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25th September 2015
Its GO GO GO for tomorrow. Plan is still to meet at 5:30am and so will probably be swimming by just after 6am! Who knows, if I swim quickly enough I will be done ready to listen to the rugby on the way back to England. Sadly I am unable to update this website from a tablet or phone SOOOOO there are other ways you can keep an eye on what is going on...........
You can track me on: http://cspf.co.uk/tracking I will be on the boat Anastasia so thats the box you need to tick to see how I am doing!
You can also keep an eye out on facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/721106941366817/
Thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far. If you haven't and have a few pennies to spare, it would be amazing if you could sponsor me on https://www.justgiving.com/teams/Beckys-channel-swim to support one of my two amazing charities!!! Next time I update you I will have attempted the swim and will (hopefully) have succeeded in swimming all the way to France!!! B xx
 
24th September 2015
So, just a quick update for you all. Spoke to Eddie my pilot today and the current plan, assuming there are no crazy weather changes (please cross your fingers/toes) is to meet at 5:30am Saturday morning at dover marina ready to go!!!! I AM SO EXCITED! I have also raised just over £1400, please please do keep those donations coming in. At the end of the day, this is all for the charities! can't wait for saturday!
 
21st September 2015
So, we are now three days into my swim window. The original plan was to swim tomorrow (how exciting indeed!) BUT the great british weather has decided that tomorrow is not a good day for channels wimming. Instead we are now looking at saturday at the earliest due to some annoying wind which has decided to turn up. It feels like this last little bit of waiting is the hardest, not knowing when I will be going and feeling on edge at all times. I am constantly weather watching for a window and getting really rather impatient haha! We had a good practise run of getting everything together and ready to go to dover on sunday/this morning; now when the time comes we know we will be awesome! ANYWAY, the good piece of news is that I have that little bit longer to bug you all and say if you do have any spare pennies it really would be so amazing if you could click on the big red link above and sponsor me. I have raised over £1100 so far so a MASSIVE THANK YOU to everyone who ahs sponsored me so far, I am still a little way off my target though, so if you could spare the price of a pint/coffee you would be helping one of two amazing charities!
In other news, Jeremiahs journey have written a really lovely article about my swim (check it out here... http://www.jeremiahsjourney.org.uk/rebecca-prepares-biggest-challenge/) Anyway, I shall keep you all up to date about when I swim Bxx
 
