nothing without our support crew, and my family not
only supported me on the day, but have supported these goals and ambitions for
the last three and a half years as I have picked crazy long swim goal after
crazy long swim goal. They are always there in some form, when I race in
Australia and my brother is in Hong Kong he always calls continuously
throughout the races and cheers for me from afar. My sister is always there on
the finish line to greet me, and my parents are always alongside me in the
support boat. The time and effort they put into ensuring I am prepared and that
I can achieve my dreams and that they steadfastly believe in me in something I
am so thankful for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">So, with seven marathon swim races in
this year alone, and 20 marathon swims races now complete since this hobby began 3.5 years ago, I am going to spend
the rest of this year enjoying life (before deciding what the next challenge
will be!)</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiek1pID4jc_O7-cZxMcLwBElkjEVVA6UOXf-zZXcso91hZGVZixXdTpJomwkG-B0xI_iuMnVZNndtgrloHDUK9Q0_J_ecSPtL6UaKviu4-7UM7FTUUPL_ysgnA175taWeSOGocD3LsmAc/s1600/IMG_4822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiek1pID4jc_O7-cZxMcLwBElkjEVVA6UOXf-zZXcso91hZGVZixXdTpJomwkG-B0xI_iuMnVZNndtgrloHDUK9Q0_J_ecSPtL6UaKviu4-7UM7FTUUPL_ysgnA175taWeSOGocD3LsmAc/s640/IMG_4822.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Full course and splits available on the link to my tracker page <a href="http://torgorman.blogspot.com.au/p/toris-live-tracker.html" target="_blank">above</a> </span></div>
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<h3>
<span lang="EN-US">Other blogs on MIMS 2013:</span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US">Karen Throsby: <a href="http://thelongswim.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/mims-2013-part-i.html">http://thelongswim.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/mims-2013-part-i.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Paul Newsome: <a href="http://www.feelforthewater.com/2013/06/paul-newsomes-winning-manhattan-race.html">http://www.feelforthewater.com/2013/06/paul-newsomes-winning-manhattan-race.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Carol Cashell: <a href="http://swimmersrock.com/2013/06/16/new-york-mims-2013/">http://swimmersrock.com/2013/06/16/new-york-mims-2013/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Katy Dooley’s paddler: <a href="http://windagainstcurrent.com/2013/06/17/manhattan-island-marathon-swim-2013-photos/">http://windagainstcurrent.com/2013/06/17/manhattan-island-marathon-swim-2013-photos/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<h3>
<span lang="EN-US"> Photos:</span></h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2hBx7h-cIOj3M9IjtuI10EvAWmzwZKNWnnPNH0aNgafPOupsnATF3taDcYY8Y1X4m1MpZu6-bPRBmu10ki6i0PkdrrNV5psqHc-2pjj3SUQvsvqVJ7s8Dr3O5XL3dYwQL4Yi1NsxxME/s1600/DSC_0680.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2hBx7h-cIOj3M9IjtuI10EvAWmzwZKNWnnPNH0aNgafPOupsnATF3taDcYY8Y1X4m1MpZu6-bPRBmu10ki6i0PkdrrNV5psqHc-2pjj3SUQvsvqVJ7s8Dr3O5XL3dYwQL4Yi1NsxxME/s640/DSC_0680.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My 2012 Channel buddies: Tory Thorpe, Deidre Ward and myself</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigeXPSRSL6Orvg0pCSgc_UvXAjaP2Vau9rMOygilEK8D8S95BbIyPrG8J2oQyzZoTmpw0hc1SIzoI75GCkojtkfT_2ElVNB35tyijS_9G76UsJ76vGsLArB57f8KV6fXCF_lAdn6zspqY/s1600/DSC_0682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigeXPSRSL6Orvg0pCSgc_UvXAjaP2Vau9rMOygilEK8D8S95BbIyPrG8J2oQyzZoTmpw0hc1SIzoI75GCkojtkfT_2ElVNB35tyijS_9G76UsJ76vGsLArB57f8KV6fXCF_lAdn6zspqY/s640/DSC_0682.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Geoff Wilson and Ceinwen Williams from Perth</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvO2G1EuWgCIaILVJWwZInvuZx_NjRgb_nY0zSvrO1XM8zOyQV9KL2g2X4WDkUKwtgutEr2_4joHiHrlucuThyphenhyphenaBXmNLCaO_clFAwMGJym66LUR-DSSQjq11Hxalmnycv0a0srgRf420/s1600/DSC_0736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvO2G1EuWgCIaILVJWwZInvuZx_NjRgb_nY0zSvrO1XM8zOyQV9KL2g2X4WDkUKwtgutEr2_4joHiHrlucuThyphenhyphenaBXmNLCaO_clFAwMGJym66LUR-DSSQjq11Hxalmnycv0a0srgRf420/s640/DSC_0736.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My sister Bel and I</i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-w9bYeKTblGzH5-FkHSlhv_ZS6yezsyDFCZcN_g5iV40VDojiqORnWGlkBfnsTdMIW7wii2YqZeYQEuol0C9D7gKaWIzTppvZicsn1o92Lpg8YTjYI7DGKr4MGCTpPx_6b-oZlKP8cts/s1600/DSC_0743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-w9bYeKTblGzH5-FkHSlhv_ZS6yezsyDFCZcN_g5iV40VDojiqORnWGlkBfnsTdMIW7wii2YqZeYQEuol0C9D7gKaWIzTppvZicsn1o92Lpg8YTjYI7DGKr4MGCTpPx_6b-oZlKP8cts/s640/DSC_0743.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Awesome jumper designed by mum</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjM7HJf50_lw5RSqhUYpXzbxIANMAiWuAiDbrpx75RiOJPIofgyX4WdZ-FpQcgtpAgQXB8dTRWQI9-WVpHjzh9JvBGNZDpF0YySeBUnV0YslKAsv-Dh5Lqp4LCAa27VdIfBFjbD2fnl0/s1600/DSC_0756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjM7HJf50_lw5RSqhUYpXzbxIANMAiWuAiDbrpx75RiOJPIofgyX4WdZ-FpQcgtpAgQXB8dTRWQI9-WVpHjzh9JvBGNZDpF0YySeBUnV0YslKAsv-Dh5Lqp4LCAa27VdIfBFjbD2fnl0/s640/DSC_0756.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Zincing up against the sun - not sure why my brother missed the section in the middle!</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3iklnP_ecsELxHpSgdTZGSGVKpJUHVVAIJsY-6kkaQZYah0Bu7q1Z-jO1cLmOTGJjrHZMITH6_BTh3jYHsHkBqlIK4ZeJW605bEEqFq0gSscyQBKfCv_QDDdyqFPm7SSFFCMYqtv-Hg/s1600/IMG_1009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh3iklnP_ecsELxHpSgdTZGSGVKpJUHVVAIJsY-6kkaQZYah0Bu7q1Z-jO1cLmOTGJjrHZMITH6_BTh3jYHsHkBqlIK4ZeJW605bEEqFq0gSscyQBKfCv_QDDdyqFPm7SSFFCMYqtv-Hg/s640/IMG_1009.jpg" width="496" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Passing the Concord</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFR8Ag7DugiqRNwHL84cXJkgGOykoBYDw_i4TmKna2AqQCG0C10RA7HxFI-P7pQFpHNBEUL16i5ZeHppj6E62Mb9eW1TDHW4a87JlPveodz-3Z1cdh_GptEXbiLWr_4Zzs_PGn10zebsM/s1600/IMG_4794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFR8Ag7DugiqRNwHL84cXJkgGOykoBYDw_i4TmKna2AqQCG0C10RA7HxFI-P7pQFpHNBEUL16i5ZeHppj6E62Mb9eW1TDHW4a87JlPveodz-3Z1cdh_GptEXbiLWr_4Zzs_PGn10zebsM/s640/IMG_4794.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Freedom Tower</i></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18gl9DHWmqedG0II-6GdpMoIFiH_nsGlR2LAsNZrtGlXe5BVxc8chgSP8n-evBPuSHiP73K3E2H8KjfuiulYtltYx8bvX90BBDCXRHWFeDRZQjKzgiA9fZfH-Ne7ZjXfFQRdR0F9s0Lo/s1600/IMG_4582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18gl9DHWmqedG0II-6GdpMoIFiH_nsGlR2LAsNZrtGlXe5BVxc8chgSP8n-evBPuSHiP73K3E2H8KjfuiulYtltYx8bvX90BBDCXRHWFeDRZQjKzgiA9fZfH-Ne7ZjXfFQRdR0F9s0Lo/s640/IMG_4582.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcnGvoD5MPNUANfjvY0BUkaK1EtI35ZOqXGnrJWXlr5EtHcf_Ylqvs9dhe_0kOP50HQEA2uaq49yvGNrgFFVBBidzWmt_tLvgX3QHH5ADOg-6uaijzLhFvCODt1Y2FrgKX7qyVO1dWJ8/s1600/IMG_4784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcnGvoD5MPNUANfjvY0BUkaK1EtI35ZOqXGnrJWXlr5EtHcf_Ylqvs9dhe_0kOP50HQEA2uaq49yvGNrgFFVBBidzWmt_tLvgX3QHH5ADOg-6uaijzLhFvCODt1Y2FrgKX7qyVO1dWJ8/s640/IMG_4784.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Financial District</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU49IZzRsmA0h8yYUAcxjooTsjkV6QNaTyh1lq_-V6g-yzn3ZzqmTVe3tmGEuVrstWqUdlNSohFqyimoE1HwzHd9yrzld3Yj0cHjUMBY6KzwDObm9xXRX4R4_fNzFGQIVnMZFyY8QE8g4/s1600/IMG_4619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU49IZzRsmA0h8yYUAcxjooTsjkV6QNaTyh1lq_-V6g-yzn3ZzqmTVe3tmGEuVrstWqUdlNSohFqyimoE1HwzHd9yrzld3Yj0cHjUMBY6KzwDObm9xXRX4R4_fNzFGQIVnMZFyY8QE8g4/s640/IMG_4619.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bel and Mark on the Hudson</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCJfwVWfTje9HsQzFX45JsJ8Q6NIQ9LJAIalcPt1TcO2cQWOzdphmCf0W_HJreYgm-YhH8gCCeYrgYQrgpH8NubF_Xvbyh7xQzAq6FyV2sjmYdJOdDx4gd9Pm_XwoOccSAm_o6fx6dpc/s1600/IMG_4334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCJfwVWfTje9HsQzFX45JsJ8Q6NIQ9LJAIalcPt1TcO2cQWOzdphmCf0W_HJreYgm-YhH8gCCeYrgYQrgpH8NubF_Xvbyh7xQzAq6FyV2sjmYdJOdDx4gd9Pm_XwoOccSAm_o6fx6dpc/s640/IMG_4334.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Under one of the 20 bridges of the race</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NeOmt8haEvki48yYvI7iqgG4gG-Lh5P-Ari3FYIERyTxw_vOYOO_gzVsMw8g3HNqr_AtikKAzwD9xzaSLSvDFqtE1Ss_Cw__nVT226Lojnb8is75e71aZpBrSNVCNB1o5lIQImzAJNw/s1600/IMG_4283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NeOmt8haEvki48yYvI7iqgG4gG-Lh5P-Ari3FYIERyTxw_vOYOO_gzVsMw8g3HNqr_AtikKAzwD9xzaSLSvDFqtE1Ss_Cw__nVT226Lojnb8is75e71aZpBrSNVCNB1o5lIQImzAJNw/s640/IMG_4283.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bel and Mark at Hell's Gate</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMQ35tqENgsQ-dML7dWXXopXAeGJGdBK8xLlszgaKLrSaqrQBafwZjHhe00LOyJLkQfoALideRgR7KngsnFpANVPfbyOANIDSCnWhHSZQPeIBegt48UQTEwK0xmelIDWEHwHLKT7DTlU/s1600/IMG_4836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMQ35tqENgsQ-dML7dWXXopXAeGJGdBK8xLlszgaKLrSaqrQBafwZjHhe00LOyJLkQfoALideRgR7KngsnFpANVPfbyOANIDSCnWhHSZQPeIBegt48UQTEwK0xmelIDWEHwHLKT7DTlU/s640/IMG_4836.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tim Donovan and myself - the last two swimmers through Hell's Gate</i></td></tr>
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<!--EndFragment-->Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-62432483246183537022013-04-28T20:09:00.000+10:002013-05-31T20:36:12.284+10:00Melbourne Cold Water Camp
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<i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Cold Water Camp”
– three words that send chills down your spine...</span></span></i><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">not thoughts of bikinis, cocktails, sunshine nor relaxation.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></i></h4>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In April, 2013, my
coaches at <a href="http://www.vladswim.com.au/" target="_blank">Vladswim</a> ran their annual Cold Water Camp in Port Phillip Bay Melbourne
for aspiring English Channel swimmers. A
four day camp, with multiple daily swims and lectures, culminating in the camp
challenge: an eight hour swim in 15C water. I completed <a href="http://torgorman.blogspot.com/2012/05/chasing-cold-water-and-avoiding.html" target="_blank">this last year </a>as part
of my own EC preparation, and I was keen to participate again in 2013. Once
again I would test my ability to withstand the cold. It has been nine months
since my own Channel swim and having lost 7kgs of my Channel fat, I was keen to
see how I would fare in the cold and at the the same time it was a great
opportunity to get a nice, long swim in preparation for my upcoming Manhattan
Island Marathon Swim race in June.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twelve swimmers
from Sydney journeyed to Melbourne for the camp, along with our amazing coaches
Vlad and Charm assisted by Martin (the King of Goulash). Work commitments for
the week allowed me an abridged version of the camp, but my key goals were a
couple of long swims in very cold water, and the opportunity to share my
experiences with the group heading towards their own goals of conquering the
English Channel in 2013 and 2014. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_DpO0MLzKLP00d5VfPPo8sF7q0bM__MM41flNg_GP6Vbc0RsR6r_2MzgUNROGXo5HAQ_shq90WAVxKkXU3BJovwVVbss_0iPd4BEWrnbBaymZeECGn1NXWjHsMVmZnz3CG3P4TKlVeQ/s1600/DSCF2159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_DpO0MLzKLP00d5VfPPo8sF7q0bM__MM41flNg_GP6Vbc0RsR6r_2MzgUNROGXo5HAQ_shq90WAVxKkXU3BJovwVVbss_0iPd4BEWrnbBaymZeECGn1NXWjHsMVmZnz3CG3P4TKlVeQ/s320/DSCF2159.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My first swim with
the group was Friday morning. The goal was three hours in Port Phillip Bay off
Brighton Baths. In 2012, this was the hardest swim of the entire camp. This
swim is a huge mental challenge - freezing, and hating it and knowing that the
next day you have to swim eight more hours. This is the swim where most people
question why and what they came to do. The group struggled, including myself.
Even knowing I have done it before does not make it any easier! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sensation of
jumping into 15 degree water is quite shocking. For the first two minutes your
chest restricts, your head hurts with a massive ice cream headache (and without
the benefit of having eaten yummy ice cream), and you flail around. As you
start swimming your body feels tight and it feels very hard to stretch out in
your stroke. Then after about 2 minutes, the intensity eases and you almost
drift into a state of heaven. Your body has at this point reached a nice
numbness and your breath calmed down and each stroke seems easier. This point of numbness doesn’t last however,
and slowly over the coming hours your body aches and fights the cold, your
hands and fingers curl (the dreaded “claw”) and you feel the cold seep into
your core. As you get colder there is no hope of warming up and this is where
the games begin as you challenge yourself to push through the physical signs which
are telling you to stop before you get hypothermia and the mental knowledge
that you can do this, you just have to push through.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZjoqEzBQYaiBAS8jM7d4-dEiOhl2Ws7tp65sFv1rQ_Hb5CA6P1nitSRtCqgJCPM5lUXkLwlKwoK7-PkgUh9owj5LrsMhw4Ht8J1XRTxdUaOaBxrIiUcqib5ItlnKVs-ihc66Uky65mE/s1600/DSCF2163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZjoqEzBQYaiBAS8jM7d4-dEiOhl2Ws7tp65sFv1rQ_Hb5CA6P1nitSRtCqgJCPM5lUXkLwlKwoK7-PkgUh9owj5LrsMhw4Ht8J1XRTxdUaOaBxrIiUcqib5ItlnKVs-ihc66Uky65mE/s320/DSCF2163.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lochie Hinds and I</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the end of the
three hours, some had pulled out early and were mentally and physically spent –
with the impending doom of eight hours ahead the next day, there were lots of
doubts hanging over the team’s heads. When I got back from work that evening,
the team had regrouped, swum again in the afternoon and had prepped their
nutrition plans for the following day. It was a great opportunity to have a
good chat and share with them my similar experiences in 2012. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomorrow was do or
die, they could do this, it was the camp goal and the reason they were there,
and they had to break through the physical and mental barriers they would face,
because that was it. After the eight hour swim there would only be a couple
more short Cold Water Swim Camp sessions and they had already ticked those
boxes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the eight hour
swim, we joined forces with the fantastic Melbourne Black Ice swim squad. In
preparation for the challenge the next day, we had dinner on Friday night and
it was great to see so many familiar faces from last year. It was thanks to
them that we would have such an awesomely organized event the next day, with
hot water urns, support crew, support swimmers etc., all the things that make
it possible to achieve a crazy goal like swimming eight hours in very cold
water!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The day began at
5am. The house was a hive of activity as thermoses were filled, last minute bags
packed and we trekked down to Brighton Baths ready to hit the water at 6am
sharp. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sun had not yet risen so everyone donned glow sticks and flashing
lights and headed out between the bars into Port Phillip Bay. There is
something quite surreal about swimming from the darkness and into dawn. It is
such a calming experience….and that is certainly something coming from me! As the pinks, oranges and yellows filled the
sky, I was reminded of the poem “Red sky at night, shepherds delight, red sky
in the morning, shepherds warning” and just hoped with all my might that the
day ahead would be a good one! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SCF422hU-dRAxSID6iYMixgohNjomvCpfRBVPtsin2gPWWgITW-OG6BH3TT7PPSOysIvxlwWkjEJeSFsYidxnm7JXSR9fjmhuZ6SB0SZUm96wn0MnT1iqHvC90NZRyrW4KzcqyFh9wI/s1600/601022_10151411369483456_1813279825_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6SCF422hU-dRAxSID6iYMixgohNjomvCpfRBVPtsin2gPWWgITW-OG6BH3TT7PPSOysIvxlwWkjEJeSFsYidxnm7JXSR9fjmhuZ6SB0SZUm96wn0MnT1iqHvC90NZRyrW4KzcqyFh9wI/s320/601022_10151411369483456_1813279825_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The water was icy,
and with no sunshine on my back to warm me, the first few hours were difficult.
I found it very challenging - I had no-one of equivalent pace to swim with, and
spent almost the entire day swimming on my own. This is a very lonely experience
and in a training swim adds to the mental challenge ahead. The “claw” had begun
at the end of the second hour meaning my swim catch was less effective, and I
could definitely see that my toelerance to the cold water was greatly impeded
by the loss of some of my Channel weight. Thankfully, company arrived from
Black Ice swimmer Doug on hour 2.5. This saved me, because at that point, I was
really questioning my ability to make eight hours and wondered if I could pull
out at six. I also knew that fellow Channel swimmer and MIMS swimmer, Dougal
Hunt, who had been one of my great Channel supporters in the lead up to 2012,
was coming down to support me, and knew he would be shocked, surprised and
disappointed if he found me out of the water. Ego can be a very powerful tool
if you know how to harness it properly!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Onwards I swam,
focusing on ticking off each loop. I was swimming out to the poles, around the
breakwater, through the marina and back to the baths, a 2.7km loop taking
roughly 45 minutes. I calculated I had 10 loops to swim that day and focused on
getting to 5, and then working my way back down to 0. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The support crew
on deck at Brighton Baths were amazing. Every time I came in, people would grab
my bottle, food, painkillers, basically anything I asked for and pass it down
to me on a bucket. I trod water for five minutes or so (very luxurious,
normally I feed in sub 30 seconds when racing!) and would have a chat, lingering
to avoid the inevitable! Eventually, Andrew Vidler from Black Ice, would yell
at me to get going again, and plead as I may, I knew there was no getting out
yet! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At five hours,
Vlad joined me on his kayak. What a coach! By now the wind was up to 35 knots
and it was extremely rough. What is that rhyme about the red and orange dawn? Vlad
took it all in his stride, paddling amongst us all rotating round and round,
making sure we were ok, and watching our technique and correcting our stroke.
It was great to have him by my side for half and hour and helped me pick up my
pace and break the monotony.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The support crew
throughout the entire day was simply amazing. Coach Charm was on deck all day
long, checking our stats and making sure everyone stayed safe. After 2012,
where two of our swimmers went hypothermic, there is a very real danger is
these swims. There was a lot to manage with sixteen swimmers in the water. The
professionalism and organization by Charm and Vlad and the Black Ice team made
it a very safe experience for us all. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviaBClZBgHgsnmDjOk_OAc_81qke-b5d1TfgG2Vr3gyVvdT9d9HZwxZ6gu00DODqkGBll6wrsWeEjW2OXYvQgeaOmbtUJbH0vdwD57BqjdFXrRrZJMFc9zq9VSVO_UBEHi46Ky8FzAPM/s1600/IMG_2691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviaBClZBgHgsnmDjOk_OAc_81qke-b5d1TfgG2Vr3gyVvdT9d9HZwxZ6gu00DODqkGBll6wrsWeEjW2OXYvQgeaOmbtUJbH0vdwD57BqjdFXrRrZJMFc9zq9VSVO_UBEHi46Ky8FzAPM/s320/IMG_2691.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, the highlight
of my day came at the six hour mark when I was treading water drinking nice hot
black tea with stacks of sugar and dreaming of scones. I precociously asked if
anyone had some scones to go with my tea, where upon a freshly baked muffin by
the wonderful Sandy from Black Ice appeared in my bucket! I couldn’t believe my
luck: hot tea, fresh muffin, smiling support crew, if I wasn’t freezing in the
water, I would have thought I was on holidays! Sandy said there would be one
more waiting for me when I finished… well that was one delightful thought for
the next two hours!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course with the
multiple laps we were all doing you do come across some of the other swimmers.
We all took the opportunity to have a quick chat where possible, after all
today was about time in the water, not the distance. “Team Awesome” (Ben, Cae
and Rachael) stayed together the whole day – and amazingly achieved a milestone
none of them thought possible. I was so super proud to see them lap after lap,
especially after the previous days of self-doubt. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYt7EL_2uOcNlX4Vcjbb3E8X0u5jHYswmgYwiU6lLJy8bwaDutszI5YYczpl0n5W_yljAaOmf82TwPjIWWYldruLRtId_BMQyl2p9K6Tlm9zx2SeTl2jaYZgBCGDl_Kx5WsvRefwrwj8/s1600/935132_10151411369978456_935509219_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYt7EL_2uOcNlX4Vcjbb3E8X0u5jHYswmgYwiU6lLJy8bwaDutszI5YYczpl0n5W_yljAaOmf82TwPjIWWYldruLRtId_BMQyl2p9K6Tlm9zx2SeTl2jaYZgBCGDl_Kx5WsvRefwrwj8/s320/935132_10151411369978456_935509219_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>High 5's to the team!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally it was six
minutes to go and we all entered the Baths to be told the magic words “two laps
of the baths to go”. None of the other swimmers had watches so they never had
any idea of how long they had been swimming, a great training technique for a
Channel swim, as you never know how long it will take you. Thankfully I was
allowed to keep my watch as I was practicing my pacing and needed to get my
kilometre splits to keep an eye on that. We all sprinted two laps of the Baths
and joyously climbed out of the water to cheers, claps and hugs. What a great
day!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was so proud of
the Team, they had all achieved an incredible milestone towards their own
journey to the Channel, and in doing so had gained a vital mental toughness
that would serve them well in their challenges ahead. And by doing it with
them, it kept me going when I really would have rather-ed not!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our amazing
coaches and the amazing support from all the Black Ice crew and each other had
made the day possible, and I am so grateful that when I took up this crazy
sport, that I have been able to find so many people willing to help me achieve
my goals, and be able to share in my training buddies achieving theirs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not long after
emerging from the water I was on the plane heading back to Sydney. After a
quick twelve hour stopover at home I was heading to the USA to embark on one of
the toughest challenges in my swimming career – <a href="http://openwaterpedia.com/index.php?title=S.C.A.R._Swim_Challenge" target="_blank">S.C.A.R</a>: a four day stage race through
four canyons in Arizona, covering an approximate distance of 68kms. The
excitement about this challenge was palatable, and I was stoked that my mother
would be joining me as my support crew to paddle a kayak beside me the whole
way. Definitely a new take on mother/daughter bonding!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />
<!--EndFragment-->Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-38298409420451341072013-02-28T08:00:00.000+11:002013-05-31T21:14:24.876+10:00Rottnest Channel 2013 - Return to the water!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5gS8_7QrBcGgJXrq5Hh3cOyEosW6_x_LMSYSw8QY5rBsYbnPcyQvrGGKcOWSKSuShB-vvKDdCF7DiiohgzI6VCa-KT50vKoq1aO3e5LQUTOEuW97NjPRwErlO62rf3y3lHVeT9Jb0KQ/s1600/IMG_2828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5gS8_7QrBcGgJXrq5Hh3cOyEosW6_x_LMSYSw8QY5rBsYbnPcyQvrGGKcOWSKSuShB-vvKDdCF7DiiohgzI6VCa-KT50vKoq1aO3e5LQUTOEuW97NjPRwErlO62rf3y3lHVeT9Jb0KQ/s320/IMG_2828.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Signing up to the 2013 <a href="http://www.rottnestchannelswim.com.au/" target="_blank">Rottnest Channel Swim</a> in November 2012 seemed a little bit crazy. Considering I couldn’t even
swim when I booked my spot, I knew I was going to pushing it to make the 20km
distance. My body was still recovering from my <a href="http://torgorman.blogspot.com/2012/07/crossing-english-channel-from-agony-to.html" target="_blank">July 2012 English Channel </a>swim
where I impinged all the tendons in my left shoulder and cut off circulation
for the last 6 hours of that swim. I had spent three months in physio, and that
entire time out of the water… and whilst a break was welcome after the two years
I had spent training non stop for that goal, the frustration of not being able
to return to the water when I was ready was extreme.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I sought out a new physio, Tom Brydson at <a href="http://www.sportslab.com.au/physiotherapy_sydney_team.html#tb" target="_blank">SportsLab Double Bay</a> who encouraged me
to get back into the water and we would work through the training and strengthen
the required muscles as we went. Officially hitting the water in full training
in December, I was aware I had a long road ahead of me to return my body to
swimming distance again!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was not only physical rehab that was
required to be able to swim distance again; my mind needed some rehab too.
Thankfully my amazing squad members at <a href="http://www.vladswim.com.au/" target="_blank">Vladswim</a> and my wonderful coaches Vlad
Mravec and Charm Frend were able to provide me with great support and help me
find my love for the water again. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKb3jSS731cdfUmEv9XnAFx2C6eNTrzT898V0WcIkqqMYCAltWee7tletUyg2Krtr10RdAVDVV4bLxVSud8yZtkHuZ761z0H1pDksavyduIDvyhxrTLTHDqDhYv20ojF7UOZEQiHssDVI/s1600/226851_507064982668908_1632202920_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKb3jSS731cdfUmEv9XnAFx2C6eNTrzT898V0WcIkqqMYCAltWee7tletUyg2Krtr10RdAVDVV4bLxVSud8yZtkHuZ761z0H1pDksavyduIDvyhxrTLTHDqDhYv20ojF7UOZEQiHssDVI/s640/226851_507064982668908_1632202920_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the first week of December 2012, I was
accepted to race around <a href="http://nycswim.org/Event/Event.aspx?event_id=2302&from=overview" target="_blank">Manhattan Island 2013</a>, a marathon swim of 46kms, and
knowing that I would be on the start line on June 8, 2013, alongside only 40
other swimmers, I knew that Rottnest Channel would be a key race to getting
myself ready both mentally and physically. There is nothing better than a short
term goal to get one back in the water. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurlpjEZGbpwsrALdlyOIg5WwYrhbeSYSaVEWlmHSTjuV0wovly97FiNr48xov-qukFjEP6RmVYKZvyrsfbXCWeuoFqZcWmrBr1PDu11Mkl7mJRUPfwgNAMk6GFZBUBGlcF41GPiQRL-s/s1600/IMG_2854.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurlpjEZGbpwsrALdlyOIg5WwYrhbeSYSaVEWlmHSTjuV0wovly97FiNr48xov-qukFjEP6RmVYKZvyrsfbXCWeuoFqZcWmrBr1PDu11Mkl7mJRUPfwgNAMk6GFZBUBGlcF41GPiQRL-s/s320/IMG_2854.PNG" width="224" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">December through February I battled
physically and mentally to tick off the kilometers. I was lucky enough to have
13 other squad members swimming alongside me who had also signed up to Rottnest
solo as well as my Dad and sister who had signed up to do a duo. This year
would be even more of a family affair than usual! Thankfully my incredible paddler and friend,
Joe, had signed up to support me once again and my mum Yvonne would support me
on the boat. After finding myself a new boat driver, Team Tori was
complete. And, after 10 weeks of
training, Rottnest Channel was actually here again!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preparation for these races is a key
component. Mornings consisted of squad training at <a href="http://www.abcpool.org/" target="_blank">Andrew Boy Charlton Pool</a> in
Sydney, and Saturdays our squad did long swims at Bondi, Balmoral and Botany
Bay. Sundays allowed me to enjoy the 1km and 2km races on the Sydney ocean swim
circuit, and the best part of it all, the sausage sandwich afterwards!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arriving in Perth on Thursday, the
excitement was evident amongst the Vladswim crew. We had a team meeting with
all our support crews and it was amazing to see how many of the swimmers had
their families and friends with them this year. My sister had organized
Vladswim team t-shirts in hot pink and blue and as soon as everyone donned
them, you couldn’t miss any of the members of our Sydney squad or their support
crews! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next day was the race briefing for all
interstate competitors. Whilst at the briefing I met Dieter, whose 80<sup>th</sup>
birthday was that day. Rottnest 2013 would be his 15<sup>th</sup> solo swim.
