Dover Training Week 22 - Over but not quite out

Where have the last 22 weeks gone? It seems like just yesterday that we welcomed the class of 2019 onto the beach for the first weekend of training on Star Wars day and now we have new friends for life and an incredible set of achievements.

This weekend may have marked our last weekend of formal training and associated celebrations but I am aware that it’s not really all over just yet. We still have aspiring soloists and relay swimmers riding the Dovercoaster and we also have our landing sites visit to look forward to.

It was lovely to chat to so many people yesterday and listen to all your ideas and plans for future seasons - we’re going to need a bigger beach!

If the class of 2020 is even half as lovely and talented as the class of 2019 we’re going to be in for an incredible season again.

If you’re on the Dovercoaster - hang in there & hold on tight!

Theme

The final theme of the season was left WIDE open - choose something to do with the letters D, C or T. We even had spare ideas for you - thanks for joining in the fun!

Conditions

Saturday:
Swimmers:   37 (and about 70 in total for the BBQ)
Water temperature: 16.5C
Conditions: Windy & sunny (so glad the forecast was wrong!)

Sunday:
Swimmers:  9
Water temperature: 16.5C
Conditions:   Increasingly windy - bumpy water, particularly by beach. Dry to start then heavy rain.

So far we have registered:

• 86 Solo swimmers

• 43 Relay swimmers

• 39 Just for Fun swimmers

• 77 Aspire swimmers

• 146 Drop-in swimmers

There are 33 swimmers who have applied for membership but didn’t appear to make it to the beach during the season. Perhaps next year will be your year..

Channel swimmer on the beach

Congratulations to the following swimmers on their swims this week:

• Nikki Pope for her successful Catalina Channel solo on 25th September in a time of 20 hours 58 minutes

• Sue Daley for her Windermere solo on 27th September in a time of 7 hours 36 minutes

I know of a few people still waiting for swims to take place. Please know that we are all still here with you. I know that some have also made the decision to wait until next year - that channel can be cruel at times, but keep the faith, the best is yet to come.

Reflections on a season so far

Those of you at the BBQ would have heard that statistics that I read out about the 2019 season (so far). This included the following statistics.

People registered with Dover Channel Training have achieved 108 successful events:

• One Gibraltar Straits solo

• One Alcatraz escape

• One Round Jersey relay

• One Loch Lomond relay

• One Loch Ness relay

• One two person relay in a wetsuit as part of a much longer endurance event

• One Arch to Arc relay

• One two-way three person relay

• One two-way Windermere solo

• One Loch Ness solo

• One Lake Zurich solo

• One Arch to Arc solo with no wetsuit (in a new record time)

• Two Wash solos

• Two Round Jersey solos

• Two Arch to Arch solos with wetsuits

• Three Lake Annecy solos

• Three Catalina Channel solos

• Four Jersey to France solos

• Five 20 Bridges solos

• Nine Windermere solos

• Twenty Three English Channel relays

• Forty three English Channel solos

Wow, just wow! What a talented group you really are.

43 English Channel solos represents 28% of all English Channel solos (that’s a lot for a small group!)

Of the 43 successful English Channel solos, 33 were from swimmers who were regulars (i.e. not drop-in swimmers).

The average time for the regular English Channel soloists was 14 hours 39 minutes.

I’ll update these statistics once all swims for the season are finished.

BBQ & celebrations

I started this tradition a good few years ago now. It felt sad when the season kind of just sizzled out. So we decided it would be fun to all get together for one final hurrah and celebrate the incredible achievements from our swim family.

The weather forecast had been decidedly dodgy with high winds and rain in the forecast. Gradually the forecasted rain reduced (the wind stayed) and ultimately we were blessed with sunny conditions.

I for one, had an amazing time. The buzz on the beach was amazing. I loved chatting to many of you, hearing your recollections from the season and your swim; and listening to your plans for the future. There were the lovely sounds of laughter - both adults and children, chatter and the sound of the water in the background.

A staggering 37 of you took to the water for an hour or two. Nick, Anita & Anna went on a Unicorn rescue mission. It seems a unicorn can swim faster than some of our faster swimmers - but they were ultimately successful with the unicorn left feeling a little deflated!

It was fantastic that so many of you came back for this weekend. it was sad that some of you couldn’t make it back. Although Hayley & Richard couldn’t be with us, it was lovely to see you via FaceTime - have a fabulous holiday.