12th September 2015
AHHHHHHHHH Its just one more week until my swim window opens! As usual I have been pretty rubbish at updating here (OOPS). I was signed off my obs and gynae placement on friday, it was absolutely amazing but very busy (turns out baby's come whenever they feel like it). Anyway now thats done I will have a bit more time. I have done a few more long swims and been down to Dover again but for the last couple of days and for the next week I have been doing/ plan to do shorter swims instead, don't want to tire myself out before the big day! I have also been sorting out the last few bits and pieces ready for the swim. The corner of my room is a little pile of swimming stuff -hats, goggles, costumes, maltodextrin powder, reels, bottles, lights, glow sticks -you name it its probably there! With my goggles, hat and costume picked out, I definitely won't be getting lsot in the channel and although I may not be the quickest am definitely trying for the most colourful swimmer! I also want to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who has sponsored me. I have already raised just over £800 for my two charities. HOWEVER, I am still not quite half way to my target so if you have any pennies to spare please do think about sponsoring me on https://www.justgiving.com/teams/Beckys-channel-swim. With just one week to go, every penny will help to spur me on if I start getting tired!!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4th August 2015
Well so much for hearing from me tomorrow, more like next month! ANYWAY lots to fill you in on as the reason you haven't heard from me is that I have been CRAZY busy! First things first (as I am sure you have all been waiting on tenter hooks) I HAVE A DEGREE! I got a 2:1 in my Neuroscience and Mental Health degree meaning I am now: Rebecca BSc (Hons.)! I am also now back doing clinical placements, with my first one being obstetrics and gynaecology. I cannot believe I am in my fifth year of medical school and, all going well, in two years will be a qualified and working doctor! Moving on from that to more relevant things....... Swimming is going well and if I am honest I just want the day of my swim to come. I feel pretty ready to go and so these last few weeks of waiting are really hard. I keep doubting my ability to manage and questioning my sanity for thinking it was a good idea! Luckily I have a fabulous supportive group of friends around me and a really strong reason for swimming. Everyone who knows me will know that I love a challenge and that alone would be enough to get me to swim 21 miles BUT that sometimes isn't enough when you are cold and tired and have been swimming for 3 hours already and its only 9am! What keeps me going when I have my moments of doubt is definitely what I am swimming for. I am swimming for people like my gran and our close family friend Mark, who were supported by macmillan when they were unwell. I am swimming for young people (and 15 year old me) who don't know how to deal with the grief that hits when you lose a family member, or as in my case, a best friend. Thats enough to make anyone keep swimming even if you are being attacked by the huge ethereal barrel jellyfish which, even though don't sting, are pretty creepy when the appear from the gloom. I know I have said it before but I would HUGELY HUGELY appreciate your sponsorship for my swim, as would the two amazing charities I am supporting. Just click on the big red link at the top of the page and follow the instructions.
In other news, I escaped london (with its distinct lack of coastline) and went home to devon for a couple of days. As I was home I thought it was the perfect chance for a swim! A great big thanks to Dave Curno who took my out to Cawsands on his boat Emerald Blue. I had a lovely swim doing about 9.6km in just under 3hrs! I can't say I looked the msot attractive when I finished (the sun was in my eyes) but there are some glorious pictures of me below. Anyway, I shall leave you to your evenings and get more excited about the fact the my swim in now JUST OVER 1 MONTH AWAY!!!!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5th July 2015
So what a fabulous weekend it has been! I met some fabulous people down in Dover and Freda Streeter and her team there are just amazing! Two days, and two very different swims! Saturday was the most glorious weather but wind against tide meant some choppy conditions that at times felt a little like I was fighting with the sea rather than swimming comfortably with it. The lovely sun has also left me with some terrific tan (possibly burn) lines. The swimming costume tan is acceptable, the swimming hat tine line across the middle of my forehead not quite so much! I did however do my 6hr qualifier swim meaning that all paperwork is 100% complete and I am completely verified and ready to go which is very exciting! Todays swim was completely different. The sea was flat calm like a giant, slightly chilly, swimming pool but the weather was not so nice with lots of rain and a cloudy sky. Still on we went and today did a solid four hour swim meaning that split over the weekend I did 10hrs and covered around 26km! Anyway I am off to bed as its been a BUSY weekend! I imagine you will probably hear from me yet again tomorrow (I know, whats happening!) as its BSc results day!
 
 
3rd July 2015
Hi hi hi, can't believe its july! I am back at university sitting in a lecture theatre whilst this GLORIOUS whether is happening all around me. I did escape briefly on wednesday to go back to the hand clinic, finger has healed well, I am splint free and ready for anything (although perhaps not netball as need to stay free of any injuries from now on). Its also a busy few days ahead. This weekend am heading down to dover (sadly for the first time, I have just been too busy to get down before now) and will hopefully get my 6hr qualifier done. I say hopefully not so much because I don't think I will manage it but because the sea temperature is creeping up, and the creep got quicker because of all this sun. If dover is over 16 degrees then won't be able to use the weekends swim as the qualifier BUT it will be fantastic training. If thats the case then I will be off to find some slightly cooler waters next weeked. After that, on monday I get my BSc results and so, fingers crossed will have a degree. I also have fetball alumni dinner tonight, which I get to go to for the first time since being at university as I am now a fifth year (ish)! Also its time to properly launch my fundraising and slowly start to gently remind you all that this swim is for charity and although I will feel pretty awesome about doing it regardless, the point is to raise money. Please please please think about donating to one of the two fabulos charities I am swimming for by clicking on the sponsorship tab, scrolling down and clicking on the just giving link. Will let you all know how the weekend and BSc results go on monday! Enjoy the sun people!
 
