I am pleased to report that i successfully completed the Bilgola 1.5k ocean swim and it wasn't too tough at all. The week leading up to it was far from ideal, i had very little time to train and have not been at my enthusiastic best. I nearly didn't bother registering for the race as it was a busy weekend and i didn't really fancy driving all the way down to Bilgola.
On Saturday for my training session the surf was unbelievably big. I was actually quite keen to go out in it because if the surf was like that for a race it would not be cancelled so i was keen for some experience in real conditions. So far our surf sessions have been pretty tame. But the coached didn't think everyone was ready for it so we went to Manly Cove to swim instead. The coaches said they'd take a few of us out in it if we wanted but in the end didn't. It was nowhere near as nice to swim in as the view of coke cans and dead crabs doesn't really rival the beauty of cabbage tree bay. it also wasn't nice swimming wise either. We just did some circuits around some boats and, because of my lack of training i felt pretty rubbish.
Regardless i was all signed up for Bilgola so up the coast we went on Sunday. It turned out to be a beautiful day and the conditions were really nice. There were a few of the cantoo guys competing as well so it was nice to be amongst friends. One of the coaches was down there too and he won his age range. The swim went according to plan and it was good getting the experience swimming in a crowd. The highlight was nearly getting in a fight with a swimmer (toward the back of the pack i might add) who thought it was incredibly serious and worth telling me to f%#ck off and try to kick my head in after he swam a line underneath me.
I'm still yet to find out my result as it was done with electronic timing and the results won't be released until tonight. I'm pretty sure i swam it in a little under 40mins which i'm not altogether happy with. i was first really disappointed because i remembered doing 15oo in the pool in around 20-25mins. Once i realised i was not Grant Hackett (wr is a little under 15mins) then i was not as concerned. My main concern was, although the race was an effort, i came out of the water with plenty left in the tank. I am able to swim, seemingly, forever but struggle to bump up a gear for a shortish distance. None the less i've got a few weeks training and 2 more races before the big swim so hopefully i will be happier with my performance then.
If anyone is interested you can see some photos from Bilgola. notably the starting photo off the yellow group you can see a big guy with some awesome looking calves seemingly pushing someone out of the way. also there is a photo of the course as marked by swimmer carrying a gps.
In terms of fundraising things are slowly ticking along but i'm starting to get a little concerned. I've hit the halfway mark which is great but would really like to have the total met before i actually do the swim. If i do that i will get a little presentation at training (which is nice) but more importantly i will be able to focus on the swim without worrying about money. If anyone was planning on giving but haven't got around to it yet please go to the website and enter my surname (shurey) and follow the prompts. i know i will make the total one way or the other i would just love to not have to stress about it for too much longer.
For everyone about to give and everyone who has already been so generous i am truly thankful.
cheers
Monday, December 15, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
stepping up
Sorry to anyone who actually reads this for my absence in the past week or so but my time to write has been limited.
This post is all about good news tho. On the fundraising front things have been going really well. Things have slowed down after an initial surge but i am really happy with how things are coming along. i now feel confident (as long as people continue to be generous) that i will comfortably make my total. I'm also now in the process of trying to organise my jelly wrestling event which, should i be able to get some people together, should be great.
On the training front things have been going really well. Despite a severe lack of sleep due to the lovely Eva (1yo yesterday!) i have been working really hard and achieving some great results. I was feeling down last week as the head coach told me the lane i was in was right despite the fact the other guys in it could not even complete the drills we were given (we are grouped by skill level in separate lanes). after that i decided to show it was not good for me and made sure i kept up with the level of intensity with the next lane up. After that he approached me and told me i needed to definitely go up a lane and said i was progressing really well. I also put myself into the stronger group at the beach and haven't been the slowest in it. it's actually been really good as the intensity is much higher and I'm finding the challenge really rewarding. On Saturday we swam probably a little over 2ks but with a couple of stops in between. it felt great and was a real confidence booster for the big 2.7.
