Katie Can Too!

From Palm Beach to Whale Beach, the big swim redux

2011-01-30T03:58:00.000-08:00

The Big Swim. 2.7km around the headland between Palm and Whale Beach.

This is the headland that doesn't end, my friends. Or at least it feels like it.

Last year my googles leaked, I got seasick, sun burnt, stung and struggled to get up the beach at the other end.

This year my brand new googles (cheers to Swim shop for their voucher!) were brilliant, travel calm and antihistamines kept both seasickenss and stingers at bay and my brilliant Can Too rashie provided sun and sting protection.

Start was glorious thanks to all the extra tips I picked up joining the beginners a couple of weeks ago at training. I had been porpoising all wrong which was why I was having such trouble getting out through the break leading to panic attacks.

Took a nice wide course, avoiding all the chop next to the headland and only joining up with the main body of swimmers as they rounded the headland. Was utterly convinced I had misremembered the headland as I didn't feel tired by the end of it and thought I had much further to go. Finally found those teeny tiny intermediate buoys I'd searched for last year and then the final buoy much too soon. I was having fun!

I did a warm up at both Palm and Whale beaches which meant I picked the gutter going out of Palm and knew what the waves were doing at Whale. Caught three broken ones into the beach and sprinted for home with two cheer squads on either side of the finish line cheering my name: The Can Tooers, especially Alice, Toby and Allison on the left and then Tom, Em, Elizabeth and the Garsias including Anna on my right.

Best 15 minutes of fame ever!

Now onto that Coogee to Bondi monster!

'Stralya Day

2011-01-26T03:00:00.000-08:00

You could celebrate Australia day by getting boozy with it the night before. Or you could do it the right way by kicking of your day with some serious exercise - a 2.5km swim around Farm Cove with the likes of Geoff Huegill and Tony Abbott. I picked the latter.

Farm Cove was the site of my first ever panic attack in deep water - being unable to see the bottom rendered me unable to put my face in the water and I swam the whole 400m of the BRW triathlon without breathing in the water. It was that experience which partly inspired me to join Can Too.

I returned to the site of my original panic attack by way of a deep water start from the Man 'O War steps to Lady Macquarie's chair and then along the farm cove wall. Totally fine. Amazing what Can Too can do.

Got a little lost turning around the buoy, but so did Mr Oceanswims so it's okay. Finished last in my age category - not uncommon but in a respectable 50:17 beating Tony Abbott by about 5 minutes.
How 'straylan can you get?

Bluebottles Attack!

2011-01-23T00:52:00.000-08:00

Presenting the sadistic blue bottle
Red equals sting, white equals three different kinds of stingoes and ice equals pain relief.

Although I have contemplated pulling out of many an ocean swim, I have only pulled out of two. Both due to blue bottles; to which I am mildly allergic making a painful experience even more so. I have to say both times, I've been back on the beach within 3 minutes of being stung. These lifesavers know their stuff.

The mighty Mona Vale marathon last year was grim, overcast and had an incredibly intense surf. This year it seemed Avalon and Mona Vale had swapped.

I had a few goggle issues getting out but otherwise it was quite an enjoyable swim. I'd discovered travelcalm during the week that includes an antihistamine for all those bitey things in the ocean to which I am allergic. Consequently, the chop out the back didn't worry me. Hurrah for pharmaceuticals!

Swam along nicely until the final buoy when the water safety directed us in as close to the buoy as possible due to stingers. I swam in close to the final buoy but whilst rounding it got bluebottle tentacle across my face. The pain was intense. Whilst treading water to try and pull the tentacles off the sadistic bastard got me across the arms, chest and back. I started screaming from the pain. Some lovely swimmer, on the home stretch when you're most competitive asked me if I was okay, to which I replied no and raised his arm for the rubber ducky to come rescue me. I felt like such a goose. I was so occupied trying to get the damn things off I hadn't raised my arm. Not sure but I think that's grounds for stripping you of your Australian citizenship. They hauled me into the boat, and another Can Tooer in my age group who'd been stung into the boat, brushed all the tentacles off and zipped into the shore. Raced up the beach, faster than I ever have at the end of a race in search of first aid.

Two hot showers, and two ice applications later I was still in a lot of pain. More antihistamines and panadol and kindly ministrations of both friends and strangers and I was okay. However, even after a boiling hot shower, more ice and a nap my face still looked pretty angry.
See the welts below:

It's now 11 hours later and my ear still feels like it was lacerated by the tentacles. It's bright red.

My woes however were nothing to the poor bloke who was unable to walk unaided after being stung and due to anaphalaxis left the beach in an ambulance. I hope he's okay!

Please keep your fingers crossed for a blue bottle free run at Whale Beach next weekend!

Surfs Up at Avalon

2011-01-16T00:35:00.000-08:00

There is very little in life that scares me but the surf at Avalon was pants-wettingly terrifying. The tide was going out making the waves bigger but the water to clear them less and less.
Six foot surfs are uncommon at Avalon.
During my warm up I caught one of the waves which was a thrill until I fell off the front of the damn thing. I'm pretty used to getting dumped and normally don't mind it - but falling off the front of the wave and through air into the wash below is genuinely terrifying. Names of spinal injury cases kept flashing through my mind.
Alice and I, Can Too Twoers that we are, elected to swim together and so, having stopped to meet up at the first buoy (I'm always slower to start) we swam stroke for stroke together. The water was surprisingly calm past the break. We were incredibly lucky in our starting wave (25-29 female) which had a fairly calm start. The blokes ahead of us got smacked by a set beyond the break.