What an inspiration!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My pilot Mike and the team sat down and
planned logistics for race day the following day. It was quite a different
experience knowing that Dad would be on a different boat to us and he and Bel,
along with their skipper James Edelman (a mate from Sydney living in Perth)
would be swimming their own race. Thankfully Mike was super lovely and switched
on and I knew he would look after Mum, Joe and I for the day. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This race was never going to be my best,
but it was an important milestone in my training. It would be the furthest I
had swum since the Channel, and since I would have to swim double that in New
York 3.5 months later, I needed to do this mentally and physically. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Race day! I hit the water on the first
start at 5:45am and swam towards the can that Joe and I had met at the last two
years. Unfortunately for me this year, the can had not been laid and try as I
might I couldn’t find Joe. The sense of desperation in the water knowing I
looked like every other swimmer with boats and paddlers everywhere around was
strong. Finally I heard Joe’s voice yelling at me. Yay! I was found! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Onwards we swam, past the Celebration
vessel and into Rottnest Channel. The first few km’s were a good warm up and by
5kms in I hit my groove. The next 6 went well, and then I hit the wall. Not
surprising since I hadn’t done enough distance work over 12kms. I went into the
pain locker and there I stayed for the next 3 hours. Joe was fantastic at
trying to distract me with photo shoots, and making faces, but I was well and
truly in a hurt locker that I knew I had no choice but to endure. The kilometer
splits slowly crept up, and Joe tried to keep me cheery, but he could see the
pain on my face as he read out each split. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bel, Dad and I: all finished!</i></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the time I got to Phillip Rock, I knew
that this time last year I was celebrating on Rottnest Channel. It was
definitely not a fast swim for me, but when I hit the finish channel I was stoked.
I crossed the line in 6 hours, 32 minutes. My shoulder had held up the whole
way! Twenty minutes later, my Dad and sister crossed the line in 6 hours
50mins. It was an awesome day and so wonderful to share it with my family!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Vladswim crew delivered some amazing
results this year, not surprisingly under the awesome coaching of Vlad and
Charm. In the men’s, Ian Melhuish came 3<sup>rd</sup> overall and Greg Schien
came 4<sup>th</sup>. In the women’s Zoe Whitfield came 4<sup>th</sup> and Tara
Diversi 5<sup>th</sup> overall. It was a great achievement by the entire squad
as everyone made it!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, next steps from here are to knuckle down and start hitting the miles. Knowing my shoulder can take the distance again, and with 14 weeks to go, this was the perfect shake up I needed!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bel and Gorm: Duo Success!</i></td></tr>
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<!--EndFragment-->Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-91452512312457912902012-07-30T19:22:00.000+10:002014-07-16T10:46:16.734+10:00Crossing the English Channel: From agony to ecstasy!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">On Friday 20th July, 2012, after two years of preparation, I became the 22nd Australian female to swim the English Channel. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It is only one week since then and it seems just a distant memory! Did the physical pain I endured for 14 hours really happen? Where did I find the mental toughness to push through those walls I hit during the swim? And did I really swim from England to France in a day? Thankfully I have the photos, the swim log, my journal, a nice scar on my leg when I hit the rocks of France and one very swollen left arm with what we think is tendonitis to remind me daily that my two year dream is now reality! This is how the day unfolded....</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My swim route: Started on Shakespeare Beach, UK and finished on Cap Gris Nez, France</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The two weeks of waiting for the weather to clear were interminable. Finally our prayers and weather dances atop the white cliffs of Dover seemed to be rewarded. On Tuesday and Wednesday the forecast for the weekend was for steadily improving conditions. On Thursday morning Dad, and I headed to Dover Harbour for our daily ritual/ training session meeting up with fellow aspiring Channel swimmer Bruce and triple Channel aspirant Michelle Macy. We swam for an hour enjoying the strange sensation of sunshine on our backs. Did this mean the weather was actually going to improve? </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The previous night’s 7pm forecast was not as optimistic as it had been 24 hours earlier. My boat pilot, Mike, had advised the improving forecast now looked less likely and the conditions for the swim wouldn’t be as good as we had hoped for the coming weekend. I was disappointed. It was such a contrast to the excitement 12 hours earlier when conditions looked good. This is the see-saw you ride when swimming the English Channel - waiting for the right weather and right conditions, which can be the make or break as to whether you get to France or not.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I had booked my pilot two years earlier, after a fair amount of research, and knew I had one of the best in the business. Mike Oram has been doing this job for 30 years and currently holds the records as pilot for both the fastest male and female crossings. Whilst I wasn’t looking to achieve a particular speed, I knew Mike knew his stuff and would get me to France, the number one goal. Over the course of the last two weeks while waiting for an opportunity to swim, Mike had given me daily weather updates and had communicated clearly that the conditions were not suitable to swim. I was able to risk it if I wanted, but he did not suggest that I did at any point. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Refreshed from our swim and happily enjoying the sunshine I phoned Mike Oram to check on the latest weather report. I spoke to Mike’s wife, Angela, who said the weather was now looking good and Mike was thinking 1am tonight or first thing tomorrow for my start! Mike was down at the boat getting everything checked and ready. Wow! - the adrenaline was pumping! - I would be on the water somewhere between 14-20 hours from now... Bruce immediately called his pilot and found out the same information. Somehow while we had been swimming around in Dover Harbour the weather finally had finally given the green light and suddenly all swimmers and pilots were getting pumped up and prepped to hit the water. It was Channel time!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Gorman family, aka Team Tori, went into Channel mode. Luckily my sister Bel was arriving from London shortly, but sadly we realised there was not enough time for my brother Mark to return from Hong Kong and be on the boat. He had unfortunately left Dover the previous weekend due to work commitments and the failure of the weather to play ball. My family have played an instrumental role in getting me to this point over the last two years. Every single one of them has been on my support crew for a 20km + race at least once somewhere around the world, and the sense of disappointment of Mark not being on board was well known. Before Mark left Dover he handed his responsibilities to my sister Bel for the day. They were to take photos and footage of the swim, and to hold the oar and hit me over the head if I ever thought of getting out of the water before reaching France. I think my sister was relishing the opportunity to clobber me over the head for my own good, which became a key driver in ensuring I never let my head space get to that point. Sibling rivalry and support at its finest!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Just some of the gear required to swim!</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My parents began the preparations - getting crew food for the day, ensuring their bags were packed, helping me double check my loaded boxes were ready and everything was in place. It is scary how much preparation goes into something so simple as swimming! You would think cap, goggles and swimmers were all one would need - we had an entire car boot packed with our equipment! Things like spare swimmers, spare cap, spare goggles, tinted day goggles, clear goggles for night swimming, prescription goggles in case my contact lenses played up, strobe lights to attach to myself for swimming at night, drinking cups, carbohydrate mixture to drink throughout the swim - with enough for 20 hours of swimming, rope and clips to hold my feeds, mouthwash to help ease the swelling in my mouth that comes with swimming the Channel, every food imaginable that I thought I might want during the swim (jelly cups, milky ways, honey sandwiches, chicken and vegetable soup, vegemite sandwiches, and gels), electrolytes in case I was really ill, anti-inflammatories, pain medication, sea sickness medication, warm clothes to put on after the swim like my awesome Icebreaker merino wool layers and beanie, and then whatever gear my support crew needed.... it was quite an exercise!! Thankfully most of the detail had been done over the previous two weeks we were waiting for the swim, so we just had to put the last touches together.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I tried to rest that afternoon as I still didn't know if I would be starting at midnight that night or the following morning. I was hoping to start the following morning, as the water temperature was still unseasonably cold at 15C and I knew I would do better with the sun on my back throughout the day, and by the time it went dark the water temperatures in France are slightly warmer by a whole degree. I was also keen to get a good night sleep as I had slept poorly the night before.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">At 7pm, I spoke to Mike. We were on for tomorrow morning! Meet at 7:30am at his boat “Gallivant” at Dover Harbour. This was it - it was really happening and no more weather delays were going to stop me getting my goal!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dad, Mum and I with "Gallivant" escort boat</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I got onto my website, Facebook, Twitter and email and started updating everyone with the news of the swim starting twelve hours from now. The incoming support over the course of the whole two weeks whilst I had been waiting was simply amazing, and the responses to the news I was finally getting my swim was so supportive. Knowing that I had that many people cheering for me back home in Australia and in the UK and other parts of the world, gave me a huge sense of support, and a huge sense of pressure. I knew I needed that pressure to ensure I made the distance. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I woke up the next morning at about 4.30am, and got ready for the day ahead. It seemed no-one in the house could really sleep as we were all just so excited. I checked my emails, Facebook, Twitter and my phone and overwhelmed with the excitement that was building. It was such a high to be able to share this with so many people, and knowing that people would be tracking me on the GPS for the duration of the swim, and that my sister Bel would be live tweeting and Facebook updating. All this gave me some solid determination that I had to make this swim. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Greasing up ready to swim!</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We headed to the boat at Dover Harbour and loaded up our gear. Mike and his crew were there and ready and I was excited to see Irene from Dover Beach would be my official observer for the swim on behalf of the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation. Irene is a member of the shore crew who look after all the Channel swimmers whilst training and waiting for their opportunity to swim on weekends. It was great to know I had a familiar face on board. Her role was to ensure I didn't break any of the Channel swimming rules, which keeps the integrity of the swim and the achievement in check. Things like not getting out of the water until France, not touching the boat, not touching anyone else during the swim, not wearing a wetsuit, not using any assistive materials, are all things that the Observer ensures. They also make notes the entire duration of the swim on feeds, timings, conditions etc. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The dock was busy. There were four other solo swimmers heading out with their respective boats at the same time as me. It was reassuring to see so many pilots all reading the weather opportunities the same! Finally after what seemed an age, we pulled out from the dock and headed to Shakespeare Beach. The day was beautiful! Blue skies, sunshine, I was so pumped, after two years of waiting for this moment, it was finally here! </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Upon arrival at Shakespeare Beach, I stripped down to my swimmers. Mum applied the rubber gloves and smeared a combination of sunscreen, vasoline and wool fat all over my back. This was mainly for chafe prevention and a bit of wool fat for insulation, however I had also put on 10kgs of fat for this swim to keep me safe from hypothermia. In fact, one of the things I was most looking forward to about swimming was that I would actually burn some of that fat!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The start! Leaving Shakespeare Beach, UK</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">With final prep done, I dived over the side and swam to shore to officially start the swim! The horn blew on the boat and I was into the water and swimming. It was 8:37am, 4 hours before high water and 2 hours before the turn of the tide. I was now swimming on a Spring tide. The neap tide slot I had booked had been “blown out” by the gale force winds and had not given me an opportunity to swim. Spring tides have a higher water velocity and movement so often take longer to swim. I didn't care, I just wanted to swim to France! When I started, the rest of the boats were ahead of me, so for the first hour or so I focussed on closing the distance on them. This was a great way to distract myself from the fact that I was only one hour into a potential sixteen hour swim!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The next few hours were all about me settling into a rhythm and warming up. After my second feed of mixed carbohydrate (Maxim) and ginger cordial, I was not able to keep it down and so I decided to switch to 100% Maxim with no flavouring for the rest of the swim. It tastes pretty bland, but I needed to keep it down if I was going to have enough energy to make it. My stroke rate, taken every half hour, sat on 61 strokes per minute, and my crew were busy but happy enjoying the sun. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sadly, the sun did not stick around, and grey clouds rolled over with a few rain showers. By 11am, the good and glassy conditions had turned a bit bumpy and I had to get my head quite high out of the water to breathe without swallowing sea water. The rain continued, which didn't bother me but I did feel guilty for my support crew. They however appeared to be having a great time. Mum and Dad were constantly waving, smiling and taking photos and cheering “Go Tor”. I would love to know how many times they cheered this over the course of the day! Bel was sitting on the foredeck of the boat taking photos, tweeting, facebook posting, managing all the incoming text messages and writing messages from friends and family on the whiteboard while finding time to cheer me on at every opportunity. She had her hands full all day managing the communications. She did an incredible job and did not stop smiling the whole time. She is one incredible sister! </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">By midday, I was starting to hurt across my back and shoulders. Three weeks of waiting and training in Dover without my normal routine of massage and acupuncture meant my body was not quite as awesome as it should have been. I took some anti-inflammatories and by the next feed, 30 minutes later, I was feeling great again. The next few hours were believe-it-or-not quite enjoyable! I had awesome riddles being messaged to ponder, such as “What can run but can’t walk, and has a mouth but cant speak”. Challenging my mind after five hours of swimming was a welcome relief. From there I moved to songs and song classics to sing in my head that were being suggested by followers of the swim. I felt like a karaoke machine!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We started crossing the shipping lanes and the water became noticeably rougher. Not surprising when you consider how many massive ships and ferries were passing us by and the amount of current that was now in full swing. It was pretty exciting and I felt extremely small in the water in comparison! The turbulent water played havoc with my tummy around this time, and I struggled to keep my next feed down. Probably a combination of swallowing so much sea water mixed with my feed. At around the 7 hour mark I looked up at a ship and saw France for the first time! I yelled out to my crew, I was so excited! I could see it. All I needed to do was get there! The weed started at this point. Long tresses of whip-like seaweed would wind it way around me like string. Later I even had a shipping pallet covered in weed float past me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Messages coming in from Sydney were entertaining to say the least, and kept my spirits high. Knowing people were following my GPS position update on a map every 10 minutes and responding to Bel’s tweets and posts was a massive lift. It was a Friday night in Australia and Friday day in the UK, so I thought the majority of my supporters would be asleep for half my swim... how wrong I was! Funny stories were coming in: My boss messaged that she had curled up on the couch with popcorn to watch my tracker, other friends were having a “Channel Party”, some of my friends were tracking me from a wedding and my triathlon squad were at the pub cheering. Bel was amazing communicating at feed stops the support and encouragement that was coming in. Her hourly updates on social media on my progress are incredible to look back at.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">However, I was still longing for some sunshine on my back. Swimming in 15C water temperatures, even with all the cold water preparation I had done, such as cold showers for a year, gaining 10 kgs, ice baths, training in Melbourne, Texas and San Francisco in sub 15C waters, still wasn't enough. To put it in perspective Annabel was wearing 4x layers of clothes, gloves and beenie and was freezing. I had been cold pretty much the whole day, and I was really starting to wonder where I was at. Feeding every 30 minutes would have enabled me to keep track of how long I had been swimming, but I had lost track of them. One of the tips I had been given for this challenge mentally was to not focus on France, but focus on swimming, feed to feed. All I had to think about was the next 30 minutes. At this point, I was pretty cold, the sun had not been out for ages and I was having a mental battle of “It feels like I have been swimming 8 hours at least, which would be good as I could expect to be about half way, but if I have only been swimming for 6 hours, I’ll be pretty crushed, as there is still a long way to go.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">One of the suggestions in Channel swimming is that the crew never tell the swimmer how far they have to go, because the tides and currents actually force the swimmer to make an “S” curve from England to France. Whilst the direct line is 21 miles/34 kilometers, and the boat pilot can see how far away from France you are at all times, it is extremely hard for them to predict how much time you actually have to swim left, especially as they are not often aware of your speed and how you will perform over such a long period of time, and they also have to take into account the tides and currents that you swim with and across. This was to be my longest swim by far, my previous longest was approx 8.5 hours when I swam from Palm Beach to Manly in June for training.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">By 9 hours, I had completely lost track of how many feeds I had had. Thankfully Dad held up a sign not long after saying “It’s 3am in Sydney and the following people are still awake....” My quick calculations worked out I had been swimming for 9.5 hours. I was amazed and stoked. My body was feeling how it should after such a long period of swimming, and not only that, I now had a responsibility to finish this thing and make the night worthwhile to all those people not getting any sleep back home. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My left shoulder was really aching by now. My crew told me to “Toughen up! Nobody ever died of a sore shoulder.” I realised how glad I was that I had spent the last 12 months training myself to breathe bilaterally so that the pressure exerted on my shoulders and neck would be equal on both sides. I was really getting quite cold now, and Mum came to the rescue with a cup of hot chicken vegetable soup on my next feed. It was like nectar from the gods! I had the soup again for the next feed but unfortunately my stomach didn't like two batches of soup in a row and the fish received yet another feed!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Swimming into sunset</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">At 10 hours, the rain had set in. It was heavy and very wet for the boat crew. I had some more anti-inflammatories for my shoulder. My stroke rate that had sat steadily at 61 strokes per minute for the last 10 hours, increased to 63 strokes per minute as my stroke shortened to compensate the left shoulder. Despite the rain, there was one beam of sunshine that was shining on the cliffs at France. It felt like it was taunting me as it was hard to determine if I was even getting closer hour after hour. I can see why so many people get disillusioned with actually making it to France, when it doesn’t feel like you are making any progress! What I didn’t realise at this point was the tide had turned and I was being swept down the coast of France. Because I was always pointing at France, it was hard for me to realise that I was being swept to the right quite quickly. I kept swimming, just like the Nemo mantra and enjoyed the sunset! We had a quick visit from the French Customs boat who waved with French authority and thankfully moved on without passport inspection.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Last feed before sunset in the big blue</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">At 12.5 hours, the sun set and it was time to change my googles and put the lights on my costume. My boat pilot, Mike, pointed out the white light flashing on shore and told me that if I picked up my pace, I could land there. I said, great, is that Cap Blanc Nez? Whereupon I was corrected, no, that is Cap Gris Nez! Fear and panic hit me. Cap Gris Nez is the southern end point of the French coast for the swim, and the holy grail of landing spots for Channel swimmers. Landing on the Cap is the ultimate, and it takes a skilled pilot to be able to take all the tides, currents and swimmers speed into account to land you directly on that point. If you miss the Cap you can be swept down the French coast as the current is very strong here and have to await the tide to turn to slack water before you can get across and hit French shores. I had assumed that I was heading towards Cap Blanc Nez for the entire duration of the swim, and to find out that I didn't have that safety net got me scared. I knew I had to give it everything now, Mike is the sort of pilot that only tells you to swim when you really need to swim. So I upped my pace to 76 strokes per minute. It was dark and I kept looking up ahead at the lighthouse on Cap Gris Nez, willing it to get closer. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The next hour and a half I continued at pace. I was in a lot of pain and just pushing my body as hard as I could as I knew it was going to be a race to hit shore before the tide swept me too far down the coast. It was pitch black by now, there was no moon, and I was thankful for the light on the side of the boat to assist me with my navigation. The rain set in again and this time brought some fog as well. The French coast felt like it would never come. Finally Mike yelled at me “1200 yards to go”. What the hell is a yard I thought to myself? I took a stab, and figured I had 15 minutes to go. It was in fact double that time. I was really giving it everything I had. My feeds were fast and furious, in fact I think we skipped one as we couldn't afford to stop for the 1 minute it took, I was getting desperate as I could see I was being swept away from the Cap. I saw Dad get ready in his swimmers on the boat and attach his lights. Dad was my support swimmer for the Channel, and had trained for the last 12 months intensely to be that person. Channel rules allow a solo swimmer to be accompanied by another swimmer for one hour in every four hours in the water, but they are not allowed to touch the swimmer. Dad patiently waited all day to join me for a swim when I needed a boost, however his time unfortunately never came. I was concerned I could get worse and require his support and did not want to have used up the opportunity when I didn’t need it. I knew he was going to join me for the last 300m to ensure I got to shore safely as the boat can’t go all the way in, so seeing him ready to swim got me very excited that we were getting closer. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lit up like a Christmas Tress</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mike yelled out “700 meters.” My body was screaming in pain, my crew were cheering, the lighthouse wasn’t getting any closer. My stroke rate was 72 strokes per minute. The current was sweeping me. It was taking me twice as long as normal per 100m because of the tide. Finally I heard “500 meters” I can do this, I thought to myself, 10 laps of an Olympic pool. My mind went through all emotions of why I needed to make it to France: I was almost there, I had been swimming for what I thought was about 16 hours, I was so close, I had to finish, I owed it to myself, to my family, to my support, I wanted my life back after 2 years of training and sacrifices, I wanted to be able to drink the Champagne sitting in the fridge in Dover, I wanted to make everyone who contributed to helping me raise over $53,000 for Multiple Sclerosis glad they had supported, I wanted to make my company proud they had allowed me the opportunity to pursue this goal, .... </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I started counting my strokes 1,2,3,4,5,6.....100, and again. When I got to 500, Dad was on the bow of the boat yelling at me to change to the other side of the boat. The tide had turned and was really picking up. I was confused why he wasn’t in the water with me yet, it must be farther than I thought to go. Then the boat shined the spotlight on shore and I could finally see the rocks on which I was going to land. I had approximately 100 meters to go. Relief! Within a minute I felt the tide pick me up and start sucking me away from the shore. The relief quickly was replaced by sheer panic and terror. The boat had already been swept away from me and the boat was frantically trying to avoid hitting the rocks and Mike was refusing to let Dad swim as that would place two swimmers at risk, all of which I later learned. I knew now this was the moment that I had to find every last piece of energy I had and hurl it at the French rocks, I had to push through every piece of pain I was enduring because I could see my dream slipping away in front of me and I have never been so scared in my life of watching my goal get ripped out of my hands so close to the finish. I swam with every last piece of raw energy and adrenaline left in me and finally broke through the current and hit the rocks of France at 10.49pm.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I burst into tears. The overwhelming feeling of having made it was not what I had expected. Most people who have reached this point had told me that the finish was the biggest anti-climax of the swim. Mine definitely wasn’t. I was broken, exhausted, hurting all over and the relief is like nothing I have ever known. I stood up and fell over immediately, it was dark and very rocky, and I clambered up onto the rocks. I stood, I waved my arms in the air and waited and finally the siren blew. I had swum to France! </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>In tears with Mum after finishing the swim</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tired, exhausted and elated, I clambered back down the rocks and struggled out to the boat. I climbed the ladder and was embraced by my family. I broke down with emotion. It had been the biggest roller coaster of a journey but I had made it. The relief was like nothing I have ever known. My incredible family helped me get out of my swimmers and put on my layers of Icebreaker merino wool clothing to warm up. They were so excited, and so elated. I thanked Mike and the crew and Irene for getting me there and we began the long journey home to Dover. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I had some soup and was immediately violently sick - everything in my stomach, including no doubt the litres of sea water was emptied. Slowly my body began to warm up. My support crew were asleep within minutes. It had been a mammoth day. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My official time was 14 hours 12 minutes.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqLrMl3DgleAavz1hQkTBY_LT2-VYwWD8kYJhTJsHzjMtS6QhwYAhhzHAFT2N9qwD4fa1HM7xepcMXiWzk13jbzzPAQrZ2BLSxJCf4n4oMpveloMmGNtApPtM5rOU1xSTSigfyldWrPM/s1600/fam+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqLrMl3DgleAavz1hQkTBY_LT2-VYwWD8kYJhTJsHzjMtS6QhwYAhhzHAFT2N9qwD4fa1HM7xepcMXiWzk13jbzzPAQrZ2BLSxJCf4n4oMpveloMmGNtApPtM5rOU1xSTSigfyldWrPM/s400/fam+2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Words can not express my gratitude and thanks to everyone that made this dream possible. My family are the most incredible supporters one could hope for and I could never have achieved this without them. From the moment I said to them 2 years ago “I have booked a slot to swim the English Channel in July 2012” they have been on board assisting me to achieve this dream. I couldn’t even list the number of things they have all done for me and I am so glad I could share this achievement and goal with them. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My coaches, Vladimir Mravec and Charmian Frend, who have coached me every morning at the pool and spent every Saturday for 4-8 hours supporting myself and other Channel aspirants on our long training swims for the past 12 months, you have gone above and beyond in your role as coaches and I can’t thank you enough for everything you have done for me.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0RPVEoo4qrqbt_yRWfxlhpuoz484QaGcvESEiBVhX0LTVFSlKYJ54jyLisTWCfzzRO9z-QikJFsfF9wa1Jor4Ed-fprh3895uSeBn_AH_KGxMCa5z8yu-ex1F_5ofxNPf_g9mmlhHW8/s1600/IMG_9783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0RPVEoo4qrqbt_yRWfxlhpuoz484QaGcvESEiBVhX0LTVFSlKYJ54jyLisTWCfzzRO9z-QikJFsfF9wa1Jor4Ed-fprh3895uSeBn_AH_KGxMCa5z8yu-ex1F_5ofxNPf_g9mmlhHW8/s320/IMG_9783.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To my training buddies who have kept me swimming and kept me enjoying swimming by having such a fantastic camaraderie at the pool, and at Bondi Beach surf training with BondiFit, the friendships we have developed through our mutual love for swimming and the ocean have been key to me being able to stick to this goal for two years straight. Being able to share this goal with so many other Channel aspirants has been amazing. There are now 14 Channel aspirants currently training with Vlad and Charm to conquer the 34kms to France over the next two years. To our upcoming solo aspirants: Wayne, Ali, Wyatt, Ben, Des, Marty, Justin, Johnny and Tara, your support has been unreal and I have loved being able to share this goal with all of you, and wish you all the best as you set out to conquer it too! To all my Channel supporters and mentors who have made the distance: Cameron, Dougal, Duncan, Helen, Iain, Stuart - your words of advice and support were very reassuring, especially during the waiting period.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PjKvD_KLsKgp1HvFELbop1WUergqLbhCe2FK0mOrXBC7r-xL8GPv9Mr0ucOAazbi9KFDR0ZP0UooBhTtHXSuNXMGpUReSikdQgE8X4KpLYuA_RjScdd5EXCErUQU8yzvsRTevHqeiow/s1600/IMG_1988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PjKvD_KLsKgp1HvFELbop1WUergqLbhCe2FK0mOrXBC7r-xL8GPv9Mr0ucOAazbi9KFDR0ZP0UooBhTtHXSuNXMGpUReSikdQgE8X4KpLYuA_RjScdd5EXCErUQU8yzvsRTevHqeiow/s320/IMG_1988.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To my colleagues at work and my my boss Jenn, words can not express the overwhelming support I have received since I joined the company 18 months ago with this goal firmly on my radar. The company has been incredible across the board with amazing emails of support, constantly being flexible to my training and I have never had any issue putting on weight with the amount of cakes and cookies and rocky road my colleagues have baked for me to assist this challenge. Jenn has been an incredible support and as she sent messages throughout the night supporting me and making me laugh, I knew I was one lucky girl. Not many bosses would forgo sleep on a Friday night to watch a computer screen, and also take on my workload for five weeks so I could achieve this goal.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAooeByV_TJl4KE2kNqqhtrlvfIlmMgQXdP1GE1iDfa1rN5ZXXSDoAcTaarAUzabULNs9e3VeTdpymORhpMydbRi6-ChxrpbGwf7LUjD_KKieh6XZhMuardUCu9DCQSKmzpct_mN-sB6A/s1600/IMG_9812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAooeByV_TJl4KE2kNqqhtrlvfIlmMgQXdP1GE1iDfa1rN5ZXXSDoAcTaarAUzabULNs9e3VeTdpymORhpMydbRi6-ChxrpbGwf7LUjD_KKieh6XZhMuardUCu9DCQSKmzpct_mN-sB6A/s320/IMG_9812.