Having Trouble Counting To 16

As previously posted, I'm taking part in a 24 mile swim in 24 hours, swimming a mile on the hour every hour, from 9.30am on the 30 April through to 9.30am on 1st May.

Training for this has well and truly started, with extra sessions outside GCSC Masters, and a Saturday afternoon spent at the fantastic Aldershot Barracks 50m pool - which is always pretty quiet / empty, and home to the British Army - apt as we are swimming in aid of Help For Heroes.

The plan was to swim 3 or 4 miles. Again the first mile hurt, and seemed a hell of a long way, and take ages. I'm sure both myself and fellow GCSC member Kieron lost count of the number of lengths - this is bloody demoralising. I know it might seem a simple thing to do, but each length feels exactly the same as the last length - and in a 50m pool I allow my mind to wander off. When this happens, I think of the number I could remember counting to, then take two off it, and start counting from there, seems like a fair way to make sure you do the distance. In a 50m pool, a mile is 32 lengths. To ease the counting confusion, we count every 100m or 2 lengths, so count up to 16. When you lose count, you are never sure when to finish - and makes the swim drag on. And on. and on. AND ON.

Anyway, my first mile (and a bit) was done in around 28mins I think, Kieron who is much faster, finished in around 26mins. We had a quick drink, and started the next - this time, I didn't think I'd lost count, but did an extra 100m on the end for the hell of it as Kieron had started his - finishing in around 26mins. Again, a quick drink, and back for the last mile - doing these in 100m bits, off 1.50 (that means you've got 1min 50secs to complete the length, and have a rest, before starting the next 100m.. the faster you swim, the longer you rest). I'm aiming to complete each mile in under 30mins, so on the day I get a nice 30min "rest".

I've had confirmation of my place in the swim, an email from the organisers also brought good news.. the Guildford Lido is going to be heated to 24c (hooray!), they will allow us to set up tents / camping equipment (small luxury!) and there will be a Hot Tub (Amazing!). Kieron, stick a stamp on that envelope and get it in the post!

So that's 5 miles down in the extra training, 19 to go, and 68 days left to get match fit. Loads of time *ahem*