I have no idea how we managed it, but we stopped and surveyed the sets behind us and managed to get a clear patch to get back in the beach. We crossed the line hand in hand before I made my debut as a Can Too spokes person.

The Bondi-not-quite-so-roughwater

2011-01-09T22:00:00.000-08:00

This blog has testified to a fair bit of ocean swimming madness (taking up the sport in the first place for example). But doing a 1km race and then turning around to do a 2km race has got to be up there.

The Bondi Roughwater last year was the first time I got seasick whilst swimming. Yes. It is indeed possible.
Susie Maroney used to suffer from it (see the extract below from her interview with Andrew Denton).

ANDREW DENTON: How do you get seasick swimming?

SUSIE MARONEY: Oh I don’t know but I was the worst at being seasick. It was terrible, and I think because the cage, because I wanted it right next to the boat because I like to see faces like while I’m swimming and everything, and I think having it on the side did make it really really choppy, and that’s when I just swallowed so much salt water and I couldn’t keep anything down, I was just so seasick. http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s1998057.htm

... Luckily I just feel nauseous, retch occasionally and have been known to become totally disoriented.

However this year Bondi was delightfully calm. Took the 1km as a warm up, supporting a nervous friend who did incredibly well to swim as far as she did given she wanted to bail, justifiably, 100m from the end. No shame in getting rescued - only in pushing ahead beyond your ability and endangering yourself, the water safety crew and other swimmers.

Got a good start and an easy rhythm in the 2km. Have discovered that if I try and swim fast I tend to swim slower than if I just ease into a strong, consistent and easy stroke. Bizarre. But hey whatever works.

Raced home, thanks to generous lift givers, to finish preparing for the "Tea for Too - Can Too" afternoon tea with Anna and raised a further $400 for Cure Cancer Australia.

Good Day!

Newport Pool to Peak

2011-01-03T17:56:00.000-08:00

From pool ...

to Peak ...

... well almost!

I am reliably informed by ocean swimming experts that even the most nervous of swimmers eventually overcome their panic.

Having finally enjoyed an ocean swim from go to whoa (the brilliant Bilgola) I was feeling far more confident. That confidence was sadly misplaced.

The 2km ocean swim starts at 10:30am on 2 January making for a fairly tame New Years. Glorious day and a solid 2km course.

Worst start in forever. I didn't have time for a serious warm up and couldn't get a rhythm when getting out past the break. Eventually I just had to swallow sea water to try and lubricate my panic dried mouth. Eventually got into a decent rhythm and enjoyed the back stretch (despite being 400m from shore which feels like a very long way!) Struggled in the final stretch when it really felt like I just wasn't getting anywhere.

A very slow swim overall but very good to get a 2km race under my belt.
Also, great to get a 3km swim in the pool before Can Too training starts back properly.

I could really get into this ocean swimming malarkey

2010-12-17T18:15:00.001-08:00

Bondi has to be the most mercurial beach ever. It can be so rough that ocean swims are cancelled because the buoys (let alone the swimmers) are being washed on to the rocks. It can then be flat as a tack.
As the bus pulled up this morning my reaction was "why hello there Lake Bondi! I had begun to doubt your commitment to sparkle motion!"

Not only had Bondi been becalmed, but it had also warmed up. Ocean temps of 20.6. Comparatively bath like. Brilliant.

I was formally recognised as a fundraising star and received my orange togs. Best swimmers ever and at a cost of $2500 (in terms of minimum fundraising) you would really want them to be.

Point to point at training today - Ben Buckler boat ramp to Icebergs and back again. I have now accepted that my fears will never subside to the point where I can just immediately fall into a swimming rythym upon entereng the water, but I've now gotten around that by breathing every second stroke until I stop hyperventilating (usually takes about 30 strokes) and then changing into my normal every 3 strokes. Alice, Larissa and I swim together, for the most part (except when I drop off or get squeezed out by other swimmers) and occasionally synchronise so perfectly it's beautiful.

The water is glorious, you can see everything through it, finish the swim in a faster time than ever before and really enjoy it all.

Huzzah!

Pool training this week was interval training. I kept up barely with 3:45 200m splits but I was desperate for that really cold ocean water by the end of it. My face was still flushed 20 minutes later.

Fundraising Star x 2

2010-12-14T04:10:00.000-08:00

Well I am now a Can Too fund-raising star for the second time, meaning I've raised the minimum $1250 to complete the program and qualify for my gorgeous orange and black Can Too cossie!
Thanks to all those who donated by attending the Can Too trivia evening including: Em, Tom O, Anna, Patrick, Lydia, Laz, Mum, Annabel, Toby, Bronwyn, Tom S, Vanessa, Michael, Alex, Erin, Tess, LG, Morelle, Adelina and all their friends!
Thanks to those who donated directly: Lydia, Dad, Airlie and Ben, Andrew, Emma, Anne, Sophie, Tamera, Bridie and Alice.

Across the 2010 program and 2011 program I have thus far raised over $3200. Never one to rest on my laurels I'd like to raise $5,000 by the time I swim to Whale Beach in January. I know I Can Too!

If you’d like to donate (all donations above $2 are tax deductible) please visit the Can Too Website and download the sponsorship form or donate via the website please click here then search for Katie Price, select my name, type the amount and click add sponsorship; you will complete your payment details and you will then be emailed a receipt.

There and back again, an ocean swimmer's tale

2010-12-12T05:26:00.000-08:00

Bilgola. 1.7km.
Where it all started. A year ago this was my first ever ocean swim and whilst I survived it, I can't say I enjoyed it.
Well what a difference a year makes. Despite the 16 degree water (brrrrrrrrrr) I felt like I was flying through the water, and it turns out I wasn't just confused with my recent flights from Century Mine (in a 7 seater) and Cairns.