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Taking ownership of my phone after the swim was incredible. I was blown away with the support that had been coming in during the swim, and now with touch down, I was amazed at how many people were still watching the progress until the finish. Bel clearly did an incredible job communicating the swim through its entire duration. She is one hell of a sister, and she even managed to keep my eighty plus year old grandparents awake for most of the night in Sydney watching the tracker on the screen and reading the updates!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My friends have been simply amazing over the course of this challenge. I was blown away and touched by the Facebook posts, it feels like I have truly been able to share this journey across so many areas of my life. Social media has added a whole new element to pursuing a goal, and it has been a great element being able to share that. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuru-n2hnZnBNPhzIYUzE5mtTzy0M26cJxbvn4VJmb1_M7zFsX9ox7mdRDUZMQiy2aLYn8-LV9ONvHqk2q6At4MGfIa2VcGN2Xt90UdDQ3auzjswCO1E2X7Ol69yoRLhQwFwAAArHJTMQ/s1600/IMG_0745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuru-n2hnZnBNPhzIYUzE5mtTzy0M26cJxbvn4VJmb1_M7zFsX9ox7mdRDUZMQiy2aLYn8-LV9ONvHqk2q6At4MGfIa2VcGN2Xt90UdDQ3auzjswCO1E2X7Ol69yoRLhQwFwAAArHJTMQ/s320/IMG_0745.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Freda, Barrie and Irene and I on Dover Beach</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Channel swimming community, most whom I initially met through social media such as Twitter, have also been an amazing support. On weekends, 50+ aspiring Channel swimmers descend upon Dover Harbour to train and by joining them I met some incredible people, made some fabulous new friends and really appreciated being looked after by Freda, Michelle, Barrie and Irene. The agonizing wait for two weeks for the weather, was made bearable knowing that there were many others in the same boat. Making face to face friends with people I’d spent six months chatting with on Twitter was such a highlight, none more so than meeting the Irish, who along with us were staying at Varne Ridge Caravan Park. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A goal as big as swimming the Channel brings with it a huge amount of highs and lows. Once you are embedded in a community, you ride the highs and lows with everyone else and they are there for yours. This week had the biggest contrast in highs and lows that you could expect: the high of those who made it, the low for those that didn't and the devastation of the loss of the life of swimmer, Paraic Casey, who was pursuing his dream. Paraic’s death off the coast of France last Sunday morning was a huge shock to us all. Sharing and working for the same goals builds indescribable bonds. We had shared the pain and frustration of playing the weather waiting game together for two weeks at Varne Ridge. We had shared the elation that we were both finally going to swim. My thoughts and love go out to the Sandycove Irish swimmers and Paraic’s wife Riana who welcomed me so warmly into their fold.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgms-b1tCplz1OwuDKEoRZ3rOYNH3tuN4KNH2ZMIrTY2PzqcvoO7belhffd1-sUOEO8Hyga_AwlKQdFsngNEQtMJ6yCbIyTaWqApEcvxI1GIkt71Nr1QVeGNhTrmwmJVSjvvdDtg2ziNAA/s1600/IMG_9886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgms-b1tCplz1OwuDKEoRZ3rOYNH3tuN4KNH2ZMIrTY2PzqcvoO7belhffd1-sUOEO8Hyga_AwlKQdFsngNEQtMJ6yCbIyTaWqApEcvxI1GIkt71Nr1QVeGNhTrmwmJVSjvvdDtg2ziNAA/s320/IMG_9886.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>On the Ferry to France!</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Post Channel we headed over to France to find my landing spot and enjoyed conditions which can only be described as the best ever day to swim the Channel. The seas were mirrors, the sun was shining and there was not a breath of wind! We are now in Italy getting some sunshine and respite. I am slowly trying to adjust to not being able to eat everything and anything I want! My leg bears a nice scar from when I landed on the rocks on France, which will always remind me of achieving this dream. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I have currently raised over $56,000 for Multiple Sclerosis Australia of which I am extremely proud. Being able to help so many other people whilst achieving my goal has made the achievement all the more meaningful.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Captain Matthew Webb, the first successful swimmer of the English Channel said in 1875, “Nothing great is easy”. I don't think he had any idea how often his words would echo in Channel aspirants and swimmers minds and how they would become a Channel swimming mantra. This has been the hardest challenge in more ways than I can describe but there is no way that I would not have had this experience and I sincerely thank everyone for their support.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Vkljkemdgl1nc7_iKBm-iVeo1adFjDq76qhuViLvHJOBJObsZCDxe3NsIy4n3DXsj-cbCNiBvczT-1JZQLNwTrpy-sa34dbUbus1z_L2qpldyum5Qb6NzQTHXcdp2WFyv6uDL58kne8/s1600/IMG_9954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Vkljkemdgl1nc7_iKBm-iVeo1adFjDq76qhuViLvHJOBJObsZCDxe3NsIy4n3DXsj-cbCNiBvczT-1JZQLNwTrpy-sa34dbUbus1z_L2qpldyum5Qb6NzQTHXcdp2WFyv6uDL58kne8/s640/IMG_9954.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cap Gris Nez, France - my landing spot found a few days later</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Returned to Varne Ridge Caravan Park to find the Aussie flag flying for me!</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8xOVmnkbB4vGCbxGreF2ptrrgPTs9CuXCSNyJxR3hDXaS8jgQXwcdYNcNb2nM1aChoRyVR4IH3877Fp7P_JejCqBohUxT3s1oD_0g6AfwUWzELYJH9ONFJyY1Sf7FbnZknwiEIw4fHM/s1600/IMG_9834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8xOVmnkbB4vGCbxGreF2ptrrgPTs9CuXCSNyJxR3hDXaS8jgQXwcdYNcNb2nM1aChoRyVR4IH3877Fp7P_JejCqBohUxT3s1oD_0g6AfwUWzELYJH9ONFJyY1Sf7FbnZknwiEIw4fHM/s640/IMG_9834.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Post swim Champagne breakfast on the White Cliffs of Dover</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>David and Evelyn - Varne Ridge proprietors and now lifelong friends</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Signing my name on the roof in the White Horse Pub alongside all other successful Channel swimmers!</i></td></tr>
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Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-59442933301822619822012-07-21T22:31:00.003+10:002014-07-16T10:42:22.923+10:00ENGLISH CHANNEL CROSSED!!! 14hr 12 mins of pain, agony and determination<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Quick update to let you know that on Friday 20th July, 2012, I became the 22nd female Australian to cross the English Channel.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My time was <b>14 hours 12 minutes</b>, swimming from Shakespeare Beach, England and landing on the Channel Swimming Holy Grail, Cap Gris Nez in France.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am currently recovering from the massive undertaking, and will post a more detailed update when I have had a chance to sit down properly and digest the experience. In a few words, I now know why this is the toughest swim crossing both mentally and physically in most people's eyes. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The journey across was challenging, especially the last hour and a half where I had to sprint to make the tide to land on Cap Gris Nez. Miss this point and you could have up to another 6 hours until the tide turns and you can make it onto French shores as the current is so strong. The scariest moment was 50m offshore at the end when the tide turned and started to carry me away from the land and woosh me along the coast.... I had already given everything I had, my left shoulder had given in 6 hours earlier with extreme pain, and somehow had to find a little bit more to make it onto the rocky shore, it was the hardest thing I will probably (and hopefully) ever have to endure. I will now also have a nice scar from the barnacles on my leg as a permanent memory of what I achieved.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GLrgCcEdX0S3E4TX9oCmKBc2U4quJGsGuytbgy-Ffb4yY4PpcPN95vuOnygIBxS7b-yvaE0kqmiqeBltQxt8LKazBYwz2GxURd-8Htv6eIB-dYJAb4eyw1dnCfWPzOYO3T6KoGn8gmI/s1600/TG+Channel+Swim+route+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GLrgCcEdX0S3E4TX9oCmKBc2U4quJGsGuytbgy-Ffb4yY4PpcPN95vuOnygIBxS7b-yvaE0kqmiqeBltQxt8LKazBYwz2GxURd-8Htv6eIB-dYJAb4eyw1dnCfWPzOYO3T6KoGn8gmI/s1600/TG+Channel+Swim+route+2012.jpg" height="451" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I can't thank the support crew enough: </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My parents, <b>Chris and Yvonne</b>, who have always supported any goal I set, and who spent the whole entire day on the side of the boat yelling "Go Tor"and waving. Not to mention feeding me and Dad being at the ready to jump in for an hour as my support swimmer should I require a boost. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My sister <b>Bel</b>, who kept audiences entertained and updated all day with amazing Twitter and Facebook updates and who smiled, cheered and wrote white board messages all day to keep my spirits up. I owe her for life. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And my brother <b>Mark</b>, who waited a whole week in Dover for my swim before he had to head back to work commitments in Hong Kong when my window got blown out/cancelled, and who was on the phone to my crew most of the way yelling encouragement.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And most of all, <b>a massive thank you to everyone out there who has supported this goal of mine</b>, whether with fundraising for Multiple Sclerosis (over $53,000 raised), tweets, Facebook messages, emails, SMS's, training support, work colleagues, friends, coaching.... the list is endless and I will address in far greater detail in my next post. But to the insane number of people back home in Australia who did not go to bed for the entire night as they watched their computer screen with the flashing GPS dot of my location... you guys kept me going when I hit a wall at 9.5 hours. It was 3am in Sydney, and when I heard you were still up watching, I knew I had to finish this thing!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A famous swimmer's quote by Capt. Matthew Webb, the first person to swim across the English Channel, was "Nothing great is easy". He was right. There is no greater feeling than knowing it is over! It was insanely hard, only sheer determination, excellent preparation and everyone's support got me there in the end and I am so glad to have achieved this goal. Now for some recovery!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Varne Ridge welcomed me home to this and the Aussie flag on the top of the Flagpole! Love them!</span></i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-11942516020850500892012-07-20T06:30:00.004+10:002012-07-20T06:39:19.100+10:00IT'S SWIM TIME!! Time to cross this English Channel!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Within 24 hours of finishing my last blog, I spoke to my boat captain who confirmed we were now on. The roller coaster of the last two days: </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">“It’s looking good, you’re on for the weekend!” to “the weather has shifted, might not be so good” to “ you’re out tonight or tomorrow morning” , this sport of Channel swimming has bigger highs and lows than the hills on the Tour de France!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This morning began like any other, I went down to Dover Harbour and Bruce, Dad and I swam a lap of the bay. I called Mike at 10am to get an update on the weather, as I was pretty disappointed last night that it looked like it had shifted, and low and behold, it was looking good. I was cued for a potential start just after midnight or first thing tomorrow morning. Bruce immediately called his pilot who confirmed he was out at 1am. We both went into meltdown.... I could hardly eat breakfast, we were both just freaking out. The moment we had waited for for so long, was here, and after two weeks spending day in and day out swimming and talking about this one goal we were both going for, it was a pretty cool thing to be able to share “the call” together.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">So my amazing support crew of Mum, Dad and my sister Annabel have made the sandwiches, prepped the gear and are ready to go. Passports are packed in case the French Maritime service want to board our boat as I swim, and cameras and phones are charged. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Departure from England shores: 8.30am UK time/ 5.30pm AEST</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You can follow my live tracker on: <a href="http://www.ais-doverstraits.co.uk/"><span style="color: #1800af; letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">http://www.ais-doverstraits.co.uk</span></a>/</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Boat Name: “Gallivant”</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Twitter: @torgorman</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/toriswims"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">www.facebook.com/toriswims</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Website: <a href="http://www.torigorman.com.au/"><span style="color: #1800af; letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">www.torigorman.com.au</span></a> (Tweets will display on top RHS of website)</span></span></div>Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-62189209826825241522012-07-20T00:22:00.001+10:002012-07-20T02:16:56.602+10:00The Waiting Game continues....<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My official swim window here in Dover is over, but this challenge is not! Unfortunately the gale force winds have not abated and I have had no opportunity to swim. They call it "being blown out". (And that's not the forced weight gain!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After Lochie Hinds' successful swim two weeks ago, ten days followed with no success. Gale force winds ensured that no boats even ventured out for eight days straight! The twenty boats that pilot Channel swims all stayed put in their marinas, and the 40+ swimmers awaiting their opportunity to take on the Channel, anxiously watched for a break in the weather. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">During this time, there was a great deal of tension building in Dover. Many swimmers were on restricted timetables, unprepared for such a long period of poor weather in July. Thankfully my parents and sister are over here in Europe for a few more weeks, planning stops in Italy and France post the swim. We might be sacrificing the holiday for another week in Dover, but at least I can stay and have my shot at the Channel.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately, my brother Mark, didn't have the luxury of time, and with the prediction from my pilot over the weekend that my tide would be completely blown out, we sent him home to Hong Kong. As I waved him goodbye, I finally cracked and had my first tears over the situation. It meant so much to me to have all my family here for this life achievement. My parents, brother and sister have been very involved in the whole two year campaign to get me here, they have all paddled, navigated and supported for me in at least one 20km swim during the last 12 months alone. Mark had been particularly attentive over the last three months with a daily text message of encouragement or just checking in on me from Hong Kong. He has also become an avid photographer over the last six months, and was meant to be documenting the journey over here. Losing Mark was a real blow and left me very disappointed, but I do realise my situation could be far worse. I am still able to swim the Channel, just not when I was meant to!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Staying at Varne Ridge Caravan Park has been awesome. I had met some wonderful swimmers, joining them on a dusk swim from Kingsdown to Deal (5km), hung out in the caravans chatting and have been reunited with my SwimTrek guide, Kathryn, from Malta 2009. It is one VERY small world! The Irish contingent were especially entertaining, and having chatted on Twitter with some of them, it was awesome to be hanging out in person. David and Evelyn proprietors of Varne Ridge are very positive supporters believing that the weather will eventually turn “Hang in there” they say daily! </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Craig and I post his Channel success!</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After eight days of no Channel swims, a very good Irish swimmer, Rob, got the call he was up the next morning. He set off in tough conditions with the expectation this would ease, but after 13 hours and 4kms off the coast of France, the tide changed and started forcing him back out, the weather had been deteriorating and Rob was out. It was a devastating blow for everyone back at base camp, and I can’t even begin to comprehend how Rob must have felt. Whilst that was going on, another Irish, Craig, who is really an Aussie, got the call from his pilot that he was out the next morning. Thankfully this day the conditions held long enough for Craig and another solo swimmer to hit France in just over 12.5 hours. They battled with 30 knot winds for the last few hours of their swims. It did not sound pleasant at all, and I was very glad my pilot had not suggested I should head out. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Force 8 winds at Brighton Beach</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">With the knowledge that I wouldn't be swimming for at least five days, my sister decided to head up to London to catch up with friends and Mum, Dad and I headed to Greyshott for a night to visit my cousins, David and Susie Fuller. My aunt and uncle who are currently awaiting the overdue birth of their first grandson in London, also came down and we had a big family lunch which was fun. The following day we headed back to Dover via Brighton, with gale force winds blowing 30-40 knots, and horizontal rain. It was a horrible day! Thankfully we found great respite in the Brighton Pavilion which was built when King George when was Prince Regent and decorated by Thomas Nash of Buckingham Palace fame. It was pretty sensational! And amazing as it might seem, the decoration and design of the dining room literally left me speechless!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Our ‘home’ on top of the White Cliffs of Dover has the most spectacular views, especially as we watch the storms come through. Whilst the photos might look like it’s lovely, it changes so quickly - Melbourne's four season's in one day has nothing on this - it's like four season's in an hour! I have only been able to see the coast of France three times in the last week. On Bastille Day night however it was exceptionally clear and we could even see the fireworks on the coast of France. That was special. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Olympic fever is is full swing in England. Tonight the torch relay came through the centre of Dover. I never thought we would still be here at this point! Dover has been spring cleaning itself to be ready for this big, spectacular night. We had perfect weather yesterday, while today torrential rain meant the concert had more security guards than attendees. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The roller-coaster continues. Yesterday weather looked set for a guaranteed awesome swim conditions over this weekend. Today the reports are not so spectacular. My boat captain hopes conditions will improve and he can get me out in the water by the end of this weekend. I will now be swimming on a Spring tide. This means that the tidal range and velocity of the water is far greater. Next week is seven metre tides! Potentially a slower time but all I care about is standing of French sand/soil/rocks having swum there! My parents and my sister wait with me patiently to conquer this dream. I am not giving up hope, and the delays will no doubt only make me more fiercely determined to hit France!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Holding the Olympic Relay Torch in Dover!</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-14376581360922449102012-07-13T07:38:00.001+10:002012-07-13T07:48:33.244+10:00The Waiting Game....<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">One of the key factors in swimming the English Channel is the weather. Ideally for a swim you will have calm seas, low winds and the sun on your back during the hours of daylight that you swim, making for a far more enjoyable experience during the 12+ hours of swimming I expect this to take. Last week two solos were lucky enough to get such conditions for their Channel swims. This week, the weather has abandoned us!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">We arrived in Dover last Saturday to be ready for my English Channel window to open. The window is a set period of time based on the tide that you can swim. I am swimming on a Neap tide, which in the olden days before GPS navigation was more preferable due to less volatile water movement than the Spring tide. When you book you are given a number in order of preference. When I booked my slot two years ago, I got position 2, which means that as soon as the first good swim day is available, the boat captain asks position 1 if they want to swim. If they say no, then they go to position 2, and so on. There are 4 positions per slot per boat. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Atop the White Cliffs head to toe in Icebreaker wool!</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">My whole family are here now: Mum, Dad, Mark and Annabel, and we are staying at Varne Ridge located on the top of the White Cliffs of Dover. The view here is amazing. We look directly out across the Channel - and I have seen France twice this week! The rest of the time we watch rain storms pass by which is dramatic and exciting, and we spot ships where possible. Last night we even had a beautiful rainbow! Right now the sun is shining and the wind is not too strong, however within hours this will change and I will literally be able to hold myself upright just from the wind.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>France - it's there!</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">The weather this week is not playing nice. In fact it has been foul. The last successful solo swim was Lochie Hinds seven days ago. Since then the weather has blown out and there are a lot of people waiting the opportunity to swim. I think I have actually met about ten solo swimmers this week who are all stuck in this waiting game. Add to that the rest of the swimmers, the patient and supportive crew members who accompany them, the boat captains, and the boat crew and you have a very big pile of frustrated people sitting in Dover right now! And we wait on tenterhooks ready to go at any moment. But sadly it does not appear that the weather gods will smile until next week. The met. synoptic charts and forecasts only go five days in advance = Sunday. My neap tide window closes next Wednesday 18th July, and after that we are back onto spring tides and maybe an opportunity to swim then.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">The head games I am playing with myself to stay positive and strong, are just part of this mega challenge I set myself. I didn’t realise how hard this last stage would be, and in fact many swimmers don’t as not everyone has this trouble with the weather. Nothing quite compares to sitting on the edge of England, looking at France, knowing you can swim there, and not being able to do it due to circumstances out of your control!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Family fun on the White Cliffs of Dover - our view!</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">We are wearing three layers of wool and polar fleeces each! It is unseasonably cold, and are eternally grateful to the fabulous sponsorship from Icebreaker merino wool clothing who has kitted us out in what has become our daily outfits, as opposed to what we thought we would be wearing just for the swim. It was totally appropriate that the family pose in our Icebreaker gear on top of the White Cliffs of Dover this week!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">The unseasonably bad weather throughout the last few months in the UK, means that the Channel water temperatures have been slow to warm up. They currently hover around the 15 degree mark on the English side, but thankfully the waters do warm slightly as you reach France. That is definitely something to look forward to! The water is so murky that I have spent this week getting used to swimming without being able to see my hands. A surreal alien movie like feeling!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mark, Mum and I at Ramsgate "Royal" Harbour</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">My family are very patiently hanging out on the “Kent Riviera”, exploring the surrounding castles and local sights. Unfortunately after a week we are a little castled out! And I am sure that I will never live down the fact they all used their annual leave to come and sit on the White Cliffs of Dover and watch storms pass through! Daily, Dad and I head down to Dover Habour for a swim, whilst my brother and sister head to the gym. Mum has been cooking up a storm back at Varne Ridge Caravan Park where we are staying. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bruce and I get ready for training</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Varne Ridge Caravan park’s owners David and Evelyn promote the park to Channel swimmers, so needless to say everyone who stays here is involved in Channel swimming, hence there is a great sense of community around (and a great sense of frustration currently due to this weather). They also have fantastic sign boards for all successful Channel swims with the name, country flag and time of swimmers. I am looking forward to being able to join that wall! One of the most exciting things this week has been meeting a whole bunch of Irish swimmers who I have met through Twitter over the last 12 months. They have been an amazing source of advice, knowledge and support... many have already done solos, doubles and the Manhattan Island Swim, so there is plenty of swim geek talk going on right now! I have also spent most days swimming with a Queensland based South African, Bruce, who my family have semi adopted, who is the exact same predicament as me.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">So for the next four days at least we will continue sightseeing, castle climbing, touring and sampling the finest of the Kent Riviera. There is a slight weather opening late Saturday, but the chances of the seas calming down in the short time available, is extremely limited. We are clutching at every word of hope from our boat captains that there may be a chance. Noone wants to see their goals literally float away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">I have been told time and time again that the Channel is her own mistress and only she will decide when you can swim! Until then, you must respect her. That I am doing, and wishing, hoping and praying that she delivers me an opportunity to achieve my goal that I have spent the last two years training for and that so many people have supported me to reach. Fingers crossed!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>At Samphire Hoe - built from the fillings from when they build the Channel Tunnel</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The view from Varne Ridge - amazing weather scenes</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Post training coffee in the sun</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Deal Castle: Mum and I</i></td></tr>
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Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-7099302128236058802012-07-07T17:05:00.000+10:002012-07-07T18:16:49.525+10:00Channel Acclimatisation in London<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It is now the final week leading up to my English Channel swim! After two years of preparation, including over 2300kms swum in the last 12 months and some very serious cold water training and insulation gaining, I have arrived at goal week.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The reality of all this is still sinking in! Mum and I arrived in London last Friday after a great flight on Qantas with plenty of love from the cabin crew who were very excited for the challenge ahead. Aussie Olympic swimmer, Stephanie Rice, was also on board. Olympic fever is definitely in full swing over here! We headed down to Dover Harbour on Saturday with a lift from a fellow Channel swimmer I had met through Twitter. Social media has been a huge help to me during this challenge and I am amazed at the huge network of people Twitter has connected me with around Channel and ocean swimming. Kristy, along with Twitter pals Tory and Deidre were kind enough to share the 1.5 hour drive to Dover with us and give us an update on what’s been happening on this side of the world. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Arriving at Dover at 8.30am on Saturday the day was cold, grey and very, very windy. Decked out in beanie, trackies and ugg boots we made our way across the stony shingle “beach” to a cluster of what could only be Channel swimmers headed up by Freda Streeter “the Channel General”. Freda was far less formidable than the first time I met her two years ago. I told her my slot was ten days away. She asked “how long would you like to swim?” I had decided five hours would be my goal today - mentally I needed a long swim in the cold water to know I could still do it and five hours would allow enough time to recover before the swim. After today, I would be on my taper, which I was very excited about.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I hit the water with about 30 other solo swimmers all training for their Channel slots scheduled for some time over the coming three months, and some who are training for next year. We swam for two hours in loops around Dover Harbour, before stopping for our first feed and then every hour on the hour we stopped for another feed of a warm drink of Maxim carbohydrate, a banana, a chocolate or jelly baby. It is a great system, everyone gets given a number which is written on the back of their hand. When you come into feed, you get your number marked off. This enables the beach crew, who are all volunteers, to know exactly who is out in the harbour at any time and who might be missing! The camaraderie amongst the swimmers and beach crew is amazing as everyone comes in at the same time and buoys each other along encouraging each other to “just keep swimming”. Two years ago, this was the longest swim I had ever done. I will never forget getting out of the water after five hours - I was so cold. Two years and countless hours and kilometres of cold water training later, the five hours felt blissfully short. Mentally, I needed to swim for five hours to be able to compare the pain pre-Channel training to now. It is very reassuring to know that the training to that degree has paid off!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The wind was a strong Force 5-6 and the water was very rough. After five hours beating into the wind and fighting some very uncomfortable conditions in the harbour, I was done. It was a good test of everything I had trained for, and I felt mentally and physically ready. The full tide was now an ebb tide and it was a long climb back up the beach covered in worn, walnut sized pebbles. It was now time to spend with the shore crews and swimmers absorbing their knowledge and advice. Freda’s daughter holds the record for the most Channel crossings ever, 43 times in fact, so Freda knows a thing or two about this challenge. I also met a couple of swimmers who were attempting their solo’s in the coming week. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Once Tory, Kristy and Deirdre had finished their 6 and 7 hour swims respectively, we headed back to London. I would be working in our London office this coming week, whilst I acclimatised to the timezone. Kristy kindly offered that I could join her and her swim club in The Serpentine in Hyde Park. Yes, they actually have a swim club in the middle of the man made lake in Hyde Park that is filled with geese and swans! </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWvIJvJUyw93vkCXusXMCGvB2N1OOtluPvS1vD30MpxY_X8iWBL_-WxTGdwES6p0eQzsqyGdy9Fs6DeeDqWoZzii56lYJPqPhaq6Ez9GLphM5l4QLtq3IdCZnct9HKcxcqWPzgiv4KDg/s1600/DSCF2028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWvIJvJUyw93vkCXusXMCGvB2N1OOtluPvS1vD30MpxY_X8iWBL_-WxTGdwES6p0eQzsqyGdy9Fs6DeeDqWoZzii56lYJPqPhaq6Ez9GLphM5l4QLtq3IdCZnct9HKcxcqWPzgiv4KDg/s320/DSCF2028.JPG" width="320" /></span></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The week kicked off with terrible weather, it felt like we were back in Sydney winter - grey, wet and cold. I headed off to Hyde Park on a Barclays bike each morning. The Barclays bikes are situated all around London and for 1 pound a day you can ride for 30 minutes at a time to any destination with a bike rack. Similar schemes exist in Melbourne and Brisbane and they are just a fantastic way to get around the city - especially at 6am! It is a 15 minute bike ride from where we are staying to Hyde Park. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Each morning I have met Kristy and/or Tory and we have swum lengths of the Lido - a 400m circuit exists and it has been great to stretch my arms out, and do some cruisey taper swims. I was actually still pretty sore from Saturday’s rough seas for the first half of the week, so it has been really good to just focus on long, strong, slow strokes and enjoying the sensation of swimming. Dad arrived on Wednesday morning and was straight onto the bike and into The Serpentine doing his own triathlon and keeping me company for the rest of the week. The Olympic open water marathon swim and the triathlon swim leg are both on the same course that I have been swimming daily. This is the most amazing year to be training in London for my channel swim knowing that only weeks away the Olympians will be doing their best here too although there is still a lot of pond weed that needs to be cleared out pre- Olympics (apparently that happens next week).</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Over the course of this week, the Serpentine Swim Club members have been more than welcoming to me. They enthusiastically ask about the upcoming swim and all have wished me well. They also have a very civilized routine where you have a cup of tea, and if you are lucky, a biscuit, after you swim. The English certainly have style!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Channel looms ahead of me and is only days away. This week has been quite a roller-coaster. Four solos out of 9 have made it so far. Right now, I am on a massive high. One of my swim buddies, Lochie Hinds, has just completed the Channel in 12 hours 22 mins and landed directly on Cap Griz Nez in France. Inspirational stuff. Lochie came with us to Melbourne for our cold water camp and I spent a good chunk of the eight hour swim side by side with him. Watching him all day on the GPS tracker and hearing the news that he had made it has buoyed me measurably. Not only that, but he is only 16 years old, and has just become the youngest Australian male to complete the Channel. Awesome work! </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The conditions are really tough this year. The UK has experienced the wettest and coldest June on record (and their records go back hundreds and hundreds of years)! Subsequently water temperatures have not risen above 14.5 degrees Celcius. Lochie endured temperatures of 12C for much of his swim today. I was originally expecting water temperatures of around 15C, so this has been quite a blow to the plans. However, weather is what it is and there is nothing I can do but have trust in the two years of preparation I have put into this. I don't think there is anything more I could have done. Specifically for the cold, I have had cold showers for a year, not worn a wetsuit for two winters, endured regular 6-8 hour swims in 14C water temps, traded a social life to do night swimming at Redleaf pool in Sydney Harbour, worn summer clothes in winter, and gained 10 kilograms for insulation purposes (I won’t deny I had a blast doing this!!). I have also swum in San Francisco in 10C water, and did a cold water training camp in Melbourne. My body is ready, and my mind is prepared for battle!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dad arrived from Sydney this week, followed soon by my sister Bel, and this weekend my brother Mark will join us from Hong Kong. Team Tori is nearly complete! We move down to Dover today where we will be based at Varne Ridge Caravan Park, home of the Channel swimmer, until my swim occurs. It is amazing that my family have all given up their annual leave to come hang out on the Kent Riviera, and I am truly lucky to have their incredible support over the last two years of preparing for this challenge!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My swim window opens this Tuesday 10th July. It is completely weather dependent when I will swim, and I await notice from my captain Mike Oram, on his boat Gallivant, as to when it is my time to go! The weather, other than water temperatures, is looking promising for next week! Bring it on!</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My English Channel swim window runs from July 10-18 - my swim day is completely determined by weather and priority order of booking. I was booked in Position 2, which means I have second priority out of four swimmers to pick the swim day. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Twitter @torgorman which also appears in a feed on the right hand side of my website <a href="http://www.torigorman.com.au/"><span style="color: #1800af; letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">www.torigorman.com.au</span></a> will keep you updated as I swim.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My boat is called “Gallivant”, captained by Mike Oram, and the link to watch the tracker can be found at the top of this website: <a href="http://www.ais-doverstraits.co.uk/"><span style="color: #1800af; letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">http://www.ais-doverstraits.co.uk</span></a>/ The position will update every 10 minutes showing my progress. The course I take will more than likely look like an “S” as the tides and currents are very strong. My goal will be to hit France before Cap Gris Nez, otherwsie the current and tide will make it near impossible to hit land until the tide turns.</span></span></div>
