Shark Bait HOO HA HA!!

This last week was generally a good one but I had some major deadlines in work that got the better of me (as well as a few demons in my head) – so I finished 3km shy of my weekly target. Saturday I had an awesome training swim at Bondi! I felt really strong and purposely wanted to really push myself as I had not done a great deal of swimming during the week, so I was ready to hurt! My mind was in a good space and I was having conversations with fish and Q&A with myself, like “if you were a fish, where would you like to live and why?” And I would go through all the beaches in Sydney and have pros and cons of each from a fishes’ perspective…. mmmmmmm STRANGE! But I tell you what, it keeps you going when you have 10 laps done and another 4 or 5 to do and your arms are hangin’ off ya’!

Baywatch Eat Your Heart Out!

 I also couldn’t have kept going without legend swimmers Scott Miers and Daniel Boardman. These 2 guys are planning to do the English Channel in the Summer of 2014 and they are wonderful role models. It’s this type of network and the support of people like these that is invaluable, and this is all down to VLAD swim club coaches Vladmir and Charm – absolute hero’s….they have knowledge, support and dedication I can’t even begin to express - it will have to be captured in its own update to give them full justice!

The Shark Island swim was on yesterday (Sunday) in Cronulla, and the idea was to go sore after a heavy swim on Saturday and use it as training. IT WAS AWESOME! Cronulla is beautiful and I have to admit I never really make an effort to get out of Sydney and enjoy this beach. I have been cycling the loop of Kurnell for about 3 years without even knowing there was a beach there – TYPICAL! There was a 1km and 2.3km swim, and it was better value to enter the both (LOVE A BARGAIN!) and I knew my mileage was going to be short that week so I said why not!?


Shark Island Swim - Course Maps

The 1km was first - it was a stunning morning; black clouds were threatening earlier that morning but the Jesus rays broke through and it turned out glorious. The race kicked off with a mass start and all rushed into the waves like a herd of Elephants (or maybe that was just me)
and it was hard to get out of the crowd.



I tried to break away but there were packs of people everywhere, so I went to the right and took a diagonal line to the first buoy to try escape the mayhem. 

1km Start Line

My heart was pounding and I couldn’t breathe (I wore a tight waterpolo swimming suit as my good swimming suit is completely worn out now and it’s got to the stage of it being baggy about my arse and occasionally one of my boobies may pop out, so I decided to save Cronulla that sight…) – so I was suffering and my chest was tight! Anyways I knew this was going to be a fast race so I just had to get in, work hard and get out! Coming in to the beach I was with 2 other girls, one slightly ahead and one beside me - and it was all down to the run up the beach where Telly Tubby Mallon struck 3rd spot.

 Over the line puffing and panting I looked at these wee girls and they must have been anything from 14 – 16 years old! Ah k for god sake sure they haven’t even discovered drink nor trying to make their own dinner – bless! GREAT race, great pace, great training = I was happy out!

The 2.3km was up next, so I thought I better eat something before. Some friends arrived to watch and hang out on the beach - the craic was good, banana bread was ordered and time flew by – til suddenly it was time to rock n’ roll again. So here’s me running to the start line with a mouth full of banana bread, a complete sow! All systems were go (I changed my swimming suit despite the drag, boobs and bottoms issues – I just needed to be comfortable!). Bang it all started, and yet again I was off the main pace up until the first buoy (500m); I was finding a nice rhythm, but  there were about 3 packs in front of me so I had a lot of work to do. So I just went into counting mode 1,2,3..1,2,3 and made every stroke count. It wasn’t until about two thirds into the race that I caught the girls.. I recognised one of them - Mel Speet - a powerful swimmer, and decided to try and stick with these girls, irrespective of my arms screaming abuse at me! Then somehow I found another gear and went on ahead, with Mel following - great stuff we had a race!…. So I continued to swim, struggling to sight the next buoy with no time for a break in my stroke (I should know better about sighting and the importance) and we stuffed up! We literally had to take a 90 degree turn to go back for a buoy we’d missed, catching another girl coming in on a nice line from the previous buoy, so now there was 3 of us… We turned at the last buoy and the beach was in the far distance. Stroke for stroke, the 3 of us were not letting up; I was loving every bit of it and no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't pull away from these girls - so it was all going to come down to the beach run up AGAIN (sigh)... It was fierce fun!

It ended up I was dropped by 1 sec by one of the girls on the run up the beach – I gave it everything and my mate Mel Speet was just in right behind me – GREAT race and really good fun!! Another learning curve that no matter how many swims you do, you learn something new every time! Thanks girls for an awesome race!

Sunday was wrapped up with time with amazing friends, coffee, FOOOOOOOOOOD and a very important 1st birthday party BBQ in Waverley for Miss Noiase Hardy (even iggle piggle was there!)

Another week gone and so grateful for everything I have and everyone around me.

#just4dacraic