Jen's English Channel Swim for Barretstown

England to France 3rd August 2010

2010-08-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

What a great day. We started at 3.18am in total darkness from Shakespeare Beach. The water was beautifully warm and dead flat calm, just like a good day in the lakes in Inchigeela or Inniscarra in Cork. I was so happy to feel the temperature as it was my only big concern. I was very calm, and started out happy and strong, and then, Bang! Hit the wall at 3 hours-I guess it's good to get these things out of the way early! I felt horrible for the next 2 and a half hours, had trouble feeding and felt as if I was going nowhere. Luckily I had a beautiful sunrise to focus on until I eventually felt better and got into my stride again.

The conditions began to deteriorate throughout the course of the day, and by the final few hours, the water was very choppy. Lucky for me I quite like these conditions, and it certainly was not boring!

By the time I saw France there was nothing going to stop me and I plodded on until I climbed ashore 13 hours and 58 minutes later.

An amazing feeling after training for so long.

To my crew, Mick, Derek, John and Lisa, you were flawless and I thank you all. You're all crazy and made me laugh a number of times which was great.

To my pilot, Paul Foreman, you were fantastic, very supportive, and I felt that I was in good hands all the way to France.

To David and Evelyn at Varne Ridge, you guys are right in there in the midst of the craziness and obviously loving it, thank you for making our stay so enjoyable.

To Niamh and Caelan, thanks for helping Mum achieve this goal.

To those who helped me with my fundraising for Barretstown, thank you. We still have a bit to go to reach our target, so please keep donating. All funds go directly to Barretstown Kids Camp. You can donate here.

To everyone who supported me before and during my swim, thank you so much.

Last but not least, Coach supreme, Eilis Burns, you're the greatest!

And to the magnificent seven: 3 down, 4 to go!

Got the go ahead........

2010-08-02T07:07:00.001-07:00

I'm meeting my pilot at 2.30am tomorrow morning and will be starting at 3.30am! The link to follow me tomorrow is here. There will be some twitter updates during the day also.

Crew busy packing, Mick busy cooking (again!) and I'm busy reading trashy magazines and getting ready to eat again. Very excited!

Looking good for Tuesday...

2010-08-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

Have had a fun couple of days in Dover. Varne Ridge is a great place to stay and have met loads of other swimmers. Went for a swim in the harbour today and basically did nothing but relax and eat afterwards. Spoke to Paul Foreman, my pilot who said that his first slot swimmer is going tonight and that the weather is looking good for me to go in the early hours of Tuesday morning. This means that I'll be swimming at the same time as Donal Buckley, which is nice. We went out tonight for loads of pasta with his crew and mine and it was all very exciting. Everyone is getting a little hyper now. Will need to wait for final confirmation tomorrow, but it's all looking good.

Dover, here I come.....

2010-07-29T01:06:00.000-07:00

Getting the last few things together and heading off to spend the night in Cork before flying out in the morning. Feeling strangely calm, which I keep expecting to change. Sick of eating, and feeling wierd not swimming during this tapering period. The weather is looking good for an early swim, maybe as early as Monday or Tuesday, but will know more and update when I speak to my pilot, Paul Foreman tomorrow.

Thanks to all who have donated to my charity, Barretstown . We are moving towards our target, so please those who haven't already, click here to get to the charity page where you can donate.
I will post a link to the gps tracker on the boat when I get it so you can follow my progress, and regular twitter updates will also feed to the blog and my facebook page.

A big thankyou goes to my lovely friend Jenny-Rose Clarke who has kindly agreed to take my mini monsters, Niamh and Caelan for the time we are away. By the sounds of it, they'll have even more fun than me!

Last swim at Sandycove....

2010-07-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

The sun came out, the friends came down, and a lovely swim was had on Sunday. Rob Bohane, Ciaran Byrne and Gabor Molnar were at the end of their 8 hour swim when Donal Buckley, Liz Buckley and myself joined them for the last 3 laps. Liam Maher joined us for the last leg. There were loads of other regular Sandycove swimmers either in the water, or milling around enjoying the weather. Had a lovely feeling when we finished the last lap, all of us in a straight line as if it was organised that way. Nearly a year of training together and it was a lovely way to finish my last swim with them before I head off.