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<br />Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-54468984279969511082012-06-06T22:39:00.002+10:002012-06-07T14:19:36.668+10:00Palm Beach to Manly Swim: a deep blue 28km odyssey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSYbu1vvmHcgu4APdSW1GGSSrcfnuhwyhC2HZot9xJPNnSlT22eFR_3xVDJmnp0knB2JLKjFiCXmiRbAKCT1zjC9tSm6gqwT4Ba2qbd8jx4DSg4Scq4ztfXMSzkLJ-u-uZgHo7USqs9I/s1600/IMG_2830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSYbu1vvmHcgu4APdSW1GGSSrcfnuhwyhC2HZot9xJPNnSlT22eFR_3xVDJmnp0knB2JLKjFiCXmiRbAKCT1zjC9tSm6gqwT4Ba2qbd8jx4DSg4Scq4ztfXMSzkLJ-u-uZgHo7USqs9I/s320/IMG_2830.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Palm Beach to Manly is an iconic stretch of coast on Sydney’s northern beaches. Being a volunteer surf lifesaver at Palm Beach for the last 12 years, it holds a special place in my heart. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
</div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Every year this stretch of coast between Palm Beach and Manly hosts an annual ski paddling race along the 20 beaches, and ever since I began long distance swimming I have thought it would be an awesome course to swim however, my innate fear of sharks has kept this desire on the back burner.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
</div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><span lang="EN-US">That was until about a month ago when I received an email from a friend I trained for the Channel with last year. Iain McGregor said he was going to organise a crew of people to attempt this swim on June 2. Was I interested? I forwarded this on to my support crew to lock in boats, paddlers etc and decided, yep, this would be a killer swim! The diary was clear as I had already scheduled an eight hour training session for this day, so a little bit more wouldn’t hurt!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
</div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gCCFcymAS7bPpdPgSs6Opow4eaomgbJ5bxwGHxU9I329wBoUxcZV1D007nGYI5MPk3icefopS5O21CaZcDVF71OMlgvD4MbBf0YyLuJkZIYNRZ2eFkKSFKjC-feLaPyqFoujJcEZ7z4/s1600/IMG_2836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gCCFcymAS7bPpdPgSs6Opow4eaomgbJ5bxwGHxU9I329wBoUxcZV1D007nGYI5MPk3icefopS5O21CaZcDVF71OMlgvD4MbBf0YyLuJkZIYNRZ2eFkKSFKjC-feLaPyqFoujJcEZ7z4/s320/IMG_2836.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US">This 28km stretch of coast is quite serious though. There was no way I was going to do this without some serious safety in place. My parents and I banded together some amazing support through mates at Palm Beach Surf Club who offered to drive an IRB and a Jetski for us on the day. Swimming with me would be my Channel training partners, Wayne Arthur and Alistair Newmarch, and Anna Torok who is training for Lake Zurich swim in August. Between the four of us swimming we had five paddlers, a boat, an IRB, a Jetski, and a land patrol following us, and we definitely needed all this support, especially as events later in the day unfolded.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
</div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><span lang="EN-US">The week before, my crew ran a safety briefing, there was no stone left unturned. Every contingency was considered. My amazing parents thought of everything and they even borrowed nine shark shields from their mates, and packed flares. I was extremely confident that with such a strong support crew positioned around us four swimmers, we would be well covered if anything went wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
</div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qL3yFsb8edCICDKuSaLFqiTW_4TN1Afr_XMo3npdpyumUeKtGq-6Ydkw0UCkHY4nwXvsqMS-0x2D07KfXeogBlYC5p81L9JYEIO0TxH3mTXYKj1lvqHfuwUI91_JPyoH0L0bu9o3IQE/s1600/IMG_0022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qL3yFsb8edCICDKuSaLFqiTW_4TN1Afr_XMo3npdpyumUeKtGq-6Ydkw0UCkHY4nwXvsqMS-0x2D07KfXeogBlYC5p81L9JYEIO0TxH3mTXYKj1lvqHfuwUI91_JPyoH0L0bu9o3IQE/s320/IMG_0022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US">The 7-day weather looked ok. Light winds, max 10 knots, currents looked manageable, however light afternoon showers were forecast. The weather on the day was just about as forecast, except for the rainstorms that came through were very wet and heavy, and closed off all visibility of land at one point. Thankfully Dad was navigating with GPS so we were fine. The winds and sea also picked up as these mini squalls went through. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
</div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><span lang="EN-US">The day began early, alarm sounding at 4:15am, a quick breakfast and out the door by 5am. Joe and I drove to Manly to leave a car where we met Huw and all drove to Palmy together. Mum and Dad went separately to Newport where our boat is moored and then drove the boat to Palm Beach ferry wharf where we met Wayne, Ali and Anna with their food and supplies for the day.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0wH5RWHgbHt8q0G6Jt3Far6pKn2OLVBRXoui9DYaQbMP0BFj32S3Oy5Xioe7Rl8NctQR4yo1JWsskMeKxWw38vjKisaUuyW_qdIg9EpNIdnOgCPOfjkAgujdNz6NzfcguI_bPu7IYmk/s1600/IMG_0345A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0wH5RWHgbHt8q0G6Jt3Far6pKn2OLVBRXoui9DYaQbMP0BFj32S3Oy5Xioe7Rl8NctQR4yo1JWsskMeKxWw38vjKisaUuyW_qdIg9EpNIdnOgCPOfjkAgujdNz6NzfcguI_bPu7IYmk/s320/IMG_0345A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><span lang="EN-US">After loading all the gear on board, the swimmers and paddlers drove around to Palmy where we met up with the other groups of swimmers. We all left the beach together after a quick pre swim photo. That was pretty much all we saw of them, as our pace was a lot faster than the other groups. Our plan was to swim out far off shore while the other groups were taking a more conservative swim inshore along the beaches.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
</div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1W640MVbnXK9CfbHNFT30PoVHkuHa43ze3MbWXzjE-Fb5jMA_7uFj848JQ87Sr2IPA2vLZ6xhw84wEtK2MN50p9praBomT98MZCiNWIJRgmNcaM16-sGvJtC1JoDpvzwBvfIqP1s7GHE/s1600/IMG_1630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1W640MVbnXK9CfbHNFT30PoVHkuHa43ze3MbWXzjE-Fb5jMA_7uFj848JQ87Sr2IPA2vLZ6xhw84wEtK2MN50p9praBomT98MZCiNWIJRgmNcaM16-sGvJtC1JoDpvzwBvfIqP1s7GHE/s320/IMG_1630.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US">We set off at 7am from Palm Beach. The conditions were lovely. Wayne, Anna and I swam side by side, while Ali went off on a rogue path, to be shepherded back to the group by his paddler at Bangally headland. From this point, the four of us were never further than 50m apart for the entire swim, and for most of the time we more or less within 10m of each other. That is very impressive when you consider we were swimming a distance of 28kms for over 8 hours, yet testament to how importantly we viewed safety. The pace was solid for the whole swim. Wayne and I swam side by side, stroke for stroke, pushing each other the whole way. It was awesome, and we actually ended up sitting on race pace the whole way. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
</div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span lang="EN-US">Our group broke every 30 minutes for drinks and food. Each swimmers paddler managed their nutrition while extra food was stored on the boat. Our paddlers were amazing! They never stopped smiling and kept the banter going throughout the breaks. Skis, boards and kayaks are not the most comfortable apparatus and it’s very tough on the body to paddle for eight hours, even if the pace is slow. And it must not be forgotten that it was cold and it was wet! Massive shout out to Joe and Huw who rotated paddling for me, Russell and Jenny who did a swap halfway through the swim for Ali, Ryan who paddled the whole way for Wayne, and Millie who paddled the whole way for Anna. When you are putting yourself through hell physically and mentally, it makes a world of difference knowing that your support crews want to be there with you every stroke of the way. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
</div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMp3f8yoEyLsBvAS4_oQJ0P2b9FFHdw5k9o2mzT7-fL0KsDWYh-YjqTEJY9gGlpxVbozO03KCV7xBLRS8vAriur9e1K4qg4bcLLRn3f-srlfLkClWjfFLdv2mbEy0zG8RHZOGNoQAVQcU/s1600/IMG_1628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMp3f8yoEyLsBvAS4_oQJ0P2b9FFHdw5k9o2mzT7-fL0KsDWYh-YjqTEJY9gGlpxVbozO03KCV7xBLRS8vAriur9e1K4qg4bcLLRn3f-srlfLkClWjfFLdv2mbEy0zG8RHZOGNoQAVQcU/s320/IMG_1628.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US">Our boat and Jetski crew were also having an awesome time. James posted his first ever photo on Facebook, of me swimming, and was loving the responses flowing in. I would get updates every feed that there were heaps of “likes” and comments. Nathan and Arsenio also enjoyed “checking me in” on Facebook in the Pacific Ocean. These guys epitomise what surf club camaraderie and friendships are all about and I was so grateful to have their support out there to achieve my biggest ever swim to date.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
</div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><span lang="EN-US">At Whale Beach two whales surfaced 50m in front of us, surprising our crew and themselves. Other whales were breaching off to the left delighting our crew. It was a magic morning. We headed quite far out to sea in order to get a transit to clear Long Reef comfortably. Luckily this meant we missed some of the early storms that were sweeping through the beaches. It was quite surreal watching the rain sweep down the coast while completely missing us. At around midday, our luck ran out and the rain hit us hard.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
</div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWP4FZ9YvsmT0hm8sODzunVSLO7f4bJm_bWiZDo_25fTYv47AfnkYWEwM5AUaC45LvXp3ISpzPNqN30UScGOp1HzIH2iFhXdyXKnekoq-bvZdWY_2_DN0-AHJXQfxpzOlcwPgOHXjYtk/s1600/IMG_0117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWP4FZ9YvsmT0hm8sODzunVSLO7f4bJm_bWiZDo_25fTYv47AfnkYWEwM5AUaC45LvXp3ISpzPNqN30UScGOp1HzIH2iFhXdyXKnekoq-bvZdWY_2_DN0-AHJXQfxpzOlcwPgOHXjYtk/s320/IMG_0117.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US">It was around this time that a swimmer in another group got separated from his boat and due to the bad conditions closing in around him, couldn’t relocate the boat. He swam ashore to wait for someone to find him. An alert was put out that a swimmer was missing. Our IRB and Jetski immediately went off in search of the swimmer, and quickly located him safe and sound. Huge thanks to James and Nathan and Arsenio for going to the rescue and assisting the other groups. It could have been a very different outcome, and highlights the importance of each swimmer having his own support crew. Thankfully, none of the swimmers in our group knew what had happened, and the four us kept swimming oblivious to the situation. At the same time Anna was quite sea sick, opting to be pulled out for an hour. Wayne, Ali and I pushed on, determined to round Long Reef and hit the home stretch. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg18eQrlgnmQHmLdfnGneobmNmsORkau04AYRANAHaMsymCNsQU6hjIXLxRBxK0b8Vmub6g621NFcxr3ZnA2Wek080fpLQgbiDw6JKHbdZ8JNMrHRCFB-bSfZBO_TiVmkoIAwv5w5CqHc/s1600/IMG_0058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg18eQrlgnmQHmLdfnGneobmNmsORkau04AYRANAHaMsymCNsQU6hjIXLxRBxK0b8Vmub6g621NFcxr3ZnA2Wek080fpLQgbiDw6JKHbdZ8JNMrHRCFB-bSfZBO_TiVmkoIAwv5w5CqHc/s320/IMG_0058.JPG" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US">Long Reef was the hardest part of the swim. It loomed ahead of us for hours and it felt like it took an hour to pass. Because the headland goes so far out to sea, our line was really far out at sea. We kept looking at the land to the right and the reef we had to skirt and it did not feel like we were making any progress. Finally we made it to Long Reef. It was a real highlight seeing the bottom, a welcome change after looking into the deep, deep blue for the previous six hours! Then finally we were past Long Reef, ready for the final 8kms – the home straight!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlzfv1P8zWi2y-aoGkDkIXtKzO_JcoE7j1MANt-Q-tGHPD6TtOF9J3zbuhnHXDvMTXLSzr3IlKR04-5OAE5Um2y3tYSFvZBoviopyEfHO6c3NiXH7IDJOGP31Rb7WeGm1sbrLf0R21wM/s1600/IMG_0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlzfv1P8zWi2y-aoGkDkIXtKzO_JcoE7j1MANt-Q-tGHPD6TtOF9J3zbuhnHXDvMTXLSzr3IlKR04-5OAE5Um2y3tYSFvZBoviopyEfHO6c3NiXH7IDJOGP31Rb7WeGm1sbrLf0R21wM/s320/IMG_0109.JPG" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US">Around 2pm I was absolutely starving. I was eating and drinking every 30 minutes, but I decided that I needed something more. I asked Mum to pass me an Anzac biscuit and a piece of slice that she had baked for the support crew. Very quickly I realised it wasn't the best idea and whilst it tasted delicious, my tummy did somersaults for the next 30 minutes. At Curl Curl Anna found her second wind and dived back into the sea. Millie decided she could not be wetter if she was swimming joined us in the water too for the last stretch along Manly to Shelley Beach while Mum and Dad towed her kayak. We were all weary and really looking forward to feeling sand under our feet. At Fairy Bower the waves were pumping off the reef, and Wayne’s paddler Ryan caught a pearler in front of us - it was great to watch. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTR6xXwr27zdtk5YgUsvp91AOMpo90gzvczzkpa_GidldHXjfSHvolzQ_yDJ7PAWNBPVexMVdQAKMbKwMR8QswPsLVZ4Ia-FljgYZhBn97UXuT2id-OSn4R5uAXPny1ug4lRVlLlw5seU/s1600/179508_10151776847765526_601375062_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTR6xXwr27zdtk5YgUsvp91AOMpo90gzvczzkpa_GidldHXjfSHvolzQ_yDJ7PAWNBPVexMVdQAKMbKwMR8QswPsLVZ4Ia-FljgYZhBn97UXuT2id-OSn4R5uAXPny1ug4lRVlLlw5seU/s320/179508_10151776847765526_601375062_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqmc7xyIdkfIRF9PQgGqkJ9U1jEznw19DBMgsGuvLpwzphmr1fLQDnaP3yhWdJgOCAWT8C2rCWoULhc0TypiFAcUxUoMQT1I7yiWpLmv1nzAaKC9FzKB7lVKIpI5VcyfywaJQ_ey00BM/s1600/579556_10151776841310526_1459994837_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmJmSiNARY6hv9cqibd_sHXESSA3XWwNfZCkJfFN-7KYeR8iA8FgOBzrQi3sSOX56EmkLbwpDp2V4qJTrUZYcR15idtSH1pe0zUvsS7RrYgsGE78VdjO1iJpc-AqCi0JGBfDijubjptw/s1600/246442_10151776841630526_850203709_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmJmSiNARY6hv9cqibd_sHXESSA3XWwNfZCkJfFN-7KYeR8iA8FgOBzrQi3sSOX56EmkLbwpDp2V4qJTrUZYcR15idtSH1pe0zUvsS7RrYgsGE78VdjO1iJpc-AqCi0JGBfDijubjptw/s320/246442_10151776841630526_850203709_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US">I could hear yelling and screaming and cheering as we swam into Shelley Beach. My mates Kate Mac and Tyzza had arrived to greet us with 15 hot chocolates. I think we all thought it was the most heavenly feeling ever standing on the shore drinking hot chocolates and rejoicing having made it. The entire crew was pumped. It was such an awesome achievement on such a grey and soggy day, and it was our biggest ever swim to date. The photos show the true elation we felt. I am so grateful to everyone who made it work for us, especially the rock star support crew: MandD, aka Gorm and Bear, Joe, Huw, James, Nathan, Arsenio, Ryan, Russell, Jenny, Illana and Millie. Of course massive fist pumps and thanks to Wayne, Ali and Anna who all swam so well for the entire duration of the swim and who kept me pushing my pace the whole way. If only we could swim side by side in the Channel later this year, it would be a piece of cake! Some of the swimmers from the other crews who started the swim with us came down to cheer us in too. It was at this point that we discovered we were the only group who had made the distance.</span></div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;"><br />
</div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;">Total distance swum: 28km</div><div class="Body" style="tab-stops: 35.45pt 70.85pt 106.3pt 5.0cm 177.15pt 212.6pt 248.05pt 283.45pt 318.9pt 354.35pt 389.75pt 425.2pt 460.65pt;">Total Time taken: 8 hours 20 mins<br />
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</div>Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-86082959373340934792012-05-07T19:40:00.004+10:002012-05-09T09:02:06.606+10:00Chasing Cold Water and Avoiding Hypothermia!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">I am now <b>seven weeks</b>
from departure to the UK and only <b>61 days from my swim window</b>. Scary but
exciting! Over the last few weeks I have been chasing cold water... At present
cold water training in Sydney is quite difficult as water temperatures are a
pleasant 20°C. The water temperature in the Channel is a good 5°C colder.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hobart local swimmer, Pat</span></i></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Work has been busy,
but has also enabled me some awesome opportunities to swim in colder climates.
Two weeks ago while working in <b>Hobart</b> I found some local swim buddies through
Twitter and email, and was lucky enough to be adopted by the local Masters
group for a pool session. The local ocean swim group introduced me to one of
their members, Pat Fitzgerald for an ocean swim at Kingston Beach. The setting
was stunning while the water temp was a cool 16°C. I also swam one evening
after work at Sandy Bay, cheered on by my boss and colleagues on the beach
until sunset. Getting back into such cold water was a great confidence boost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiks6RJbRYMEMj7OBEqdtLExxxRLty1V_3AbWAccuhNB3Z1oEtkLboMxXSgmjTLKEDIvhMi5LZ8NkDqlbhF8hBKjTi8v1EMcRrEMarVbjWO2vKdnRvgZeFEl8V8u_B4qQwe-BgpDp60Zd4/s1600/P4270185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiks6RJbRYMEMj7OBEqdtLExxxRLty1V_3AbWAccuhNB3Z1oEtkLboMxXSgmjTLKEDIvhMi5LZ8NkDqlbhF8hBKjTi8v1EMcRrEMarVbjWO2vKdnRvgZeFEl8V8u_B4qQwe-BgpDp60Zd4/s320/P4270185.JPG" width="240" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">The following week
I headed to <b>Melbourne</b> with eight of my Channel squad buddies, (Ali, Wayne,
Marty, Ben, Des, Wyatt, Lochie and Coach Charm). We descended upon the locals
at Brighton for some seriously challenging cold, cold-water swimming. Coach Charm put together a great program for us and the local
swimming clubs, the Brighton Icebergers and the Brighton Black Ice Club, welcomed us openly. Brighton water temps were a cool <b>14.8°C</b>. The first night we
swam for a couple of hours in the Brighton Baths to get an idea about what we were in
for. The water was blacker than black and colder than cold! The sunset was amazing though, and it was practice swimming in the dark. The next morning we
tackled a three-hour swim looping around Brighton Yacht Club. Starting in the
dark it was cold, but once the sun hit our backs it was quite a pleasant
morning. I struggled through the three hours, not from the cold, but because I
was tired and felt very heavy in the water. I was also stressed anticipating
how I would manage the following day’s marathon swim, and it was starting to
play on my mind. I was feeling quite apprehensive, as we had set up a
seven-hour swim with the Black Ice Swim Club. This was going to be the longest
I had ever swum, and in the coldest conditions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">That afternoon
while I was at work the crew swam again. I was still quite tired, so I sat that
one out and headed to the dinner/briefing with the Black Ice crew. What a great
group of people and so welcoming and excited for us to join them for their
Channel qualifier swim on Saturday. At the briefing, the members said they were
actually doing an eight-hour swim in the morning! This was not was not my
plan...I said I was nervous. I had set seven hours as my goal, and believed
that would be enough. However a chat with 2010 English Channel Solo swimmer and
mate, Melbournian Dougal Hunt, encouraged me to lift to <b>eight hours</b>. I knew I
had to decide there and then in order to give myself the mental prep time. It
was the best opportunity I had to really prove to myself that I was going to be
able to make it across the Channel. I felt that after an eight hour swim in sub
15°C waters, I would have a stronger sense of confidence about my upcoming
challenge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Friday night back
at the ranch (aka swim camp HQ) we packed our feedbags and prepared our drinks.
Some entertaining and tension breaking moments were supplied by various team
members in their food prep, but in the end we all made it to bed with the goal
to swim eight hours the following morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Saturday morning I
woke up at 4:30am.<b> I was really nervous</b>. A quick bite to eat and check of the
gear and we all piled into the cars and headed to Half Moon Bay. The Black Ice
swimmers had organised shifts for land duty and swim duty so there would always
be a crew on the pier to throw us our feeds and there would be new people
getting in the water every hour to swim with us and keep us company. The support
was amazing! With encouraging efficiency everything was set up and we were
ready to go. It was now up to each of us to make the time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Never have I been
so scared in my life. Diving into the sea at Half Moon Bay at 6am in pitch
black was very surreal. The phosphorescence danced on my fingertips and after
an hour and a half I was frozen. I wondered how on earth I was going to make eight
hours. Thankfully, due to the very cold water, there are no sharks down where we were swimming, so I had one less fear to think about. I had the song <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/au/album/brother/id474650005?i=474650006" target="_blank">"Brother" by Matt Corby</a> playing on repeat in my
head, as it was the last song I heard before I got out of the car that morning.
It was nice and peaceful, and made me wonder what my bro was up to at that
moment in Hong Kong. Slightly comforting but after eight hours of that song, I
can well and truly say it would have been nice to know all the words instead of
singing lalalala for whole sections waiting for it to come back to the chorus
which I knew!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coach Charm</span></i></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">About 8am the sun
finally rose above the hills, and I swam out into the bay to get the sun on my
back. I was feeling pretty frozen, <b>no wetsuits</b> in these conditions does that!, however the sun started to warm me and
before long I was back to a happy place. The next few hours went really well. I
fed every hour and laughed and joked with the huge support crew we had on the
pier. I looked forward to feeds and a chance to hear someone else's voice other
than my own in my head! I was enjoying the scenery - I alternated fifty minute loops of
pier to the point and back, followed by a feed and then from the pier around <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cerberus</i> (a ship wreck) and across the
bay in an opposite direction and back. Mentally I was fine and really enjoying
the fact that I was doing this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Feeds</b> were managed
from the pier where the land crew would throw our bottles of drink down to us
on a rope and pass down my prepped feedbags while I trod water. Most bags
consisted of a gel, a honey sandwich, a chocolate brownie, sometimes a banana,
and Milkyways. I would only decide what I felt like once I had my goodie bag,
eat about half of it, and then swim off. The feeds were conducted in Channel
conditions, whereby we couldn’t touch anyone or get out of the water at any
time. Our drink bottles were topped up with <b>hot water</b> to keep us internally
warm - these were an absolute godsend and I thank Dougal so much for bringing a
kettle down to the wharf and keeping it constantly boiling throughout the day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">At <b>4.5 hours</b>, as I
came in for a feed, I watched one of my swim mates start sinking as he was
treading water next to me. He was completely disorientated, had no idea who he
was or what he was doing, and started going under. <b>Hypothermia!</b> It happens very
quickly and it is very scary seeing its impact on someone you care about! The
land crew pulled him from the water and I swam off. But that stayed with me for
the next few hours. I was determined that I didn't want to suffer the same fate
and was very glad for the extra 10kg’s I had put on for <b>insulation</b> purposes!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I kept swimming,
hoping to keep hypothermia at bay. I thought of mink coats, summer holidays, cocktails
on warm sandy beaches, Ugg boots... Anything to keep me thinking I was
warm. At six hours, the land crew asked
me what I wanted. I responded: "a fur coat, a massage, someone to feed me
grapes, a holiday.... " we were having fun! Not long after another swimmer
was pulled out with hypothermia. This was getting very real! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">The swimming conditions
started to deteriorate. The water was really rough, and I was fighting against
huge seas and drinking a lot of seawater. A couple of the guys were <b>really seasick</b>.
Because we were doing loops we would get some reprieve when we came back with
the swell, but it was a good 25 minutes hard slog each outward lap. It took a
big impact on my shoulders. I also had random songs from the 90’s popping into
my head. Highly entertaining when “Boom, boom, boom, let me hear you say
‘Way-oh, way-oh’” started playing loudly on repeat in my head.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Finally the
conditions started to calm down somewhat. The last two hours went well, tough
but fine; I knew it was almost over. The last 20 minutes were the worst as I
was really bored and ready to get out. My shoulders were tired and sore, and I
was sick of having the same song playing over and over in my head. <b>Finally, at eight hours, we got
the wave from the pier that we could come in, I was stoked! </b>I had swum <b>23.5 kms</b>, my longest swim ever, in both time and distance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">I got out, <b>elated</b>
and put on some dry clothes straight away and began the natural warm up. I was
surprisingly ok, everyone else ran for hot showers, but I didn't want to undo
all my good work, so I just used my thick jumper and beanie and Uggs and
enjoyed some of my home made brownies with the land crew and thanked them for
their support. I was <b>extremely grateful</b> to have Coach Charm and my mate Dougal
there the whole day. Not an easy day watching a bunch of swimmers dealing with
some tough challenges both mentally and physically, but these guys and the
Black Ice crew were awesome. I did it for them as much as myself, and I was
truly thankful to be able to share the experience with everyone. The rest of the crew did well. It was a pretty big challenge for us all, so I will let them share their own experiences, however I was truly grateful to know they were all out there somewhere in the water with me, and that I was not alone in this endurance challenge.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Playing ball later that afternoon</span></i></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">We had a swim that
afternoon as a <b>"recovery"</b> and threw a ball around in the water.
However, I was getting quite sick of swimming by this point funnily enough! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Sunday morning
dawned and we headed down to join the Brighton Icebergers for their 1.5km race
around the marina and breakfast and coffee in the clubhouse afterwards. The
Brighton Icebergers showered us with hospitality! One of their members, Grant
Seidel, is also swimming the Channel the same week as me, which will be great.
It appears there will be a serious Aussie assault on the Channel this year! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjBH55p7EItfbpxbRMp7Ay1djf3Tjb3s1MsEscKNTSFDctMfe5PSc4ObTndJtYVvE67IQBaU0RtsUY2fd7WCRDgoFVVRQW6XhIZrfvF9IFAaWlxXfdrfF75m3qQmPk0Pv0KYLTb-5n5Y/s1600/P4280207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjBH55p7EItfbpxbRMp7Ay1djf3Tjb3s1MsEscKNTSFDctMfe5PSc4ObTndJtYVvE67IQBaU0RtsUY2fd7WCRDgoFVVRQW6XhIZrfvF9IFAaWlxXfdrfF75m3qQmPk0Pv0KYLTb-5n5Y/s320/P4280207.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Team pose</span></i></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Returning home
from Melbourne I feel much more confident in what I am setting out to achieve. I
know that I am in good shape both mentally and physically to be taking on this
challenge in eight weeks. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Pumped is an understatement - English Channel - BRING
