Rottnest Channel Swim 2016...

Well what a day it was, Saturday 27th February 2016, we woke at 3am to pack cars and get ourselves ready, first mistake happens, didn't eat anything for breakfast as nerves were getting the better of me. Hubby and a friend headed off to meet up with my Skipper and boat. My friend Trish was my life guard and spotter on the boat to allow the skipper to focus on the issues on the water. Myself and Kim my training partner with our paddlers headed to Cottesloe Beach to drop off the Kayaks and ourselves to get ready. An amazing scene to be on the beach pre-dawn and with so much happening on and off the water.

Prepared as much as I thought I was, we were called up for our wave to start. Standing on the beach with others and looking out to sea with all the boats and kayaks ahead, and the beautiful Leeuwin Ship placed at the 1500m mark. This was where we couldn't go any further if we didn't have our safety crew with us. The starting gun went off, and we were in the water taking it easy to start with, as we had such a long way to go. We picked up our kayaks and were heading out to find our boats. Once we picked them up, it was head down and arms over to make it to the other side.

I was feeling super comfortable being in the water and my stroke rate was going really well. I was steaming ahead. It was time for my first feed and it felt like I had only just gotten in the water, but it was 30 minutes into the swim as I had instructed. I was feeling great. With my first feed down and feeling comfortable I was back on the go, head down and arms swinging. My breathing was great, felt calm and comfortable. Time past and the water still calm it was already time for a second feed. Time went on and then by about the fourth or fifth feed I was starting to get nauseous and then up it came. This continued for some time on and off, until just after the 10 kilometer mark I was so very sick and was not feeling great any more.

I kept swimming and by the 12km mark I was still feeling sick but managed to take in a little fluid and carbs to keep pushing. I was sick a couple of more times and as I neared the 15km mark and with just 4.7km to go, I stopped, and my kayaker said we will feed and see how we go. The interesting part to all of this was my "form", swimming stroke was still very good as it was from the start, it was just that I was slowing down and I was taking more rests. By the time we just past the 15km mark and was nearing the 16km I stopped, took a sip of water and just felt like I wanted to sleep and felt so cold in the water. I knew this was not a good sign, and was starting to borderline hypothermia, which is very dangerous. So that was it, I was pulled out of the water at my decision and headed to the Rottnest Island to meet up with medical to be checked and family. I was disappointed in the end result initially as my training partner and boss Kim made it to the finish in eight and half hours which was totally awesome.

It was hard yesterday to hold in the sadness I felt that didn't get to the finish line. I was disappointed that I didn't make it to the finish line. I am though very proud that I have taken on this journey to learn that I have come such a long way in just over twelve months to see the true me, and the deep seated determination and courage to take on such a massive swim, that I have finally dealt with my eating disorder and can say I am fully in recovery. I have learnt more about myself in this time than in my 40+ years of life. I tried, I don't think I failed, I just hit some hurdles that I couldn't over come on the day, but the best part is, after some recovery time, getting my foot fixed and some down time to think, process and rejuvenate, I will be back in the water with the same end goal though with some good well needed changes to help me get there. So its now Rottnest Channel Swim 2017 that I will rise to conquer.

Have an awesome week...
Hayley xx

3 days 12 hours and counting to go...

 With just days to go its now getting down to the business end of training ready to swim on Saturday. So far the weather is looking pretty much perfect, fingers and toes are all crossed that it stays that way.

We do our last swim session tomorrow of 1500 meters, just a short half hour in the water. So it will feel a bit sad to only be in there for that long when we are used to being in the water for over an hour at a time. Then its time to rest, load the body with carbohydrates and protein. Try and not let the mind run to far ahead and play games. This is the difficult part of tapering, the head runs to fast and into so many different areas of the swim. When I am trying not to over think it at all, except to make sure all the last minutes things are sorted, such as nutrition, clothes and gear for after the swim.

The amount of training that goes into such a big event is amazing, and I know that if I hadn't got my eating disorder dealt with properly unlike when I did the Busselton Half Ironman a couple of years ago, I wouldn't be able to do the swim. Making the decision to get real with myself was step one, having the best support crew around me while gaining the required weight and dealing with it all emotionally while still maintaining a big training program. I can honestly say I am the fittest I have ever been, I am the most clear minded I have ever been. I am exceptionally proud of myself and being able to let go of my Eating Disorder and reaching a life goal and looking further into the future that also will require more weight to be gained as I need to learn to swim in cold water for the big picture.

The past 12 months of training has brought me to this weekend...Rottnest Channel Swim, which is the first stepping stone to reach the biggest part of the picture...8 Bridges Swim in America. This is 192km over 7 days down the Hudson River. I will make it to the dream and fulfill it. Along the way I hope to show teens that starving yourself to be like everyone else isn't the way to go, feed the mind, feed the dreams and make every one of them come true!

The above paragraph was taken from my Facebook page that I posted yesterday and this just sums everything up for me leading into Saturday, its not just about reaching Thompson Bay on Rottnest Island, its been about a massive start to a long journey of recovery, understanding, and discovery with so much more to come and dreams to dream.

Have an awesome week...