Last minute addition to the crew is Lisa Cummins, which I'm thrilled about. Will be lovely to have some female company, not to mention her experience after her two way crossing last year.

So, I head for Dover this Friday with Mick, Derek, John and Lisa. Getting very excited in between stuffing myself with pasta etc at every available opportunity.

Not sure exactly when the swim will start, but will update the blog as soon as I do.

Thanks everyone for the well wishes on Sunday!

Lee Swim 2010......

2010-07-25T01:11:00.000-07:00

Well, what an experience, the first year in 5 years that I haven't swum in the Lee Swim in Cork. Myself, Niamh and Caelan set off this year as spectators and had a ball! Mick and Derek both swam, Derek taking the silver medal in his age group!! We watched the start and barely made it back to the finish to see the first swimmers home. The sun came out and as usual, it was a great day. Caught up with Liam Maher, my first time seeing him as a successful Channel swimmer and he was in great form, with a big smile permanently on his face. I spoke with many other Channel swimming friends who all wished me well. It was lovely to be socialising rather than swimming for a change, although I will be back in the water for next year's race! Thanks everyone for the well wishes!

So proud of Derek. He has gone from strength to strength in his first season, and came out with a fantastic result for his first mass participation open water race! Delighted that he'll be with me in the Channel next week, maybe he'll force me to pick up my pace!

Resting up....

2010-07-23T00:08:00.000-07:00

As I lie in bed typing and resting, my fellow Aussie swimmer Chloe McCardel is out in the Channel, on her way back to England. I met Chloe during her stay in Clonakilty, Co Cork and we had a lovely swim, freaking out a few lifeguards in the process, and a lovely chat after numerous bowls of chips. Her two way attempt seems to be going well, she's flying it. You can track her progress here. Awesome job Chloe! Go Aussie Go! Channel 9 on board for all you intersted Australians out there. Another exciting day!

Great weekend in Valentia...

2010-07-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Channel Aspirants and Coach Eilís Burns before the Beginish Island Swim

The weather again left a bit to be desired, but fun was had by all anyway. The swim around Beginish Island looked dodgy right up until we were given the go ahead in the briefing. The swim was tough, but fantastic. Similar to last year, we got in just as the weather was closing in. Safely into the bar afterwards for food, awards and large volumes of drink for everyone it seemed except me! A great night, loads of fun.

Had a lovely swim with Lisa Cummins and Liz Buckley on Sunday to clear the heads, and then home to Cork, on the way getting news that Liam Maher, the first of our Cork bunch to go to Dover had been given the go ahead for 4.30am this morning. I normally find it difficult moving quickly on a Monday morning, especially after being away, but I lept out of bed and down the stairs to get the update as soon as my eyes opened!

He's still out there, doing well, with all of his Cork supporters behing him. Go Liam, Go!

More fun swims...

2010-07-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

Well, the weather didn't hold up for Nick and Simone's swim last Saturday, so we had an alternate route, which was just as much fun. We were treated to a lovely barbeque in the lashing rain afterwards. Great food and even better company. Back to the hotel steamroom and sauna to warm up, and then to the beach bar for a few drinks with the rest of the gang. All in all, a lovely day and night. The following day, I was heading for a swim with Imelda Lynch, Ossie Schmidt and Rob Bohane. We decided to start at the beach and swim to the original start point of the race (had the weather allowed) and back again. A local swimmer had been training for the full swim for a while and was disappointed when it was cancelled, and when he discovered that we were heading over and back, he briefly contemplated joining us. Instead, he went for a shorter swim around the bay while we headed over, but he looked disgusted! Next thing we know, we're half way over and a rib goes past us with Gavin Hennessey on board, with a big grin on his face and waving wildly. He had got a spin over and was going to join us on the way back.

It was brilliant. Every time we stopped, the comments coming from Gavin were priceless and he had a ball, which in turn meant we had a ball too!

A big congratulations to Gavin who achieved his goal and loved every bit of it. It was a pleasure to have been there.