IT ON!</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOWxx4A4AmxkMJwE32pLYEnAtGPWQ_DXV2fjFLNmPkmY7OeYRVoP0_GaoeiHCt5Vc55t16DMkYFpdgHIUVpw7HsuICvJ5mL_0wVSADA4MEWM3wu9dMcXN-TnMAqzTPuX84tJZ_qhMGwo/s1600/IMG_8321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOWxx4A4AmxkMJwE32pLYEnAtGPWQ_DXV2fjFLNmPkmY7OeYRVoP0_GaoeiHCt5Vc55t16DMkYFpdgHIUVpw7HsuICvJ5mL_0wVSADA4MEWM3wu9dMcXN-TnMAqzTPuX84tJZ_qhMGwo/s640/IMG_8321.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-6586083590409459542012-04-11T19:33:00.001+10:002012-04-11T19:36:40.487+10:00Rottnest Channel 2012 - dodging the sharks and boats!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpCe1gci6e5CS_0scqmznUF_FCHR8gbwGgHzLxFUXDghoVbGWPO8os2s190rjuK5ZGe2dS93jdPHhuOYrVdXI8tsSHkiLzmAT5NNFT3IMk4BYgtn11GuLp654rzShtiFQQEtAl1k9wqI/s1600/IMG_7278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpCe1gci6e5CS_0scqmznUF_FCHR8gbwGgHzLxFUXDghoVbGWPO8os2s190rjuK5ZGe2dS93jdPHhuOYrVdXI8tsSHkiLzmAT5NNFT3IMk4BYgtn11GuLp654rzShtiFQQEtAl1k9wqI/s320/IMG_7278.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;">The <a href="http://torgorman.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/rottnest-channel-swim-2175km-marine.html" target="_blank">2011 Rottnest Channel Swim</a> was my biggest swimming achievement last year. I was very keen to improve on my results in 2012. I arrived in Perth from Sydney with Mum and Dad on Wednesday morning, with the race due to start on Saturday at 5:45am. I was exhausted when we got to Perth. Two days before I had arrived back in Sydney from a <a href="http://torgorman.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/san-francisco-swimming-10-degree.html" target="_blank">work trip in the USA</a> and was now dealing with a good dose of jetlag. So we spent the next three days relaxing and recharging the battery.</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Buoyed with the experience of having completed the race in 2011, we knew the layout of the course, we knew the format of race day, we knew what we needed to prepare and we knew what we were missing. It made for a far better journey in 2012, having a handle on it all. Mum and Dad once again were my boat crew and powwowed with Joe, my board paddler, who had arrived on Thursday morning, planning race, navigation and course. Team Tori was now ready, set to go!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cyDZZ7YG2gXOqpnRDiuKzD8A9OAQ7vfwQXl-1KH9GxUhbpz2eNCcUP4rGfKlp58CV__-a6mBQ0vinM2eTL0jVqnuTnRN2iIn1y-zZeX2VoNYC7stF0UzrAFMvBHJ6cMvJTqR9JioVJQ/s1600/shark+circling+whale+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cyDZZ7YG2gXOqpnRDiuKzD8A9OAQ7vfwQXl-1KH9GxUhbpz2eNCcUP4rGfKlp58CV__-a6mBQ0vinM2eTL0jVqnuTnRN2iIn1y-zZeX2VoNYC7stF0UzrAFMvBHJ6cMvJTqR9JioVJQ/s320/shark+circling+whale+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Thankfully, we didn't actually see this guy, but this photo <br />
was taken in Rottnest Channel in the months before</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rottnest Channel Swim from Cottesloe to Rottnest Island is the largest annual open water swim in Australia attracting some 2300 swimmers: solo’s, duo’s and teams of four. It is also one of the most notorious great white shark areas, with two attacks results in death in the previous 3 months. This year 221 solo swimmers had signed up, an increase of 23 swimmers from 2011. Entry for the duo’s and teams are done by ballot the preceding November. Vlad Swim Squad had submitted 15 solo entries, and a team. There were also two duo teams from my BondiFit squad, and my sister Bel, was paddle support for one of them. With such a large number of friends swimming this year, I knew it would make for an extremely fun event, and I couldn’t wait to share it with everyone!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_E5PdYBIeDvYiydFS5f1UnSPtyyqDERR0G5yI8M_q2EXfr67qwV8cQwxq35v1SdmID-BogvN-23yMrp22jlo6gDE0XNG2L5kKXjyLQ0h5isDqfXAZf4tlC3SHq_ZWSOE15fEKe5Q1dU/s1600/IMG_7288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_E5PdYBIeDvYiydFS5f1UnSPtyyqDERR0G5yI8M_q2EXfr67qwV8cQwxq35v1SdmID-BogvN-23yMrp22jlo6gDE0XNG2L5kKXjyLQ0h5isDqfXAZf4tlC3SHq_ZWSOE15fEKe5Q1dU/s320/IMG_7288.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since November <a href="http://www.vladswim.com.au/" target="_blank">Vlad</a> had had us all on a pretty full on program. Combining Vlad’s programme with my extra long swim training for my Channel swim was pretty tiring. Juggling work, play, family and friends and training was a challenge, but I was determined to keep balance in my life despite my large goals. One sacrifice I did make for the seven weeks before the swim was no alcohol. With so many of my friends acutely aware of this year’s ultimate goal, as well as the groundswell in pregnant friends, I was surrounded with support. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Overall, my training consisted of six pool sessions a week, and a further two ocean swims, with at least one long three-six hour swim most weekends plus an ocean swim race every Sunday. Around 40kms a week average, at the top end 55kms a week. I also did 2x yoga a week, boxing, and to mix it up a bit, 2x squash matches a week. I am the fittest I have ever been, with 56kg of muscle on my body according to my latest DECSA scan (the average female has 40kg of muscle). As well as muscle, there is also a significant extra amount of fat since 2011, due to the requirement for insulation for the English Channel. Until July, there are no restrictions on my diet, and I have thoroughly enjoyed eating anything I wanted. Doughnuts, pizza, cakes, coffee, scones, chocolate….it is no surprise that race day saw me 9kg’s heavier than 2011, and boy could I feel it getting into my race suit. I actually felt a bit like a pork loin with string around me thanks to the suit seams being ultra tight!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Preparation for race day was fairly relaxed. We picked up the last few resources, organised boat pick up and drop off points and times for race day, attended the official race briefing, had some swims, and packed our race day kits. I was still really tired, and hadn’t quite got my spark back two days out from the race.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Meanwhile, the weather was causing havoc. The long range forecast was not looking favourable and a lot of our squad were having freak outs about the race being cancelled. The last few years the long range forecast has said the same thing, and every year people are concerned the race will be cancelled, however in the last few years the weather on the day has been fine. I was pretty sure it would be fine, although this year it was quite windy during the week before the race. If it was rough I thought it would give me some great experience for the Channel.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmtigQ7whfK_oXTeGFrwiu7uAVOy_UbQp_KlQitzegPZcfZj50prB577ARfOGj_AOaH3tU2GUccKbpFZi5r8_zv-X0QfNQhvY5tQlfKe5kIDz3254BLJM8_SZOhBdJTfWKMAUwmGC788/s1600/IMG_7301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmtigQ7whfK_oXTeGFrwiu7uAVOy_UbQp_KlQitzegPZcfZj50prB577ARfOGj_AOaH3tU2GUccKbpFZi5r8_zv-X0QfNQhvY5tQlfKe5kIDz3254BLJM8_SZOhBdJTfWKMAUwmGC788/s320/IMG_7301.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Race day morning came and it was a beautiful day. The race was on and I was pumped. Probably as pumped as my neighbours – my least favourite people for waking me at 2am with what sounded like a lear jet taking off in my room, and followed by the party which just wouldn’t end.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mum and Dad were off to meet our boat at Point Walter and Joe and I began the walk down to Cottesloe beach with the board decked out with my equipment.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was a lot calmer this year. I had been through the process before so it was just a case of enjoying and soaking up the atmosphere. I was careful not to repeat last years mistake of greasing up with Vaseline and then getting some on my goggle lens. I found my spot on the starting line and peeled the little protective films from the lens as I headed to the water!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsA7AdqE2yhIiKNH2Bsb_vjQVY7p2d99OPH7w81qAaLzEJ5gdJXLTjaJBgWDrQUqxedVqwhnfPJTwNkFXhQDjMiPnyXLdATwRQ-f-ypHYTmJPJQ-NX9J6GlUOwXRBrAR9OAZdG-Jf7q8/s1600/IMG_1453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsA7AdqE2yhIiKNH2Bsb_vjQVY7p2d99OPH7w81qAaLzEJ5gdJXLTjaJBgWDrQUqxedVqwhnfPJTwNkFXhQDjMiPnyXLdATwRQ-f-ypHYTmJPJQ-NX9J6GlUOwXRBrAR9OAZdG-Jf7q8/s320/IMG_1453.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I warmed up – the air was a lot colder than last year. Mental note to bring a throw away jumper for next year! Joe and I had set our meeting spot as the buoy past the first buoy where you can meet your paddler. This worked well for us last year as typically everyone meets up at the first buoy and it is very congested. Arriving at the second buoy I was still in the middle of the starting channel so had to wave to Joe to meet me. It is a very funny thing to watch the start of Rottnest Channel swim – everyone starts in a straight line and as soon as they hit the water, everyone starts swimming to the sides. There is this massive channel of openness in the middle where no swimmers are. Such a dream. I decided to take advantage of it this year!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqlwcNORsmVzZ1lHD83gZHXJtgFaJuuopHO1V2_g1hIVxQq4W6ax4o17-gT8H_AKidWFN3s389EZ9SwZJG9j0fk3eA6caqrwblEHTC-QNdQgM-3sLAqM8mX_SlCr-iINjUJSlU5_5OiE/s1600/IMG_7309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqlwcNORsmVzZ1lHD83gZHXJtgFaJuuopHO1V2_g1hIVxQq4W6ax4o17-gT8H_AKidWFN3s389EZ9SwZJG9j0fk3eA6caqrwblEHTC-QNdQgM-3sLAqM8mX_SlCr-iINjUJSlU5_5OiE/s320/IMG_7309.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We headed towards the “icon vessel”, a massive old schooner <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Llewyn</i>, where Mum and Dad would be waiting in the speedboat. Joe’s job was find them. My job was to keep swimming. I was keen to find a good rhythm early on. Last year I made the mistake of taking the first 8kms pretty cruisey – 17 mins per kilometre, this year I was determined to sit on 16 mins. I surprised myself and belted out 15-16 mins per km for the first 12 kms! There was a nice little swell behind us for the first nine kms and I used that to give my head a boost and established a great rhythm.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9gFEEXBwVCDad-b1o8eSZvNIO-knR36jwCEb1RDDsKNDsKhpu4OeeS914RvesrvZ05J2OA205X5OzLM_wJa1VfDHET4OH1iuZqhKkwO8VVvxmZOy7P9xTFu2JJMgNwjSAuozDge_Djs/s1600/IMG_7329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9gFEEXBwVCDad-b1o8eSZvNIO-knR36jwCEb1RDDsKNDsKhpu4OeeS914RvesrvZ05J2OA205X5OzLM_wJa1VfDHET4OH1iuZqhKkwO8VVvxmZOy7P9xTFu2JJMgNwjSAuozDge_Djs/s320/IMG_7329.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The race seemed to go a lot faster this year. Maybe it was something to do with stripping 38 minutes off last year’s time, but it seriously went fast. This year the water quality was pretty ordinary. Last year you could see the bottom for the majority of the race, whereas this year was a lot murkier. There was hardly ever a sighting of the ground. Joe and I had a perfect rhythm going, well practiced three weeks earlier in the Cole Classic, and I just focussed on getting length through my strokes and trying to block out the wall I anticipated would come. Notable moments in the race were passing the 10km buoys, and then when my boat and support paddler had to stop as Joe was cold and had to switch wetsuits. I was left on my own swimming for about ten minutes. It was the scariest ten minutes! I had no other boats around me and I was just swimming really fast and freaking out in my head about sharks! The split when they came back was one of the fastest of the race! I gave Joe the biggest smile when he came back and said something along the lines of “Where have you been, I was freaking out!!” (I was probably shrieking at him in reality, but he just smiled back, knowing exactly what I would have been freaking out about) Around this time, I miscounted my kilometres, so when I hit the 16km mark, I repeated that twice by accident in my head, and then before I knew it I could see Phillip Rock, 18km, which signalled I was 2kms from the finish. It was all in from then. I smashed myself raw to get the fastest kilometre splits I could and came home in 15 mins splits for the last three kms. Gold. I hit the beach with absolutely nothing in the tank. It was an awesome feeling. Result: 12<sup>th</sup> female, 44<sup>th</sup> overall out of 221 solos, and a time of 5 hours 45 minutes (an improvement of 38 mins on 2011).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAH-yBxK1SDbaMebWHn_gybrm1c_lja6Xt3SpTxoGuf2T4qUFES0eeYWDQTnEB7G2HwjoTPj9Jj5XdDDliyWBWgBqhRX8OQwK7FKfBaWm8COfVq6Ihen7Hi3R3n2NwUYHDIPwmnu-mJM/s1600/IMG_7343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAH-yBxK1SDbaMebWHn_gybrm1c_lja6Xt3SpTxoGuf2T4qUFES0eeYWDQTnEB7G2HwjoTPj9Jj5XdDDliyWBWgBqhRX8OQwK7FKfBaWm8COfVq6Ihen7Hi3R3n2NwUYHDIPwmnu-mJM/s640/IMG_7343.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hung onto the ‘finishers’ fence for about 40 minutes. I literally couldn’t move. I was so dizzy and out of it. I was on such a high from having smashed my 2011 time and beaten my personal goal of sub 6 hours by a whole 15 minutes. I watched three of my training mates cross the line and we were all a bit unco trying to get our speech together, so there was mainly back slapping and hugs instead. It was nice.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY24mGSuLVen3iD3afEzeQMGh17GXjrjuEe8k0n0vnRtDYOG6iD20w1KPg_mye7k-L8nhcVtUUPuGP0cTTpeyZSfoZsX-QxkU2XLUZlqQVziA0NtO6081PFiUlejebOV78YrkX5bUmtKs/s1600/IMG_7347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY24mGSuLVen3iD3afEzeQMGh17GXjrjuEe8k0n0vnRtDYOG6iD20w1KPg_mye7k-L8nhcVtUUPuGP0cTTpeyZSfoZsX-QxkU2XLUZlqQVziA0NtO6081PFiUlejebOV78YrkX5bUmtKs/s320/IMG_7347.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My support crew were anxiously watching for a repeat of the 2011 post race crash, and were feeding me bananas and muesli bars and water. We headed to the Rottnest Lodge and checked in so I could get out of my suit and re-humanise and then we had some lunch while I slowly came back to earth. Then it was back to the finish to watch the last of Vlad Squad come in and then to the bar for celebratory drinks.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNK7M00G6rYwa2PFXyvwuUC_p8hFUDkIfatC1l8thqlXT_lTnR41DlDDWpPHntFU-UPTl6Zu1i74aqdYacQVgcaLYW8Dzb0d7sk5jvq10izZMGhJ0dY7BdqpydsMRFw8nDp4HmY7YjIGs/s1600/IMG_7356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNK7M00G6rYwa2PFXyvwuUC_p8hFUDkIfatC1l8thqlXT_lTnR41DlDDWpPHntFU-UPTl6Zu1i74aqdYacQVgcaLYW8Dzb0d7sk5jvq10izZMGhJ0dY7BdqpydsMRFw8nDp4HmY7YjIGs/s200/IMG_7356.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Prize Giving was at 5pm sharp. We had the solo finishers photo and then were presented our trophies. It was an interesting choice this year. A 3D crystal on a plastic base, embedded with a disco light. When you turn it on it flashes many different colours up through the crystal! It says “Rottnest Channel Swim 2012 Solo Crossing”. One for the pool room!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGMClYfDcBV-x8A8iPIosQ0ICyGM2eSB6XJerCssIujaEXSoZZViftmy4CrPjm0yUI_v1XwWC-Nkk2gwLqtfZMEW8KiP0d-Bg_AtNX5MsPETGJaG8U6R-Lu5Ikrcbwk5pe2BksncX3r8/s1600/IMG_7385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGMClYfDcBV-x8A8iPIosQ0ICyGM2eSB6XJerCssIujaEXSoZZViftmy4CrPjm0yUI_v1XwWC-Nkk2gwLqtfZMEW8KiP0d-Bg_AtNX5MsPETGJaG8U6R-Lu5Ikrcbwk5pe2BksncX3r8/s320/IMG_7385.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Massive and huge thanks to Mum, Dad and Joe, who continue to support me through all these crazy races, and to the rest of my friends and family who are always so positive in their support. My coach Vlad deserves a huge round of applause, he continues to help me conquer the distances faster and stronger than ever, and helps me find my love of the water whenever it temporarily disappears. The rest of my squad, especially all the guys who I have been training specifically for Rotto with (</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #191919; font-family: Calibri;">Justin H - 5:24:42, Kirsty T - 5:43:12, Damien S - 5:49:31, Chris B - 6:01:29, Wayne A - 6:02:55, Lawrence S - 6:10:04, Tamera L - 6:19:37, Alistair N - 6:20:36, Dennis O - 6:30:04, Marty F - 6:35:25, David O - 6:40:53, Rose L - 7:03:27, Penny O - 7:16:30 and Ben Hutt - 7:32:43)</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, its been such a highlight having the same goal as 14 others in our squad, and there has always been company for any long swim, any day of the week. Sharing the excitement and thrill as we all achieved our goal together has been pretty special! Congrats to everyone and thanks so much for the awesome camaraderie over the last four months!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Celebrations in the bar continued until a massive 9pm for me…. And I slept like the dead that night, except for the sensation of constantly rocking as my head hit the pillow!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</div>Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-78848386294444431682012-04-02T21:08:00.001+10:002012-04-03T05:26:06.368+10:00San Francisco Swimming - 10 degree madness!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJXyx4-0gqI0Q9rIgzJqJJciTJPS29sD9jrXOSsr_AaOXFuTrHd_iWIwgEPWX2L_VSy2bXW0f25Qm0WAJRAL7F-qYd1AkpKVnSwIP2kQ1chZTnmngA98d6hwwUbF4EfZlm9RRkVYg8Lgw/s1600/IMG_7179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJXyx4-0gqI0Q9rIgzJqJJciTJPS29sD9jrXOSsr_AaOXFuTrHd_iWIwgEPWX2L_VSy2bXW0f25Qm0WAJRAL7F-qYd1AkpKVnSwIP2kQ1chZTnmngA98d6hwwUbF4EfZlm9RRkVYg8Lgw/s320/IMG_7179.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">San Francisco baby! This is a city of excitement, shopping, city lights, great views, the Golden Gate Bridge, and a very cold harbour!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;">A quick work trip to the USA a week before my goal race, Rottnest Channel, was not ideal timing, however, I took the opportunity to use the trip for some cold water acclimatisation training. Looking up the charts, it appeared I was in for waters of approx. 10 degrees Celsius/ 50 degrees F. This would be the coldest waters I had ever swum in, and would be ideal training preparation for my English Channel swim later this year. I headed over to the States early to spend the weekend swimming training. Yes, I know most people would go for shopping, sightseeing etc, but I went for swimming- in the middle of winter. I still managed to do some damage to my credit cards shopping – so much so, that AMEX actually thought my card had been stolen!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7VzKYv_6N-jAqQEHchNIwKycUO5o4swIUzLfwB70xLIM8FJlEmywio1ADV2-Qbm7d3v6exg7-HM4EZN7E8cutsHn60N4NMCLrOdB5BTBR-qcAqdJxSpOTbfEHQl5nqk1b9azydmkjm0/s1600/IMG_7033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7VzKYv_6N-jAqQEHchNIwKycUO5o4swIUzLfwB70xLIM8FJlEmywio1ADV2-Qbm7d3v6exg7-HM4EZN7E8cutsHn60N4NMCLrOdB5BTBR-qcAqdJxSpOTbfEHQl5nqk1b9azydmkjm0/s200/IMG_7033.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrCZf9GlsstycdS4vaeKwyM37kS5QNi90NBbk-5FhAXlkrP9tBP_krp2MVh4XsQbqrLC4_Fl7klg4m3sOeFgsWoIBT26YY95VoqGN9nEai3o0ElEhOV1rF_qkTfeRstRU4ntrbAZpnQc/s1600/IMG_7034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrCZf9GlsstycdS4vaeKwyM37kS5QNi90NBbk-5FhAXlkrP9tBP_krp2MVh4XsQbqrLC4_Fl7klg4m3sOeFgsWoIBT26YY95VoqGN9nEai3o0ElEhOV1rF_qkTfeRstRU4ntrbAZpnQc/s200/IMG_7034.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anyway, back to swimming! Upon arrival, I headed down to Fisherman’s Wharf to check it out. Whilst I was looking at the boats I heard a tourist next to me exclaim, “oh my gosh, look at the people swimming!” Sure enough, I had stumbled across the Dolphin Swim and Boat Club, and Aquatic Park. I headed on into the club and met one of the older members who gave me a tour. Beautiful old wooden rowing boats, masses of memorabilia and historical photos lined the club walls. It was quite an honour to stand in the clubhouse admiring all this incredible club history. I love clubs like this!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPBYIpGcyveey2FYOMPwyJbQTzcirhe8ISIeltGtR6NT_AaWVlYIj3F3iM_3uSFWn5552vSr_ltAU_L0cVqNFDXj3a-Zigw-JlpUaOjhCssBc0eV8DbjsY7gI70VCOdP37P3r4oAGgEU/s1600/IMG_7043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPBYIpGcyveey2FYOMPwyJbQTzcirhe8ISIeltGtR6NT_AaWVlYIj3F3iM_3uSFWn5552vSr_ltAU_L0cVqNFDXj3a-Zigw-JlpUaOjhCssBc0eV8DbjsY7gI70VCOdP37P3r4oAGgEU/s320/IMG_7043.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I then wandered out onto the jetty and saw where the members swim off the beach from. Aquatic Park is a swimmer designated area that has been built in San Fran Harbour with a breakwater around it. Members of the club swim all year round in the harbour in nothing more than a pair of speedos, goggles and some wear a neoprene cap. It is hard core. I met an amazing group of ladies over the mornings I swam here at the Dolphin Club who come down and swim 1 km every morning before work together. It has a great sense of community in the club clearly. And I was lucky enough to be welcomed in to use the club facilities during my stay as a visitor with a nominal visitor fee. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That afternoon I headed out to visit and stay with the Dominguez family, who had moved from Australia to SF 2 years ago, and whom I had been introduced by my Coach Charm on email. When I saw Simon at the ferry wharf, I remembered having met him 2 years earlier at the Bondi - Watson's Bay Swim. To make it an even smaller world, it turned out I also knew Simon’s sister from home, and on top of that the photographer from the SMH article the week before was actually her best friend. Small world!! I arrived at Simon and Sally’s place and was welcomed with an Aussie BBQ and met some of their friends over dinner. It was a great night. The next morning, Sally and Simon and myself headed to their local pool where we trained with their squad who were super welcoming and lovely.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewtj6zLCzmSBCZ2o6__O1yTC4FcRcBhsxgAH-LkXclKjwEAgdmQFgitt3iqPBmiD77RTXEVBL8oZ4Jwc-_vHtjgidPv1Jb1zmtjUt3sXoRqu9ym_C7Asts59xHeaYnRTtkI7uye9rDD0/s1600/IMG_7154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewtj6zLCzmSBCZ2o6__O1yTC4FcRcBhsxgAH-LkXclKjwEAgdmQFgitt3iqPBmiD77RTXEVBL8oZ4Jwc-_vHtjgidPv1Jb1zmtjUt3sXoRqu9ym_C7Asts59xHeaYnRTtkI7uye9rDD0/s320/IMG_7154.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here I had my first taste of American training. Firstly, it was a 50 yard pool (40 metres). Secondly, instead of swimming the long length of the pool, they had turned the lane ropes sideways so we swam across the pool, which was about 25 meters. Since it was so short we only had about 3 people in each lane, but instead of the coach managing 3-4 lanes like he would in a 50M pool, he was managing something like 12 lanes! Thirdly it was an outdoor pool, and it was winter, and the air temperature was about 5 degrees. That morning it was a real struggle to take off my clothes. Thankfully the pool was heated – I doubt they would have had any squad members there otherwise! The session went well, fairly cruisey which was nice, and everyone at the squad were all so friendly, I had such a great time!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AJ-8CsgW6N2lfIQY3W9jdFCqtbYBolThdz20ay6na3UMIkicduZZ3Gm_TMZLBFrF1NK2jVmQ8h_8OS4V5CFAuvq3ub2sRWMJPQaF0WPVF2zL_H3nbaAuPuI3mDtqSqTdJFfs1854xbg/s1600/IMG_7158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_AJ-8CsgW6N2lfIQY3W9jdFCqtbYBolThdz20ay6na3UMIkicduZZ3Gm_TMZLBFrF1NK2jVmQ8h_8OS4V5CFAuvq3ub2sRWMJPQaF0WPVF2zL_H3nbaAuPuI3mDtqSqTdJFfs1854xbg/s200/IMG_7158.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Simon had also organised an afternoon swim at Aquatic Park with a Kiwi girl, <a href="http://kimswims.squarespace.com/blog/2012/3/12/the-foie-gras-goose-goes-to-market.html" target="_blank">Kim Chambers</a>, who was training for her first marathon swim, a Cook Strait crossing. Four of us, Simon, Kim, Rick and myself, arrived at the Dolphin Club and prepared for the water. The air temperature was cold, but thankfully the sun was shining, and I headed towards the water. I was quite worried – this was the coldest water I had been in by a couple of degrees! I hoped I would be ok. For the first swim, I wore a neoprene hat, as I was unsure how I would cope. Over the course of the next few days I managed to be able to swim without it! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFJuRCIN-YQBIQvbMvlD-_3K2QxH9v5KFM0HqpypUFrHTuTBVQhciYPyi45d1jIykbW1WMkiNFLTXAVbtGL9DtTtZlxdfZ71tX71A6MRscYAzXePRWNsVqc6H63-66tE-gZ7xQNJIM0I/s1600/IMG_7159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFJuRCIN-YQBIQvbMvlD-_3K2QxH9v5KFM0HqpypUFrHTuTBVQhciYPyi45d1jIykbW1WMkiNFLTXAVbtGL9DtTtZlxdfZ71tX71A6MRscYAzXePRWNsVqc6H63-66tE-gZ7xQNJIM0I/s320/IMG_7159.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first swim was quite scary. I waded out into the water and put my shoulders under and swam out a little. It was freezing. My body ached and it felt like someone was slowly strangling me. I started hyperventilating and the only thing that stopped me getting out was the fact that Simon had organised this whole swim for me, and I didn’t want to let him down. I slowly managed to make a few very uncoordinated strokes with my head above water, whilst trying to calm my very hyperventilated breathing, and focussed on steadying my breathing. After about 2 minutes I was pretty numb, and I eased into it. We swam off across the bay and then did a loop underneath the wharf. It was really cool! After we had finished one lap – and approx. 30 minutes in the water, we headed for a sauna and hot showers. It was divine!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9okX0jC22D4WU0mtBSIKocF-GIjxi1NnGjy3_tbPOAlzTWGf_TyxzOuyx7IYg2ME2-JYaCJgWXuM3lM-wHW-C3yIuJrvxzIMpOrBr57HD3CSPQaZZXj3uBGzEqkmRVW4g1VJ9HHKycc/s1600/IMG_7162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9okX0jC22D4WU0mtBSIKocF-GIjxi1NnGjy3_tbPOAlzTWGf_TyxzOuyx7IYg2ME2-JYaCJgWXuM3lM-wHW-C3yIuJrvxzIMpOrBr57HD3CSPQaZZXj3uBGzEqkmRVW4g1VJ9HHKycc/s200/IMG_7162.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kim turned out to be a total legend and we got chatting in the sauna. She said that she would be swimming the following morning at 7am with some other guys who I was welcome to join if I wanted. It sounded great, and so our swimming plan and friendship begun!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJfDiaAVYWFbu1HK3NECIFU1eDwsXl2TntIG2Ga8fJW5_OOhRFSh5XML0z102WWIfo5KRdt162dxzG2b4eixy1nLSEw5Sw660xTNoJ42YIzjaWtOkTMlEeoPGPD__o-85Tz7j_bgDS3k/s1600/IMG_7208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJfDiaAVYWFbu1HK3NECIFU1eDwsXl2TntIG2Ga8fJW5_OOhRFSh5XML0z102WWIfo5KRdt162dxzG2b4eixy1nLSEw5Sw660xTNoJ42YIzjaWtOkTMlEeoPGPD__o-85Tz7j_bgDS3k/s320/IMG_7208.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next two mornings, we swam at 7am for over an hour. It was awesome. I met some incredible swimmers who make my English Channel attempt look meagre in comparison. Meeting Brit, <a href="http://www.danmartinextreme.com/" target="_blank">Dan Martin</a>, who is about to swim across the Atlantic Ocean – yes, you read correctly, and it will take him 4-6 months before you ask - and then Kim, and <a href="http://openwaterpedia.com/index.php?title=Joseph_Locke" target="_blank">Joe</a> who is doing a solo swim to the shark infested <a href="http://openwaterpedia.com/index.php?title=Farallon_Islands_Swimming_Association" target="_blank">Farallon Islands</a>, well, it was just an inspiring experience! And all these swimmers were so wonderful and welcoming. I had an absolutely brilliant time with them. And I think they had a good chuckle at my expense as noone warned me that when you swim in the Bay, the algae sticks to your face and you end up with a five o'clock shadow! It was fine for the boys, but it did give me a laugh when I saw this photo below much later on! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br />
</span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_touEYVd6Hy1AZZvCFifEEOhCN99qbTAe1Ni8MPNZASOrt3gphrEccmrl8lWZQIRKv_DqS_cRc_YhpxCETTMjNoGKlOOYwxRKIiCivYmTq2Bq-_gCYtmpzq84ZUVcd_JxaOHTJabY1r0/s1600/IMG_7166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_touEYVd6Hy1AZZvCFifEEOhCN99qbTAe1Ni8MPNZASOrt3gphrEccmrl8lWZQIRKv_DqS_cRc_YhpxCETTMjNoGKlOOYwxRKIiCivYmTq2Bq-_gCYtmpzq84ZUVcd_JxaOHTJabY1r0/s320/IMG_7166.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Algae 5 o'clock shadow!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On my last morning, the tides finally lined up so we could head out of Aquatic Bay, and we headed out into the Hudson River. It was a pretty cool feeling floating on my back and staring at sunrise over the Golden Gate Bridge – definitely a highlight! Although poor Dan had me almost swimming on top of him due to my fear of sharks!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27oOuVPaStJxZjGEgBXpuAiGlPKEx4lpyi3VnTkDdvAGNfyC6xEmErf6yvo1cF2oeed1zrtR4KslJ5EmrkYozaf7MSw6IyOPQ1AVbaXzeFbzcBoX5qAKI6Z31zTNzVBod6Gc3v0Zwoao/s1600/IMG_7212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27oOuVPaStJxZjGEgBXpuAiGlPKEx4lpyi3VnTkDdvAGNfyC6xEmErf6yvo1cF2oeed1zrtR4KslJ5EmrkYozaf7MSw6IyOPQ1AVbaXzeFbzcBoX5qAKI6Z31zTNzVBod6Gc3v0Zwoao/s320/IMG_7212.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was so lucky to have met such an awesome bunch of people with incredible and inspiring goals, and I feel so much more confident about dealing with cold water now. I am a strong believer that everything definitely happens for a reason, and I can see that with this opportunity for training in a very challenging temperature, surrounded by the most fabulous bunch of world swimmers. It seems that I am definitely not alone in finding marathon swimming a real thrill!</span></div>Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-38401429544476783752012-03-26T22:03:00.000+11:002012-03-26T22:03:59.745+11:00Cole Classic: Dee Why to Manly 9km<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCSMlCbbwhA_S4_wpQeVx_NpWtCQfIldhgyd3jUcYSdslVFK4dTepztLb8OljQk6BO_dS1lH2d8kisqETEj38SusCLD6Ap6g7xu0JHI1DR5IyQL3o3ScJJVsDwuX1q5Rz2Th8l4hSt_A/s1600/IMG_7449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCSMlCbbwhA_S4_wpQeVx_NpWtCQfIldhgyd3jUcYSdslVFK4dTepztLb8OljQk6BO_dS1lH2d8kisqETEj38SusCLD6Ap6g7xu0JHI1DR5IyQL3o3ScJJVsDwuX1q5Rz2Th8l4hSt_A/s320/IMG_7449.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The Cole Classic, Sydney’s premier ocean swim began 29 years ago as a 2km race at Bondi Beach. In recent years, the race has seen numerous changes, including a change of location from North Bondi to Manly Beach, a new corporate sponsor, Fairfax Media, and the addition of a 1km race. In 2012, the organisers decided to add a third race, Dee Why to Manly, a distance of approx. 9km. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">News of this 9km swim reached me pretty quickly, and the dates looked perfect for my training and racing calendar. Race day was Sunday 5<sup>th</sup> February, exactly 3 weeks before Rottnest Channel, which would give me ample time to recover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would also allow me to have a good hit out with my support crew coming over to Rottnest. I was excited!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Every race and event I do, I learn something; about myself, about conditions, about my body, my head, etc. This was no different. In fact the learning began well before this race. Two weeks prior to Cole Classic race day, I had a 21km training swim at Balmoral Beach. This was a gruelling 6+ hours in rain, lightening and murky waters. It was not the most enjoyable training session! However I really pushed myself as I was keen to have a Rotto distance hit out prior to Rotto swim this year. Since I am building for the English Channel, and will be going upwards of 25kms in a session, I decided it would be great mental prep for Rotto to have completed the distance a month or so before the race. What I didn’t anticipate was the recovery time from this training swim, and that was a tough lesson. The day after the 21kms, I raced at Mona Vale and had a top swim. I was stoked. Training at the pool on Monday and Tuesday was no different. I was flying. It all came tumbling down on the Wednesday. I felt like I had been hit by a cement truck and at physio that day, Micael was trying his best to break down my muscle fibres that were so tight. I was exhausted, and literally turned into a zombie. I pulled out of the Australia Day swim and took some time out of the pool and tried to recuperate in time for Palmy to Whale Beach swim the following Sunday. Unfortunately here I made another mistake, and raced in the elite wave, lost the pack and ended up on my own for the entire race. I was still tired and had no ‘head space’ to race without someone pushing me, and the results showed. I was pretty disappointed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">At this point, the Cole Classic 9km was only 7 days away. I was pretty aware I needed some serious recovery, so spent the week very quietly. Early to bed, good food, easy sessions and went back to my favourite training place, Bondi, to settle my head and try to keep the demons at bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was determined that I would be right for race day, but I needed to give myself a rest. It is very important to listen to one’s body – something I have learnt through swimming, and I knew that come the weekend I would know where I was at! I also knew that even if I was not in peak form for the Cole, that I would still race – the English Channel is going to be hard, I am going to have to swim tired, and I needed all the experience I could get.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">This summer, Sydney has experienced the worst weather in my history. It has rained torrentially, there have been serious floods, it has been cold… basically Sydney residents are calling it the summer that never was. As a result, I am sure tropical destinations will be doing a roaring trade as Sydneysiders flock for sunshine and warmth! The week of the Cole Classic race was no different. It rained - a lot – I was expecting race day to be no different, however, forecasts appeared to be clearing for Sunday. We all hoped the weather bureau would actually get it right for once! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Towards the end of the week, I received a call from the <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/sport/swimming/sharkhater-finds-a-channel-for-her-talent-20120203-1qxmu.html" target="_blank">Sydney Morning Herald</a>, wanting to write a story on me and my Channel swim. It was pretty exciting! I met the journalist and photographer at Bondi on Friday morning and did a shoot in the rain. The money shot ended up being the one that was taken seconds before I was swept off the rocks! Too Funny! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/sport/swimming/sharkhater-finds-a-channel-for-her-talent-20120203-1qxmu.html" target="_blank">The article</a> was featured in the Sports section of Saturday’s newspaper and I was blown away with the article, the journalist, Lyndsay, had managed to capture a good chunk of my journey in the half page article. Let me just say, an article in the SMH was a ‘first’. I was pumped up, and the next 24 hours just built the adrenaline perfectly for race day.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMftMW3J7NR8pN5E67EUM2bqvJpLevo-EskgdDqkJaM6qOHIW39IHHRf4RJeurYZY8JpkRr0ivmH8HLiTwk6YR22QZBhyGAtZ-fPrC7ERSEKtfdFBMcfAU0mgAhzzLItADKQigVJk7xXY/s1600/SMH.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
