Happy New Year

I have just found this quote on Facebook tonight, and felt it worth every word, and wish everyone around this amazing world we live in the most amazing New Year, and even though 2015 is about to come to an end, we don't have to forget every thing we have learnt, lost, loved, shared and gained. These are all the memories that we will keep for a life time.

Happy New Years to everyone....

Hayley xx

Mullaloo 5km Open Water Swim....

This morning saw another beautiful summers day at Mullaloo Beach, Perth. Ready to face another five kilometer swim with many other people from around Perth. Distances on offer today were 500m, 1.25km, 2.5km 5km and 10km. As I have already done my qualifying 10km swim I made the decision to stay doing the 5km for the Open Water Swim Series. Though today will be backing it up with a recovery swim at our local pool, the cold water will help the muscles to recover. I have a 5km swim tomorrow on the cards with my paddler as a training session before doing Rottnest Swim.

So water temperature was a very pleasant 22 degrees C, very few stingers and a slight chop to the water when turning to head north. The difference with today's swim was the circuit was set in a clockwise direction when normally we swim in an anti-clockwise direction.

A couple of technical issues, goggles fogged up so a till sea water to wash out and we were on our way, oh and the feeling that my timing chip-band felt like it was going to fall off, so again and quick roll onto my back and check, found it in firm contact with the edges of velcro and back we swim again.

Now normally I wouldn't put up photos of my underarm, but as I didn't have any good war wounds from stingers today, the chaffing was as good as it gets, and believe me chaffing can be just as or if not more painful than stingers. So even though there were stingers in the water, but not as many as there has been at other locations, I tried something a little different today. A layer of Stingoses cream (soothes stings and insect bites) then a layer of sun cream over the top, though I did forget the vasoline which would have helped with reducing the chaffing issue, but again another lesson learnt.

With another 5km swim organised for tomorrow morning with my Rotto Swim paddler the vasoline will definitely come in handy and also the stingose. This will give me a total also of approximately 12km done for 2 days of training.

With eight weeks of good solid training left its a matter of keeping the kilometers turning over, as much of it will be done in the pool, it comes down to a lot of technique training, sprint training and also breathing. I found today that I wasn't exhausted after the 5km but felt no uncomfortable feeling like I normally do when I start to fatigue and the only things I can put this down to, is good calm breathing (every 4 strokes, site every 12 strokes) and being hydrated and energy loaded to start with.

The best part of an open water swim is the food after. Gluten free egg and bacon roll, followed by 2 scoops of choc-mint and white chocolate ice cream.

Now that my recovery swim is done, and now munching on caramel popcorn and chilling out, what else could a girl want.

Have a great day everyone....

Hayley xx

Merry Christmas....

Merry Christmas to everyone, hope for safety and love to all...

Hayley xx

Feeling Disconnected....

 Today has been one of frustration, emotion, and being disconnected. The past couple of day I have been running around getting the last of my Christmas shopping done. Here in Perth we have hit a bit of warm weather (40 degrees C), so the frustrations comes out more from being hot and bothered and trying to get everything done.

I have managed now to sit and relax and cool off under the air-conditioner in the study. I have my favourite music playing and just trying to chill out a bit.

I find this time of year a little unpleasant and unfortunately some people around me end up having to face my grumpy demeanor.  I have for many years built up my guard from negative conversations that I have had over certain Christmas lunches and dinners, though I just have to remember I don't have to sit through them any more and can relax and enjoy the day more than I used to.

I find that when I get into this disconnected situation I have to stop and remember that I am only human and have to face my emotions whether they are good or bad. If I can't get to the beach or into the pool, its me, my music and journalling or blogging. This time allows me to sit quietly, contemplate the lyrics to some of my favourite songs and just reconnect with myself. Life at this time of years gets so out of control with work, Christmas preparation, shopping and swim training. To have just a few hours to stop and regroup is sometimes all I need and by the next day all is good and back on track.

This is also the time people start to look forward to working out New Years Resolutions, something I don't think I have done in so long. I tend to think about things I would like to do or reach, so for me its more of a goal setting time. It can be a time of connecting with my inner self to work out what is more important to do and reach for.

Resolution: a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usually after voting,by a formal organization, a legislature, a club, or other group.

Goals:
the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.

This is where the difference is, goals show more direction in my opinion than a resolution which to me is a statement of wanting to do something, though more times it doesn't last more than a couple of days or a month at most.

Lets make the move to connect our own dots our own way...have a great night....

Hayley xx

Just 9 Weeks to go...

With just nine weeks till we take to the start line of the Rottnest Channel Swim 2016, it was back into the water today in the pool. This past week has been more of a rest week for me, I have felt very tired and needed to rest the body more than swim. I have learnt this the hard way before and realised listening to my body is so very important when it comes training for endurance sports. Mind you it is extremely easy to get lazy with your training, but I just knew this week I needed to rest more.