I've also been trying to swim in the ocean every day and have been largely successful. it's becoming quite addictive, not only the exercise element but the beauty of being immersed in the water for half an hour or so watching the fish or even just the ripples of the sand at the bottom of the water. i occasionally pop my head up and think 'crap I'm in the middle of nowhere' and also when it's a little murky have some irrational thoughts about sharks but on the whole it's an awesome experience.
So for the week ahead I'll be trying to swim as much as possible and hope (finances and time allowing) to do the bilgola big swim. although it is only a 1.5k race it will be hard as there is no headland and no benefit of rips. it will also be good practice for swimming in race conditions.
I'll let you know how it goes.
This post is all about good news tho. On the fundraising front things have been going really well. Things have slowed down after an initial surge but i am really happy with how things are coming along. i now feel confident (as long as people continue to be generous) that i will comfortably make my total. I'm also now in the process of trying to organise my jelly wrestling event which, should i be able to get some people together, should be great.
On the training front things have been going really well. Despite a severe lack of sleep due to the lovely Eva (1yo yesterday!) i have been working really hard and achieving some great results. I was feeling down last week as the head coach told me the lane i was in was right despite the fact the other guys in it could not even complete the drills we were given (we are grouped by skill level in separate lanes). after that i decided to show it was not good for me and made sure i kept up with the level of intensity with the next lane up. After that he approached me and told me i needed to definitely go up a lane and said i was progressing really well. I also put myself into the stronger group at the beach and haven't been the slowest in it. it's actually been really good as the intensity is much higher and I'm finding the challenge really rewarding. On Saturday we swam probably a little over 2ks but with a couple of stops in between. it felt great and was a real confidence booster for the big 2.7.
I've also been trying to swim in the ocean every day and have been largely successful. it's becoming quite addictive, not only the exercise element but the beauty of being immersed in the water for half an hour or so watching the fish or even just the ripples of the sand at the bottom of the water. i occasionally pop my head up and think 'crap I'm in the middle of nowhere' and also when it's a little murky have some irrational thoughts about sharks but on the whole it's an awesome experience.
So for the week ahead I'll be trying to swim as much as possible and hope (finances and time allowing) to do the bilgola big swim. although it is only a 1.5k race it will be hard as there is no headland and no benefit of rips. it will also be good practice for swimming in race conditions.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
starting to work
The training has picked up a gear now, both with the coaches and my effort outside of these sessions. I've basically had a swim, gone for a bike ride or a long walk every day in the past week. it seems to be paying off which is good. i was pretty happy with my effort last night- my stroke is starting to feel really good and my coach seems to be happy (but there's a chance he's just being encouraging). My lane -the lowest one before the people who can't really swim any great distance- was empty bar me last night due to some dropping out, some dropping down and some moving up. This was a good thing though cause it meant i didn't have to worry about getting stuck behind anyone and could luxuriate in the whole lane. But as a result i was keeping an eye on the better lane next to me and was pretty well keeping up with people who were actually fit. We swam a total of 1.75ks last night which, though broken up, is the furthest i have ever swam.
I took my enthusiasm down to the beach this morning to do manly to shelly. The surf had other ideas as it was huge and messy. i walked to Shelly instead and planned to swim to Manly. This didn't work so well as i had a bit of a crisis of confidence as i hit the waves drawing out to the bower. Being really early (before 6) not many people were about and i felt pretty isolated. Visibility was practically 0 and i didn't feel like i was really going anywhere so i wussed out and swam back in. Not a long swim at all and i was pretty dirty with myself after getting out. I plan to get right back on the horse tomorrow morning and just push through.
On a positive note, being so disappointed with myself, i pledged to ride all the way up the hill without getting off and pushing (for anyone who doesn't know i live on top of a huge hill). i normally go up Margaret st and end up pushing for about 30 or so metre and then ride the rest of the way up woods. today i pushed through which was great but now means i can't allow myself to get off again. What have i done?!
On the fundraising side i'm really happy. I've gotten donations from only a handful of people but those people have been very generous (particularly Jane and Lyn, thanks again guys) and i am well on my way to my half way total. I was thinking i was going to have to work harder at the fundraising than the swimming but if this early generosity continues i will have no problems at all.