This weekend, we're in Valentia, Co Kerry, for another fun swim tomorrow, 6km around Beginish Island. Weather not looking too special for that one either, but if an alternate route is necessary, I'm sure it'll be great too.

Fantastic 8 hour swim....

2010-07-10T01:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the weather didn't settle at all, can't remember when it rained so much except for our last lovely Irish summer, but it does make me realise how lucky I have been with my training all along-it could have been like this the whole time! Despite the downpour, we were lucky enough to get a window of opportunity to get my 8 hour swim behind me yesterday. It went really well, couldn't have been better, conditions went from flat to choppy, Derek and Mick my fabulous crew members fed me flawlessly from the kayak, which mustn't have been easy in the rain, and trying to fill my bottles with hot water from a flask while balancing the kayak must have been fun! Got stung by loads of nasty jellies and attacked by sea lice, but figure that this is now one more element of surprise out of the way if it happens on the day. Tired getting out but delighted. My last long swim before THE swim! Thanks heaps to my support team and to Simone Mulcahy who had the tea and chocolates ready!
Looking forward to Nick and Simone's swim today which should be fun and relaxing. Hope the weather improves just a bit for them!

A great week so far....

2010-07-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

Had a couple of great swims so far this week. Early morning starts, but worth it! Feeling strong and looking forward to some great training, and maybe a small bit of misbehaving (what's that again?) in Caherdaniel, Co Kerry this weekend. Hope the weather is someway settled!

Fundraising fun...

2010-07-05T05:53:00.000-07:00

A huge thanks goes to the brilliant kids who helped with bag packing at Tesco the other day to help raise funds for Barretstown, giving up an afternoon of their holidays. The icecream and chocolate bribes were not even needed (although vanished anyway) not a moan or groan from any of them, in fact, I found it hard to get them to stop. In total they raised €934.00 in just 5 hours. A huge well done and thanks again to Niamh and Caelan Hurley, Marie and Paraic O'Leary, Eimear O'Leary, Lorraine Dromey, Aisling McCarthy, Ashgan O'Dea and Niamh Ni Chuanachain.

Not long to go....

2010-07-04T03:18:00.000-07:00

The excitement is building! Have had a few intensive training weeks, one or two more to go before the tapering period starts. Met some other Channel aspirants from the UK during Ned Denison's training camp-great to get a different perspective on training techniques and things to bring on the boat etc.. Very tiring, but great fun to swim in different locations around Cork for the week.
Had a brilliant 6 hour swim at Warren Beach in Rosscarbery last weekend with Ciaran Byrne and Gabor Monar. What a pretty place to swim. Felt strong and happy with the way the swim went.
Lat week I met a coule of fellow Aussies, Chloe McCardel and her boyfiend Paul McQueeney. Paul successfully crossed the Channel last year and Chloe is attempting her 2 way crossing in a coule of weeks. Had a lovely swim at Inchadoney in Clonakilty with Chloe and Derek and a great chat afterwards. Great to get the Aussie perspective on things!
Looking forward to the weeks ahead with a coule of trips to beautiful Kerry, and warmer water ahead!

Hooray for sunshine!!

2010-06-06T01:46:00.001-07:00

Had a great week again, with a couple of long swims in different locations, Inchigeela, Inniscarra and Sandycove. The week was spent building up to another 6 hour swim in Sandycove, which we did yesterday. I was a bit nervous all week about only one thing, the cold. This proved to be no problem, with the water temperature 14 degrees at it's warmest, another great boost to the confidence. Today I feel pretty much the same as I did after swimming Rottnest, the mouth feels strange from the salt water still, and the body is pretty tired. Going to spend today lying in the sun trying not to think about all the housework that needs doing, and maybe bring the kids for a fun dip in the river! Have a coule of big weeks coming up, but some new locations which will be nice.

6 hour swim completed...

