Well it's been a while since I added anything to the blogimebob, so here goes on some of my news. After my Channel swim, I've become fat and lazy and upto the new year had done very little swimming. I just didn't have the motivation or indeed anything to encourage me to train for. However, a perfectly timed email from Mark Robson changed all that. He suggested that it would be a spiffing idea and a whizard wheeze to a tandem 2 person 2 way swim of Windermere (not a relay, but both do the full distance together). Having mulled it over for some time and grovelled to the gaffer, I agreed. So that was the goal for 2011 sorted, all I needed to do was remember how to swim!
January saw me back in the pool and I've gradually built back upto 15000m a week and I'm continuing this build. Though I detest all the warm water, it's a necessary evil until the open water warms a tid. Further motivation was a day out to London and the UK cold water Championships. Not only did I get the chance to swim in some proper cold water (estimates were around the 3-4C mark), but I caught up with so many friends from the wonderful world of open water swimming, which just inspired me further. The races themselves were great fun, I came 7th overall in the freestyle for my age group, just missing the final, but managed 4th in the heats of the breaststroke. Thus I had to swim a third race, but I wasn't able to clinch a medal coming in 4th again. Damn there's some fit old boys out there!
Other news, I passed my re-assessment as a pool lifeguard this week and I'm booked on the refresher for my beach lifeguard in mid March. Thus I'll be in the sea off Devon that week. Ruth and I are looking forward to the Channel swimmers dinner in March as well. Oh and I'm off to Gozo guiding for Swimtrek for the last 2 weeks in April, on the Long Distance Training Camp. This is always a great 2 weeks working with Mia Russell and the leg end that is Cliff Golding (sorry Legend)!
There you go, the blog is back and I'll try to update as I have anything worthy of note.
Andy W
About Me
- Andy Williams
- I’m a late comer to the world of sport taking up swimming at the tender age of 34 (though I have always been able to swim, just not competitively). My first open water race was in 1995, this was the Inter-services Lake Bala swim in North Wales. I entered the breast-stroke event, and promptly won it!! From there I went on to do various races culminating in the World Masters in 1996, a 5km race which I finished 19th in my age group, breast-stroking against free-stylers. In 1997 I was part of an RAF relay team that successfully crossed the English Channel. I then drifted into triathlon, representing Great Britain as an age group triathlete in both European and World Championships, as well as becoming a level 3 coach, It was at this point I taught myself to freestyle. I have worked part time as a guide for a company called SwimTrek for the past 5 years. SwimTrek specialise in swimming adventure holidays all around the world, and have encouraged me to fulfil my ambition of one day swimming the English Channel as a solo swimmer.
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