A great week's training...

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.....

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

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!

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...

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

Still alive!

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

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!