2010-06-01T04:56:00.000-07:00

Been a while since my last post, but the great news is that I completed my 6 hour swim in waters less than 16 degrees, which was my last administration item to deal with for my swim in August. Only 9 weeks to go now. Water is warming up nicely and the long swim gave me a great confidence boost. Have another one planned for this Saturday which should be fun. Had last weekend off training as a very important 9th birthday party for Caelan was to be had and the bouncy castle was calling. Niamh had her 1st open water race (1400m) on Sunday, which at aged 10 is just amazing. Was so great swimming along side her and I was beaming with pride. Back into long sessions this week and the sun is out again, hopefully to stay for a while!

No more pool for me!

2010-05-11T05:04:00.000-07:00

So far so good. Made the transition from the pool to the open water full time last week. Didn't take into account how exhausting the cold water would be. The mileage was slightly down last week, but was way more tired than usual. Rewarded myself with a lovely massage on Friday which made the world seem better again! All in all, was very pleased with getting so much open water in, became a bit whiny about the cold by Friday, so needed a slight attitude adjustment this week. Decided that whining about the cold was not going to get me across the channel, and started the week yesterday with a more positive approach. This has made all the difference, but it is still only Tuesday!! Have a variety of locations to swim at this week including Inchigeela, Inniscarra and Sandycove, so that should keep me motivated.

Brrrr......

2010-05-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

Met the lads Friday morning for a 9 hour pool swim and then down to Ballycroneen for a dip in the sea which the muscles needed. Had Saturday off and then met Liam Maher, Ned Denison, John Conroy and Sevy McCullough for a swim in Inchigeela. It went well, although a bit cold (about 10 degrees), and we all managed 1 hour and 25 minutes. Went down again today for an hour. Mick and Derek got in and Niamh and her friend, Marie O'Leary actually swam which was fantastic. Our coach, Eilis wants us to stay in the open water from now on which is on one hand great as the pool has become monotonous to say the least, but it is still very, very cold. Will treat this week as a changeover week if nothing else....

Great week.....

2010-04-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

Have had a great training week this week. Am finally getting a bit faster, and feeling much stronger than last week. The reward at the end of the week was a fantastic double lap of Sandycove Island in Kinsale, Cork. I was joined by Gabor Molnar, Sylvain Estadieu, Ned Denison, Mike Harriss, Liz Buckley and John Conroy. I was a bit nervous about the cold as it wasn't as sunny as it has been for the last couple of weeks, but Gabor gave me the push I needed, and I really enjoyed the swim. Another boost for the confidence.
Mick and Derek also got in for their first open water swim of the season, both got on great and enjoyed themselves. Last but not least, my daughter Niamh got in for a fantastic effort so early in the season. Great to have so much company!

And more swimming......

2010-04-18T10:28:00.001-07:00

The week started well, felt strong and felt I was getting faster. Had a bit of a slump mid week, but managed an hour in the river which was a great for the confidence. Was comfortable for the first 30minutes, but started to lose heat after that. Was determined to stay in for the hour and made it. Took less time than normal to heat up afterwards which was good too. One of the warmest days of the year and I greeted our neighbour dropping off his son to play with Caelan wearing a woolly jumper, hat and uggboots, shivering. A source of much amusement I'm sure as everyone else in shorts and t-shirts, sweltering.
Had our first team meeting yesterday with myself, John Conroy, and Mick and Derek Hurley. It went well and I seem to have delegated as many tasks as possible so far! Was good to get all the 'to do's' down on paper. It is all of the sudden starting to feel close and I can sense the brain starting to focus...
Planning to go to Sandycove next weekend and am really looking forward to getting back into the sea.

A great week's training...

2010-04-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

Had a good training week and managed to catch up on some rest. Took a few days off work while the kids are on holidays and have really enjoyed having some extra time to catch my breath! Finished with a barbeque last night, couldn't resist, the weather is so nice! Managed 32 minutes in the river today. Hard to tell if the temperature had risen, or if I'm acclimatising quickly. Really looking forward to getting back into the sea. More bbq's for the rest of the weekend.....

Back into routine.....

