McMillan Yacht Swim 2012
A relative emails to remind me of a promise made in a previous blog , and asks me how the training has gone. Well the training has been and gone, as indeed has the Yacht Inn Swim itself, delayed two weeks by yet another summer storm.
I started training for the swim back in March or April where I was unpleasantly surprised to find myself breathless and tired after only 10 lengths (250 metres) of the local pool. This despite having built up over 20 years of surfing muscles. With some trepidation I contemplated the 1300 metres of the Yacht Swim, from Newlyn to Penzance alongside the Promenade.
A pool membership plus five months of stroke correction, style correction, searching for non-leaking goggles that actually fit my odd shaped face, bilateral breathing correction, sea swims across Perranuthnoe beach, from Gwynver beach to Aire point, random beaches up in Wales, even inside Penzance Harbour during storms, and my vastly improved and confident swimming inspired the thought that even Michael Phelps would have trouble keeping up with me.
Also failing to show up on the day were the smooth stroke and easy breathing I had spent months cultivating. As the hooter went, the training failed to kick in and I found myself breathless and incapable of doing front crawl, resorting instead to a sluggish breaststroke to get my breath back as plumes of spray erupted from around 450 swimmers heading away from me at warp speed.
The breathlessness continued for almost a quarter of the course, until I got to Wherrytown Rocks. At this point I looked back, and there were only about three people behind me, with only the support and rescue boats bringing up the rear behind them. Then suddenly, with clear space all around me, it all came together and I could cruise along, breathing well, arms working smoothly, feeling good, even passing some of the other back markers.
And so eventually I made it to the slipway by the Jubilee Pool. I haven't landed yet in the picture above, as I can see my son waiting for me in the crowd. Probably a lot closer to the back than the front, I haven't seen the exact result yet, but I made it. Which, other than beating Phelps, was my main aim.
Despite the setback at the start, the whole swimming thing is however, hugely enjoyable and I will definitely be 'wild' swimming (otherwise known as 'swimming') in other places in the near future. Hopefully not with 450 other people, but as on this day, probably with a pint in the pub afterwards.
Update: Results are now in: Yacht inn Swim 2012 Results , won by Grant Quigley in 14 minutes 33 secs, a phenomenal time. My finish time was 28mins 24secs (251st out of 353 finishers) which, despite being twice the top time and considering I was almost last at one point, I'm really pleased with.
Great pics from Laurence Hartwell's excellent blog Through the Gaps
Return to Ocean-Image.com
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I started training for the swim back in March or April where I was unpleasantly surprised to find myself breathless and tired after only 10 lengths (250 metres) of the local pool. This despite having built up over 20 years of surfing muscles. With some trepidation I contemplated the 1300 metres of the Yacht Swim, from Newlyn to Penzance alongside the Promenade.
A pool membership plus five months of stroke correction, style correction, searching for non-leaking goggles that actually fit my odd shaped face, bilateral breathing correction, sea swims across Perranuthnoe beach, from Gwynver beach to Aire point, random beaches up in Wales, even inside Penzance Harbour during storms, and my vastly improved and confident swimming inspired the thought that even Michael Phelps would have trouble keeping up with me.
Obviously Phelps was worried, because he failed to show on the day. Having done the swim last year, the accident addicted Captain Indestructible was also unfortunately unable to swim, having acquired his latest injury only days before.
Also failing to show up on the day were the smooth stroke and easy breathing I had spent months cultivating. As the hooter went, the training failed to kick in and I found myself breathless and incapable of doing front crawl, resorting instead to a sluggish breaststroke to get my breath back as plumes of spray erupted from around 450 swimmers heading away from me at warp speed.
The breathlessness continued for almost a quarter of the course, until I got to Wherrytown Rocks. At this point I looked back, and there were only about three people behind me, with only the support and rescue boats bringing up the rear behind them. Then suddenly, with clear space all around me, it all came together and I could cruise along, breathing well, arms working smoothly, feeling good, even passing some of the other back markers.
And so eventually I made it to the slipway by the Jubilee Pool. I haven't landed yet in the picture above, as I can see my son waiting for me in the crowd. Probably a lot closer to the back than the front, I haven't seen the exact result yet, but I made it. Which, other than beating Phelps, was my main aim.
Despite the setback at the start, the whole swimming thing is however, hugely enjoyable and I will definitely be 'wild' swimming (otherwise known as 'swimming') in other places in the near future. Hopefully not with 450 other people, but as on this day, probably with a pint in the pub afterwards.
Update: Results are now in: Yacht inn Swim 2012 Results , won by Grant Quigley in 14 minutes 33 secs, a phenomenal time. My finish time was 28mins 24secs (251st out of 353 finishers) which, despite being twice the top time and considering I was almost last at one point, I'm really pleased with.
Great pics from Laurence Hartwell's excellent blog Through the Gaps
Return to Ocean-Image.com
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