This evening I find myself sitting on my balcony reflecting upon today's weather, looking at the full moon and checking the new Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation web-site, www.cspf.co.uk to see what today's wind temperature, wind speed and wind direction was in the Channel, as I try to visualise next years swim?
I'm not sure what purpose these thought processes serve and I guess to many they are pretty pointless but to me the main battle to swim the channel will be won in the mind?
Since I embarked on this journey, I have never once doubted my ability to swim the English Channel neither have I ever visualised failure. I must have successfully swam the channel every day for the last two years.
Since successfully swimming Lake Windermere earlier this month, it has taken me a good two weeks to fully recover. My biggest area of complaint from the swim was the soreness around my eyes from wearing goggles for 12 hrs &15 mins. A friend of mine has suggested that I should sleep with my goggles on from now on to get used to them...thanks Paul I best buy a water bed too!!
Despite the English Channel waters now being at their warmest I have only just returned to the sea, preferring to maintain my fitness by focusing on my running, putting in 5 x sessions a week across the beautiful AONB Kent countryside that surrounds my home http://www.kentdowns.org.uk/aonb.html
However I resumed serious training last Sunday and focused on improving my 'speed and catch' for a 1hr 30m session rather than gather 'hours under my belt for time spent in the water'.
With the channel swim season drawing to a close at the end of September the number of swimmers training in Dover Harbour is diminishing.
Around 30 swimmers, made up of soloist and relay teams, still await to make the crossing like newly hatched 'Loggerhead sea turtles'!
With a plethora of international arrivals, the beaches of Dover Harbour has taken on a distinct colourful flavour with swimmers arriving from Malaysia, USA, Italy and Turkey.( One day I am going to work out the gross added value that channel swimming must contribute to the local economy?).
Upon taking a breather in the sea on Sunday, I was amused by a Turkish swimmer who stopped to encourage me to carry on swimming as the water was very cold. I asked them how long they had been in the sea, their response was " 34 mins"...tesekkurederim? Meanwhile amongst the euphoria of a magnificent Olympics games, unashamedly hijacked by Politicians and the Royal's to strengthen the bond with the common man, listening to a wailing Paul McCartney and watching an LSD induced closing ceremony, the past few weeks has also seen my training partners Lewis Young and Sophie Tills make valiant solo attempts to swim the channel.
With Lewis making a successful crossing in a highly impressive 12hrs & 52mins and Sophie returning another a day to try again, I also acted as an observer for soloist, Mark Workman, who returned three days later to complete a successful swim in 20hrs 16 mins.
Observing Mark on his 1st attempt gave me some invaluable experience for when its my turn?
Well done to Lewis, Sophie and Mark you are all gold medallist's.
I would just like to say thank you to all those that continue to donate and support me with special thanks to Folkestone printers of Copy Link http://copy-link.co.uk
and Silkworm Studios http://silkwormstudios.wordpress.com for providing the posters and charity labels for my charity tins and Monkey Hair Maidstone
http://www.monkeyhair.co.uk for being the 1st to promote my charity tins.
I am also seeking other distribution points and if you would be willing to erect my poster to support me in raising money for my nominated charities or collect monies on my behalf please email on peterjamesgreen@gmail.com
Once again thanks everyone.
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