Hayley xx

8 Days 10 Hours to go....

With just over a week to go till the gun goes of for the Rotto Swim, I am going through all sorts of emotions. Excitement, nervousness, more excitement, thinking, organising, frustration, excitement, nervousness...it all goes in waves.

This will be the biggest sports event I will ever have taken on. At 44 years old. Who would have thought that someone who had, had an eating disorder for 30 plus years would have her shit together and be able to not just gain approximately 15kg, but also do it during over 12 months of intensive training. There are definitely things that we dream of and chase that can make such a significant difference in our lives. I know deep in my heart that I will make the 19.7 kilometer swim, come hell or high water...

I have been very blessed to have an amazingly supportive group of people around me. They have had to deal with my waves of emotions going from one extreme to another, keeping me on target with eating and making sure I don't over train. I have also managed to listen to my own body, which would never of happened previously.

Sharks...not afraid, jellyfish...not looking forward to, Swim...can't wait, the finish...bring it on, the pub...tall glass, lots of ice and bourbon with coke.

The Start Line

This will be the first of hopefully many marathon swims to come.

The Finish Line

14 days to go!

 With just 14 days to go, and my training partner and I take on probably one of the biggest challenges to date. 19.7 kilometers of open water, where there could be sharks, cargo ships, we know there will be lots of other swimmers, boats and kayaks. This is a swim not to compete against each other or others, its about seeing just how far our bodies can go and how our minds cope with such stress on the body.

Now doing a half Ironman event a couple of years ago, was hard, and yes the training put me in good stead for complete it. In triathlon you have a very short swim (either 1.9km or 3.8km) then cycling (either 90 or 180km) followed by the last discipline of running (21.1km or 42.2km). Now these distances are from either a half Ironman or and full Ironman. I have only done short distance or half Ironman. I know that when I competed in the triathlon, I was able to stretch my legs when they were cramping or my back on the bike and I could walk if I needed to on the run, when it comes to swimming the Rottnest Channel or any other endurance swim you don't have that luxury. This is a game of mind and body, to make sure you can keep them in sync with each other for as long as possible. The other issue is Hypothermia, where you become so cold that you run the risk of being pulled out of the water and even taken to hospital, this can also be a life threatening issue with endurance swimming and not something you take lightly.

I have a number of people that keep asking me, "why?" and "are you crazy?" I have also others who wish me all the luck and have high regard for what I am going to be doing.

I know I can stand tall and say I have faced more in my life than swimming across an channel and made it to the other side and this will be no different. I am super lucky to be sharing this event with my training partner whom is also my boss, and friend. My husband and kids. Also close friends that are part of our safety crews. This is be a great memory and experience for them as well as us swimming. They will be apart of an amazing group that has allowed us to reach for our dreams and goals and make them come true and memories that we will hold forever.

I hope that in time I can use my experience with marathon swimming to encourage other girls, women, men and boys to reach for their dreams no matter how scary and big they are and know that with the hard work to make them come true is all part of an enriching journey and the lessons that you learn are forever with you and will make you a stronger and different person, no matter what you are dealing with in your life and why you want to reach the dreams you and goals you do.

Let your Spirit Fly and your Soul to saw...

Hayley xx

21 days to go!

 With only 3 weeks tomorrow till we place our feet in the sand of the start line for the Rottnest Channel Swim, I am full of excitement and a little bit nervous.

The past couple of weeks have been very full with swimming and work and trying to make sure I am eating and resting properly as well. My training partner and I have pushed to six days a week and up to seven swims, distances ranging from two kilometers to five kilometers. Its been interesting to see how the body and the mind have coped and so far so good. Have had a couple of issues in the last week with my shoulders, though am very lucky to have a great physiotherapist to help in that area with pressure point and acupuncture.

The next week will be our last week of solid training of up to 25km for the week and then we start tapering, when we rest more and train less, but this time is used for the body to recover and build energy stores and time to think the race plan out and make sure everything is ready to go, and also to keep a check on our crews. Over 12 months of training and organising comes down to one day, well in a way, but for me it will be the start of another chapter.

I will have surgery on my right foot post Rottnest Channel Swim and that will have me out of the water for six weeks at least, with the goal to be back in the water and competing in May, in the Busselton Half Ironman with a friend of mine as a duo. Then its time to grow gills and push the kilometers up as I will look to compete in the 2017 Rottnest Channel Swim as well, with one big goal is to swim a double crossing of the Rottnest Channel.

I have always dreamed big, and with some of these dreams they can be a bit scary and crazy, but we only live once, I guess and I want to make the most of the time I have at the age I am. I don't want to later in my life sit and say "What If?"

I love it when people call me crazy, and ask if I am scared of the sharks..."scary creatures." I'm not scared of them, I would probably crap my bathers first and then settle myself and keep swimming. The ocean is their home and I have the most respect for the creatures that inhabit the ocean.

So with the next 21 days its more swimming, the more rest and eating. I look forward to putting on my white swim cap, timing chip, race number tattoo (54) and lathering up in Stingose, sun cream, zinc and wool fat, then stepping forward to await the staring horn before we head off into the big blue wonder of the Indian Ocean and head to one of my all time favourite holiday destinations.

Have a great weekend everyone...

Hayley xx