<img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMftMW3J7NR8pN5E67EUM2bqvJpLevo-EskgdDqkJaM6qOHIW39IHHRf4RJeurYZY8JpkRr0ivmH8HLiTwk6YR22QZBhyGAtZ-fPrC7ERSEKtfdFBMcfAU0mgAhzzLItADKQigVJk7xXY/s640/SMH.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjaGhZaUIq71NUeeWBzuNIz6AhgsEJj_2PbxjI3obX5NGvKSNxtKIkjOFwamzxy7y4a8v16HAt3FtxCiTKuEhtPyhel0XLUaKUd9ODrDjEZaFToEaD15X47eWIXP_LbMmU7qsJID8Yj8/s1600/IMG_1144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjaGhZaUIq71NUeeWBzuNIz6AhgsEJj_2PbxjI3obX5NGvKSNxtKIkjOFwamzxy7y4a8v16HAt3FtxCiTKuEhtPyhel0XLUaKUd9ODrDjEZaFToEaD15X47eWIXP_LbMmU7qsJID8Yj8/s320/IMG_1144.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And indeed the weather gods came through and race day was a stunning! We were surrounded with sparkling blue sky and calm seas. We headed to Dee Why for the race start, where I met my paddlers Joe and Becci.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mum and Dad would be coming down from Pittwater in my support speedboat, a requirement for all solo swimmers. I checked in for the race and set up the boards with my feeds, smiled for the camera and attended the race briefing. Due to huge surf conditions, the finish for all Cole Classic races was moved from Manly Beach to the more protected Shelley Beach. The 9km course was a swim to Long Reef, back to Dee Why, then into Curl Curl, Freshwater and Manly, finally finishing at Shelley Beach. There were 5 buoys along the course to go around as well. The course involved swimming in at each of the beaches and round a buoy, which added an extra couple of kilometres to push the race out to 9kms.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWlq5bVu32CKOzrWg34mFuPueRYmzKJf4WWUVNKLGwGtz_5PhZUFubj3J4_GHs3b9RkBvgxSkuoqzf5qTu_uEE1kgp5I3TBwEraYczRqS57N7afcFlbJmVzWYTtsp2xB0ljMMp57Kw4s/s1600/IMG_6883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWlq5bVu32CKOzrWg34mFuPueRYmzKJf4WWUVNKLGwGtz_5PhZUFubj3J4_GHs3b9RkBvgxSkuoqzf5qTu_uEE1kgp5I3TBwEraYczRqS57N7afcFlbJmVzWYTtsp2xB0ljMMp57Kw4s/s320/IMG_6883.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The surf at Dee Why was pumping. I love surf and big conditions! The race had 19 competitors, smaller numbers no doubt due to the requirement to have a support vessel. At 8am, we were off! I had a great start, and was 3<sup>rd</sup> overall out through the break overall. My surf swim training with Spot Anderson clearly paid off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I checked off at the first checkpoint, located Mum and Dad in my support boat, while my paddlers, Joe and Becci joined me on either side. From here it was relatively flat conditions to Manly. Due to the continual rains of the week preceding the race, the run off from the streets and drains of Sydney had turned into a thick, dirty, smelly, white froth as the seas churned against the cliffs. Navigating the course buoy to buoy was actually quite difficult, but thankfully I had my support paddlers and boat to assist in directions. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BLjkZwzNn2UhoGsLLYxch0iZFh67tSPziRuDTi6hPTCzkOMnsgpO6mQO6QmQJcmmUWY9rfLGIjOVi8N-z4wcDbG9Vv6L0GmoU47iwmVX7yxYugE_AzWPqULFlOoBEDu6H3m7wx0KYKc/s1600/IMG_1133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BLjkZwzNn2UhoGsLLYxch0iZFh67tSPziRuDTi6hPTCzkOMnsgpO6mQO6QmQJcmmUWY9rfLGIjOVi8N-z4wcDbG9Vv6L0GmoU47iwmVX7yxYugE_AzWPqULFlOoBEDu6H3m7wx0KYKc/s320/IMG_1133.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">From the surf break to Long Reef I had a great line, we were swimming into the sun, which was not so nice, but my paddlers could see the course and it was only a km before we rounded the buoys and headed back south. At this point, a pack of huge men (and when I say huge, I actually fitted under each of their armpits they were that big!) came up on my left hand side at the turning buoy and headed off – I knew that I probably wouldn’t be able to hold them but my goal was to keep between them and ahead of the rest of the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We buoy turned and headed back to Dee Why, at this point it felt like I was swimming in a huge arc, however, my GPS shows I had a straight line. It is very interesting to see how the currents and sun glare can throw your orientation whilst swimming. The race was going well as we left Dee Why. The scenery was amazing, but unfortunately I didn’t get much chance to enjoy it during the race as I am a left breather and the scenery was on the right. The photos my crew took are awesome though and I am kind of disappointed I missed out!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iLcaKKJuRH4O2UrKMecFE0nSQJFi6iu7hNEEVgF6kSb_Gl4mPVlDFG_xmL57gpkEm_JMJuCJLsb52JzV8zmG3IZ4n4azfUXtwaN57ZXu9F15h4tpHyHYJn2kznrdcraF7fW_tB0vs_k/s1600/IMG_1151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iLcaKKJuRH4O2UrKMecFE0nSQJFi6iu7hNEEVgF6kSb_Gl4mPVlDFG_xmL57gpkEm_JMJuCJLsb52JzV8zmG3IZ4n4azfUXtwaN57ZXu9F15h4tpHyHYJn2kznrdcraF7fW_tB0vs_k/s320/IMG_1151.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">After we headed round Dee Why headland, we lost my support vessel and Joe for a good 12 minutes as they faffed around doing boat things and setting up the shark shield. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Becci and I went ahead. Becci did an awesome job ploughing a route for me through the foam. It stank so badly of dead seaweed and BO… not an enjoyable odour! It was quite a sickening sensation breathing in the putrid smell. However, so far, the race was tracking well. I was doing an average of 16 minute splits per km, feeds were going well and I felt reasonably good. It is incredible how much a sunny day adds to the enjoyment of marathon swimming! Looking at my GPS course after the race, I can see that my support crew did an awesome job navigating me around the beaches and buoys and headlands. Joe and I were enjoying getting our race rhythm back together as well, since we knew Rottnest was only 3 weeks away. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDiyIeltUF2LloN0lnE8dQk4MLVyeWP21XdpFU9tredYL_t-16yC5tr1DwBLNURu7Q4yH0cgc6bTZkSGVAw7heRphHNyqMU0GkV_zAB-VaomnNKSNhIF-TfRI40P_7-o9o_c708rmTGE/s1600/IMG_6898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDiyIeltUF2LloN0lnE8dQk4MLVyeWP21XdpFU9tredYL_t-16yC5tr1DwBLNURu7Q4yH0cgc6bTZkSGVAw7heRphHNyqMU0GkV_zAB-VaomnNKSNhIF-TfRI40P_7-o9o_c708rmTGE/s320/IMG_6898.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Throughout most of the race, I had two male swimmers sitting approx. 20 meters behind me and I was pretty keen to keep them there. Their boat was hovering up ahead of them so it was constantly in my peripheral vision. It was annoying, yet also pushed me on! After approximately 2 hours we were on the final stretch. I could see Shelley Beach ahead. We passed the last checkpoint and headed towards the beach. I was expecting having to dodge a huge amount of swimmers however it appeared that we had beaten the 2km wave starts to the end of the course so it was calm and enjoyable. The official vessel came past and Joe found out we were first female with approximately 800 meters to go. I flew over the reef, even catching a little runner! Hitting the shore was a great feeling. The crowd were cheering, one of my friends had made a sign “Go Tori” which I saw as I came out of the water, and as I looked up at the finish line I saw the big blue ribbon across waiting for me. It was pretty awesome! I crossed the line with a double fist pump (anyone who has done triathlons with me, knows all about the double fist pump!) and was thrilled. My time was 2hr 24 mins, which was between my goal of 2:15 – 2:30, and I felt good enough to keep going after. Love the endurance! Overall, I was 7<sup>th</sup> finisher out of 17, 1<sup>st</sup> female out of 5. The 2km elite women hit the water 6 minutes later. Definitely looking forward to this event again next year with a bigger field. The course is an absolute cracker and the conditions were sterling this year. Massive congrats to the organisers for such a well run event!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Next stop, Rottnest Channel!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><!--EndFragment-->Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-79901495727062899672012-02-02T22:17:00.000+11:002012-06-20T11:30:00.224+10:00Channel Training Preparations<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-large;"><b>A few challenges to endure and overcome...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Swimming the English Channel requires a fair amount of training, and I am not talking about just getting in the pool and swimming laps. Yes, that is definitely required, however, there is also a wide range of factors one must take into account with a Channel swim: some are unique to this swim, others relevant to all long distance swims.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>1. The Cold Water: </b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The water temperature for the English Channel is approximately 15 degrees Celsius in July (59 degrees Fahrenheit). The Channel rules stipulate that the swimmer must wear one pair of normal bathers – no wetsuits, no swim aids, just a pair of old fashioned budgy smugglers. Swimming for a long period of time in water of this temperature leads to hypothermia. In fact, apparently 70% of solo Channel swims fail due to hypothermia and all Channel boat pilots are trained in knowing how to spot the signs of hypothermia in their swimmers, and when they do, you’re out. Once I get on that boat to head to the start of my swim, all control for the swim is turned over to my pilot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cLNJKFfkNXMcViK_Y44ReCBoVCfxY18bz_z6om9DkVEawThLeAp2-zYwjWa1oMTRF0vAZIfQDJEvYVnmtxc7O5JoX_DfnC9KCIIpWsaPHVcXXKVpPqlV6DtyQCJiH4Gd5uXQ5jg3t-M/s1600/247293_10150270578490169_507160168_9077994_4303291_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cLNJKFfkNXMcViK_Y44ReCBoVCfxY18bz_z6om9DkVEawThLeAp2-zYwjWa1oMTRF0vAZIfQDJEvYVnmtxc7O5JoX_DfnC9KCIIpWsaPHVcXXKVpPqlV6DtyQCJiH4Gd5uXQ5jg3t-M/s320/247293_10150270578490169_507160168_9077994_4303291_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In order to prepare myself for the cold water that I will immerse myself in for somewhere in the vicinity of 12-15 hours, I spent a great deal of Winter 2011 acclimatising my body to cold water. This included swimming for 2,3,4 and 6 hours at a time at Balmoral Beach in Sydney Harbour, enduring water temperatures as low as 13.9 degrees Celsius. During winter, the coastal currents did not sweep through Sydney Harbour, so the water temperature would drop well below that of the beaches. This was at times particularly brutal. I remember at one point being so cold, that I actually willed a shark to come and eat me so I could stop the pain. Usually I found that the first 10 minutes hurt the most, then I went numb and then from the third hour I just had this dull sensation that would last for quite some time. I did notice that around 6 hours, when my speed had dropped considerably that I would be at the most painful point, and so I learned that I must keep speed and momentum to keep warm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As well as long, cold swims in Sydney Harbour, I also stopped having hot showers, and for the last 8 months have endured cold showers a fair amount of the time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: large;">2. Swimming 35kms +</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Whilst the English Channel (point to point) is a distance of 34km’s, the extreme tides that sweep through the Channel ensure that you get to swim a lot further than plotted. Most Channel swimmers end up having an “S” line as their course between England and France!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And whilst I am confident that I can swim this distance, I won’t actually swim the distance before the actual event, adopting the marathon theory of ¾’s of the way is enough to train to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To prepare for this long swim, I train 6 days a week in the water (a mixture of pool and ocean training) and I also go to the gym 4 days a week and do Yoga, play squash, box and do weights. I have done a number of long training swims, the most recent being 2 weekends ago, where I swam 21.1km’s around Balmoral and Chinaman’s Beach, and in the last 6 months I have swum over 750 kilometres. That sounds crazy when I add it all up….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">3. Sharks</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anyone who swims with me, knows how paranoid I am of sharks. I really am a scaredy cat, and am mocked constantly by my friends and family for this fear. Since there are no shark cages lying around Sydney for my training comfort, I have adopted the technological version, called a Shark Shield. The Shark Shield is an electronic probe that I hang off my paddler into the water, which gives me a 4m radius of protection from sharks. Does it work? Well I have never seen a shark when I have used it, and my parents went as far as to leave me in the water in Rottnest Channel in 2011, while a bronze tip shark swam on the left hand side of the boat, and I swam on the right hand side. I never even knew…. Needless to say, all my offshore training and racing utilises the Shark Shield and it is a piece of equipment I trust completely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thankfully in the Channel there is no issues with sharks at all, and my mind will (hopefully) be at ease!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: large;">4. Night Swimming</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the challenges of the Channel is that part of my swim will be required to be completed in the dark, since I’ll be swimming for so long. In order to get used to the disorientation and weird feeling of swimming in the dark, Coach Vlad, Coach Charm and I headed down to Botany Bay in the middle of winter on the night the Wold Cup football began. It was blowing a gale, and the air temperature was 10 degrees Celsius, yet I was met by Vlad saying: “Smile and be happy, this is your leisure time”. Some leisure activity I have adopted!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We ensured the freezing conditions and pitch black surrounding and swam circles in the shark enclosure with glow sticks attached to us. I literally walked on water at one point where Charm didn’t see I had turned and she swam over my feet. I thought I was being eaten by a shark (yes I know I was in a shark net, but I am paranoid!!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We will have a few more of these sessions this year, as they are hard but a great way to build confidence for those all important opening hours of my Channel swim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: large;">5. Recovery</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All this training takes its toll on ones body. I have definitely learnt to listen to my body over the last year – usually when I pushed myself too hard, I got sick and was forced to take a break. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now I am working on being a step ahead. I have a team of people who help my body continue to build strength and stay supple. Weekly massage with Radley from Spring Wellness is a relaxing and restful treat to my muscles, and monthly acupuncture and electrodes (aka torture chamber) at Point Therapy, keeps everything in check and helps with problem spots. I also use a kinesiologist, Wendy Cole, to keep my mental and emotional sanity in check. Yes, all the above is a big investment, but I haven’t come this far to not be able to reach my goal due to injury or ill health.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: large;">6. Diet and Nutrition</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Food is an interesting topic, and one that could be discussed all day. Key facts are: I need to gain weight for this swim. It is every girl’s dream being able to eat doughnuts and pizza and have to get fat! Unfortunately, basing a diet on these doesn’t help me fuel my body for training or racing, so I try to keep these at a minimum and stock up on carbs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have a tricky situation where I have a very sensitive stomach. Diagnosed in 2010 with fructose mal-absorption, and also suffering from insulin resistance, I try to live on a low FODMAP diet. This can be quite tricky with needing highly concentrated fuel fast when racing. Thankfully I found sports dietician, Sarah Dacres Manning, who specialises in this, randomly in a surf club change room! Sarah has brought the science to my fuel preparation and the next 6 months will be quite involved with fluid studies, trying different brands of gels to work out what upsets my tummy and what doesn’t, and determining how much fuel my body actually needs to last the distance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the last 12 months I have completed 4 marathon swims totalling 68kms between them (Rottnest Channel, Bondi to Watson’s Bay, Fiji and Hong Kong). I have also done a number of the 1 and 2km summer ocean series swims at Sydney beaches. Racing has been invaluable to my Channel preparation. I love competition and every race I learn something new about my body and how it reacts under different conditions. Most importantly, every race I learn there is a wall and I will hit it and then I have to barge my way through it. In the next 5 months there are a few others on the list: The Dee Why to Manly Cole Classic this weekend, Rottnest Channel 3 weeks later, Lake Argyle 20km race for something new and the Bondi to Watson’s Bay swim a month before I leave. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: large;">8. Support</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKG4HvTIVAQJfmr721IvSb345Eg1l-EYe00exQ6EquINEMEsGGIm0Zn1-kSsZdSccXrJbJdrG1THTU7qPJh5hLLRoj2NVni9pXYmY9jV2pOPTCTg0mNHKJ2HHrLIrTKuDzjCeYqyGYyf0/s1600/409381_2906991310356_1127737582_33039507_116475620_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKG4HvTIVAQJfmr721IvSb345Eg1l-EYe00exQ6EquINEMEsGGIm0Zn1-kSsZdSccXrJbJdrG1THTU7qPJh5hLLRoj2NVni9pXYmY9jV2pOPTCTg0mNHKJ2HHrLIrTKuDzjCeYqyGYyf0/s320/409381_2906991310356_1127737582_33039507_116475620_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">None of the above would be possible without my amazing support team. I have been lucky enough to have some fantastic coaches who have been guiding me through the last 18 months of Channel specific training. My Coach, Vlad Mravec, does an amazing job in keeping me smiling and keeping me swimming. His catch cry is “Smile and be happy, this is your leisure time”. It always makes me smile, even underwater. He is tough but fair and he is very supportive. He has designed my program extremely well with Coach Charm Frend to have a good balance of pool swimming, cold swimming and ocean swimming. Charm has been an absolute godsend on our long swim weekends. She religiously feeds us every hour, tells us to keep swimming, and makes sure we don’t get out earlier than we are meant to. Knowing she is on the beach is very reassuring, and has even built an incredible deep water feeding station! I also mix up my training and include some surf swimming sessions with the legendary Spot Anderson, which is my break from the hours of arm over arm, and which is a great fun hit out/ wave catching/ race technique learning session weekly. Not to mention a great crew of people who I have been swimming with for the past 3 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am fortunate enough to have amazing support from my Vlad squad members and new ocean swimming friends as well, especially during the long swims. A couple of the guys I did some of these training swims with were scheduled to and completed their own Channel swims in 2011. Stuart Johnson conquered a double crossing and Iain McGregor a solo. At the time, it was fantastic being in the midst of these guys who were so close to achieving their goal, and I was so thrilled for them both that their attempts ended in success. I am also lucky enough to share the same goal as a couple of guys who joined our squad in January 2011, Wayne Arthur and Alistair Newmarch, and since we began our long training swims we have gained new swimming friends and somehow managed to convert one of our biggest training supporters, Marty Fillipowski, into a Channel aspirant as well.. Not only this but we have had some great mentors in the form of Cameron Spittle and Duncan Adams who both also successfully crossed the Channel in 2010 under the same coaches as us (Vlad Mravec and Charm Frend). So now we have created a little Channel circle of support. Considering only 79 Australians EVER have successfully crossed the Channel, I have a really awesome support from these guys. There are many other swimmers who have religiously come down and supported us on our long swims, training at the pool and racing. There have also been an amazing amount of my friends who have come down and watched me swim or race at various points over the last 6 months. Many thanks to them all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7aevxK2LAoFGtmkKzSV1_vCz9pOGuDCisEPHTz9RT56cLp8NnT7VkjR6Qztl8TKVD-2daEluTHWxqPc_JOAp-RVSnryv7htmzwFx7N_CzgqsOWKchcOeVz1wZ3Xw01WhOB4Of3kAtfs/s1600/314624_2432168600085_1127737582_32802216_1445341766_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7aevxK2LAoFGtmkKzSV1_vCz9pOGuDCisEPHTz9RT56cLp8NnT7VkjR6Qztl8TKVD-2daEluTHWxqPc_JOAp-RVSnryv7htmzwFx7N_CzgqsOWKchcOeVz1wZ3Xw01WhOB4Of3kAtfs/s400/314624_2432168600085_1127737582_32802216_1445341766_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCNVg2KXuyyBYIPfev_7CH5zT6vOzWuq1mZq5aTdQUl1VJkvHqvl1rTX-aj8WlTatgdr_ixAOLMmk9Kk5Eu4YZimTAsyGKy9dxcnPyFiDIsjQM_Sdm3RzLZmR5sv6F7NvUArnkJBkuoE/s1600/317477_10150421326980169_507160168_10389095_904336168_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCNVg2KXuyyBYIPfev_7CH5zT6vOzWuq1mZq5aTdQUl1VJkvHqvl1rTX-aj8WlTatgdr_ixAOLMmk9Kk5Eu4YZimTAsyGKy9dxcnPyFiDIsjQM_Sdm3RzLZmR5sv6F7NvUArnkJBkuoE/s200/317477_10150421326980169_507160168_10389095_904336168_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Somehow, because of my massive shark phobia, I have managed to recruit a ridiculous amount of people to paddle for me at various points over the summer. Firstly, Joe, my left hand man in racing (because he sits on the LHS of me every race and paddles his board, feeds me, keeps my course and my kilometre splits to measure my pace). Then all my amazing friends who I have gotten to sit on a ski and act as my shark protection unit: Mark, Pip, Gordon, Digger, Lachie, Camilla, Macarette, SGR, Bear, Hutch, Smailes, Kitty, Jenn, Vlad, Bel, Becci, Amelia and Huw.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3FcXE9J1ql6r1a4aT5M3G9K63lu-0-16bSGZ9BmG-SBEHowtAckICrr0LOhBpb8CGHuPniaEIkNB8rfY5OFWOhjjOScze9MWvEZjcnzL2G-9XSDrWuEhLCzGQVC1w4k8I70XbiSsAyM/s1600/310441_10150279969157117_5362882_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3FcXE9J1ql6r1a4aT5M3G9K63lu-0-16bSGZ9BmG-SBEHowtAckICrr0LOhBpb8CGHuPniaEIkNB8rfY5OFWOhjjOScze9MWvEZjcnzL2G-9XSDrWuEhLCzGQVC1w4k8I70XbiSsAyM/s200/310441_10150279969157117_5362882_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But my biggest support would have to come from my family. Wow. I am truly one lucky girl. In the last 12 months my family have been by my side for every race. My brother and sister have both paddled over 5 hours at a time for me and my parents have navigated my courses and managed the support boats. They are amazing, and probably the only reason I ended up with a goal this big, was because I knew I could achieve it with their support. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Time to sign off and head to bed, it is an early start again tomorrow in the pool!<o:p></o:p></span></div>Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-7175313228349959732011-10-28T18:39:00.000+11:002011-11-18T19:11:44.487+11:00The Hong Kong Clean Half - 15km swim from Stanley Beach to Deepwater Bay<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Hong Kong “Clean Half” swim race has been in existence for the last 9 years. The 15km course stretches from Stanley Beach to Deepwater Bay and has some pretty cool scenery. This year it also had a fair amount of extra obstacles in the form of a windsurfing race that started at the exact same time as our swim, and a sailing race crossing the last 4kms of our course. It certainly kept my support crew on alert!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I first heard of this race last year through my friend Emma who lives in Hong Kong, and when my brother was transferred to HK in March, it seemed like a great opportunity to get over there and visit them, and do a new race on the long distance swimming circuit.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was also fortunate enough to know that my brother, Mark, despite not training specifically for this race, would be happy to sit on a kayak for 4 hours and support my race. I am extremely fortunate to have such an amazing family, and Mark stepped up where my sister Bel had finished in Fiji to take on this challenge.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So the first challenge was finding a kayak that he could paddle for the race. Here we were fortunate enough through Emma to be put in touch with a HK local, Paul, who indeed owned such a kayak. Over email he generously agreed to lend me his kayak for the race and Mark met up with him pre race to work out the logistics of collecting it. The kayak was stored at the race finish which would be extremely convenient after the race, and we decided the easiest way to get the kayak to the start would be for Mark to paddle it there. The paddle would take approx 2 hours, and since the race didn't start until 11am, we decided this would be the best way to do it, whilst also giving Mark and opportunity to check out the conditions for my race.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had arrived in Hong Kong the weekend before the race from Sydney as we had a long weekend, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to catch up with my brother and friends and acclimatize. Hong Kong was incredibly humid and having left a freezing cold Sydney, I was very grateful for this acclimatization period.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In fact Hong Kong was so warm, the water temperature was 25 degrees!! Having come off the back of my English Channel training in sub 15 degree water, my body was definitely in a bit of shock.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Magoo and I ready to race</span></i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUTu4F7oFaMTkMrN6g2o_C-ihTMZmUyLbHY4_nCidzOz2i6kI5X15SGAPnsrwqv-9Eu1ND3z_LDyR_dfMArPOff84C-IherDcwNHP0hdTI-z9Gc0i6DVP8a0U4wPkz2vfxRF_pgRk04U/s1600/PA080101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the week before the race I was lucky enough to be able to train with the LRC club thanks to my reciprocal rights of a club in Sydney. The team at the LRC are super enthusiastic with 11 teams competing in the race, and their coach, John Dempsey, and the rest of the squad made me very welcome over the course of the week. My brother actually said that during the race some of the LRC support boats would come over during the race to ask who the swimmer was and when he said “Tori Gorman” they would cheer and say they had swum with me that week. It was awesome having such a great amount of support in a country where I knew very few people a week earlier!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Race preparation - what's really involved!</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Race morning arrived on Saturday 8th October, 2011, and Mark was off at 7am to Deepwater Bay to get the kayak and paddle 2 hours to Stanley Beach where I would meet him. I stretched and ate brekkie and packed up my gear for the race. It is amazing how much stuff one needs for a sport as simple as swimming, but when I laid it all out I was amazed at all my supplies: gels, hydration tablets, shark shield, Vaseline, ropes, tape, spare caps and goggles, drink bottles, sunscreen, zinc, food, jelly, and chocs. I packed up and got in a taxi and headed for the race start. It was a hot day! I was dripping pretty quickly! Mark arrived at the same time as I did and we began setting up the kayak. He had a few mates doing teams so we chatted to them and then we headed for the race briefing. The course sounded pretty straightforward and we were lining up on the start and then go!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4427rMeJCTpVJuJQq_VvuOj-07XmOiOGtbzORmUt1izbzZVM_CwBBQtnr5R1mwJZgBTN3kuTzII8HZN4wway0iX2zskDjlgS0m9FSw7ar78eFUOd0fE1T2-wX-NOCAKwXQPrkVSaDcEk/s1600/PA080089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4427rMeJCTpVJuJQq_VvuOj-07XmOiOGtbzORmUt1izbzZVM_CwBBQtnr5R1mwJZgBTN3kuTzII8HZN4wway0iX2zskDjlgS0m9FSw7ar78eFUOd0fE1T2-wX-NOCAKwXQPrkVSaDcEk/s320/PA080089.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the same time our race started, a windsurfing race also started, right on top of our course, our first obstacle to overcome. It made for some quick navigation and protection from Mark, and we headed on. This was where we hit our second obstacle for the race. Mark couldn’t see the buoy! All we knew was that it was red and on the other side of the bay and we couldn't see it. The water was extremely rough and choppy so I didn't stand a chance, and I kept yelling at Mark “Can you see it?” and he would reply “No”. Finally once we were halfway across the bay, I yelled at him to go ask another boat where the buoy was and I swam on alone. He came back telling me all was good, truth was he still couldn't see the buoy. This was due to two things: 1: he is red/green colour blind!!! Something we hadn't even considered would be an issue!!! and 2: the buoy was actually so big it had a band standing on it playing music!!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Swimming around the band on the first buoy!</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Satellite dishes on the top of the first headland</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After these little hiccups, I finally rounded the buoy and headed out to the headland. This was the worst stretch of the race for me. Current was pushing against me, the water was really choppy and I drank endless amounts of the sea water.... I was really not enjoying it for a good hour there. But when I finally hit the point and looked up to see satellite dishes towering above me, I reminded myself how cool this was and how lucky I was to be able to do this. I made it through the corridor known as “Chunder Alley” to the locals (sans chunder from me) and started to really get a groove on. It was at this time that a team racing came alongside me and I began to use these guys as pacers. Every time I would stop for a feed or drink they would overtake me and then I would wind them back in again. It was fantastic to have these guys and they had some good swimmers who really kept me at pace. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We had ideal conditions for approx 45 minutes before we were back into the chop and swell. Because my stroke kept changing from short strokes in the chop, to long strokes in the flat, my muscles all over got an extreme work out. I was pretty impressed with how well my body held up, clearly the cross training has been working.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Mark was doing a great job paddling for me and keeping track of my kilometer splits. He also kept my feed stops at perfect intervals. Since the water was so hot, I was pretty dehydrated permanently so I made sure I didn't scrimp on the liquid at all. We also tried a few different race foods this time. I used Gu Chomps for my third and fourth food stops and then a Milky Way bar on the 5th and I used Coca Cola from the 150 minute mark to keep my caffeine levels up and the sugar intake high. This was a wonder drug for me and amazingly this was the first race where I didn't vomit continuously, even after having drunk all the sea water in the first 4kms.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgF4RmKMMdt3eRAkFWe4ECrIAGXYFxLFAr3ZBwxBTZIzuhCATM8xg8-4t2LpH4-m76yRXDwfVsx___7TvOIuoctlU8SX8FhjOKv3cJCpLQVRzQ4P1nY6ufRVNA-LA98PzNSt56OGGT-Y/s1600/musicians.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgF4RmKMMdt3eRAkFWe4ECrIAGXYFxLFAr3ZBwxBTZIzuhCATM8xg8-4t2LpH4-m76yRXDwfVsx___7TvOIuoctlU8SX8FhjOKv3cJCpLQVRzQ4P1nY6ufRVNA-LA98PzNSt56OGGT-Y/s320/musicians.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIVXPH-h0ery2TpPSIkoXslZ_ZqNEHdha7tf5boFKBJMbZendZZYoS-e5OEbSSjXeJ-WxdSMcxT0IoEKel8wij_1gpVLIdp50EfcDNf4AQUQjY1lOOJUdLsiTKwbv1RtQoS7qMlv-7bA/s1600/band+players.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The rest of the race continued at pace, we rounded the island and there was a group of music makers playing on the pier for us which was pretty cool, and finally we were on the last 4km stretch. A yacht race surrounded us and I was still neck and neck with the team which I was determined to beat, and I started winding in and overtaking a few more teams and a couple of solos until before I knew it I was on the finish line. We were met with a trumpeter which was cool and it was all over! 15kms in 4hrs 4 mins, 4th overall out of 13 men and 1st female. I also beat 24 teams. I was stoked! Although I didn't actually find out these results for a couple of days.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Finished!! 15kms - 4hrs 4 mins - 1st Female!</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was a BBQ on shore for all participants and I caught up with the LRC guys after the race who were all awesome and then Mark and I headed out onto a Junk with some of his friends after the race and then went out in town for some celebratory drinks, but we were both shattered by 10.30pm and tucked in bed. The morning after the race I treated Mark and I to full body massages in Central which were throughly enjoyed!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Team LRC</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was so fortunate that Mark was able to paddle for me and do such an amazing job and also to be able to borrow the kayak from Paul and train with the LRC Club. Thank you so much to all these wonderful Hong Kong locals who made the race and experience so fantastic. The race itself was great fun, and little bit different having bands located around the course for entertainment. There were also a lot of support boats and Junks which was fantastic and the atmosphere was really enjoyable for all. The water temperature being so warm, definitely was not pleasant for my now cold water conditioned body, but it was good to challenge myself again in conditions that are not ideal. I was really stoked with my time overall. I was aiming for 4 hours, and considering the rough conditions for the first 5kms I was surprised to be able to hit my target, however, having the team to pace against, definitely helped lift my performance. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My next distance race is Rottnest Channel on February 25, 2012, some 20+kms, followed by the English Channel in July 2012.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am definitely feeling really happy that my 4 weeks solid race prep post Fiji and pre HK worked and have a lot more confidence in my racing at speed over distance. Each race keeps building that confidence and experience! Onwards and upwards!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read more on</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.thecleanhalf.com/home.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.thecleanhalf.com/home.html</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.dailynewsofopenwaterswimming.com/2011/10/it-was-music-to-their-eyes-in-clean.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.dailynewsofopenwaterswimming.com/2011/10/it-was-music-to-their-eyes-in-clean.html</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://cscsupport.blogspot.com/2011/10/clean-half-open-water-challenge-2011.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://cscsupport.blogspot.com/2011/10/clean-half-open-water-challenge-2011.html</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.thecleanhalf.com/CleanHalf-full-results_2011.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.thecleanhalf.com/CleanHalf-full-results_2011.pdf</span></a></span></div>