23rd June 2015
I am more excited than I can explain as I have just realised IT'S 3 MONTHS TO GO!!! I also had a viva for my BSc today and so pretty happy that its all over with. I have spent the last three weeks back working at the bushcraft company and was lucky to be based at the glorious rempstone estate! Sadly though, next week heralds the start of fifth year and 4 weeks of pathology lectures. Anyway, I am off to enjoy my last few days of the shortest summer holiday ever!
 
26th May 2015
So, last week I managed to injure myself yet again. A trip to A&E on friday has shown an avulsion fracture to go alongside my quite impressive bruised hand :(. Anyway, all splinted up I swam my 10km at eton dorney yesterday and had a fab time! Completed the swim in 3hrs 27 minutes but more importantly still felt fine at the end! The water was a lovely 16/17 degrees which made for a really lovely swim! Today did a 5km in the pool as a bit of a warm down! Tomorrow am off to chelsea and westminster to get my poor little finger checked out. Anyway, only a short message as my BSc write up is due on friday :o!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16th May 2015
Hello again lovely people! Its basically 4 months until the big day and today I dipped my toe back into open water swimming for the first time this season (see the picture below for proof)! I had a lovely hour long swim in the 14 degree waters of the serpentine this morning. Thankfully, all the time spent in cold water last open water season seems to have lasted relatively well and after an initial shock the water didn't feel too bad! I am sure today will be the first of many serpentine swims over the coming few months as I hope to get down there regularly to make sure I am as acclimatised to cooler waters as I can be. Its been a busy few weeks with the swim distances still gradually building. I have also entered the eton dorney human race 10km swim which is taking place in just over a week on the 25th of May. The eton swim will hopefully be one of many long distance open water swims I fit in before the channel, which doesn't feel to far off at all now! Yoga and netball are still going well with childs pose my new favourite stretch after a long swim! I think thats pretty much all I have to say for now, and definitely all I have time to day. My BSc research project oral presentation and write-up are both due over the next couple of weeks and so my days are becoming more and more filled with work. I have even taken books out of the library! I am off to do some more work, enjoy the sun and if anyone wants to join me in eton on the 25th (there are distances from 750m to 10km I believe) entry is still open!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
22nd April 2015
Its now only 5 months until I swim and I am getting more and more excited each day! All my paperwork is done, all I need to do now is my 6hr swim to prove I won't drown when I attempt the channel - that will be done when it is slightly warmer. Dover training starts the first weekend of May and I am hoping to get down to a few of those weekends. The open water swimming season is soon starting and I have already got my eye of some events, including a 10km swim at eton dorney, the home of the 2012 olympic rowing. I have been in the pool pretty much everyday recently and now have a beautiful colour coded training timetable pinned to my wall. New additions have included yoga to help keep my flexible and not seize up and for more strength and conditioning style exercises. To keep a bit of variety in my cardio as well as swimming I am playing a summer netball league (starting today) - now is not the time to get bored of swimming! One more bit of news, my justgiving page is now online and the link is under the sponsorship tab. My aim is to raise roughly the same amount of money for both macmillan and jeremiah's journey and I was hoping I could split it down the middle. Unfortunately this is not the case and so I have two pages that are linked together. This gives anyone kind enough to sponsor me the freedom to choose which charity the money goes to, so its a good thing really. Anyway, time to go and play some netball.
 
19th March 2015
Its exactly 6 months until my swim window starts! I cannot believe that this began as an off the cuff idea over 2 years ago and now its so close to happening. Its been a busy couple of weeks for me. Exams are (thankfully) over, my research project has begun and my favourite swimming pool has reopened. With the start of my research project I have much more control over my days and so instead of squeezing swims in around lectures, I can fit in much longer swims at the most suitable times! Excitingly I have also been signed off as fit to swim by the GP! All the injury problems of last year are far in the past and I feel ready to go! As well as getting in some longer swims I have been playng netball (We had our varsity match yesterday, and won) and doing lots of core and weights work in the gym (not my favourite thing). The weather is starting to warm up and so hopefully the sea and serpentine are also warming up nicely! Not too long now until its out of the pool back into open water.
 
18th February 2015
Just a short message from me for now as my exams are little over a week away and so I have entered revision mode. My local pool is opening again the week after exams are over (what perfect timing) and so I can spend even more time in the water than I have been recently! My medical is booked and the rest of the paperwork is complete! Anyway, back to work...... 
 