So with another good solid five kilometer pool swim done between shifts at work, I felt great in the water and my stroke rate and turnover showed good consistency as did my interval averages. This gives me a good feeling that I am on target for our next five kilometer open water swim next weekend (27th December). This swim might be a little more nerve racking only for the fact that there have been a few shark sightings up and down our coast, so here is hoping for no sharks and very few jellyfish...

Jellyfish...not my favourite sea creature

 As our pace is going well with our pool swims I hope that it will stay good and consistent in the open water and making sure the body becomes used to good strong and consistent arm turnover. This is part of my swimming I have had to work hard on, and stay focused on when I swim, and today was one of those swims that I could swim almost in a hypnotic state but stay mindful of what my arms were doing and feeling, so as I felt the slow down I was able to speed the turnover back up, and after each break to feed an drink I have always felt myself become slower, but today I managed to keep them turning over at a higher pace.

There is more work to do before we tow the start line in February, with more speed work to be done and lots more kilometers. In between now and then we have Christmas and New Year which can be a busy time at work, and time with the family. Which also allows time in the water, building the body's strength and mental strength as well.

Have a great weekend everyone...

Hayley xx

Its Up To You!!

This quote to the left was taken from Facebook, I have been seeing these over the past few days, as 2015 is coming to an end I know people are hoping that 2016 will be so much better than 2015. Why is this, why do we get to the end of a year and and always think we need the following year to be so much better? Is it because certain things during the year have been hard to deal with, have we lost loved ones, have people we know been diagnosed with cancer, or another illness? Have we or a loved one lost their job?

So why do we think that the following year should be so much better? The hard things that have happened are lessons for us to learn from, to see that we can cope with what the universe puts in front of us. Why should we take away the raw emotions of missing a loved one that has passed? Why should we ignore or try to forget that a friend has cancer and trying to fight, the fight of their life? Why should we forget about the amazing things that happened that year, like the birth of a new child, welcoming a new pet into your family, welcoming new friends into your life. Being on the most amazing holiday that you had. This is called taking the bad with the good. Its called LIFE....

Each year we are given what we can handle by the universe, or whom you believe is there (God, etc). Take some time to remember what you have done and been through this year and be thankful that you have made it through everything that was, and may still be. Its up to ourselves to make the most of our days that we have, the situations we go through, or that are in front of us, are up to us to get through and learn from the lessons that are placed there. We are the only ones that can make the changes that are necessary to be happy, understood, or to understand, to live. So if you haven't learnt that you are strong enough within yourself, you still have lessons to learn.

So whether 2016 is going to be your best year yet, its completely up to you to make it happen, and if there are times that are difficult its all part of living.

Have a great day and live life to the fullest its completely up to you...

Hayley xx

11 Weeks Till Rottnest Swim

With just 11 weeks till the start line of the Rottnest Channel Swim, training is going well, there have been a few mornings where I have not wanted to swim and have had to push myself that little bit harder to stay positive. Just being tired and having a long standing injury that needs surgery has its nights of keeping me awake and uncomfortable.

My training partner and I are in what I call a rebuild time, where after doing the qualifying 10km event in November we have had a little rest time and now we are into week three of a rebuild back to longer distances with better consistency of pace. We managed a good 3200m session this morning, in the local 50m pool and I can say its good as it helps with acclimatizing to cold water. This outdoor pool is not heated and in set in rock so it doesn't warm up even in the middle of summer when we have had 40+ degree (Celsius) days. So as we come closer to Christmas, things get a little hectic with work and sorting out family get together's, its still important to get as much training in as possible.

We have come up with an awesome and hard session just after Christmas of swimming for five hours in a pool. Now this is being done for a couple of reasons, time in the ocean will be hard to get our paddler(s) organised and our work schedules as well. So with being in the pool we can make sure we feed properly (every 30 minutes) and the monotony of going up and down a pool makes for good mental strength. Plus you don't have the help of the ocean current to push you through the water, so in a pool its you doing all the work.

 So five hours in the water. I haven't done any more than four hours before, and so pushing the body that little bit more, and further will be amazing, painful, and exhilarating as well. Its finding just how far one can push the body and the mind, staying focused and I am sure there will be moments of zoning out, as I did it again today.

After Christmas and New Year (busy time at work) I am looking forward to catching up with my paddler who lives a couple of hours south of Perth city, so we can have a session and get used to each other and just some time out on the water. Then it will be most of the time in the pool working harder and harder to make sure we are as ready as we can be for the big day

My Mantra When Swimming!

Have an awesome rest of the week and weekend to come...

Hayley xx