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<br />Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-82029919888067469292011-09-14T20:17:00.000+10:002011-09-16T09:00:20.967+10:00Back to Beachcomber: Fiji Swims wrap<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For the third consecutive year, I packed my swimsuit, cap and goggles and headed for Fiji to participate in the annual #<a href="http://www.fijiswims.com/">fijiswims</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4f8lHbIotRQk9EQ5K5KLNf4tkSK3OUrF6rESkOjI_1VYA7FZJj-PaBwtRFCbQNrtqReNrLIlGQjDbKtU3mYcaKjoGm60w-y37L2nCgi2tJj3_QJ7jEP7TQ50_OKjPb2Vtfx15AYyJLpc/s1600/IMG_5051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4f8lHbIotRQk9EQ5K5KLNf4tkSK3OUrF6rESkOjI_1VYA7FZJj-PaBwtRFCbQNrtqReNrLIlGQjDbKtU3mYcaKjoGm60w-y37L2nCgi2tJj3_QJ7jEP7TQ50_OKjPb2Vtfx15AYyJLpc/s320/IMG_5051.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Renowned as “the most beautiful swim in the South Pacific”, 2011 did not disappoint. This year I once again entered the 19km swim as a solo swimmer followed by a 2.7km race 2 days later. It was pretty hard to knock back a week in the sunshine with crystal clear waters and “fiji time” when Sydney was suffering under a cold, wet winter where everywhere I turned I was greeted by coughing and spluttering sick people. Many of my squad also signed up, and when my sister, Bel, said she would come too, the trip seemed perfect on paper.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Arriving in Fiji, we were hit with the heat of 30 degree days. Heaven! We arrived at the Sofitel just in time to see squad member Louise Stevenson complete her 38km double crossing from Denarau to Beachcomber Island return. Louise was swimming in aid of her hometown Christchurch which has suffered horrendous earthquakes this year. It was an incredible effort and one which she completed in an incredible time of 9hr 45 mins. Inspirational! As we watched her finishing, I looked out to sea and saw that conditions looked good for our race the following morning.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After meeting our boat captains and attending the race briefing, we headed to our pre race banquet dinner. It was an excited atmosphere. There were people I had met in previous years to catch up with, Sydney squad members from both my Vlad Swim Squad and BondiFit squad who were attending their first time, and a whole lot of new people who were pumped. Dinner was great. We discovered our new favourite Fijian dish, Kokoda, which is raw fish cooked in lemon juice and coconut milk - amazing! This discovery later inspired Jess, Bianca and Elayne to go fishing for a day and catch some fish themselves and make their own Kokoda. Amazing!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Bel and I and her trusty kayak</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The next morning was Race Day! We were up early and headed down to the beach, still kitted in my hotel robe, to drop off all the equipment (gels, food, pre mixed hydration, shark shield) and then checked in with the starters. We then headed back to the kayak to set it up, met my boat owner who was liaising via mobile with the boat captain and went through the race plan with Bel. And then after a few happy snaps, it was time to go!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Ready to race!!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Fiji swims 19km has a few waves of starters. The solo swimmers were wave 3. Conditions looked perfect. Hardly a ripple that we could see from the shore, however that would change as we rounded the island immediately on our left. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We all started at a fairly even pace, except for Justin and Iain who went out strong. When we hit the channel marker buoy at about 1.5km’s we were all still in a clump, and from here the spread began. The field all swam right, except for me. My captain said that down to the left there would be a current, and whilst I would have to swim further, the current would push us onto Beachcomber Island faster, so we went left. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The next 4 hours were all about swimming, arm over arm. From the second hour I started vomitting constantly. It was worse than normal (I have a pretty sensitive tummy) and couldn't keep any gels down, so I stopped eating. I kept drinking every 15 minutes, but even most of this would come straight up. It was not very pleasant. At the third hour my hips started to really throb as they were pretty tight and locked up from the City 2 Surf race the week before. I started eating again after this as I was starting to feel really weak and tired. I switched to caffeine gels in the hopes it would re-energise me and started really focussing on my stroke. I was craving a red bull or coke, but unfortunately had none. It was around this time that I realised I still had at least two hours of the same to keep going... it was not a happy place. Looking at my sister paddling along next to me, I knew that I couldn’t pull out. You don't come all the way to Fiji to stop swimming halfway through the race, and what I had to keep telling myself was that no matter how hard this race might be, it was going to be nowhere near as hard as the English Channel next year!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So on I went and my kilometer splits started to get faster again again and I sat on a nice solid pace for the next hour. We had been inline with the fleet this whole race, and although we were very wide and I wondered at what point we would come back together and how we would be placed. I was sitting on average of 16 min km’s which was pretty solid and we had absolutely no current assistance behind us - a far cry from the year before when I was pushed onto the island!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Finally we came back together with the fleet, and unfortunately the fleet was all ahead of us. The promised current had never come, and in fact I had even hit a bit of a head on current for a couple of kms, I was gutted. We had about 3kms to go, and I focussed on swimming strong, and reducing that distance to the others. Finally 1km off Beachcomber I overtook my coach, Vlad, but there wasn't enough distance to catch the others. I finished in 5th overall, 2nd female.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finishing! 19.2km's 5hr 09mins</span></i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Upon finishing the race at Beachcomber, we were greeted once again by all the island staff singing and cheering. I was amazed to see how many of them remembered me from last year, and there was hugs and kisses and "bula"'s everywhere. It was awesome.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The successful soloists post race!</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Overall, my time was faster than the year before, which was a great indicator of the gains I have made over the last 12 months. Massive thanks to <a href="http://www.vladswim.com.au/">Coach Vlad</a> for his constant and dedication attention to my training, preparation and technique. </span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We partied hard on Beachcomber Island for the following 4 days, I don't think I got more than 5 hours sleep a night, and my body probably didn't deserve the punishment it got from all the cocktails I drank in celebration. The best part was definitely having my sister Bel there with me, as well as all my swimming friends. I still cant believe she volunteered to kayak next to me for over 5 hours and look after my food, hydration and timings this whole time. Amazing! I can't thank her enough! We then had an amazing holiday together afterwards.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bel and I with celebration beers</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Two days after the 19km swim, we raced a 2.4km swim, and it was here that the partying took its toll. I struggled to get my speed up and although still a reasonable result, it was the most painful swim I have ever done, my shoulders had clearly had enough! Bel also swam this one and did so well. Hopefully this is the start of her ocean swimming career/holidays!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Next race is on in a few weeks: 15kms in Hong Kong, known as “<a href="http://www.thecleanhalf.com/home.html">The Clean Half”</a> and yes apparently the water is safe enough to swim in and all the sharks have been fished out. My brother Mark will be paddling for me in this race - it really is becoming a family affair and I am extremely lucky to have such an amazingly supportive family. Thank you! From there it will be all systems go for Rottnest 2012, and then onto the English Channel. It’s going to be a big 10 months!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The BondiFit girls: Cha Cha Cha!</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Post race relaxation at the Radisson</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Champagne breakfast everyday</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Done, finished, finito!</span></i></td></tr>
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Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comBeachcomber Island, Fiji-17.653934 177.2546812-17.774981 177.0967527 -17.532887 177.4126097tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-20715398826294251952011-08-24T05:43:00.000+10:002011-08-24T05:43:14.827+10:00Fiji Swims: Sunshine required.... stat!In 24 hours I'll be swimming 19km from Fiji mainland to Beachcomber Island again. I am excited: warmth, sunshine, beach weather, plus a course I am familiar with, should make for a great race. Although considering last year I saw no land for the first 4 hours of the race, it seems a little weird to say "a course I am familiar with". There's a lot of dark blue water and light blue sky, that's for sure!<br />
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This year, <a href="http://www.vladswim.com.au/">Vlad Swim</a> has 8 solo swimmers participating in the 19km alone! It is a great testament to Vlad's hard work in building up a long distance squad, and is so exciting to have a whole bunch of fellow lane buddies who'll be taking on the kilometers together.<br />
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On top of this, one of our squad, Louise Stevenson, is doing a double crossing today raise money for her hometown Christchurch, that was devastated by earthquakes in Februray 2011. She kicked of her swim a couple of hours ago and you can track the 38km's <a href="http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0RqKXCbVFx5sTHeW5pAXBBWzRJNkAhh7G">here</a>.<br />
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This should be an challenging race for me personally for a number of reasons:<br />
(i) I have been focussing on acclimatising my body for the English Channel: long, cold water swims for the past 2 months, training at Balmoral Beach in water temps between 13.9 and 15 degrees Celsius for up to 6 hours - Fiji in comparison should be 25 degree Celsius water temps!<br />
(ii) I got hit by a full blown head cold 24 hours ago<br />
(iii) I have a new support crew, my sister Bel, paddling for me<br />
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However, I am really excited about taking on this challenge again and seeing what I can do with my body in a less than ideal scenario. I am also really excited to be sharing this challenge with my sister, Bel. She the most supportive and fantastic sister, and when she suggested she might like to come to Fiji for a summer holiday to escape the Sydney winter, I was excited. I was blown away when she agreed to sit in a plastic dinky kayak and paddle for 5-6 hours continuously! There will be a bar tab awaiting her arrival on Beachcomber Island!<br />
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So we are off to the airport and arrive in Fiji in time to welcome Louise in from her 38km swim. What an incredible goal.<br />
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The next morning, Thursday, the rest of us will take on the 19kms the following morning followed by a 2.7km race on Saturday.<br />
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Thanks for everyone's support so far. You'll be able to track me live on Thursday <a href="http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0oJ08Nj9SHZRPBpcxJlxPrjog5UuSFuqx">here</a>.<br />
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Bula Vinaka!Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-17034671459986421302011-07-18T11:30:00.004+10:002011-07-27T21:41:54.146+10:0012 months til I swim the English Channel - OMG!<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It’s officially 12 months out from my English Channel swim. Hard to believe that <a href="http://torgorman.blogspot.com/2010/07/training-with-english-channel-swimmers.html">a year ago I popped down</a> to Dover Harbour to check out what the madness was about and see if I could handle the cold water and ended up doing a 5 hour swim with all the Channel swimmers training for their own challenges. When I booked my slot two years out, I thought it was a very, very long way away.... now with less than 12 months to go til I hit Uk shores again, it’s quite an exciting and scary reality. Yes I am really doing this! Ill be updating regularly on this journey and I am aiming to raise $25-50K for Multiple Sclerosis as part of my challenge. Subscribe up on the top right to receive email updates.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The English Channel is the Holy Grail for long distance ocean swimming. An expanse of 34km directly across the shortest points from England to France, it is a challenge that only 1069 swimmers have ever completed successfully, 69 of those being Australian.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Between 10-18 July, 2012, I aim to join that list of successful solo swims from England to France, enduring approximately 12 hours of continuous swimming in water temperatures around 15 degrees Celsius, wearing nothing but a standard swimsuit, a silicone cap and one pair of goggles. I am not allowed to touch anyone, or any boat during this entire time.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>The English Channel: </b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdE9iu1fluezzD58l3Ak5xhm8lZjSSOUdH_FJOs0kNfuwhmDo9nJoumXk053BHFJLrHp2jia-t97N_R3jwTQdidNVuX_rrF_7Tyy5VtGm3Lg5izkjyH-ymM0pZVkBvFSWzKF80Np9wBA/s1600/162735_10150111436655169_507160168_7694153_135686_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdE9iu1fluezzD58l3Ak5xhm8lZjSSOUdH_FJOs0kNfuwhmDo9nJoumXk053BHFJLrHp2jia-t97N_R3jwTQdidNVuX_rrF_7Tyy5VtGm3Lg5izkjyH-ymM0pZVkBvFSWzKF80Np9wBA/s320/162735_10150111436655169_507160168_7694153_135686_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Swimming across the English Channel has a fail rate of over 60%. It is one of the most challenging swims a long distance swimmer can do, as it also the world’s busiest shipping lane, with over 500 ships a day passing through it. Channel swimming began back in 1875, when Captain <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Webb"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Matthew Webb</span></a> made the first observed and unassisted swim across the Straits of Dover swimming from England to France on 24 August 1875 – 25 August 1875 in 21 hours and 45 minutes.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Since then 1069 swimmers out of over 7000 attempts have made the solo crossing with a number of these doing multiple crossings and only three whom have ever made a three way crossing. Crossing times vary dependent of conditions, speed of swimmers, and the tides. </span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Whilst the shortest distance from Dover to Cap Gris Nez (the headland halfway between Calais and Boulogne) is 34km (18.2 nautical miles or 21 land miles), most Channel swims clock up distances more in the vicinity of 45km’s due to the strong tidal flows which sweep swimmers from side to side throughout the duration of their swim. Swimmers must be aware of and give caution to the 500+ ships traveling through the channel daily as well as ferries, seacats and jetfoils crossing between England and France at regular intervals. There are also plenty of hazards in the form of seaweed, flotsam and jetsam (rubbish, timbers, etc) and a fairly solid swell which can get extremely choppy in winds. </span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;">The hardest and toughest condition of all though is the cold. In July, the water temperature sits at about 15 degrees Celsius. Whilst the daylight hours are longer, the water temperature is colder than say in September, when the water is warmer but the day is colder. Many swimmers pull out of the Channel due to hypothermia and it is due to this fact that fewer people have achieved the glory of crossing the Channel than have conquered Everest.<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Swimmers across the Channel are escorted by a certified Channel escort boat which is chartered by the swimmer to ensure their best chance of success. The pilot is responsible for plotting the course and taking into account the weather and conditions for the swimmer and is also responsible for ending a Channel swimmers dream if they are showing signs of hypothermia. Their experience and that of the crew is there to monitor, feed and encourage the swimmer and ratify the completion of that journey when French soil is reached. </span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>My Challenge:</b></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrh9v5Sl0-B6GdCVHkJnBkaqTPD_USEGo4jTxWvq8J4Vy6ieiROrzV4Zjx0-V0AlnqD7iwBTRQnkTZyJM7XZR_vCXJLdNF-2JKcgZMnrvtnqtoNFpDlqjsmDL2-pja1R8GOyN54ylpeg/s1600/11.07.16+4+hour+Saturday+with+Dolphins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrh9v5Sl0-B6GdCVHkJnBkaqTPD_USEGo4jTxWvq8J4Vy6ieiROrzV4Zjx0-V0AlnqD7iwBTRQnkTZyJM7XZR_vCXJLdNF-2JKcgZMnrvtnqtoNFpDlqjsmDL2-pja1R8GOyN54ylpeg/s400/11.07.16+4+hour+Saturday+with+Dolphins.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Our first 4 hour cold water swim sub 15 degrees <br />
(supporters wear wetsuits!)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">12 months out from the event and my cold water training has begun. Every weekend I am clocking up the kilometers and hours in cold water at Balmoral (currently between 13.9 degrees C to 15 degres C) and Bondi Beach, whilst training 30-40km’s in a pool during the week. I also undertake gym sessions and have a number of races on my calendar over the next 12 months working towards the 45km distance.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">In August I will be swimming 19km’s solo from <a href="http://www.fijiswims.com/">Fiji mainland to Beachcomber Island</a>, followed by a 15km open water swim in <a href="http://www.thecleanhalf.com/">Hong Kong in October</a> and then <a href="http://rottnestchannelswim.com.au/">Rottnest Channel</a> (22km) in February 2012. Over the last 12 months I have a raced distances totalling 89km’s and have placed third female in this years <a href="http://torgorman.blogspot.com/2011/05/south-head-roughwater-2011-training.html">Bondi to Watson’s Bay</a> swim (12kms), third female in <a href="http://torgorman.blogspot.com/2010/08/swimming-192km-across-fiji-for-192.html">Fiji in 2010</a> and also third female in the Sydney Harbour Bridge to Manly swim (11kms) in 2010. I also completed the <a href="http://torgorman.blogspot.com/2011/03/rottnest-channel-swim-2175km-marine.html">Rottnest Channel</a> earlier this year in 6 hours 23 minutes, coming in as 14th female.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Whilst setting out to achieve this massive feat, I am also going to be raising money for Multiple Sclerosis. Whilst I will self fun my trip and challenge, my goal is to raise somewhere in the vicinity of $25-50K for MS so that others may benefit from my madness!</span></div><br />
<div style="font: 13.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 16.0px;">Check out my online donation/sponsorship page <a href="https://www.gofundraise.com.au/page/torigorman">https://www.gofundraise.com.au/page/torigorman</a></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div>Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-54680911322411909052011-05-17T15:09:00.038+10:002011-07-18T12:09:51.177+10:00South Head Roughwater 2011 - the training pays off!<div style="font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.southheadroughwater.com/">South Head Roughwater</a> is an annual 12km swim from Bondi to Watson’s Bay. In <a href="http://torgorman.blogspot.com/2010/05/south-head-rough-water-swim-10km.html?m=0">2010</a>, the conditions for this race were particularly brutal. I had only just begun long distance racing, and having completed the Harbour Bridge to Manly swim 6 weeks earlier in delightful conditions, I had no idea how bad it could get. I expected a 3hr 30 race, and ended up finishing in 4hr 44 mins. I was one of the lucky few who came in under the five hour limit. Majority of the soloists either got pulled out or missed the cut off time.</span></div><div style="font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Following the hellish experience of 2010, I spent the next 12 months focussing on conquering distances and had achieved some pretty decent results, and so it was with a mixture of excitement and confusion that I embarked upon the 2011 South Head Roughwater. </span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgNdDUk7m-RhblfuT9yhyphenhyphenqziwDZf5wT9khXE9AzLwCHW86KmJDKD-BL8vsD2bEG91EY-0C5j7cjB8L4tmRZE7Ck9uLPo45rtxz3mpCTmTHzxWr5-R5H9Wop70Sm_3TrD6SL71ag7INEI/s1600/IMG_0357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgNdDUk7m-RhblfuT9yhyphenhyphenqziwDZf5wT9khXE9AzLwCHW86KmJDKD-BL8vsD2bEG91EY-0C5j7cjB8L4tmRZE7Ck9uLPo45rtxz3mpCTmTHzxWr5-R5H9Wop70Sm_3TrD6SL71ag7INEI/s320/IMG_0357.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Excitement, because (i) I had my whole 2010 “Shark Protection Unit” committed to paddle with me again; (ii) there was no way that I could be any slower than my 2010 time - I was now a much faster swimmer and had done a huge amount of training (iii) there was no way the conditions could be any worse than 2010. </span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Confusion because, having now conquered distances that are twice this race, it was no longer about just finishing, now I needed a new focus to race on. Lucky for me my housemate and good bud Matilda sat me down 2 days before the race and quizzed me about these things. Being a triathlete, she is pretty switched on when it comes to racing head space and I am pretty sure she could see that I was a little lost with what I wanted to achieve. After approx 90 mins of drilling down I reached a decision: this race was going to be about speed. I was going to go hard and fast and see just how long I could hold pace for. There was some serious competition entered for this race which I was aware of, and more that I wasn’t, and I knew position 1 and 2 were pretty much guaranteed to two other swimmers whom I train with so my focus then became to take out third.</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXaESavJAN5dRynsSge3SZLXaZA16b4WIKOFti4_nw6zUBsVlfxkxpIq0FNkrQnzQfTsblzPPmJeA0-P0OHoahTzmpPXMO-SRO4DNMCQk9fIaqlCV-O0pUmv7Zv-_RTdtpjQQ-NRkywg/s1600/IMG_4433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXaESavJAN5dRynsSge3SZLXaZA16b4WIKOFti4_nw6zUBsVlfxkxpIq0FNkrQnzQfTsblzPPmJeA0-P0OHoahTzmpPXMO-SRO4DNMCQk9fIaqlCV-O0pUmv7Zv-_RTdtpjQQ-NRkywg/s320/IMG_4433.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Preparation was essential, as always. Having done the course the year before, my boat crew had learn a lot. My paddlers had learnt a lot. And I had learnt a lot. The night before the race my parents, Joe and I sat down with the charts and mapped out our plan. We examined currents, tides, and expected conditions and made plans around this. Until the day, you don't actually know what plan will be used because the conditions on that actual day always dictate this, but we prepared accordingly and I put the race in my crews hands. This is probably one of the most important things I have learnt over the last 12 months of distance racing: your crew run the race, I just swim. So my goal is to swim the fastest and best I can, while their goal is to get me there in the best possible line according to the conditions. Obviously being in the water I can feel currents etc which I communicate by yelling out in between breaths or backstroking a few strokes while I talk but in the main I have realised that the crew above the water can see the course and the lines better than I can from water level, and I have now learnt to trust in them. Having a rock solid crew such as my parents who have done all my races (bar Fiji) and Joe who did this race in 2010 and Rottnest Channel 2011 (22km) with me definitely helps, as well as having great friends like Huw and Meals back again for entertainment and support. </span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br />
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<div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrm5Y6RU6IofzhcISA6gKtNeqB3iPgL7_WDT6uYP5-kflsyftg87gEGlpvMPB0wzUw-ZCf7FFDIPhlHUGhJc7kp5jYmjiHolo8piLvcgsUttl9t5_d23qNkAzC51Ieu1K7gaGEXJGdRo/s1600/SANY0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrm5Y6RU6IofzhcISA6gKtNeqB3iPgL7_WDT6uYP5-kflsyftg87gEGlpvMPB0wzUw-ZCf7FFDIPhlHUGhJc7kp5jYmjiHolo8piLvcgsUttl9t5_d23qNkAzC51Ieu1K7gaGEXJGdRo/s320/SANY0007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So the race day dawned and it was freezing. Literally 8 degrees on Bondi. We arrived at Bondi and there was no way I was taking off my tracksuit and ugg boots. It was literally too cold. 20 minutes before the race and I was still fully clothed wondering what on earth I was going to do. I still had to vaseline for chaffing and apply wool fat to my shoulders and arms for warmth and I really didn't want to take off my clothes. Thankfully the surf school “Let’s Go Surfing” at Bondi, where Joe is a part time surf instructor, welcomed me in and let me prepare in the warmth of their shop. I was literally running down the beach with 2 minutes before the gun went and had all of 30 seconds to adjust my goggles before the start. And we were off! I had a solid swim straight out to the marker boat which thankfully wasn't as far as New Zealand this year, ticked my name off and headed for Ben Buckler as my paddlers found me. Some swimmers weren't so lucky, and I temporarily lost Meals to another swimmer, the Warrior, whose paddlers hadn't found him and whom needed some support/shark protection until they could be located. </span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5Zn_R4D-y5RMKHarbkaG-uq6hmejc3R4tC_Lv7_UBEMgaFmY4tiJQ0OJGKJsaOOyA5KLkvV2ZbBEiLTCvNzFG2mkknjFTQoJrDehbu6oOqIkeU4s0sdD0pnwbvYk2AL2-rmLHc1Ho3k/s1600/IMG_0371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5Zn_R4D-y5RMKHarbkaG-uq6hmejc3R4tC_Lv7_UBEMgaFmY4tiJQ0OJGKJsaOOyA5KLkvV2ZbBEiLTCvNzFG2mkknjFTQoJrDehbu6oOqIkeU4s0sdD0pnwbvYk2AL2-rmLHc1Ho3k/s320/IMG_0371.JPG" width="238" /></a></div>Meanwhile I swam. Instead of my usual warm up pace for 4-5km and then hitting it for the rest, I decided to start hitting it pretty much from Ben Buckler (2km). Joe and I had decided that the best way for me to measure my speed and therefore judge how I was going continuously through the race would be to get my 1km splits. I always have a record of them as the GPS is in my cap, but I don't normally know the exact times until after the race when I look at the data. This race Joe had a watch on as well and every time the kilometer would buzz in my cap, I would yell the km number out to Joe and he would take the split on his watch and then read it back to me during my breaths. This in turn motivated me km on km as I knew exactly how I was tracking the whole race. And hearing each km split motivated me to swim harder and faster than before. The first 9 km’s most splits dropped. This was awesome. And I was so pumped! </div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;">It wasn't until Diamond Bay that I hit my first lot of current - and boy was I surprised. What I hadn't realised was that I had swum so much faster than expected that I hit the outgoing tide at Sydney Heads. We had expected to arrive as the tide turned which would have meant no current against me - however this was not the case. I had a few kms there where I really had to push through. And once I pushed through I was in Sydney Harbour - a whole 3 degrees in temperature colder than the ocean. It was freezing. Well probably only 17 degrees, but it was so cold. At this point I was really looking forward to finishing. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;">With only a few km’s to go, and my team supporting me strongly, we welcomed more cheer squad to the party. Bloka brought his putt putt out to meet us at the heads with Tilly and her Mum. I could hear Tils yelling across the water at me and waving her arms like a crazy woman, it made me laugh so much underwater and was a welcome distraction from the cold.</span><br />
<br />