I knocked 6:46 off last year's time, and more importantly knocked reduced my 100m interval time by 0.3 which is huge, for me at least.

Where last year I felt panic, this year I felt calm and confident, where last year I felt seasick the water was calm, where last year I was entangled in seaweed this year my freedom of movement was restricted only by the freezing of limbs.

Such a wonderful day. Anna smashed the course and then we joined her family for some shade time. Ocean swimming is not a great sport for those translucent persons such as myself who burn faster than fire lighters.

A tropical diversion and a cold front.

2010-12-11T04:48:00.000-08:00

Trinity Beach Stinger Net featuring the occasional croc

Trip to Cairns and the Gulf of Carpentaria where stinger season has commenced. Between them, the jellyfish and crocs this will be an ocean training free week.

Bring on Billie (Bilgola) on Sunday though. All registered and everything!

Post script: Smashed out a session in Toobrok Pool (without my old swim coach as my masochism still has its limits - 1km of single arm free style is enough to drive anyone batty!) and then another 2km in the stinger nets at Trinity Beach. Cannot stop thinking of those stories about crocs hopping onto the beach, and walking around in the stinger nets to wait for easy pray. The water is beautifully warm but incredibly opaque. Given how much I fear crocs I think I'll take cold and clear - at least that way you can see the sharks coming and you know crocs aren't a problem.

Bring on Billie!

You Can Too - play trivia and help make Katie a fundraising legend!

2010-12-02T04:47:00.000-08:00

Can Too Trivia is a smashing success, with over $1,000 raised. Everyone seemed to have a good time and we all learnt something, including the quiz master, yours truly.

I’ve uploaded the questions and answers here should you wish to check anything.

Congratulations to Emily Graham (winner of the West Wing Round) and These Crackpots and These Women who took out line honours, captained by Gilbert + Tobin trivia fiends.

Thanks to our sponsors: Wagamamas, Brooks and Bristol, Napoleon and 3 wise men for their kind prize donations.

Swim training was intense this week, we were aiming to best our 100m time trial over two sets followed by an easier set. 1500m on the trot. We were also trying to focus on our rotation to improve our stroke and increase our recovery.

The Beach session was kind of amazing. One of my fellow Can Tooers had raised over $50,000. He told the delightful story of how Can Too and in particular its founder, Annie Crawford, can making anything possible. He was one of the last to finish his first half marathon attempt and Annie arranged the media to be on hand to mark his finish (not to capture the winner of the marathon who was steadily gaining on him); nonetheless he crossed the line with a great fanfare, just behind the winner of the marathon. So far as the footage shows, in his first half marathon actually managed to come second in the marathon.

Can Too Trivia

2010-11-29T06:08:00.000-08:00

Monopolistic Behaviour
Third place getters: Team CJ
Second place getters: Zieggler's Zepplins
The winners - these crackpots and these women
The Indefeasibles

A run away success ...
Congratulations to:
The Crackpots and These Women - First place
Zieggler's Zepplin's - Second Place
Team CJ - Third Place
and Emily - winner of the West Wing Round
with thanks to all competitors, especially those who bribed us for the answers, corruption for an excellent cause!
We raised over $1100 which is AMAZING!

Coogee Cold Water Challenge*

2010-11-28T04:47:00.000-08:00

Freezing cold but all extremities accounted for - after the Coogee race

* Not its real name, but it really should have been

First ocean swim of my season. Warm up by running on the beach as warming up in these arctic waters would be oxymoronic. It's 16 degrees in the water and they're allowing wetsuits and discouraging slow swimmers.

Finally get in the water – adjust to the point where I can put my face in the water and then sprint for the sand to try and get warm. The kids go out first in the 800m swim and get swept off course. We are all advised to head left. We are also advised the boats are all equipped with space blankets.

Race briefing. My stomach is somewhere near my tonsils just writing this – pre ocean swim nerves are all consuming. They’ve changed the course at the last minute throwing all our tactics out of whack. Get to the first buoy with some semblance of style and / or grace as opposed to sheer panic. Big improvement from this time last year.

The cold is still a shock to the system and by the last buoy I am really ready to get out. Despite a significant effort to get back into the beach ASAP it still takes forever. I add 5mins to my last 1km time, but have retained all fingers and toes. Win!

Fundraising Update:

With thanks to the following people we are almost halfway: Me, Lydia (Can Too Swim), Bridie, Airlie and Ben, Anne, Sophie, Emma, Dad (Can Too Marathon 2006) and Tamera (my Can Too team Captain)

Cool, cool, cold!

2010-11-27T04:45:00.000-08:00

The pool sessions are starting to ramp up in terms of distance and speed. We had to do an 800m time trial to try and set a benchmark that we’ll aim to beat in all subsequent training sessions. I actually had an awesome time of it, the bloke behind me overtook me on the 150m stretch, and so I swam in his wake for the rest of the set, and then motored past on the home stretch. Who said watching the Tour de France obsessively wouldn’t be useful in real life?

We were forewarned about the water temperature at Thursday’s session. The recent northerly tending winds have forced much colder offshore water onto the coast – reducing the water temperatures from a balmy 21 degrees to an icy 16 degrees. I seriously thought extremities were going to drop off. We did a swim out to Ben Buckler’s point and then focused on ins and outs. Most people were shivering after the first swim.

I have never been more thankful for my inbuilt insulation system (augmented by more than a few fundraising Caramellos). The cold water showers in the Bondi Pavilion have never felt warmer.

