365 Days...Journey begins...

 This morning starts the 365 day count down to the Rottnest Channel Swim 2016. I sat at Cottesloe Beach today at 5am while still dark watching everyone get ready for the start to Rottnest Channel Swim 2015. My goal is to swim the 19.7 kilometer swim solo as my first attempt. I have been training over the last few months with this target in mind. So with each week my mileage continues to rise and my pace is getting better. My mental strength is growing stronger with each time I get in the water and in the gym.

As we are more than half way through our Summer here, I have been thinking of doing some open water swimming in Winter and not just maintaining my swimming in the pool during this time. I have a wet suit that I would use, my only concern is the water temperature and wave conditions. I guess the best way to deal with this is to keep an eye on the weather and use the better conditions that are there, without putting myself at risk.

 So between now and early November I need to build to 10 kilometers and try to keep my pace steady and within the cut-off time of 4:15. At present I am around the 3:50 - 4hrs. So with steady training and strength training I can only get better.

So with this time I also need to focus on my diet and make sure I am getting the necessary calories to maintain my current training and also to add weight. This is also where a fine balance of training eating and rest comes into play and not over training to cause injury.

At least now I can managed a number of rest days without flipping out, which is good, as some time back I would be loosing the plot after just one day. Its interesting to see just how much you learn from your previous mistakes and bad habits.

Over the coming months my diet will be higher in protein and more balanced with carbs and fats. I know that if I have too many carbs I loose weight as I turn carbs into sugar and burn off very quickly. So by having a higher protein based diet I managed to keep the weight on and keep my muscles in good recovery. As for fats I keep that area of my diet as stable as possible, as I am have hereditary high cholesterol, so I usually only have healthy fats.

So here goes an awesome 12 months of an amazing personal journey to seeing just how I manage and complete the 2016 Rottnest Channel Swim...

Hayley xx