Week 17 - It’s all about Community
Weekly Review
NB Please scroll to the bottom for a selection of the photos taken
Fun on and off the water
Despite the travel challenges this weekend with more train strikes, it didn’t stop the fun.
With so many swimmers having now swum or about to swim, there are not so many long heroic swims now, so it was an absolute pleasure to help Mark do his required 8 hour swim and he swam it magnificently.
That gave us time to try out the kayak and SUP.
We’ve been very spoiled with weather this year. The water is ridiculously warm and it’s been dry and mostly sunny (I have ridiculous tan lines on my feet to prove it). We’ve had a bit of wind and that just makes for good training conditions.
What also struck me this weekend was the lovely atmosphere on the beach as people stayed and chatted after their swims and also having the opportunity to sit and chat with visiting swimmers. There was such a lovely vibe. No one in a hurry to go. People happy to stay and chat and help each other. The community spirit in this group is second to none. Country borders mean nothing, neither do swimming background, professions or other labels that we use to describe ourselves with from time to time. Mutual respect and support knows no real boundaries.
I love it when swimmers come to the beach after their swims and tell us all about it too. No two swims are the same, so every story is precious.
I may have mentioned before, one of my favourite things is watching people grow in front of me. I see people often start nervous and apprehensive and watch them grow in stature and confidence - ready to take on their big day. Then they come back a different person - somehow taller. It’s a magical process. One that is a privilege to be part of. Thank you for allowing me to see the whole end to end, I really appreciate it.
Conversations when things don’t go to plan are equally important and much more complex. We have those too. With patience, they often turn into stories of great personal learning & growth and ultimate success.
Shout outs
Training
Congratulations to:
Mark Farmer - for your 8 hour qualifying swim
Channel swimmer on the beach
This week’s shout outs, here’s what I saw (in no particular order):
Kenneth Morrison for your Round Jersey solo on 14th August in a time of 11hrs 11mins
Andrew Bell for your English Channel solo on 17th August in a time of 15hrs 3mins
Aspire Water Buffalo for your English Channel relay on 18th August in a time of 13hrs 14mins
This was also one of those very sad weeks when a number of folk who really should have been successful were left with unfinished business. Sometimes the channel just doesn’t behave as it should. Sometimes the forecast isn’t accurate. I know that it can set off a chain of of self doubt (been there), often there is no rhymm or reason and a second shot at it is all that is required. We’re here to chat it through if it helps.
Steve Sutton - Channel Swimmer
Paul Cross - Windermere
Anita Goyos - Jersey to France soloist
Nicolie Chaffe - Jersey to France soloist
Melanie Tyrrell - Catalina Channel soloist (and triple crown)
I also know that we’ve had some successes since writing this. This reflects successes up to 21st August. The rest will be shouted about next week.
Swim stats
Note: Water temperature taken during the swim session in the harbour. Air temperature, wind direction & wind speed taken from the Port of Dover app. Please remember that we get a lot of shelter in the harbour thanks to the walls.
Saturday:
Swimmers: 12
Water temperature: 20C
Air temperature: 19.2C
Conditions: F4 SW. Sunny with some chop in the water
Sunday:
Swimmers: 17
Water temperature: 20C
Air temperature: 18.8C
Conditions: F4 SW. Sunny with a bit of chop by ferry wall
Volunteers & beach crew
Thank you to everyone who helped out this weekend - either a little or a lot. Thank you to Mandi, Keith & Jill in particular. My back went ‘ping’ on Saturday and I became fit for nothing except operating the iPad from a distance. Thank you for enabling me to do just that.
If you want to join the fun, why not pick a date and book your space through the booking system. You’ll see things from a whole new perspective.
Thank you
Not entirely sure who Jon is talking to on the phone…..
This weekend saw the launch of the new kayak that the massively kind donation from Pacific Open Water Swim Co went towards.
I was also blown away by the substantial donation from another swimmer (who wishes to remain anonymous) which enabled us to also purchase a stand-up paddleboard, which also saw its maiden voyage this weekend. Thank you. You know who you are and so do we. Thank you.
Whilst we will use these for safety cover where needed, for deep water feeding practice and maybe even stroke analysis / coaching, I’d also like to see you support each other. If you’ve finished your swim for the day and want to help out those still in the water, pop on a buoyancy aid (insurance requirement) hop on board and support your fellow swimmers. Small things like this can make a massive difference.
We are an amazing team
Keith, Wookie, Mandi & Anita were among those who jumped at the opportunity after Mandi & I had the honour of the maiden voyages.
The adventures of Dover Dave
Dover Dave continues to live his best life. This week he spend time with Keith, during which time he learned about being an observer for the CSA and got led astray by Eric Hartley!!
This week he’s chilling out with me again. I think he needs to get all that excitement and sugar out of his system!