The target is in your sights

2010-11-21T04:44:00.000-08:00

Rotate ze shoulders ...

Sighting and rotation drills in the pool this week.

It’s not enough just to swim during an ocean swim, you also have to sight your targets and line up. If you just follow the crowd you are liable to end up off course (life lesson there?) and if you don’t sight properly the s bend pattern you adopt may mean you end up swimming much more than the intended course. Equally you lengthen your stroke considerably if you rotate properly.

It proves much easier this time around … in the pool. Get into the open water and all of a sudden what worked in the pool results in salty mouthfuls.

Nonetheless I was able to sight (an admittedly orange clad) bloke on the beach who insisted on moving about to test our sighting abilities. This proved remarkably difficult for those amongst us who have poor long distance sight – do they even make prescription goggles?

Dawny’s Cockatoo Island Challenge is supposed to kick off my ocean swimming season. Collective veto in favour of brunch. Inauspicious start to the season.

Welcome to Frustration Town. Population 1. You.

2010-11-14T04:43:00.000-08:00

Back in the pool for the first time in months. I have never been more frustrated. I trained really hard all though winter and did a lot of coaching sessions in Cairns to try and correct my stroke and I am starting from a worse position than last year. Made it through the set, slowly, but it was awesome to be exercising again.

Beach session. Wake up call: you really were sick. Pneumonia is exhausting rather than sickening. I’ve felt worse from colds. So I had no idea how sick I had really been until I tried ocean swimming. Between the adrenalin, exertion, general panic and occasional mouthfuls of salty water my lungs were really up against it today.

We started in the middle of the beach, swam out about 150m and then across to icebergs. All up about 750m but I swear it felt longer than Palm to Whale or Little Bay to Malabar (both 3 times longer).

I muddled through but it was a very welcome indication of how sick I’d been and justification of my recent sloth impression.

Word up to the Bondi Lifesavers who volunteer their time to swim and paddle out with us. Without you we couldn’t too. They are such a reassuring presence. Props to Bec and Alex who were both on patrol. Very reassuring.

Onwards and upwards. Week 2 down. Ten to go.

It starts ... sort of ... maybe later

2010-11-07T04:35:00.000-08:00

Week one was spent on Smith’s Lake with the family finishing my course of antibiotics and generally recovering.

Inauspicious start.

Call Anna and it's been pouring, wet cold and miserable down at Bondi whilst I've been hanging by the lake. I believe "Curse you Katie" was the prevailing sentiment.

To Can Too or Not to Can Too

2010-10-30T04:14:00.000-07:00

Pro: More fun that you can poke a stick at

Con: More terrifying than being beaten with a stick

Pro: Supportive and helpful environment to get you to your goal swim

Con: You’re still all alone out there (to the extent that is possible whilst surrounded by 1000’s of swimmers and lifeguards)

Pro: Spending Saturday morning on Bondi Beach with friends

Con: Getting out of bed early on a Saturday (backing up after Friday night) to trek across town with the joys of weekend public transport

Pro: Getting fit and healthy

Con: Still taking antibiotics for mycoplasma pneumonia and totally unfit due to resultant medically imposed exercise hiatus

Pro: Facing my fears

Con: It's Scary!

Pro: Improving my time from last year

Con: Possibly being overtaken by Tony Abbott

Pro: Helping Cure Cancer Australia and supporting a great charity; not to mention the knowledge that you Can Too, having done it last year and the challenge of reaching the Fundraising Hall of Fame

It’s a win for Can Too …

Swim season in the tropics

2010-06-18T04:06:00.000-07:00

Sprinting up the beach ...
And they're off ... deep water starts are awesome
Double Island, also known as shark gutterHmmm ... not so sure about this after hearing all those croc stories.

When the water is warm all year around the swim season is dictacted by stingers and not by warmth.
The Far North Queensland swimming season starts in May / June - there are only a couple but they are looking to expand.

So I check out the Ellis Beach ocean swim. 1.2km - easy.

Too Rough at the site of the Bondi Roughwater

2010-04-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

The final swim of the season was to be the new Bondi swim on Anzac day. They let the 1km kids go and then declare it too rough.
My mates doing it had to swim the whole way underway to make any headway the surf was so tough.

Not a great way to end the season.

Until next season ...

Practice is supposed to make perfect

2010-02-23T02:20:00.000-08:00

Spectacular scenery

In the middle of all of these rainbow swimming capped swimmers is a nauseous girl in yellow who seems to be going the wrong way with the wrong stroke. That's me.

The Malabar to Little Bay swim is 2.7km long. Which doesn't seem that long now that I've swum it already. Wonderful boutique swim with excellent organisation and smaller numbers of participants. This means no getting swum over, into, around, on top of etc. It does however mean I fall off the back of my starting wave before the first buoy, but for the first time it takes the next wave until the 3rd buoy to overtake me. Yay!

It's at the 3rd wave when the seasickness strikes, despite anti-nausea tablets and a relatively calm day. Debilitating stuff. Cough, splutter, breaststroke, keep on swimming, cough and splutter again. Finally make it to the end and am made to go around the final buoy before heading to the finish line. Get my own back by pushing against buoy to minimise detour necessitated by it. Am totally disorientated by the end.

Am last in my age category, and in the bottom 20. Couldn't care less. I made a distance that once had me quaking in my boots whilst horribly nauseous. That alone is an achievement I wouldn't have once contemplated. Have however decided against a 5km attempt. For this year at least.

One step foward, two steps back.

2010-02-15T03:20:00.000-08:00

North Bondi Classic. Infinitely smoother than the roughwater. Given that extra beer last night this is an excellent thing.

