Rottnest Channel Swim Training Update...

 With 329 days till the start of the Rottnest Channel 2016 swim, training over the past few weeks has been great. My squad sessions have been huge, building greater distances and pace in the pool. My own private training session have been great  as well, with having the inner fire that helps push with pace and distance with doing reverse pyramids (warm up of 400m, then into the following 500m, 50 second rest, 400m (40 sec), 300m (30 sec), 200m (20 sec), 100m (10 sec), 4 x 50m with 5 seconds between them, followed by a 200m cool down. I also do a session which is a pace session where you start with 400m warm up and follows with 20 x 100m on 2:05sec/100m with a 200 coll down. I am very lucky to have a great training partner as well so we keep each other on track with our training.

Weekends are set with an open water swim, whether its an event of just the two of us heading north from Cottesloe Beach for a 5km or like today 6km swim. We have had swims where the water is choppy, but thankfully today the water was beautiful, clear and calm. The feeling of gliding through the water with fish swimming all around you is such an amazing feeling. Its moments like this that the silence of the water, the quietness in your mind is bliss.



Then there is the little issue of stingers (like the photo to the left). Today wasn't too bad seeing I have only this to show for my 6km which was great seeing other weeks I have been covered in stinger marks.

Today we decided to try something a little different to try and deter these clear little things (and not so little) from leaving slash marks on us. So firstly we covered in suncream, then put petroleum jelly on areas that end to get stung more often, It kind of worked, but I believe it will be a trip online to order some "Sea Safe" and see if that works. There has got to be something out there that helps.

 I am excited as my pace has gotten a lot better with all the training that I have been doing, so I can say I am very much on target for my qualifying race later this year in November for 10 kilometers in under 4 hours and 15 minutes. With great hope that the waters will be calm on the day. Once I have made the qualifying time, its just a matter of maintaining good training and nutrition leading up to the big day.

Have an awesome weekend...

Hayley xx