I took my enthusiasm down to the beach this morning to do manly to shelly. The surf had other ideas as it was huge and messy. i walked to Shelly instead and planned to swim to Manly. This didn't work so well as i had a bit of a crisis of confidence as i hit the waves drawing out to the bower. Being really early (before 6) not many people were about and i felt pretty isolated. Visibility was practically 0 and i didn't feel like i was really going anywhere so i wussed out and swam back in. Not a long swim at all and i was pretty dirty with myself after getting out. I plan to get right back on the horse tomorrow morning and just push through.
On a positive note, being so disappointed with myself, i pledged to ride all the way up the hill without getting off and pushing (for anyone who doesn't know i live on top of a huge hill). i normally go up Margaret st and end up pushing for about 30 or so metre and then ride the rest of the way up woods. today i pushed through which was great but now means i can't allow myself to get off again. What have i done?!
On the fundraising side i'm really happy. I've gotten donations from only a handful of people but those people have been very generous (particularly Jane and Lyn, thanks again guys) and i am well on my way to my half way total. I was thinking i was going to have to work harder at the fundraising than the swimming but if this early generosity continues i will have no problems at all.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Week 2
I've been told that i was a little too negative and cynical in my first post so be prepared for some sweetness and light (the fact that beno referred to cantoo as charity nazis kind of gives it away!)
I had my first surf session on Saturday and it was lots of fun. i actually had some stuff about the surf explained to me which really complimented what i have decided for myself over the years. We must have looked a sight- about 50 people of varying ages and body shapes donning bright orange swim caps running through the breaking waves and porpoising through waves about 1 foot high. I took a pretty cool trip on the escalator (rip at the point of south steyne) and realised i do need my goggles if only for a small swim.
The bad news was it was bloody hard. it's one thing to run into the surf and then have a nice little swim. it's just silly to run into the surf, around a dude in a wetsuit and back onto the beach to do it again.
It was nice tho to meet a bunch of new people and the fact that Maya and Eva were hanging around worked wonders with the ladies (note to all the boys find some small kid and act like their yours- you can sort out the truth later- and watch them swarm).
The second pool session was pretty cool too. We found out that one person has raised the minimum already which makes my $0 look a little sad (hint hint). Having said that she works for Macquarie and her efforts totalled emailing her workmates!
I've also been putting in some effort outside of the standard sessions which has been fun (swimming laps and walking etc) and horrible (core strength). Overall i think things are coming along really well. i'll try to get some photos and stuff to make future posts a bit more interesting.
Thanks for taking the time and please comment so i don't feel like i'm writing for myself
I had my first surf session on Saturday and it was lots of fun. i actually had some stuff about the surf explained to me which really complimented what i have decided for myself over the years. We must have looked a sight- about 50 people of varying ages and body shapes donning bright orange swim caps running through the breaking waves and porpoising through waves about 1 foot high. I took a pretty cool trip on the escalator (rip at the point of south steyne) and realised i do need my goggles if only for a small swim.
The bad news was it was bloody hard. it's one thing to run into the surf and then have a nice little swim. it's just silly to run into the surf, around a dude in a wetsuit and back onto the beach to do it again.
It was nice tho to meet a bunch of new people and the fact that Maya and Eva were hanging around worked wonders with the ladies (note to all the boys find some small kid and act like their yours- you can sort out the truth later- and watch them swarm).
The second pool session was pretty cool too. We found out that one person has raised the minimum already which makes my $0 look a little sad (hint hint). Having said that she works for Macquarie and her efforts totalled emailing her workmates!
I've also been putting in some effort outside of the standard sessions which has been fun (swimming laps and walking etc) and horrible (core strength). Overall i think things are coming along really well. i'll try to get some photos and stuff to make future posts a bit more interesting.