2010-04-07T02:31:00.000-07:00

So I'm back in Cork since the second week of March, but it's taken me a while to get back into the swing of things. Back to work and kids back to school was relatively easy, but made the mistake of assuming that I would treat Rottnest as a training swim and just keep on swimming afterwards. It took the body a bit of time to recover, and of course we were on holidays, so sticking to the training schedule didn't happen. We had another long session in the pool on the 26th of March where I really paid for my time off. Just over 6 hours in the pool and then into the sea for a quick dip. I must admit I was paranoid about getting into the sea after being in the lovely warm Indian Ocean, however I was pleasantly surprised and it was just the kick start I needed to get the head sorted. Since then I have managed two 10 minute sessions in the river which has been freezing, but has the same effect on my aching muscles as an ice cold bath. A few more dips and I should be ready for longer stints. Looking forward to it!

Rotto 2010

2010-02-25T16:39:00.000-08:00

Well the Rottnest Channel Swim is complete, and I am now enjoying(?) a scorching heat wave in Perth. The swim was tough as the conditions were way rougher than last year, so much so I got seasick for the first time in my life (only to the point that I couldn't eat any solid food from the 8km mark on). It was a new experience to hit the wall so early on in a swim, but I decided that I could be completely miserable for the remainder of the journey, or put the head down, stretch out the arms and focus on swimming until the next drink stop. This I did and managed to feel stronger again by the 10km mark. I kept swimming from feed to feed which were at half hourly intervals, feeling stronger and stronger each time. The last couple of kms were extremely tough as we had to fight against being pushed north. Was a bit like swimming on a tread mill, but I was expecting it as last year I had the same problem only the opposite direction. All in all, the swim took 8hrs 45mins, just over an hour off last year which I owe to my crew, Des McLean, skipper, Mick and Derek Hurley, Matt Holden, kayakers and my increased strength since last year due to the programme my Coach Eilís has set for me.
Have been enjoying a bit of a break since, catching up with family and hanging out with the kids. Back to it today though which is no problem since it's a good way to escape the heat!

Sunshine and heat!

2010-02-17T05:31:00.001-08:00

Arrived in Perth on Sunday, managed to get into the water yesterday. Deliciously warm! Swam a bit longer today and will swim tomorrow before putting the feet up and waiting for the Rottnest swim on Saturday. Tomorrow I start stuffing the body with food in between visiting family. Looking forward to catching up with my friends after the swim. Will keep you posted.

Fundraising news...

2010-01-31T11:10:00.000-08:00

Been organising a few fundraising events for during the year. Will keep you posted. Don't forget you can donate here.

Still alive!

2010-01-31T10:58:00.000-08:00

The 8 hour swim went surprisingly well on Friday. I swam with the 6 other lads that are booked in to do solo crossings this summer, Rob Bohane, Liam Maher, Ciarán Byrne, Donal Buckley, Danny Walsh and Gabor Molnar (who was battered and bruised). We all had a laugh and managed the sessions that Eilís set out for us. Was expecting to be completely wrecked but was buzzing afterwards.

Getting ready for Rotto

2010-01-24T12:15:00.001-08:00

Hi there,

Been a while again, I know. Have been training consistently, getting stronger and going for longer. I must admit that this week I'm fairly shattered. Have found the whole balance between training, family and work a bit all over the place for the last couple of weeks. Have taken the last couple of days off to recharge and the attitude is now good looking forward to next week. Have a big 8 hour swim coming up on Friday which I'm a little concerned about, but will use it as a practice run for Rottnest which is only 4 weeks away. Looking forward to seeing all my family and friends in Perth, and getting a bit of heat into the bones, and am also looking forward to doing the Rottnest Channel Swim on Feb 20. My goal this time around is to make the celebrations after the awards. Last year I was lucky to make it back to the boat I was staying on and pass out!

I'll be in Perth for a couple of weeks after the swim and plan to enjoy some non swimming related activities with the family and refresh the body and brain for my return to Ireland. Once I'm back I'll have to focus on organising the logistics of the English Channel Swim, and get moving on raising some money for my charity, Barretstown, in Co Wicklow.

Will try and post more from Perth after the swim!

Training, training, training.......