Panic attack upon getting past the break and for the first time ever, I really think I won't be able to make it. 35 sea lice stings later, I consider hailing down one of those rubber duckies full of life guards. My arm burns to the point where I no longer recognise it as my arm, rather some flaming paddle, viking style. Water, water everywhere and not a drop to quench. It turns out I still Can Too, but not with any particular grace, speed or style. Reach the finish line and head straight to first aid, giving my colleague quite a "she's drowned" scare.

Funnily I thought I'd gotten over the panic attacks and that I'd outgrown my childhood allergies. Apparently not.

Have signed up to do another 2.7km swim on Sunday and if I don't enjoy it - I won't even attempt 5km. I'll settle for 2.6km on April 26. Man it feels weird just typing that.

Katie Can Too!!

2010-02-10T03:04:00.000-08:00

The end is near ... final training session at Bondi. Utterly terrifying. The waves were the bigger and the weather was more miserable than it had been yet. At least we all co-ordinated perfectly in our Can Too Cossies. The surf is so strong it rips my googles from my head whilst swimming.

The waves at Whale Beach prove a let down after the serious surf the day before. This is where dangerous levels of complacency set in.
Alice grinning from ear to ear that the conditions aren't as bad as yesterday.
Perfectly peaceful. Now.
IRBs (or as I prefer to call them Rubber Duckies) getting ready. I desperately hope I don't have to use them.

We Can Too! (Pre-emptive)

Massive Grins before the race starts. Ignorance is bliss.

Waiting for the start gun. This is actually the worst part of the race. Having always been in the first wave I'm now in the 8th and by now the adrenalin glands have been working overtime.

This is a fairly cautious back of the pack start. Normally it would be action shot central. I'm in the cautious bunch.

Splashing up the beach like a pro.

There is quite a bit of pain etched onto my face. There is also unbelievable relief at being able to touch dry land again. 1:01 hours later. I'm second last in my age category and 1639th out of 1831 overall and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have felt better even if I'd won the damn thing.

Waiting at the finish line are a few representative members of Team Katie. Mum and Dad. They were almost as proud as I was.

More representatives of Team Katie. Em and Tom trekked to Whale to be there when I crossed the finish line. They told me they could never do it themselves. 3 months ago that was my attitude too! But there was no way I couldn't succeed with all the support I had behind me. To everyone who encouraged my madness - thank you. To everyone who said congratulations, or good luck. And to those wonderful, wonderful people who dug deep and sponsored me, I cannot thank you enough. I assure you I thought of you all multiple times during the swim (there was certainly time) and it gave me strength.

Can Too Swimmers and Cure Cancer Board Members. Club Fed. Totally Euphoric.

Early, early start for the Big Swim. Knocks all previous efforts out of the ball park. By the time we park, get a coffee, get the bus to Palm, register and warm up there's about 10 minutes left. Having lost my googles the day beforehand (they went to a watery grave) I have to use my spares and they're leaking. Not good.

Lots of faffing waiting for our wave. They start 80% of the blokes and then the women. So much for chivalry. Decent start. Head to the first buoy / boee and then try to sight the next one, as per our Can Too briefing. Have to wait until Whale Beach for the next one. The headland between Palm and Whale Beach is endless. So to kill time I start singing "This is the headland that doesn't end, it just goes on and on my friend. Some people started swimming it not knowing what it was and they'll continue singing it for ever just because ..." In retrospect it seems equally appropriate. It's about this point that the googles start going really wrong, I start getting seasick, I get stung by sea lice to which I am allergic, the waves seem utterly relentless and determined to smash me into smithereens on the headland. Finally get past the headland and can see the beach, but they make you swim all the way along to the buoy / booee and then swim back. I swim as fast as possible to the finish and am so relieved to touch solid land I could cry. Am bathed in the warm feeling of support from my Dad, who is waiting at the finish line and all the fellow Can Tooers. I'll be back next year.

So it turns out that:

The next weekend was supposed to be the Cole Classic but a combination of weather and the drive from Jervis Bay turned me off. So I've signed up to the North Bondi Classic to make up for it. And am actually considering doing the 5km Coogee to Bondi swim! This Can Too attitude is infectious. And all the wonderful support is totally addictive.

The test

2010-01-27T02:36:00.000-08:00

In order to test my new found comfort with ocean swimming my body decides to develop the 'flu. Top of the list of things you absolutely should not do whilst sick with the 'flu. Ocean swimming. Add an ear infection to the list and I swear the GP was looking at me as though I was crazy (not for the first time, mind you) when I told her I'd done a 2km training swim and a 1.6km race on successive days.

Actually. She has a point there.

Was strictly necessary to attend training though to receive (duh dunana) my Can Too Cossies!! Never has a pair of cossies cost so much (literally in terms of the minimum fundraising and figuratively in terms of the amount of effort involved).

Swam out to the head, across to beyond icebergs and then back. Funnily enough two colleagues were on the beach but I didn't run into them. So slow. Like iceberg slow. Ironic given that's what I was sighting. Do 2km in over an hour. This is about 20 minutes slower than my PB. If I were Susie Maroney (IF, IF, IF) this would be like the 'flu transforming you into Eric the Eel. Sadly I later check and am pretty sure Eric would have been faster than me.