I pushed on determined to drop my km splits even though I was against the current and the times were pretty hard to move, and flew home for the last km once I passed the final check point boat to the finish. As I arrived at the wharf with my team around me, I could here a very loud “Go Tor” which turned out to be my sister. Thankfully she had just arrived in time having run the Half Marathon that morning. The rest of my support team arrived over the next hour - I was way earlier than expected and after last year’s epic race, no-one had anticipated such a speedy arrival!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWnTICBEJSF9YmQLVvK6KZ19qx3ii1nwkWavZirdLRNqFJ8UC2JPwBYL1V6up29akFl-taFxqrLTWPCiD0I2HBzs6y7frzkZmYTTuC82EAjyXGQuz__ZZir7wBpHYQ8FFTgqBmO3NSFg/s1600/IMG_4545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWnTICBEJSF9YmQLVvK6KZ19qx3ii1nwkWavZirdLRNqFJ8UC2JPwBYL1V6up29akFl-taFxqrLTWPCiD0I2HBzs6y7frzkZmYTTuC82EAjyXGQuz__ZZir7wBpHYQ8FFTgqBmO3NSFg/s640/IMG_4545.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It is a fantastic feeling finishing a long distance race. And I was stoked to see my race time at 2hr 52 mins. Far faster than ever anticipated and almost 2 hours faster than 2010. I also placed as third female, 8 minutes off second and 17 mins off first, which was awesome. </span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_E_ioHuqfdDrT-I1Sa0BYqeZGlh6s0dow97GREYiTsdXcMS9_eaUoQ1XmVXPQGcD66B7Hu-W1CCWA4ZrVMQPlG4MDOHxMuq3rwKVZcKAc4WbspLKopHmE1orraHoYG0NZNK8HooDaF08/s1600/IMG_4572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_E_ioHuqfdDrT-I1Sa0BYqeZGlh6s0dow97GREYiTsdXcMS9_eaUoQ1XmVXPQGcD66B7Hu-W1CCWA4ZrVMQPlG4MDOHxMuq3rwKVZcKAc4WbspLKopHmE1orraHoYG0NZNK8HooDaF08/s320/IMG_4572.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">It definitely satisfying when all the training over the last 12 months can be clearly seen in the results! I have a huge thankyou to all my rockstar support crew: Mum and Dad for their boat and navigation skills, Joe for being managing my feeding and timing, Meals for managing to capture the whole adventure in video and photo, and Huw who still paddled for me even though he had an injured arm. This race is such a festive race for me because of the crew and having the same support crew for 2010 and 2011 was such a great feeling. There was no way that 2011 would be anywhere near as bad as 2010, and as a result I was stoked to be able to have everyone there again and part of a race with much better conditions! Hearing laughter and banter as I breathed and fed made me laugh underwater the whole way - they were so entertaining to watch as I swam!</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Massive thanks to all my friends from BondiFit, VladSwim and the rest of my worlds for making it down to Vaucluse Sailing Club for me. It was the most fabulous afternoon in the sun cheering swimmers in and stuffing our faces with the copious amounts of slices and cakes Mum had baked.</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This was definitely my favourite and most satisfying swim to date!</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Kilometer Splits:</b> </span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">1km: 13:06</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">2km: 14:51</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">3km: 13:23</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">4km: 14:04</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">5km: 14:09</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">6km: 14:05</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">7km: 13:51</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">8km: 13:47</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">9km: 16:07</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">10km: 14:52</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">11km: 16:50</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">12km: 13:25</span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Total: 2hr 52mins, 3rd female, 9th overall out of 35 swimmers.</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1cenojI3c_rOgzMsG1_Aa2E9WtDR-LBxi4LaInTaItVLWwYGTUP1rqZmm1R20tWQRbVgS_OMEDzkcSWd0hRS9fMJwrbhQJ7j-QQWh62GgCfaMdC6S9tJRUv-Lyt9CXRXdNFaifNc7PI/s1600/IMG_4585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1cenojI3c_rOgzMsG1_Aa2E9WtDR-LBxi4LaInTaItVLWwYGTUP1rqZmm1R20tWQRbVgS_OMEDzkcSWd0hRS9fMJwrbhQJ7j-QQWh62GgCfaMdC6S9tJRUv-Lyt9CXRXdNFaifNc7PI/s400/IMG_4585.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The BondiFit Crew (all post Half Marathon runners!!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3KXDSe5k5d1Kb-5vcipRLnDIiHsFBaH_VAYsFNduP-984swPDCAzoZXhYAHPa5RlqDGW2hTAeCLXa-Uf6e7HB-5DEMbiGeNNgJkpf82nnir5pxEE7d7dBV11cjEdkuwrT_VDYNo_DSw/s1600/IMG_4548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3KXDSe5k5d1Kb-5vcipRLnDIiHsFBaH_VAYsFNduP-984swPDCAzoZXhYAHPa5RlqDGW2hTAeCLXa-Uf6e7HB-5DEMbiGeNNgJkpf82nnir5pxEE7d7dBV11cjEdkuwrT_VDYNo_DSw/s400/IMG_4548.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meals, Tils, Bel and Til's Mum, Sam</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGnDjUVruyu-7J2u3sbKIJFMw3l0KKhB0hJwjPkzvHman6wR1qW0Bs1ZhyAnLK2qrzUFGEaWx7X9qQTF8-q8a2HXdPAgzRnTN7pOro8Rg8PPmNf61MsNXjImZOPd5aJKjkubMuBv0r20/s1600/IMG_4566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGnDjUVruyu-7J2u3sbKIJFMw3l0KKhB0hJwjPkzvHman6wR1qW0Bs1ZhyAnLK2qrzUFGEaWx7X9qQTF8-q8a2HXdPAgzRnTN7pOro8Rg8PPmNf61MsNXjImZOPd5aJKjkubMuBv0r20/s400/IMG_4566.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Coach Vlad - Thank you!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMpNoOaN805coAwgh-p4wZ9-HncDs84jCCh2FbaxA9yzpUTW8r0yzWYX2dKTL84v87ruF3GIrxHJcIpn8esbAVYPEBE0NZyzHkJT2ukJcnyk6IYjApFlROhLyrnFYHDddj_LrlwOLmFI/s1600/IMG_4576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMpNoOaN805coAwgh-p4wZ9-HncDs84jCCh2FbaxA9yzpUTW8r0yzWYX2dKTL84v87ruF3GIrxHJcIpn8esbAVYPEBE0NZyzHkJT2ukJcnyk6IYjApFlROhLyrnFYHDddj_LrlwOLmFI/s400/IMG_4576.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strang, Thals and Hutch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCJocwADi7Wq2iURGlg4BdD2W4LG5QQjlcxdVoDEggZY7J8FDMaJb_389YhgZvjFW2FLURAJVclfVf6UosiScuzbfR87D2ZqicoJfRXbJZu2QhGJluIWK4XyFFifWdo-7XL1sWLYLAXw/s1600/IMG_4552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCJocwADi7Wq2iURGlg4BdD2W4LG5QQjlcxdVoDEggZY7J8FDMaJb_389YhgZvjFW2FLURAJVclfVf6UosiScuzbfR87D2ZqicoJfRXbJZu2QhGJluIWK4XyFFifWdo-7XL1sWLYLAXw/s400/IMG_4552.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bianca, Jess and Annalyse</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angus, Disey and Mandy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqS3aJbI-7BY4-ExM92SHi0lhN1RDeHNs7GbKCdB4d90qw5ocqyX_RsjDgnYfeIEOhnprhGUN1zQO5I61g9t02QVPEDvA6eN8jbhU5FcFrGTSBwOJbpwx5DgZRhATk1new4sKigr2gMcI/s1600/IMG_4578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqS3aJbI-7BY4-ExM92SHi0lhN1RDeHNs7GbKCdB4d90qw5ocqyX_RsjDgnYfeIEOhnprhGUN1zQO5I61g9t02QVPEDvA6eN8jbhU5FcFrGTSBwOJbpwx5DgZRhATk1new4sKigr2gMcI/s400/IMG_4578.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam Sam, Bel and Andrew</td></tr>
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<div style=”font: 13.5px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595360755529097984.post-89370150705265866392011-03-10T00:48:00.009+11:002011-03-10T10:40:26.161+11:00Rottnest Channel Swim: a 21.75km marine life odyssey<span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDQkz-DcH55_xmRgQZDcyfmPoeZ3WXomZWMXsf8nN3S9fWmzBuBAlVZd2-TnGC54DNbsCJ6QDeVwMZgu-s1lKcVY2Aucl9ozGLdK18dqm6HD-3-YdjzT9IZFmxX5XywQz4AVI87pnw3E/s1600/IMG_3701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDQkz-DcH55_xmRgQZDcyfmPoeZ3WXomZWMXsf8nN3S9fWmzBuBAlVZd2-TnGC54DNbsCJ6QDeVwMZgu-s1lKcVY2Aucl9ozGLdK18dqm6HD-3-YdjzT9IZFmxX5XywQz4AVI87pnw3E/s640/IMG_3701.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">“You just swam the equivalent of a Half Marathon….”</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Trust my triathlon friends to put it in perspective…</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweFdUVVLB5PH5ZM_Gy8urZ182TW8zNjeKjK_1aO2tszn6Nf_d7UW7anuQxh6AevXNA5upbu8BJ-Ayt8IVrew00s5gu17INQ1qnEzNTzf1Fq0qOEA_3uMSm8JRbrkOTpJ-1lSUYZvDqoI/s1600/IMG_3531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweFdUVVLB5PH5ZM_Gy8urZ182TW8zNjeKjK_1aO2tszn6Nf_d7UW7anuQxh6AevXNA5upbu8BJ-Ayt8IVrew00s5gu17INQ1qnEzNTzf1Fq0qOEA_3uMSm8JRbrkOTpJ-1lSUYZvDqoI/s320/IMG_3531.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Rottnest Island - somewhere out there...</span></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well, Rottnest Channel Swim turned out to be longer than a Half Marathon (21.1km), higher endurance than my Half Ironman (6hr 14mins) and the most marine life I have ever seen in a race before!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">However, pulling together a successful solo crossing was the result of a <a href="http://torgorman.blogspot.com/2011/02/rottnest-channel-preparation-time-for.html">lot of preparation</a>, training and an incredible team supporting me, both in the race and from the sidelines. And I am thrilled to be able to say: "I made it! And in my goal time"</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pre-race preparations went reasonably smoothly, and we arrived in Perth at 2am on Wednesday. Not quite ideal, but we were there! Perth was in the middle of a 25 day heat wave, and it was a delightful 30 degrees celcius at 2am in our air conditioned hire car.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Waking up on Wednesday morning we were just a short walk down to Cottesloe Beach where Mum, Dad and I had a morning dip before Dad headed off to work. I got my first taste of the Western Australian stingers as I did a few km’s up and down the beach. OUCH! They hit like a whip, and come out of nowhere… you can’t see these guys before they sting! Thankfully the pain subsides after about half an hour, and I figured I was better off knowing what I was in for. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sBrcm9tHFYynoWWpjH17CGdnSIszMMHt6iFw8jZ6Ni6n59xz-uxT6UcgQfAkt7bPEi7CmAUuYQtdCz-ZB3N6hgmLGkkmx5hKOeiXhL9S8Yy79Bb5TImopkPy3nA1mz5R-pd_2AcIXqk/s1600/IMG_3544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sBrcm9tHFYynoWWpjH17CGdnSIszMMHt6iFw8jZ6Ni6n59xz-uxT6UcgQfAkt7bPEi7CmAUuYQtdCz-ZB3N6hgmLGkkmx5hKOeiXhL9S8Yy79Bb5TImopkPy3nA1mz5R-pd_2AcIXqk/s320/IMG_3544.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">6 Gormans!</span></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That evening we headed up the river to meet my amazing first cousin once removed, Andrew. Andrew had been so kind to lend me his speed boat for the race which Mum and Dad would be in all day watching and supporting me as I turn my arms over and over. Andrew had never met me or my parentals when he got a call last year from another cousin, Henry, saying: "Andrew, you have mad cousin who wants to swim to Rottnest Island next year, can you lend her your boat?" Family really blows me away with the incredible support always available, and unbeknownst to me Andrew spent the summer refurbishing his ski boat, putting in a new engine and setting up a bimani to provide shade cover for Mum and Dad. I was a very lucky girl. We met Andrew, his wife Angela and new daughter Abby and checked out the boat, which blew away all our expectations, before heading out for dinner where many a family story was traded. It was a great night and we all thoroughly enjoyed meeting more family. There really is nothing stronger than the family bond.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5drQI3mo-SnDuabdRNTCYfOLb_Lh3yJefymvbpzBIjZYXIoTdsUNbkLbfUHoGLDx0gWU5tjITWAXfcs_vT96eyeGjVNfPDRB6T-HmfAZURZRYzwfNNAg7Tby_Sg0ZsfTNL7Qx2mLaLY/s1600/IMG_3585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5drQI3mo-SnDuabdRNTCYfOLb_Lh3yJefymvbpzBIjZYXIoTdsUNbkLbfUHoGLDx0gWU5tjITWAXfcs_vT96eyeGjVNfPDRB6T-HmfAZURZRYzwfNNAg7Tby_Sg0ZsfTNL7Qx2mLaLY/s200/IMG_3585.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Team united: Joe and I</span></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On Thursday, the final piece of Team Tori was complete with the arrival of my paddler Joe.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pre race prep still involved swimming everyday, either in the pool or down at the beach getting used to the WA water. To be honest, I far preferred the sea as after 4 months solid pool training, I was pretty over the black line! The rest of the time was a mixture of fine tuning race preparation and trying to stay chilled.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Qan02qufqfNoLiWrVh-g9TBWYJ6fakKLvIcpTWCqFHKEdc4zz0i_GiwXbtJ_u6s4urv5K1G2d3J9TI989Ymg2z387YvEP6EtN_YQNoUiNV5OjYqtmIQEguVcgvI2MAFk_2ybazFW_nk/s1600/IMG_3564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Qan02qufqfNoLiWrVh-g9TBWYJ6fakKLvIcpTWCqFHKEdc4zz0i_GiwXbtJ_u6s4urv5K1G2d3J9TI989Ymg2z387YvEP6EtN_YQNoUiNV5OjYqtmIQEguVcgvI2MAFk_2ybazFW_nk/s200/IMG_3564.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Becci and Louise</span></span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngDsGyTsza00oLZqNvQAVrJg6biM0bA95F6yW8EhM_EFlFJo2N0w-I8gUBVBcwmpdBRWo-yNEEqXPxfy6T7sz1bBfzqzLoOnOMMI1tRd6NRgeGBjxwVFT1C7d6fKvFio_EK6F981JZOQ/s1600/IMG_3561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngDsGyTsza00oLZqNvQAVrJg6biM0bA95F6yW8EhM_EFlFJo2N0w-I8gUBVBcwmpdBRWo-yNEEqXPxfy6T7sz1bBfzqzLoOnOMMI1tRd6NRgeGBjxwVFT1C7d6fKvFio_EK6F981JZOQ/s200/IMG_3561.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Justin, Gorm and Damien</span></span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraKpXQfDtnV3XB5Y-HBSmbX5d5I-O4ypyp92k3wpi_K3FPchypRZHH1xUZXGwmsa8aelWkm-MULNoVM6r-C6KTkEemD6g36HSCeBF93FZPbfdxKMsLeprxqSGl6pQOABsl6B8M217zVs/s1600/IMG_3563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraKpXQfDtnV3XB5Y-HBSmbX5d5I-O4ypyp92k3wpi_K3FPchypRZHH1xUZXGwmsa8aelWkm-MULNoVM6r-C6KTkEemD6g36HSCeBF93FZPbfdxKMsLeprxqSGl6pQOABsl6B8M217zVs/s200/IMG_3563.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cam and Coach Vlad</span></span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLAg-wdESTgtH57gY5TkrCqcwNFxM5ITUDOey2s2ETPRacay4yDVw8XLJb0PUSk8543da9emHz2268ryBDldXSKDHie49xZVjx64rSpVt5K_j5wRSQ1-AjB4YV7YvY0uEV4RCgS6zr_0/s1600/IMG_3572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLAg-wdESTgtH57gY5TkrCqcwNFxM5ITUDOey2s2ETPRacay4yDVw8XLJb0PUSk8543da9emHz2268ryBDldXSKDHie49xZVjx64rSpVt5K_j5wRSQ1-AjB4YV7YvY0uEV4RCgS6zr_0/s200/IMG_3572.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Me and Coach Vlad: challenge ahead</span></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With the ridiculously early race start looming on Saturday, we decided to have a catch up at Perth’s finest pub, the OBH, on Thursday night with everyone from Sydney and surrounds who had been a part of the Rottnest 2011 challenge. It was a great night with local friends, training buddies, support crew and my coach Vlad all in attendance. We watched a magic sunset, still sweltering in the 32 degree heat, and I looked at Rottnest and thought: “2 sleeps”.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3A8NFP-AwBq0lolGrXrdFuqKgIeMIP9ic-XXntL4V5f-ouxtDBbtFGBAmfJ_O6WG5VoaB48o9Ie4yTsPswy05uax_NXF0t81wqvEzjpiuSzZ-NTSoge_hrb2M_O0L8BtqcFN4ZgG-u8/s1600/IMG_3587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3A8NFP-AwBq0lolGrXrdFuqKgIeMIP9ic-XXntL4V5f-ouxtDBbtFGBAmfJ_O6WG5VoaB48o9Ie4yTsPswy05uax_NXF0t81wqvEzjpiuSzZ-NTSoge_hrb2M_O0L8BtqcFN4ZgG-u8/s320/IMG_3587.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Getting pumped at the race briefing</span></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preparation for a race, especially one of such magnitude as this and with so many people involved who had all put in so much to be here supporting me, is absolutely key. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To say I was feeling the pressure was an understatement. Would I achieve my goal? The question was never “Would I finish?” I knew I could as I had done the km’s in the pool and ocean for months. I had been building strength in the gym, dragging my body up and down a black line in the pool, I had sacrificed a large portion of my social life for training and sleeping, I had given up alcohol for 2 months, even coffee for 6 weeks! But whether I would finish in a time that would do me and everyone in my support crew both in Perth and back in Sydney proud and would make the sacrifice worth it was definitely weighing on my mind. I have bigger plans, and this race needed to be executed in the way I planned, to keep my momentum going. Knowing I had built up a huge amount of support from my amazing family and friends also was a huge help, yet I knew I had a lot to live up to. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uRQnMK6O9vN3qpI5rESmezIo5QOfpDoHHNQldnqLgtWz3aaAidnKQNTIB5z5y2_CD2AUeWg6uBEqUNnkcmkIRYCSN6eHOUGW-L_jBhuO8tXNAfbfM697elTZFEBlUT8b0pJ9q7Aocws/s1600/IMG_3658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uRQnMK6O9vN3qpI5rESmezIo5QOfpDoHHNQldnqLgtWz3aaAidnKQNTIB5z5y2_CD2AUeWg6uBEqUNnkcmkIRYCSN6eHOUGW-L_jBhuO8tXNAfbfM697elTZFEBlUT8b0pJ9q7Aocws/s320/IMG_3658.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Team Tori in uniform</span></span></i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But it was not just my own preparations that counted, it was also those of my support team, aka “Team Tori”. Mum and Dad spent days charting my potential courses , studying currents, sourcing local knowledge, reading weather maps, determining my swimming speed vs. current speeds and angles that would position me at Phillip Rock 1.5km off the finish line. Mum also sorted out all the support crew food and learnt how to Facebook the night before the race so she could keep everyone following me up to date. Joe also got himself into peak physical condition in order to paddle for 21km’s. And when I say “paddle” I mean board paddle on a rescue board with his two hands. Rotating between lying down and kneeling up for over 6 hours is not something to take lightly. Joe also spent plenty of time methodically thinking through various aspects of the race and ensuring I had plans for potential obstacles that we could face. Thankfully most of these did not come to fruition, but it was good knowing we had covered most of them in preparation.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRzyl9QQjoN0rbIhwSW56SGj7xm7noraAj2ET_3rjgBknj3UZ8gvPnRKDVLKQ7upzreDJaVO8A2-TPy5ZT5w0Nu3vwrJBY3_zBILqboN8eWGHUxtF-UEUf2z8bFj26OxI9FbxWL4-cfg/s1600/IMG_3609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRzyl9QQjoN0rbIhwSW56SGj7xm7noraAj2ET_3rjgBknj3UZ8gvPnRKDVLKQ7upzreDJaVO8A2-TPy5ZT5w0Nu3vwrJBY3_zBILqboN8eWGHUxtF-UEUf2z8bFj26OxI9FbxWL4-cfg/s320/IMG_3609.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Race supplies and nutrition were secured in netting bags attached to the front of the board. My race plan consisted of electrolyte drink every half hour with food (alternating between jelly cups with fruit and Shotz gels) and a carb drink every other 15 minutes. We would be holding the position on the left for a minimum of 6 hours... and the forecast was for 36 degrees on race day. It was going to be hot, and hydration would be key.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And then suddenly it was race day. I hardly slept the night before – standard for me pre big races – and was up and awake at 3.30am. Breakfast time was porridge and banana and then all the last minor preparations. Mum and Dad were out the door at 4am heading down to Port Walter to meet our boat and at 4.40am Joe and I walked out the door and down to Cottesloe Beach. It was dark, and there was a shore break pumping, not quite the flat, idyllic conditions we had been promised!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNCCIYS4bWE7BIvEqfoBJ7SzEpDRui_EoQUOdyq3kH28CDVXtG9iSYzDTEr-kCKINknPkZUwqSWvTRftSwMsYbr2-SBFmwzOUJ8RSZ1DPdYEIR8iFuNNTEk9ZynZcm4E37E-9mt3InfQ/s1600/To+print+-+24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNCCIYS4bWE7BIvEqfoBJ7SzEpDRui_EoQUOdyq3kH28CDVXtG9iSYzDTEr-kCKINknPkZUwqSWvTRftSwMsYbr2-SBFmwzOUJ8RSZ1DPdYEIR8iFuNNTEk9ZynZcm4E37E-9mt3InfQ/s200/To+print+-+24.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Alice and I pre race</span></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Arriving at Cottesloe Beach the atmosphere was electric. I could feel the excitement in the air, and I felt sick, nervous and pumped simultaneously. I registered and got my timing chip, got my race number (#76) written on my arms and then headed down to the shore where Joe and I did my last preparations: coating my exposed skin in zinc, covering my armpits and neck in Vaseline, putting on my caps, setting my GPS devices, and psyching up. Vlad came over for a quick pre race chat and then I was off to the starters area. On the way I bumped into my school friend Alice and her boyfriend Richard and had pre race photos and air hugs as I was covered in gunk. Unfortunately I didn’t see my other mates Gilad and Michael who I used to work with in my CeBIT days but they were there and have the photos to prove it! And then it was race time - In the starters pen I stood next to seven times Australian 25km National Championships winner,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Shelley Clark, who was just lovely. I felt like a bit of a pretender standing next to her in her Australian team swimsuit! And then the WA Premier lifted his arm with the gun and we were off!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSkBLhylx6nd5NqZI1ofudb9RLvArUnq0dt3xaSohs2954hLwrajVJGodlyS5pakrKrsY-vP-CjSNX4Gx9E7ze70jWEljR7MJZ8Gy_Xq9ROuMXTwwIiwA9IsVTCw8UjWUK6FyvOkleCs/s1600/To+print+-+84.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSkBLhylx6nd5NqZI1ofudb9RLvArUnq0dt3xaSohs2954hLwrajVJGodlyS5pakrKrsY-vP-CjSNX4Gx9E7ze70jWEljR7MJZ8Gy_Xq9ROuMXTwwIiwA9IsVTCw8UjWUK6FyvOkleCs/s320/To+print+-+84.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Swim Channel with 800 boats and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 500 paddlers waiting for their swimmers!!</span></span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtE8SVUwiaCwyQQpfmpPe8j61yaDfN3OzRe093QIw8jUA7POYCkToKaCtb5_zenepDLLOdzRuVo1B2OTnJzF1UTKQgIXyDtAv2rZ3g_XK73wJ0FA4R4NX5CNirjOT_ijqtB1OMyJzHls/s1600/To+print+-+82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtE8SVUwiaCwyQQpfmpPe8j61yaDfN3OzRe093QIw8jUA7POYCkToKaCtb5_zenepDLLOdzRuVo1B2OTnJzF1UTKQgIXyDtAv2rZ3g_XK73wJ0FA4R4NX5CNirjOT_ijqtB1OMyJzHls/s320/To+print+-+82.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Boat and chopper madness at dawn <br />
at Cottesloe Beach</span></span></i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The first 500m of the race were a disaster. I couldn’t see a thing, turns out some vaso had gotten on my lens and since it was still dark as we took off from the beach, I couldn’t see a thing. I also had stingers hitting me constantly across my face and under my arms. I had to take my goggles off and swim with my head up for a good 300m until I worked out where the buoys where I was meeting Joe was. Thankfully he was exactly where we organized, and I waved him over and we were off. There were boats everywhere… 800 in fact! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was nuts. I was grateful to have Joe next to me to protect me from vessels in such low light. Joe located Mum and Dad in the boat at the 1.5km mark and the team was complete.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As the sun rose, my vision improved, and I decided I didn’t need an extremely clear view anyway as I had Joe right next to me for the whole race and the boat setting my course. I hit my rhythm and off I went. And so did the stingers… for the first 8kms in fact. It was torture. I think I screamed underwater consistently for a good 2.5hours every time they hit. Poor Joe could see my pain, and finally I called for more vaso as the stings had irritated my skin so much there was some serious pain. And then finally at the 9km mark the stingers vanished! At this point in the race I also realised I had dropped my pace and having done 8km’s (which is what it seems to take for me to warm up these day!) I decided I needed to up the pace. It was game on.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDrFKQXN0jjiF5FkJB3s-qTSBZ4jRWK1GiT0jKwKbJDCPhZloHrakgZJBCscgsDyFWLy-um00_vmmkg3syR2_SYmSbfErGhPvfmQV6NzriY8dQv1F-NwjgNk-RnN2Xc_s9Y91EUCYOE4/s1600/IMG_0214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDrFKQXN0jjiF5FkJB3s-qTSBZ4jRWK1GiT0jKwKbJDCPhZloHrakgZJBCscgsDyFWLy-um00_vmmkg3syR2_SYmSbfErGhPvfmQV6NzriY8dQv1F-NwjgNk-RnN2Xc_s9Y91EUCYOE4/s320/IMG_0214.JPG" width="240" /></span></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From 9km’s to 20kms I hit a strong rhythm, and nutrition and hydration went perfectly to plan. Conditions were hot. The water was 24 degrees celcius. Air temperature 36-38 degrees and the water was sloppy. Mum was busy re-filling my bottles and feeding Joe ham and cheese sandwiches which tortured me as he ate them next to me, and also posting updates on my Facebook page. Dad was busy keeping me on course and protecting me from sharks… yep – at the 15km mark there was a hammerhead shark reported to the left of the boat… I was on the right of the boat… Thankfully my parents decision to trust the shark shield hanging off the board was a good one.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRzyl9QQjoN0rbIhwSW56SGj7xm7noraAj2ET_3rjgBknj3UZ8gvPnRKDVLKQ7upzreDJaVO8A2-TPy5ZT5w0Nu3vwrJBY3_zBILqboN8eWGHUxtF-UEUf2z8bFj26OxI9FbxWL4-cfg/s1600/IMG_3609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRzyl9QQjoN0rbIhwSW56SGj7xm7noraAj2ET_3rjgBknj3UZ8gvPnRKDVLKQ7upzreDJaVO8A2-TPy5ZT5w0Nu3vwrJBY3_zBILqboN8eWGHUxtF-UEUf2z8bFj26OxI9FbxWL4-cfg/s320/IMG_3609.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At 16km’s we heard my training buddy Louise Stevenson was currently sitting in third overall. It was a pretty exciting moment and made me really pick up my pace. I could feel the finish getting closer. At this point the current also really picked up and I could feel myself being swept left. I yelled this out to the crew to work into the course. Marine life was in abundance: fish, 6 manta rays, stingers... it was definitely an underwater paradise. I was also surprised how I could see the bottom for most of the way, and it was pretty clear how quickly I was being swept left.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4uyXIUY0nVzuuqhD4zVU4KpH65Vc1RScXWU-0OfTXBffjZIoo3L_u74W9sf_HJwDzjZluj7h3zb_0Dm31yDpIOlGOb_8YWLc0-BMtqo5uEC3b-DcE6XXwGX_VlhSq99dtnTS9RAHmAc/s1600/IMG_3610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4uyXIUY0nVzuuqhD4zVU4KpH65Vc1RScXWU-0OfTXBffjZIoo3L_u74W9sf_HJwDzjZluj7h3zb_0Dm31yDpIOlGOb_8YWLc0-BMtqo5uEC3b-DcE6XXwGX_VlhSq99dtnTS9RAHmAc/s320/IMG_3610.JPG" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times;">Finally at 20km’s I started to mentally flag… I realized that I was still a minimum of 1.5km from the finish line as we hadn’t yet rounded Phillip Rock, and I felt like I must have dropped right off as I was battling current. Interestingly the data shows I was actually still doing ok, you can definitely see where I hit the worst of the current. Finally 300m later I was past the rock, and back in my groove.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times;">I really started to pick up the pace here and just wanted to finish. I upped my nutrition to caffeine gels only and was smashing down my feeds in sub 15 secs. It got a little hectic! I started overtaking teams, duos and solos. It was a pretty satisfying feeling winding them in and each time I reached one, I would focus on the next and then the next. And before I knew it, I was at the finish chute. The boat and Joe peeled off and I was in the chute. 800m on my own. A few last stingers hit me across the face and under the arms. I overtook the last solo ahead of me, and the team and then the duo, and finally I was on the beach standing up under a massive blue sign. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWAaFJUGGUnMMvtWDlNSEqmLUJEmylBr1vO7Nxk9zT3sRfpIBMZOUvYPqUz7xWaKcw7gn0iiw3iZHO-oIb3xhJW64DU6uoJ4snnT1lWmGm-jlmH9yBfbikaxzQrJSsihLgkTi9RzvIQg/s1600/IMG_3633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWAaFJUGGUnMMvtWDlNSEqmLUJEmylBr1vO7Nxk9zT3sRfpIBMZOUvYPqUz7xWaKcw7gn0iiw3iZHO-oIb3xhJW64DU6uoJ4snnT1lWmGm-jlmH9yBfbikaxzQrJSsihLgkTi9RzvIQg/s320/IMG_3633.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times;">I was handed my finishers pack and headed out the chute to meet Mum, Dad and Joe. I was elated, and exhausted, and very quickly I crashed with a massive blood sugar level crash. I should have eaten as soon as I finished, but unfortunately I didn’t think about that as we had to move the boat and the board, get unloaded off the boat etc. All the logistics took 2 hours before we stopped and I ate. To say I was a mess is an understatement. I learnt a lesson that day – post race food is required immediately!!!. Thankfully I refueled and finally was back to normal soon after. After showers we hit the bar to catch up with everyone else. Hugo and Kate had come over from Sydney and were there for the celebrations. It was a great afternoon. Everyone was on a high! Presentation at 5pm where all solo finishers received our commemorative statue and had a team photo and then we were back to the bar! Hit the dance floor (adrenaline is an incredible drug) and finally crashed out at 10pm that night. What a day!!!!</span></div></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AuY6ZS14xU1TWqUjvt2yBFRJNGRTsk8Efz1c3_SE_pJQVE-Qg-_Wxgvyq58cSGGun7i4zOP197Ak8kKMTfcVscxla5Lp-QQRJ_AOY4Ah5RDmyNQjBlelrcJkedcsaJOtB6DtVVdq0_8/s1600/IMG_3640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AuY6ZS14xU1TWqUjvt2yBFRJNGRTsk8Efz1c3_SE_pJQVE-Qg-_Wxgvyq58cSGGun7i4zOP197Ak8kKMTfcVscxla5Lp-QQRJ_AOY4Ah5RDmyNQjBlelrcJkedcsaJOtB6DtVVdq0_8/s640/IMG_3640.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dad, me and Mum on the finish</span></span></i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><i><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BUTya5Cu464bM6EG08iXZMyg3wvNey8ir3i1paPNSIUJFZALonnkgzxC7VaU86HYXJyRLoKcJpctIjEkjUAMNiILoiYSsXHmAh1s-EPX8VXNfcSUsHcMDfn4B-efaqlFDZOruLml4Z8/s1600/IMG_3703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BUTya5Cu464bM6EG08iXZMyg3wvNey8ir3i1paPNSIUJFZALonnkgzxC7VaU86HYXJyRLoKcJpctIjEkjUAMNiILoiYSsXHmAh1s-EPX8VXNfcSUsHcMDfn4B-efaqlFDZOruLml4Z8/s640/IMG_3703.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The best support crew decked out in our red logo t-shirts! Team Tori: me, Dad, Mum and Joe</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span>POST MORTEM:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_M_S1bjY7mrhIgtMHGy9Y-aXeme6tIIFpFavpbMnhPFkVmKMPe_NzY6YI20At7oO12z2iNhDwEm8zL46WiBkIHB7gz6H7-tS5oECMBN3NaA6BSKh_zGGB_LozB82i4gzzVm0QINim7w/s1600/IMG_0244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_M_S1bjY7mrhIgtMHGy9Y-aXeme6tIIFpFavpbMnhPFkVmKMPe_NzY6YI20At7oO12z2iNhDwEm8zL46WiBkIHB7gz6H7-tS5oECMBN3NaA6BSKh_zGGB_LozB82i4gzzVm0QINim7w/s200/IMG_0244.jpg" width="150" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Stinger remnants - RHS</span></span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6-NWb1emm4Jv9bH35Vqorulzwp5P7OkpoFxG7VmX8ELVbukhl6ddylWqTXpQ9wo_1JM6BIbginWwWLZXNFFArrtgrcIP6f8mCGO1n5g29TUKBDlCcw23DIOMFmqfHI4VM3BJnCG5SWc/s1600/IMG_0238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6-NWb1emm4Jv9bH35Vqorulzwp5P7OkpoFxG7VmX8ELVbukhl6ddylWqTXpQ9wo_1JM6BIbginWwWLZXNFFArrtgrcIP6f8mCGO1n5g29TUKBDlCcw23DIOMFmqfHI4VM3BJnCG5SWc/s200/IMG_0238.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The sunburn</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ygM2k2pNHvv8qOs1MNIXipEzlX15ar0aLHDSN9UQi2z_KRJ_7abSmOWLbIQqtg6_71ycyp3-euJFHGGvu5wgjd-4MivmnTZLp3ep59xzTbwls93E1LUcm8KE0e60RTwd0qRkcYP2jGo/s1600/IMG_0239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ygM2k2pNHvv8qOs1MNIXipEzlX15ar0aLHDSN9UQi2z_KRJ_7abSmOWLbIQqtg6_71ycyp3-euJFHGGvu5wgjd-4MivmnTZLp3ep59xzTbwls93E1LUcm8KE0e60RTwd0qRkcYP2jGo/s200/IMG_0239.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="150" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Stinger remnants - LHS</span></span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Overall results:</span></span></i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFKtii_PIh-uV2ICbAWM6jw0wms2w0p9qMC1xc-9crjnoJYD6ZjI7dVqbP6Ls9PWVyZxuSTKk-8qeHHK582Vy7iW-bAMNPjropJKRe9slvCFBURs4McYJH7rBkjrhFaKBQA58ExbRiwc/s1600/IMG_3670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFKtii_PIh-uV2ICbAWM6jw0wms2w0p9qMC1xc-9crjnoJYD6ZjI7dVqbP6Ls9PWVyZxuSTKk-8qeHHK582Vy7iW-bAMNPjropJKRe9slvCFBURs4McYJH7rBkjrhFaKBQA58ExbRiwc/s320/IMG_3670.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Successful Solo Swimmers 2011</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">21.75km swum (splits below)</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6 hours 23 mins</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">14th female out of 34 female solos</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">45th solo out of 198 starters. </span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Turns out 50 solos didn’t finish, and speaking to some of them afterwards they were pretty gutted. I really felt for them.</span><br />
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</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1pRKSJK1rrDQAbhuQNeBCZ-xkGpUbyK7vxvt78wA0Iu3qqgXYlSbd3wNHHzNW3A0-v4bSAE90kiXjjPQZSg85A4O9DyBMVq1PSXOSMtk_WdP0DJgLtyQ4Fk812H1o-tYBx-Wm3AcgGc4/s1600/IMG_3662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1pRKSJK1rrDQAbhuQNeBCZ-xkGpUbyK7vxvt78wA0Iu3qqgXYlSbd3wNHHzNW3A0-v4bSAE90kiXjjPQZSg85A4O9DyBMVq1PSXOSMtk_WdP0DJgLtyQ4Fk812H1o-tYBx-Wm3AcgGc4/s400/IMG_3662.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My current excitement is being able to say:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“I have now swum </span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">further than I have ever run!”</span></span></i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYKCLT-0HVQ5mN5stbXk-dQ-J0AX8NBu10YwiJDibm0P59ttc16m8q6BlSoDqbbIxeUPQEpBGfMuMQxI7bxP50eYr1ITRaBUDiETJXLiQfrpekzsxai7Et3rjEtyVp5s6MwvO4jDZEcY/s1600/IMG_3928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYKCLT-0HVQ5mN5stbXk-dQ-J0AX8NBu10YwiJDibm0P59ttc16m8q6BlSoDqbbIxeUPQEpBGfMuMQxI7bxP50eYr1ITRaBUDiETJXLiQfrpekzsxai7Et3rjEtyVp5s6MwvO4jDZEcY/s320/IMG_3928.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Post race ‘Team Tori’ stayed on Rottnest Island for a few days R&R. I was spoilt by my tri buddies Laura and Tilly who organised me a massage on the island post race. We hung out with quokkas and cycled round the island and hung out with locals. All in all it was a magic experience.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thanks must go to everyone who helped me achieve this goal. Coach Vlad, my family: Bear, Gorm, Bel and Magoo, Joe, everyone at training, Louise for keeping me company doing the hours up and down Andrew Boy Charlton pool, the entire BondiFit crew: esp Tilly and Laura’s supportive quotes which I drew upon during the race, all Dad’s work colleagues and Tatts mates who showed us hospitality and helped us out, The Muppetts: Justin, Damien, Luke and Ben for coming over as a team and joining the fun, my cousin Andrew and his family and their boat, Henry for introducing me to Andrew, my start line supporters from 5.30am: Alice, Richard, Michael and Gilad, Hugo and Kate for coming to the finish on Rottnest Island, the Bondi surf training crew, everyone at work - past and present, all my Facebook friends… and before this turns into a logie speech, finally, thanks to the shark that decided not to eat me!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Race Splits per kilometer:</b></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;">1km. 16.32</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2km. 16.54</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3km. 17.52</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4km. 17.38</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5km. 18.42</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6km. 17.38</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">7km. 19.10</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">8km. 17.54</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">9km. 17.08</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">10km. 17.22</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">11km. 18.27</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">12km. 17.20</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">13km. 17.46</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">14km. 17.07</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">15km. 17.48</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">16km. 16.44</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">17km. 17.27</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">18km. 18.30</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">19km. 17.35</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">20km. 19.03</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">21km. 17.08</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">21.75km. 11.19</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>TOTAL: 6hr 23 mins</b></span></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What's next?? Stay Tuned...</span></span></b></i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuWPnUZEkAqcC6yJJi8waWFz1k8yj7nFf7ipAfNNYKlyHJ7NHqqQiyOXavyRoAnS8lkVX6PmmOBAIL-qC4s1TIHxWk_IUy11KCSwA4JSPogoXDbQLSCvskV0pAhGXW16xaNQSp8tK1BU/s1600/IMG_3785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuWPnUZEkAqcC6yJJi8waWFz1k8yj7nFf7ipAfNNYKlyHJ7NHqqQiyOXavyRoAnS8lkVX6PmmOBAIL-qC4s1TIHxWk_IUy11KCSwA4JSPogoXDbQLSCvskV0pAhGXW16xaNQSp8tK1BU/s640/IMG_3785.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div>Torihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08690828890041755200noreply@blogger.com