There are two types of fun.
Type-1 Fun is what most of us actually think of as... Fun. Bouncy castles. Parties. Champagne. Hot tubs. Beach volleyball. Stealing your friend's phone and sending crank texts to all his contacts. Then there is Type-2 Fun. Type-2 Fun is when something is fun only AFTER you do it. In retrospect. In the pub. With a cold beer. My six-hour qualifying swim (a mandatory requirement to make a channel attempt) a few weeks ago definitely falls into the latter category.
ARRRGH - the most terrifying email I have ever received.
In fairness, it could have been a lot worse. For a start, I was in Mallorca, not in Dover harbour. Also I was with an amazing bunch of Channel and marathon-swim aspirants on SwimTrek's Channel and Long-Distance training camp.
Nonetheless doing endless laps of a large bay with plenty of jellyfish and 15-degree water isn't beach volleyball, whichever way you slice it. The main thing is that IT IS DONE, and I CAN now enjoy it, even if it did trigger the receipt of the most terrifying email I have ever received.
Me 'at school'
What I learnt on the first (for there will have to be many more) of my 6-hour swims:
Ridiculous invented milestones are good for keeping things positive. On my third feed at the 90-minute mark, I was heard to exclaim (between gulps of gel) "halfway to halfway!!!"
GOING TO THE LOO (yes I do mean that sort) is unpleasant but better than the alternative. I won't elaborate further except to say that I now know what a goldfish would see if it lived in my toilet bowl.
Jellyfish: nothing to fear but fear itself. I began the week really quite a scaredy-cat of the jellyfish which are ubiquitous in Mallorca (and in the Channel), and even though I miraculously didn't get properly stung, I'm now much more chilled about their presence. The ocean is shared space man, and they were there first. Not to go off on one about jellyfish, but if they could talk for sure they would be the most chilled-out creatures you've ever met. Pulse pulse. Bob bob.
- Cheap Spanish chocolate cake is the FOOD OF THE GODS.
- It's nice to share. I'm going to talk more about some of the incredible motivation we got from our coaches in a future blog, but for sure I couldn't have got the job done without the incredible support and inspiration of my fellow swimmers. I don't want to turn this into an Oscar speech except to say for now that SAM RINSLER YOU ARE A LEGEND, and all the other Legends know who they are too.
Right, back to the pool...
Two of The Legends.