Head up to Warriewood on the Sunday for the Warriewood to Mona Vale swim. My first "journey" swim (I love the lingo) between two points rather than in a big circle. Intense surf greets us at Mona Vale, and again at Warriewood (when we finally work out how to get there). The three colleagues who joined me last week for Avalon have become a self sustaining movement, encouraging me to forfeit my week off. There are varying degrees of enthusiasm upon being confronted with the early hour (by their standards), grey, overcast, drizzly day, and intense surf. The boys attack it like life saving pros (as opposed to the volunteers they are) but us girls are a little more circumspect and even consider dropping out when we warm up. Briefing session with Longie (Bondi / Can Too legend who regularly takes out his age group) helps quell the nerves a little and the girls strike a faustian pact: no competing with the boys for the sake of company getting out through the break.

We make it safely through the break, and fall off the back of our bunch so successfully that the next wave of swimmers are upon us before we make the first buoy (boating) / booee (swimming) (not so sure I love the lingo anymore). Glorious in the back straight, truly transparent water, easy intervals between booees and very friendly surfers. One of them keeps me company most of the way and informs me of my progress between sets, and every 6 strokes. Delightful chap. Not at all a waxhead.

Surf is equally intense getting in. First 4 are too big and breaking too early to even think about catching so let them pull me forward, revelling in the sight of the wash through the googles. Then catch wave after wave in and overtake all those poor suckers in front of me. Then have to run uphill in sand and we're all even stevens again. Another colleague has come down to cheer us over the finish line and I hear my name being yelled in support. Awesome feeling.

The boys, and uber fast girl have done it in a very fast time. The girls have done it in style. And by style I mean not drowning. One colleague has won her age category and she of masters gold winning fame comes second in her age category.

We head off to lunch, which is vastly aided by actually finding the intended restaurant this time, and paddlepops. Epic argument about which flavour is better. Personally, I think given how much more successfully we were able to eat our icecreams this week the flavour argument is rendered moot.

Fundraising Minimum Smashed!!

2010-01-21T17:45:00.000-08:00

The $1250 minimum fundraising amount has been reached thanks to the extraordinary generosity of my family and friends:

With huge, huge, huge thanks to:

The Federal Court and all its employees, including two wonderful judges, Pam, Mum, Sarah, Lauren, Steph, Patrick, Diccon, Laura, Emily, Reena, Emma, Lisa, Peter, Vivian, Adam, Pia, Mitchel, Carolyn, Margreet, Yvonne, Jacinta, Jennifer, Anna V, Zsofi, Urshi, Marianna, Erin, Siobhan, Dad, Isa, Alex, Tam, Airlie, Justin, Matt, Ben, Alison and Rachel.

It's been absolutely amazing how many people have come forth from the tapestry of my life and supported this event, clearly cancer is something that affects us all, even if we live without ever receiving a diagnosis.

And I assure you, the warm fuzzy thoughts of people putting their hard earned cash behind you is incredibly helpful when struggling around a buoy in cold water and copping an elbow to the googles. It is you guys, as much as the training that has gotten me through, including those whose support hasn't been financial.

I am thoroughly indebted and incredibly grateful.

You all Can Too! And now I get my Can Too Cossies. Orange. Hot!!

And the fear slowly subsides

2010-01-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

The water is amazingly clear ...

Bronwyn Bishop becomes convinced she can too [move her eyebrows]

Oh what a glorious day!

We head to the start line

And it starts ...

photos courtesy of Oceanswims.com

Training on Saturday was bizarre. I got through the break and started swimming instead of panicking. Having been advised to dive deeper I found myself focusing on that rather than my impending drowning and for the first time ever actually enjoyed Ocean Swimming. Susan, our team captain, was totally vindicated and crowing that she had promised eventual enjoyment. I rolled my eyes at the time. How does one go about retracting an eye roll? Counter clockwise perhaps?

Then Avalon. Another 1.5km swim. Went up the day before with a colleague (the Federal Court proving a very fertile hunting ground for recruiting ocean swimmers) to test out the waves. Massive. She handled it with great aplomb included a massive wave, that came from no where (i.e. beyond the break) and blotted out the sun whilst diving underneath it, and even still swept us both up in it.

Sunday morning. Bright and early. Well bright at least, by my standards. Meet 2 fellow associates, grab a third and head to Avalon. Glorious day. Minimal wind so no chop. Convince recalcitrant associate to have a go. Her aplomb holds throughout the race and she finishes with a smile a mile wide and exclamations of never having had quite so much fun. I literally burst with pride; especially considering the nervous quivering mass I was during the first four weeks. The blokes smash the race. 30 minutes and 30 seconds and 31 minutes and 30 seconds respectively. I'm a ways behind but still improve my time from Bilgola considerably. Am totally stoked. Having never been in the second wave I'm used to my time not having to be adjusted. The blokes point this out to me and I attempt to knock them out with my flailing arms as I star jump for joy.

Mel (of World Masters gold medal glory) comes 3rd in her age category and the colleague who joined me for Bilgola is only moments behind. Impressive.

But most exciting, is that, for the first time, instead of panicking during the race, I swim. Even when I take a gulp of ocean instead of air, or someone elbows me, or swims over me, I'm totally relaxed and just keep setting a steady pace. I'm blaming this wonderful development on my lovely fellow associates. Clearly they are a calming presence.

Swim 5km in the pool. Almost non stop (I take two breathers without touching the bottom). Am now actually EXCITED for the Big Swim in a greater proportion to the part of me which dreads it. This is entirely unprecedented. It no longer looms as an impossible Herculean feat, but rather something achieveable. I guess I Can Too!! (Fingers crossed)

Past the $800 mark for sponsorship. Not sure hassling people for money isn't the harder part of the program!

Euphoric post finish line!

Oh, so that's why we're doing this

2010-01-14T20:16:00.000-08:00

1.5km swim on Monday to try and deal with the lactic acid. Sprinted 1km which ended up at about 20-22 minutes, making the 43 minutes for the 2km in the Bondi Roughwater quite respectable relative to my abilities.