4th January 2015
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope that you have all had a lovely festive period. I enjoyed eating lots of food and not feeling at all guilty about it. More importantly, I am now in the year of my swim! It is now only 8 months away! Its time for training to kick up another notch and for all the paperwork to be sent in to the cs&pf. Once all the paperwork is completed and my medical is done my fundraising link will go online. However excited I am at the chance to swim the channel, the most important part of this challenge is raising money for my two charities. Sadly over the christmas period a very close family friend passed away from cancer, he had a love for life and was always full of energy and will be missed greatly by all who knew him. It has bought into sharper focus the reason why I am swimming. I am swimming to help support people through some of the most difficult times they will encounter, so although I am swimming for me, because I love the challenge, I am also swimming for all the people who are helped by macmillan and jeremiah's journey.
 
24th November 2014
So once again slightly flagging on the updates (though realistically who wants to hear from me more than once a month)! It has continued to be a particularly busy period of time, coursework seems never ending and the rest of the time I am either in lectures, cycling, on court or in the pool! I am writing this update curled up on my sofa feeling sorry for myself as have a nasty winter cold/flu type thing (along with the rest of my house), my calves are also on fire thanks to a particularly mental insanity session yesterday. Anyway, admin for the swim is moving along well with the next installment paid to eddie spelling for his piloting services! In january the rest of the paperwork will be done and then all there is left to do is my 6hr qualifying swim and then the actual swim! Its only 10 months until the swim now, but more importantly its only 1 MONTH UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!! If you are around in plymouth/tavistock, Jeremiah's Journey have lots of events going on (http://www.jeremiahsjourney.org.uk/events) so please do go along and show some support. Macmillan are also encouraging people to throw christmas parties in aid of them, so maybe give that a go! Enjoy the run up to Christmas (I am already listening to Christmas songs and the tree is going up this coming weekend). B x
 
30th October 2014
Hi all! First of all, I cannot believe it has been a month since I last posted an update (oops)! That being said it has been a super busy few weeks! A new year of university has started and with that came the mayhem that is freshers fortnight and intergrating seemingly millions of new freshers into the medical school and our sports teams! Also it heralded the start of my Bsc year which was straight in at the deep end with assessments (one of which I should probably be doing now, but there are only so many papers you can read in a day!) and full days of lectures from the off. Training has been going well. Although swimming time is slightly less than I hoped due to the continuing works on my local pool, I have been getting into the water pretty regularly still. I have also been doing lots of cardio work thanks to having netball three times a week and fencing when I get time. I have been in the gym doing more cardio and weights/land training stuff to compliment the swimming and have been honing some slightly different water based skills (sprints and eggbeater kick anyone?) by playing waterpolo (and getting the bruises/scratches to prove it). Yesterday, some of my netball team and I also tried Insanity, I don't think my calves have ever hurt quite so much! My biggest worry of adding all the land based/ higher impact sports back into my training programme was the dreaded knee. Thankfully it is holding up well! There has been some pain and minimal swelling but I was warned so this was only to be expected and the important thing is that it is handling everything I throw at it! Anyway, more updates to come soon, and be prepared, only a couple of months until the real fundraising drive begins!!!
 
25th September 2014
Hi all! So on this day in exactly a year it will be the last day of my swim window meaning that hopefully/fingers crossed/touch wood etc. this time in a year I WILL BE A CHANNEL SWIMMER!!!! This fact has made me all nervous about the coming year but also super excited! In other news, a great white shark has recently been spotted of the coast of Falmouth, so I am hoping that it doesn't take a trip up to dover way. I personally don't feel the need to make things anymore difficult by having to fight off sharks on my swim! I have been working my last few summer camps the last couple of weeks and so spent more time in my favourite but very cold lake in Cornbury park in Oxford as well as the pool. Last camp starts tomorrow but may have to avoid the lake (probably won't though) as have managed to get my second chest infection of the summer break, WHO GETS A CHEST INFECTION IN THE SUMMER?!?!?! Term starts on monday and have spent some time planning my training around my timetable so that everything fits and I am channel ready! Next time I post I will put up an example week! One last thing, on the 27th of september (2 days time) Jeremiah's Journey are raising money by holding a photomarathon in Plymouth so if you are about, head down and support them. there is more information on their website, just click on my Jeremiah's journey page and follow the link.
 
