To both of our surprise the race was much more popular than either of us could have imagined. The numbers kept growing steadily; from that initial 60 to close on 300 signed up in the lead up to the race, it just goes to show there are quite a few nutters out there!
Prior to the event I had the dilemma of whether to wear a wetsuit or not. On the one hand I was thinking that this is my first 10km swim and its more important to get that distance under my belt. On the other hand I was thinking that if I cannot even do 10km without a wetsuit, how am I going to get through 4 times that distance in the colder sea of the Channel!! In the end my cold training (or lack of) made the decision for me. In the week before the race I did my weekly Serpentine swim (without a wetsuit) and managed an hour, but I was getting pretty cold by the end of it and I just did not think I could stay in the water for up to 3 times longer for the Eton swim. I know that psychologically it would have been a great stepping stone in my journey to swimming the Channel. However, it would also have been quite a blow if I had to get out of the water due to the cold and not complete the distance. So, wetsuit it was...
With the decision made I was pretty relaxed going into the swim as I had done a 10km and 8km pool swim without stopping in the two weeks prior to the race. So I knew that I could do the distance comfortably. Plus, all my training had been done without a wetsuit, so having the extra buoyancy and less friction of the wetsuit was only going to make it easier.
In the week leading up to the 10km swim I reduced my training volume and intensity, whilst loading up on the carbs as I wasn’t sure how well I would be able to feed in the race. I had a really dodgy stomach the day before which did not help in the prep, but was back in control by the morning of, hoping I still had sufficient glycogen stores and not lost it all!!
The registration and preparation area at Dorney Lake was buzzing with around a thousand swimmers split over the 4 distances (750m, 1500m, 3km and 10km). There was a big mix of ability, some people doing their first open water swim, worrying how they would cope with the mass start, the cold water and the distance. Others talking about target times unachievable by most of us there and making their fellow swimmers feel a little inadequate! Overall there was a great atmosphere and a real feeling of camaraderie - we're in this together...
Before long it was our turn to line up and get into the water. Around 90% of the field were wearing wetsuits, only a few braved the water without. We took a leisurely swim to the starting point and looked down the course unable to see the last buoy over 1600m in the distance which marked our turning point, only 3 laps of the course, easy right!.
My target time for the race was 2hrs 30mins, I had no reason to assume that I would be able to managed this time as my pool time had been 2hrs 42 for 10km. I think I was expecting the thrill of the event and race conditions to knock 12mins off my time!!
I was in the middle of the pack, my favoured position being nearer the front, but we were hemmed in like tadpoles in a bucket with nowhere to go. The starting hooter went off and the water boiled and erupted with hundreds of arms and legs slamming into the water in an attempt to find space. I think most of us forgot that this was a marathon not a sprint at that point. For the first half of the first length there were people all around me, I couldn’t get into my own rhythm banging into the feet of swimmers in front and having my feet banged into by swimmers behind me. By the time I hit the first turn the field was starting to thin out and there was space starting to open up. The great thing about swimming at Dorney lake is that there are buoy ropes running the full length of the course, so if you can get a view of the rope there is little need to sight. You can just keep your head down and swim.
I felt pretty strong throughout the first lap and kept pace with those around my, claiming a couple of positions as I went along. My aim was to swim each lap in around 50 mins, but try and do them as descending efforts so that I would get quicker with each lap - that was the plan anyway! I arrived at the feeding station at the beginning of the second lap in around 49 mins. I took a swig of my sports drink (maxim), I couldn’t take too much in as my stomach was a little unsettled. Head back down and into the second lap still feeling strong - each land mark I passed I kept saying 'I will only have to swim past that one more time' to motivate myself.
It was working well, but at the turn at the halfway point of the second lap I started to feel my energy levels drop. I stopped worrying about what was going on around me and just focused on putting one arm in front of the other, maintaining good technique and not thinking about the waning power in my arms.
At the start of the last lap I was able to take on more fluid from the feeding station and felt a lot better almost straight away, although I didn’t get any faster. 2 laps down in 1hr 44, so not doing the negative splits I had hoped for, but still within reach of my target time. I started to feel a stiffness in my lower back, hands and arms. The thought going through my mind, as is the case whenever I start to struggle in any swim, was, if I am finding this hard how the hell am I going to cope with the channel! I felt myself slowing and at the final turn toward the home straight I had 21 mins to reach the end to hit the 2:30 target - no chance, so I quickly reassessed my position and thought, under 2:40 would still be a good time!!
I took a quick look up in front of me and couldn’t see any swimmers near by, I took a quick look behind me and could see a couple of swimmers about 30ms back. Head down, arm over arm I plodded on. Shortly after looking behind me one of the swimmers overtook me which told me I had slowed too much. I dug in, upped my pace and started to pull with power, the guy in front was motoring passed me but I was determined to sit on his toes for the remainder of the race - the last kilometre. We hit a bit of traffic which split us up, some of the slower 3km swimmers. I managed to get around them and back on his feet, but then we hit another traffic jam - a lot more 3km swimmers and some of the 10km swimmers finishing their 2nd lap. I got round them, but lost the guy in front. I kept on going, passing the laps buoy with just the last couple of hundred metres to go. With each stroke I pulled harder, turning my arms over faster and faster to get to the finish in under 2:40. As soon as I was in shallow water I got to my feet, steadied myself and jogged over the finishing mat to claim 37th place and 3rd in my age group in a time of 2:39:45!!! I was very happy...
I did find it a hard swim and let myself slow down too much when I was worried that I wasn’t going to make the distance due to fading energy levels. As I said earlier this is one of the easiest 10km swims I will do - closed water with no currents or waves, I had a wetsuit on and buoy ropes to guide the way for most of the course. Its only going to get harder, but two days after the race I am looking forward to my next event - a 10km sea swim at Weymouth, no wetsuits allowed........I foresee a lot of cold water in my future!
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