Thanks for taking the time and please comment so i don't feel like i'm writing for myself
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Here goes nothing
For anyone who doesn't know i have started to train to do the Macquarie big swim- palm beach to whale beach (a ridiculous 2.7ks)- with cantoo Australia. The basic premise is they provide me with free coaching in return for me raising money for cancer research. The only issue with this is i need to raise a minimum of $1250. This is where you all come into it. If i don't raise the money these lovely altruistic people will come at me with my credit card details in hand and attack (more fool them tho- i don't have $1000 on my credit card).
Now, being completely honest curing cancer is not something entirely close to my heart. It is no doubt a very worthy cause but hand on heart i'm here for the free coaching. But the beauty part is that the program does do really good things. The money raised goes directly to funding academics researching cures for cancer. They have raised something like $2.5mill already and are keeping a whole bunch of research going. As cynical as you all know i am i do think that's pretty cool.
The real deal with why i'm doing this is because i have been seriously lacking motivation in the fitness department after the arrival of the lovely Eva and need some sort of structured routine to kick my butt into action. Also i love to swim and have wanted to do an ocean race for some time now, but again motivation has been left wanting.
So, where you all come in is twopart. Firstly you can help me raise money for a really cool cause. I know in these times we all have donor fatigue and i do appreciate any enthusiasm for this type of support. The second way you all come into it is because sponsoring me is not only giving money to cancer research but also showing your support for me : ) ie, the more people with money riding on me actually doing this thing the more obliged i am to do it. So if you have any interest in seeing me drag my lazy butt into action, or just want to see if i can actually swim 2.7ks in the ocean jump on board.
I have links on this page to sponsorship forms and an online sponsorship section if you want to start giving. My suggestion would be for people to sponsor $2 for every 100 metres i swim ($56) but any amount, smaller or larger, would be greatly appreciated. I will also be emailing and generally harrassing everyone i know over the next couple of months so you don't forget. All donations over $2 are, of course, tax deductable.
On top of you just giving me money outright i have a bunch of interesting ideas for fundraisers along the way. i don't want to give too much away but jelly wrestling is certainly at the top of the list.
Over the course of this blog i will keep you updated about my progress and give you a little insight into the inner workings of my mind. I hope it will actually be interesting and not overly self-indulgent but who knows.
I've already started training, with a pool session and a surf session and i will give you all a more comprehensive update of how it's going in my next post.
Cheers!
Now, being completely honest curing cancer is not something entirely close to my heart. It is no doubt a very worthy cause but hand on heart i'm here for the free coaching. But the beauty part is that the program does do really good things. The money raised goes directly to funding academics researching cures for cancer. They have raised something like $2.5mill already and are keeping a whole bunch of research going. As cynical as you all know i am i do think that's pretty cool.
The real deal with why i'm doing this is because i have been seriously lacking motivation in the fitness department after the arrival of the lovely Eva and need some sort of structured routine to kick my butt into action. Also i love to swim and have wanted to do an ocean race for some time now, but again motivation has been left wanting.
So, where you all come in is twopart. Firstly you can help me raise money for a really cool cause. I know in these times we all have donor fatigue and i do appreciate any enthusiasm for this type of support. The second way you all come into it is because sponsoring me is not only giving money to cancer research but also showing your support for me : ) ie, the more people with money riding on me actually doing this thing the more obliged i am to do it. So if you have any interest in seeing me drag my lazy butt into action, or just want to see if i can actually swim 2.7ks in the ocean jump on board.
I have links on this page to sponsorship forms and an online sponsorship section if you want to start giving. My suggestion would be for people to sponsor $2 for every 100 metres i swim ($56) but any amount, smaller or larger, would be greatly appreciated. I will also be emailing and generally harrassing everyone i know over the next couple of months so you don't forget. All donations over $2 are, of course, tax deductable.
On top of you just giving me money outright i have a bunch of interesting ideas for fundraisers along the way. i don't want to give too much away but jelly wrestling is certainly at the top of the list.
Over the course of this blog i will keep you updated about my progress and give you a little insight into the inner workings of my mind. I hope it will actually be interesting and not overly self-indulgent but who knows.
I've already started training, with a pool session and a surf session and i will give you all a more comprehensive update of how it's going in my next post.
Cheers!
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