Cross training bike ride in the morning followed by 4.5km swim on Wednesday, 1.5km with the boyz (significant lapping) and then 2.6km on the trot with a 400m warm up. Passed out on couch after carbo loading.

What you really want to back up that distance with is a 2.2km session of interval training. Words cannot describe my loathing for interval training. I make sloths look particularly quick. Thus sprinting for up to 100m and then doing an equivalent distance at an easy pace kills me.

On the positive side, the method to my madness was finally brought to bear. We met Phoebe, a researcher in pancreatic cancer who outlined for us why Cure Cancer and the funds raised by Can Too are just so vital. Cure Cancer made the specific choice to provide research grants to young postdoctoral researchers. Traditionally research grants are based on experience and reputation, and in particular previous grants. Thus, it is even harder to get a start in research than those industries in which each opening requires you to have experience. Cure Cancer saw that there was particular merit in funding young researchers who may well have novel approaches and new metholodologies but had to work for others in order to get their foot in the door.

Phoebe in particular has been trained in cutting edge US technology immediately following the completion of her PhD and she choose Pancreatic Cancer because it is essentially a death sentence. There is no cure, and no effective treatment. The entire gamut of chemotherapy medications fail to act against pancreatic cancer and Phoebe discovered that this was due to scar tissue which is a co-effect of the cancer, rather than an incidental side effect. This scar tissue absorbs the medication and prevents it from reaching the tumour itself. She's developed a protein (from chinese herbs) that attacks the scar tissue allowing the medication to be absorbed which is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials in the US. Phoebe indicated that without Can Too and Cure Cancer she never would have received her first grant, which allowed her to bring another researcher on board, and put her in line to receive further grants.

She couldn't thank us enough, which made us all rather embarrassed for our efforts. It's given me renewed resolve to try and quell my fears of getting out through the break.

Have signed up for the 1.6km swim at Avalon on the weekend and have at least 2 colleagues joining me. Woot.

Fundraising has passed the $700. If everyone donates $10 we'll pass the $1200 minimum easily (which also means I get my orange cossies).

Visit http://www.cantoo.org.au/ and click on sponsor a participant and search for Price to donate.

From Lake Bondi to Bondi Roughwater

2010-01-09T22:59:00.000-08:00

I'm the really professional looking one to the right, face out of frame. (Jokes)

The finish line, a most welcome sight!

All the Can Tooers doing the 2km swim

We rock up at training on 2 January 2010 only to discover Bondi beach has been replaced by Lake Bondi. Nary a wave to be seen. Why on earth could it have not been like this on the first week?

We do a point to point (Boat Ramp to Icebergs) and shock! I enjoy it! Without the waves I can just relax and settle into a routine.

Next Saturday is much the same, calm and relaxed. Given almost everyone is doing the Bondi Roughwater swim the next day we work on the course. Decide rip is the best option. Am now voluntarily swimming in rips. Who would have seen that coming?

Race day is brilliantly organised. Instead of the 45 minute reg queue it takes 5 minutes. We cheer the 1km swimmers home and then go warm up. Sou-Easter has hit bringing swell with it. Joy.

Hard slog out to the first buoy. Am overtaken by Mel (a friend who wins gold medals in the World Masters!) very happy to be overtaken by someone I know. Bit easier from then on. Get into a rhythm. Despite having been told it wouldn't be necessary to go through the gate (two buoys lined up) I almost run into a surf ski that tells me it is necessary. Keep on stroking. People keep swimming into, over, under and around you. Disorganised chaos. Sprint up the beach, stoked to have reached another girl in my age category. Only to realise she'd already done the 1km event.

Wow!

Last out of the water is a Can Too mentor. She's done the program before in response to a death in her family. This is her first time ever swimming 2km. She sprints over the finish line in tears. Suddenly my fears seem pretty stupid!

Be careful what you wish for - Bilgola Ocean Swim

2009-12-13T15:53:00.000-08:00

Signed up for the Bilgola ocean swim today - on the basis of a conversation with a colleague who joined me in my madness. 1.5 kilometres between the headlands of North and South Bilgola. Cracking sou-easterly wind and more seaweed than populates the gardens of Atlantis (presuming the legends to be accurate).

I, of course, wished for a small surf with infrequent waves. Only had to duck under 4 times to get past the break- and unlike yesterday could catch a full breath between them - but had to run through about 2m of solid seaweed to get to the break. I think I looked like a creature out of Harry Potter by the end.

We started in waves: white, yellow, red and green but by the end we looked like and endless procession of traffic lights. Suprisingly wasn't the last out of the water - being in the first group probably helps with that.

People had warned me that ocean swimming is like organised chaos. They lied, it's just chaos, people swim into you, over you, around you and under you. It's hilarious because unless you are excellent at swimming in a straight line for the 10 strokes between sighting your mark, we're all interweaving like some bizarre version of a maypole dance.

You're protected by the headland for the first two buoys, but between the second and the third you are totally exposed and swimming straight into the waves. Getting a fix is impossible most of the way so I focus on the cliff. And the profound beauty of the vast expanse of water beneath me as the ethereal light dapples and dances on the endlessly shifting sands.

Couple of jelly fish. Unfortunately useless as floatation devices, darn.

Couple of inconsiderate folk breastroke, particularly around the buoys. This is a big no-no in ocean swimming as your kick extends well beyond your body, generally into the person behind you's face.

Made it back through the break, and the seaweed, only to race up the beach. God running through sand is tough. It's like ... running through quick sand. Funny that.