11th September 2014
Time for another quick update! Haven't had as much time in the pool as I would normally have done over the last couple of weeks as there has been a flood where I train normally and the pool is closed :(. As pool sessions have decreased, gym and weights sessions have increased! Many days of aching muscles have resulted but soon I will be weight lifting like a pro!!! I have also had a good chance to test how much my knee can stand on land after only really testing it in the pool until now. A good 15 minute run on the treadmill is manageable and most importantly although it hurts whilst I am running it hasn't been hurting the day afterwards and no swelling! Am back to university in a couple of weeks and so just waiting for my timetable to come out so I can plan my swims around lectures. Fingers crossed the pool will be opened soon so I can spend the 30/40min round trip cycle to the university pool in south kensington swimming rather than biking. Catch you all later, having a baking and sponsorship hunting day! 
 
25th August 2014
It would appear that updating you regularly is not something I am particularly good at however it is now just over a year until the swim and also just over a year since the idea of swimming the channel really took root in my head! Thankfully since I last updated you all my knee is much better. I had to have ultrasound guided injections into my knee and dry needling which was not the nicest experience but has made activity much less painful! I am no longer on placements for this year of uni but back in the lecture theatre which is 2 minutes from charing cross club where my pool and gym training is taking place meaning I will have much more pool time!!! Over the summer I have spent time in various different lakes and the sea getting used to being in cooler water for longer periods of time. I also took part in the Henley Classic Swim which I would really recommend doing (it is worth the early morning)! I am still looking for some more sponsorship to go towards funding the cost of the pilot boat and so if you or your business are interested please do get in touch. In that vein of thinking thanks go to sport imperial for making me one of the scholorship athletes for another year. Anyway after a bit of a bumpy start things are ticking along quite nicely and I hope to be better at updating you over the coming months now the countdown to the swim really begins!!!   
 
28th March 2014
So I have once again been a bit rubbish with the updates, oops! I promise I will try to get better at it. So In knee news..... Still not 100% sure what is wrong, but I have seen the orthopedic surgeon had an ultrasound and have my next appointment on the 7th of april. I have not been idle though, with the doctors consent have been back to training and swimming an average of 25km a week (some weeks more some weeks less). The best news is that all the doctors so far have said tha, I am completely fine to do the swim. Its only 18months away now, I am so excited!!! In other news did anyone see the Jeremiah's Journey video on the sport relief programme? Just another reminder as to why I am doing the swim (and why I wake up early to get in the pool!). So in summary, training is going well, knee is good, everything is falling into place and dover training for the year starts in just over a months time!!!
 
19th January 2014
So first things first, a belated happy new year to you all! Apologies for the lack of updates recently, its been a busy term at university with my first placement and working towards a January exam. Unfortunately it has also been a period of injury and so not being able to train as much as I would like. In mid November I twisted my knee during a netball match and the next day woke up with it twice its normal size. A few weeks and an MRI scan later it turns out I have a partial tear of the tendon in my knee that attaches the kneecap to my shin. My kneecap has also slipped slightly to one side. This injury has meant that I have been allowed to do "gentle" swimming only (though me and my doctor definitely had very different ideas about what gentle swimming means) since the injury. All indications so far are that whatever needs to be done to fix my knee the swim can still go ahead as planned! I am seeing the orthopedic surgeon on the 27th to find out what the plan of action will be and hopefully I will be back doing longer swims very soon!
 

 

 
5th September 2013
So its two years until I do my swim but have started training already! Have spent the summer swimming off the coast of plymouth. Now its getting a bit colder am mostly doing pool sessions, trying to swim at least 4 times a week. 3 of the sessions tend to be between 3-6km, doing different strokes and a mix of sprints and some longer distance work. One session a week is being dedicated to doing a longer swim of 7.5km+. Longest swim to date was a 12.5km (500 length) swim which took 4hrs and 5mins.
 
 
 
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