Paddlefish Ponderings - Big Day attitudes
“When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.”
You’ve done the training and the big day is here. You may have dreamt or visualised about this very moment. Often when we think about a future event we only consider some of the submodalities. To get a really compelling visualisation you want to include as many senses as you can.
What will success be like for you?
What will you see?
What will you hear?
What will you feel?
How about what you taste?
Often when we say this we can still imagine as if we are looking at the event through someone else’s eyes - watching our day pan out, but not through our own eyes.
Step into your own body and watch it through your own eyes and suddenly what you ‘feel’ could mean the emotions of the day as well as how the water and sun feels on your skin.
Perhaps you’ve known success before. What was that like?
One of the most powerful things that we can do is to use previous experience to get back into that ‘state’ again.
But I digress. What will success feel like for you?
Will you feel elated, happy, free? These are all lovely words. Is success always a nice warm & fluffy feeling?
I’ve had swims where I have enjoyed every minute and nothing has hurt at any point, where I’ve been in a good mood throughout.
I’ve also had swims, successful ones, where I was in a grump for some or all of it.
Swims where I’ve enjoyed it but it was tough.
The combinations are almost limitless.
Enjoyment doesn’t necessarily equal easy. Easy doesn’t always equal enjoyable.
Where are you going with this, Emma?
Sometimes we’ll say something like ‘have an amazing swim’ or ‘you’ve done the training, now you get to enjoy the big day’.
If you have a hard time staying positive and focused when things get tough, this blog gives you some tips to help.
The big day is designed to push you.
To take you to the limit.
(And maybe further.)
So it’s understandable that getting pushed into the unknown, to where we are likely to feel some serious discomfort, is gonna make us feel a little on edge.
I can’t do this. What was I thinking?!
Yep, it’s a massive swim, possibly harder than you’ve ever done before. It’s likely to be tough at least in parts.
And that’s okay.
Being able to conquer the big day requires the ability to navigate the negative thoughts and self-talk.
How to improve your self-talk
The language you use with yourself is going to decide how you swim each session in training, how calm or wired you are on the big day, and whether you are going to give up when things get tough.
It’s that important.
And yet, how much thought have you given to the self-talk you use on a daily basis in training?
Here are some top tips
1. Step back and look at the language you are using.
First things first…
What kind of self-talk are you using?
Think back to those brutal sessions that crushed you physically and mentally.
You know, the ones where you got out, bobbed a bit, took longer than you should at feeds or just cruised around the harbour without effort.
What were you telling yourself? What did your thoughts sound like?
The point of this little exercise isn’t to dwell on those bad swims, but rather, to gather some Information so that you can improve your self-talk moving forward.
Now think back to the moments where you were on fire, when everything seemed just right. The sessions where you started to dream about the big day.
The times in training where the high intensity pool sets were “impossible” and yet, you conquered them anyway. The times when you were asked to do more than you thought you could in the harbour and yet you managed it with ease.
What kind of self-talk were you using then?
2. Write it down.
Thinking about the self-talk you are using might give you the impression that you are gaining some world class self-awareness into what works and what doesn’t, but it won’t help you get truly serious about it.
Grab a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle, and in each column write out the self-talk you were using.
On one side, the negative stuff. The other, the positive self-talk.
Putting it on paper helps get it out of your brain, which has the curious effect of making your negative self-talk seem a little silly/takes the air out of its sails.
3. Circle the self-talk that is working for you.
One of the big mistakes swimmers make when giving new and positive self-talk a rip is not making their new self-talk believable.
They get a taste of the power of self-talk and think, might as well go for broke with this bad boy!
But self-talk, just like other mental skills like visualisation and goal setting, must be believable in order to work.
Self-talk that isn’t realistic and believable is just as bad as negative self-talk. The false expectations that unbelievable self-talk create sets a high standard that is impossible to meet.
The good news for you is that you already have some believable self-talk right in front of you.
Self-talk that works.
Circle the pieces of self-talk from the previous step.
4. Tackle the negative self-talk that you use the most.
Okay, and now, for the really fun part. The step that will leave you feeling flush with confidence and empowered.
We are going to take the negative self-talk that you use—the ones that show up the moment things get tough—and systematically dismantle them.
The point of this exercise isn’t to suppress your negative self-talk, but to replace it with something more productive.
Here are a couple of examples:
I can’t do this set, it’s too hard --> Let’s start with great effort and take things from there.
I am hurting so much, there’s no way I’ll be able to finish the number of hours that I’ve been asked to do --> I’m hurting, but I can still swim to the next feed and I’ll reassess at that point (keep doing that and you’ll run out of hours)
I can’t keep up this pace --> I might not be able to make it at the same speed in the last hour as the first, but how cool would it be if I did?
In these examples, the positive self-talk isn’t overly positive. It’s not like you are screaming through the water: I am the best, channel you’re mine!