2009-11-22T08:09:00.000-08:00

It's been a while, I know. There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, I hate computers and am broadband deficient, secondly, I have been training more seriously and have been left at the end of each week with the inability to lift my arms, let alone type!
October was a good month for me. As suspected I was the only swimmer training with Eilís to be behind in training after September, but I managed to turn things around slightly to cover all of her sessions for last month. Just as I was easing into a bit of a system and thinking that the training wouldn't be so hard, and would easily fit into my already busy schedule, we had our November meeting and all my illusions came crashing down around me. Although Eilís had mentioned that our training would keep at the same pace until after Christmas, she upped it considerably for the month of November.
After the initial panic following a review of her sessions, I sat down with Mick and worked out how on earth I was going to manage to complete the extra mileage. I was glad to have been up to date with the previous month as my head was in a good place, and so far I am doing well, although my arms have been constantly aching for the past couple of weeks. Last week was my biggest week and I went to bed on Friday night barely able to lie on my side, but happy in the knowledge that I had completed the week and had two days off to recuperate before my final week of the month next week. Today I am feeling a lot better and ready for the water again from tomorrow.
A few interesting things have happened along the way over the past couple of months, some good, some a bit frightening, namely the improvement showing in my support swimmer, Derek (16) and Niamh (9). Even though I am training hard and getting stronger by the week, so are they and I find I am hard pushed to stay ahead of them both :) I even had to leave Niamh pass me out on Friday as she was annoying me by touching my toes!! Caelan (8) is also flying and loving the fact that he is helping his mum training by jumping in the lane when I'm getting tired.
Also, I have registered to swim the Rottnest Channel Swim again in Feb next year as we are heading out to see family anyway. It's amazing how differently I think the Rotto swim this time around. It was my swimming goal for this year, but now a training swim for next year... Really looking forward to getting back to Rottnest Island though-it really is a magical place. Oh yes, and it will be nice to see the family and friends too!
Earlier in the month, we went to the Cork Masters Swimming Club 30th Birthday party at Maryborough House in Douglas, where I discovered that tequila and training were not going to work. Since then the social life has been on hold and will probably stay that way until Christmas...
So that's the story so far, will try and be a bit more disciplined with updating my progress. I guess it's not that hard once you get going. Finally, I'd like to say a huge thank you to Christine in Leisureworld, Bishopstown for her support.

Just beginning.....

2009-10-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hi there, just starting my second month's training with Eilís Burns. Eilís has coached 8 soloists from Cork successfully across the English Channel, and her most recent success story is Lisa Cummins who just completed a two way crossing. So, there's no pressure really!! I'm doing the same training programme as Rob Bohane, Ciarán Byrne, Danny Walsh, Liam Maher and Donal Buckley who are all swimming the Channel next year. We met last week with Eilís to report on how we were all getting on with our training sessions and get the sessions for the month ahead. So far all the lads are up to date, with every metre completed. I, on the other hand am currently approximately 37km behind....oops-time to get the act together.

All jokes aside, things are running a lot smoother for the last few weeks. I have a great support network behind me which so far includes my husband Mick, kayaker extraordinaire and amazing omelette cook, and all of our kids who against their better judgement have taken on more chores. Niamh (9) and Caelan (8) have kept me company in the pool, while Derek (16) has been actively improving his swimming in order to be one of my support swimmers with John Conroy for my Channel crossing. Ryan (12), Liadh (19) and her boyfriend Chris have been enthusiastic with the others in coming up wth ideas for fundraising for Barretstown. My friends Martin Walsh, Gobnait O'Leary and Alex Taylor have all also been helping by kayaking for me in Inchigeela.

I've been doing most of my training in the open water as I know it'll be getting too cold for long swims soon. I was feeling very sorry for myself last week as I was suffering from a head cold, but was determined to get my training back on track, so for the first time in ages I put my wetsuit back on. Any notions I had that it was a bad idea were quickly erased from my mind as I plunged into the freezing cold lakes of Inchigeela. Went down to Sandycove in Kinsale on Friday for a double lap of the island and was nervous about going without my wetsuit again, but luckily the water was gorgeous, and Liz Buckley patiently swam around with me. So all in all, feeling good but tired, and enjoying my day off today.

Me and Alex starting out at Loch Allua, Ballingeary