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Sandycove Round 2

July 3, 2011 By Charlotte Brynn

Sunday July 3rd, 2001

Water Temperature: 12-14 C degrees 54-57Fs

Swim Time 7:00am

Overcast skies, later in the swim superb sunshine

The alarm goes off too early, I don’t leap up like I usually do in real life back home, I feel like a naughty kid again, Mum having to come in and get me going. After 5 minutes I” rattle my dags”, this means get going in Kiwi. Breakfast, 2 eggs on toast, muesli and warm milk, hot tea, water then off to meet the group at 6:45am.

 We pull up in ” pooh bin”, I recognize more swimmers now and am starting to remember a few names, we chat a bit then Ned says ” time to get going”, we all scatter to our various spots to get ready, strip off and grease up, then it is down the slipway…

You're thin, you don't see adipose free penguins, says Ned. This odd lean little penguin follows the other penguins down the slip way " stick around me for a bit and I'll show you how to fatten up" says Paul, a super nice Channel swimmer and 2 time Ireland camp guy from Kent.Down the slip way we walk, me gingerly.

 I watch some of the other swimmers depart, they slip right in, I am hanging back hoping Ned will hang by me again, I stand by him, ” since yesterday I have moved from a dive in girl to a piddle around girl getting in”, with that he dives off in front of me, I case him like a new puppy…

Puppy Follows

 We are off I feel much more relaxed today, lap 1 and 2 long strong strokes, lap 3 my strokes get slower, I am cold but not as cold as yesterday, I am focusing of swimming with my mouth shut to keep the cold water out, my teeth don’t ache today, Ned stays with me, and circles back  here and there to stay with me, we don’t stop, and that keeps me warmer, just into the third he says ” 3 laps today” OK I reply, on the way around the island he says we are swimming up river a bit, we abort off course and swim away from the slipway, after a while we turn and head for home ” sprint to France” says Ned, I muster up a bit of speed. Robbin meets me with the blanket and I wrap up in the car, further than yesterday I am pleased. Today’s swim was 5 km, yesterday I went 4.5km, progress, I am pleased.

 Ned comes over the the car window, ” you’ll be fine in the Channel, it is much warmer than this, you’ll have a nice sunny day and as you approach French shores the water warms up”
 I warm up much faster than sandycove swim # 1 and am able to come out of the car and chat with the other swimmers, they are passing me chocy biscuits and yummy muffins, ” eat up girl, eat up”
 Here is my email from Ned on today’s swim….
Subject line:up 10 % this am…great read on
Email:The swim tonight should be warmer than this am
 
It is point to point……so mentally easier
 
You will be fine
 
***For Monday am….can Robin volunteer to feed you a hot drink after every lap?   I think this would make a huge difference….and get you up to 4 laps EASY
 YUM YUMS WHILE I SWIM TOMORROW…I am excited
Closing Thought: Nothing great is easy ( can’t remember where I read it or who wrote it )
Next swim is in 5 hours Tragumna to Lough….we will swim through rapids…what FUN!

Charlotte Brynn, Marathon Swimmer, Channel Swimmer, Ice Swimmer, Exercise Specialist

55 Marathon Swims, 2x International Ice Swimming Association Mile (1st New Zealander)

World Open Water Swimming Association’s (WOWSA) 50 Most Adventurous Open Water Women list – 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019

World Open Water Swimming Association’s (WOWSA) list of top women open water coaches and mentors in the world 2018

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