The goal isn’t to try and fool yourself into thinking everything is rosy.
Positive and productive self-talk means acknowledging that it’s going to be challenging, taking it step by step, and suspending expectations.
Now, if you have done this exercise you have got two sets of self-talk to work with.
The positive self-talk you are already using, the stuff that you know is going to work.
And the counter-talk for the moments when you are prone to negative self-talk.
Combined, you have some serious guard rails for a high-performance mindset on the big day and in training
But to make them truly effective, consistency is everything…
5. Move forward with your new self-talk.
Consistency is king when putting your self-talk to work.
You wouldn’t go to a circuits class once and expect to be able to do 100 press ups instantly; it’s no different with developing bulletproof self-talk.
It takes time, reps, and consistency to make your self-talk into the weapon that it can be.
Which means now is the time to build the self-talk you want to use:
Write it down in a logbook
Reflect on and grade how much you are using your self-talk each day.
Write out your target self-talk on something that you can easily see most of the time.
Put it everywhere so that it becomes a part of you.
Doing a breakdown of what self-talk works for you and what doesn’t won’t really help you without this step. Without the constant reminder you will quickly sink back into your usual self-talk habits.
Look at it, read it, and say it to yourself over and over (and over!) until that positive and productive self-talk has no choice but to become habitual.
Reminders
Bookings can be made up to 48 hours ahead and be cancelled or rescheduled up to 48 hours ahead also. The system doesn’t arrange automatic refunds, so if you would like a refund, please check out our refund policy and get in touch if you would like a refund.
If you miss this deadline then I’ll book you in if I have the available time and I have your disclaimer. There is an admin fee if you don’t use the self-service option.
Arrive on time and attend the mandatory briefing. The briefing is generally at 09:50
Wear the right colour hat - red for soloists, yellow for relay swimmers
Those of you who are members, please remember to cancel your membership when you no longer want it. You can do that within a membership period and still have all the benefits of it, this will prevent it from auto renewing next year. You can do this within your account, by following the link in the confirmation email when you took out your membership, or by asking me to do it for you.
Looking ahead
On Tour
Dover Harbour Board have recently announced some additional piling works in the harbour. Initially, they were planned for outside of our training hours, but then changed to shorter periods of piling over a longer time period and now partially within our training time frame.
I have been assured that I will be advised, in advance, whether there will be piling on the Saturday. Once I hear I will confirm the training location. I’ll post any changes of location in our Facebook group and within the Dates & Altered sessions section of our website. I’ll also email anyone booked in for the session at the point I hear.
We do still have one formal ‘On Tour date left though.
Saturday 17th September
In all cases, the location will be either Ramsgate or Hythe and the location will be decided on the Thursday before the swim.
End of season celebration
It’s become a bit of a tradition that, rather than fade away as the season progresses that we get together for an end of season celebration on the last weekend of training. So mark the date in your calendar - Saturday 24th September - bring a picnic. We’ll bring inflatables!!
The theme is Grease - make of that what you want! We’re looking forward to some fun & creative outfits.
Chilli Dips
We’ll be starting up our monthly Chilli Dips again from October. Like last year, we’ll aim to visit a number of locations. We’re also toying with the idea of having an inland option too - a river near me in Surrey - who’s up for that?
Halloween(ish) Fright Night
We’re planning on doing a night swim / bob in October - those who don’t like swimming in the dark need not apply!!
This won’t be a training session, just a bit of fun. We’ll do our very best to make you jump in the water - definitely one where you should expect the unexpected.
Watch this space for a date in October.
Spotlight in the shop
New Polo shirts
Those who were here at the weekend will have seen Mandi & my new polo shirts - they are bright and hard to miss! Whilst we’re the only ones with bright pink, we have French Navy, grey and pale blue to choose from. The manufacturer has other colours, so if you want to go bright or another colour, please get in touch and I’ll see what we can do.
This polo shirt is manufactured with NeotericÍ textured fabric with inherent wickability which means it's fast drying from its deeply textured surface.
A Classic three button, straight hem polo shirt able to be washed and worn repeatedly with no ironing and with no significant colour loss.
The self - fabric collar lies flat and ensures that this ultra comfortable shirt always looks good and suitable for the smartest casual occasions, the workplace and for sport. This polo shirt is breathable and stylish.
The self-fabric taped back neck collar lies flat and ensures that this ultra comfortable shirt always looks good and suitable for many occasions, and for sport.
This polo has a printed back neck, a set in sleeve design and is made with twin needle stitching which provides added strength to the garment and therefore improves durability.
Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) certified production.
Fabric: 100% polyester.
Weight: 140 gsm.
Photos
A few photos from the weekend….
If you’d consider leaving a review of your training experience, it would help those who are deciding on where to do their training for future years. Nothing means more than the voice of someone who’s used the service.