Rescued by parentals and sister taken to lunch. All of whom are convinced they could never do that - I didn't think I could either 6 weeks ago.

Have totally earned dessert so have two. Yay!

Week 6

2009-12-12T15:38:00.000-08:00

Swam 2km in my practice swims and 1.9km in my training session. 2.7km doesn't seem quite so far now but it still seems like a bloody long way.

Beach session involved everyone swimming out in waves like a real race. I didn't get entirely overtaken by the fast group but I was certainly the last one in the middle group. Possibly due to hang over (5th of my life). Waves were seriously intense, we kept coming up between sets only to have to go straight back down again which meant I couldn't get my breathing right. Boo. The water was so beautiful though, sun beams came down through the water and glistened on the shifting sands. I kept getting distracted by the beauty and swimming in wiggly lines.

Sighting a buoy that's about 20cm high between waves is a very tricky business, so I decided to sight my fellow swimmers. This is problematic when they're not sighting themselves.

Have signed up for my first ocean swim tomorrow at the urging of a colleague with whom I was discussing ocean swimming. Argh. Nerves. Have also signed up for the Big Swim from Palm Beach to Whale Beach! No turning back now...

Week 5

2009-12-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

Finally got the requisite 4 swims per week in that we're supposed to be doing. Starting to feel very at home in the water. Wonder if it's possible to devolve into some kind of amphibious creature, that would be one way to solve my breathing issues.

Swam out to the boat ramp again at Bondi. Serious surf to navigate. Got past the break and then almost got smashed by a freak wave. Utterly exhausting swimming out. One very kind person noticed how terrible my breathing is when I first get started and am totally terrified so she swam next to me so I could just sight her instead of the boat ramp and get my breathing sorted. Not sure if I'll be able to start swimming properly from the get go next week. Ride home wasn't nearly as draining as normal. Must be getting used to that evil hill!

Week 4

2009-11-29T21:07:00.000-08:00

Finally kept up in the pool this evening. Didn't get lapped once. Dropping down a lane was a most excellent idea.

First actual ocean swim yesterday! Swam 1km without entirely drowning. Still couldn't get the breathing quite right in the first leg but it kind of came together in the second. Still find it all incredibly challenging but at least I know I'll last the distance.

No sign of sharks. However still swam in time to the jaws theme song.

Week 3

2009-11-22T20:56:00.000-08:00

Starting sighting drills at the beach - swimming out and around buoys. Such exhausting work - getting out and through the surf, around the buoys and back through the channel (like swimming on a treadmill) before running up the beach! Swimming such a short distance has never been so exhausted! Afterwards they told us that if the surf ever got that big in the Cole Classic or the Big Swim they'd cancel - this is a relief.

Week 2

2009-11-15T20:29:00.000-08:00

Have survived week 1.

Excellent start, I feel.

In Brisbane for work. Buy new sneakers as investment in fitness regime. Bright as daylight by 5:30am. Start running / swimming before work. Swim in baths. Bath temperature. But very, very cute. Unclear why you need a heated pool in Brisbane.

Saturday at the beach. Focus is still on getting in and out of the water. Running over the waves with high knees. Porpoising aka diving over waves into very shallow water. Remember reason for introducing Civil Liability Act. Repression of inner law nerd not going as well as training. Sadly.

Again. Less death than expected. Lovely people, all very supporting and encouraging. Life guards around us at all times. Must not end up on Bondi rescue. Really dislike reality television as a concept, let alone as a guest star.

We have to swim in that?!

2009-11-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

Warm up at the Beach

Some of our faithful lifesavers

We have to do what now?

And into the surf we go ...

Okay. I lied. I'm really fine in the pool. The pool is clear, friendly and wave free. I will happily swim the requisite 2.7km in the pool. Just don't make me go in the ocean.

Arrived on bike. Begrudging kudos from the drivers.

Briefing session on Bondi Beach. Two permanent rips. Joy. Talk about overkill. Possibly literally in my case.

Briefing on waves. And the sand bar. Wait, didn't that massive damages case happen here? [Try to turn off inner law nerd whilst surrounded by beach babes. Epic fail.]

Warm up. Beach jog. Wait. I did not sign up to the Can Too run program. I know my limits. Also never wanted to feel like extra on Baywatch.

Time to get wet. No time to shriek about the cold before we are hearded out (like lambs to the slaughter?) through the break. Expected death does not ensue. Can't get breathing together. Swim like they do in Baywatch instead. Give up on hope of never looking like an extra. Very glad I did not buy the red speedos.

Focus on getting out through the waves and getting back in. Do this multiple times without dying. Am again made to run, out of the surf. Seriously. Did not join Marathon program. Very well aware I am not a runner. Breath slowly returns to normal. Then comes hill climb out of Bondi. Swim, what swim?

Splish Splash

2009-11-05T22:30:00.000-08:00

First training session tonight. Got lapped more times than if I had swum against Michael Phelps.

If at first you are lapped, perhaps the fast lane is not for you.

Otherwise less drowning than expected. Normally quite fine in the pool. Then started thinking of the ocean. Black line less easy to follow when it morphs into denziens of the deep.

This time for real

2009-10-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

Summon courage to send off forms. Finally.

Enthusiasm by proxy

2009-10-28T00:12:00.000-07:00

Forms received. Processed. Enthusiastic email welcome email received.

Perhaps all this orange (always the most flattering of colours) enthusiasm will rub off.

Training starts next week.

Uh oh.

It starts ...

2009-10-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

Have decided to join Can Too, raise money for cancer and hopefully complete an ocean swim. Scout around fitness crazed colleagues for interest.

Find little to none.

Ignoring the significance of this.