On a personal note, I’d like to say a very big thank you to EVERYONE for your incredibly generous gifts. What an amazing and totally unexpected surprise. Wow, wow, wow!! I can’t speak for Paul or Jon (though I have a sneaky suspicion that they share similar views), I do what I do because I simply love it. I love watching people grow in confidence. I love being able to play a small part in you achieving your dreams. That in itself is an incredible reward. So to receive more was pretty mind blowing. The DryRobes are awesome, seriously awesome! You have no idea how close I have been to ordering myself one, I was going to do that over the winter for next season! The pebble artwork, the photobook full of memories and the card are things that I will always treasure. Thank you all so much.

Much of what Kevin said was true - the amount of stuff that was in the house, the industrial racking now in the garage to sort most of it. However, the kayak in the bathroom - not true, but not a bad idea! As for changing the lightbulb in the garage, also not true. But if you’re offering Kev, it is a bit dim in there…….

Calendars

Some of the group have been working away in the background to create a 2020 calendar in the style of ‘that’ Women’s Institute Calendar Girls calendar. Further details will be out soon, so if you’re interested, please watch out for further information. All profits will go to the organising group’s nominated charities.

Sneak preview of our calendar

Thank YOU

Volunteers this weekend: A very special thanks to Paul, Mandi, Kevin & Jon for all their help making our end of season celebrations so wonderful.

Volunteers this season: Thank you to absolutely everyone who helped out this season, whether in a small way or a big way. It all makes a difference. Thank you to all the swimmers who make what we do so fun and rewarding and for working with us to make everyone’s lives easier. A massive thank you to Paul & Jon for being phenomenally amazing volunteers. The consistency of having you both there has been incredible and you have both done more than your fair share. I am truly grateful.

#PayItForward

Looking ahead

19th October visit to the landing sites. Paul James & Paul Cross have volunteered to coordinate this day. It’s a fun day where we visit a number of the sites where people land their swims and then enjoy a lunch in France. It’s a brilliant way to round off the season. If you haven’t already booked, please get in touch with one of the Paul’s asap.

Seminars this will be planned again at some point in January or February. If you or people you know of are training for a future season, this is for you!

2020 training starts on Saturday 2nd May. Subscriptions will open in January. If you have subscribed this year you will not need to sign a new declaration, but you will need to update your account with any changes in contact details and your new swim plans. Your membership number will remain. You will get a new card. I’ll work out the process for it all in the new year, but in the meantime, have a think about whether you’re going to be a red hat, yellow hat or purple.

Emma’s corner

Winter training

Now that Dover training is done for the season, our plans switch to our winter training. Assuming you are training for a channel swim (or equivalent), there is a lot of mixed opinion as to what to do over the winter period - cold swims, pool swims, length, composition etc. To a certain extent it does depend on your starting point, but as a general rule of thumb, this is what I do:

• Taka a break at the end of the season or after your big swim, if that’s what your body is suggesting

• Focus mainly on technique. If you can, go and see a coach that you trust and find out what you need to work on. Some of us have more opportunity for improvement that others, but we all have things we can improve.

• No need for cold swims over the winter, there will be plenty of time for that come training next year.

• I also don’t subscribe to the cold showers and walking round in t-shirts approach, that just sounds miserable.

• I personally don’t do any long swims during the winter. All my sessions have an emphasis on technique (lots of drills) and interval work. Most of my intervals are short and sessions are 1 or 2 hours maximum. Most of my training is with my masters club with an extra session to work purely on specific drills that I need.

• Consistency is more important than absolute volume. I struggle with this due to where I work. Most of my swimming is restricted to Friday to Monday. I prefer to be able to training evenly throughout the week.

• If you can do a training camp in the spring it can be a great way to build confidence. Good options are available through companies like SwimQuest or SwimTrek.

• Lastly, listen to your body. I don’t believe in a magic number of metres. Quality over quantity. If you feel like you need rest, take it! I like to use a cyclical pattern of building up intensity and then having a recovery week. If you are unsure of how to do this, please speak to your swimming coach or ask me for further information.

As we turn our attention to future year plans, feel free to get in touch if you would like more information on how I can help you. Perhaps some ‘stuff’ came up for you this season that you weren’t expecting. Perhaps you want some additional mental training support. Perhaps you want some 1:1 support on building a training plan for your next big goal. Whatever it is, get in touch and we can craft a plan.

You can find out a bit more at Emma2France or contact me via email or phone.

I’m here to support you in the way that you need.

If you’re curious and would like to discuss further, feel free to schedule a free initial 30 minute consultation.

Photos

A few photos captured at the weekend.

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