On Training 4

Since deciding to swim the EC and informing my coach on December 31 I have logged 30-35km a week following a one-month or so ramp-up. It is not quite fair to say I started from scratch as last year I was cycling and lost six-kilo after leaving Astorg. 

The hardest part of the training, for me, was building in the routine including normalising 5:45AM wake-up alarms (dark! wet !) and adding weekly distance. Once at 30km it became easier to maintain this level - and addictive. I mark my distances into a red notebook which often seems the most productive part of the day.

Most of the training is solo excluding a morning group on Monday (always 8x400 on 6:15) and Wednesday who are training for an Ironman in June. Otherwise I work with Red Top Swim who focus exclusively on ultra-distance swimmers planning for the Channel, Oceans 7, Manhattan 20  Bridges, Loch Lomond and so on. Most of the coaching is via zoom and whatsapp since Red Top's pools are located in North London, leaving the Richmond Pool (weird 33 1/3 meters) and the Royal Automobile Club which has an old-style 25m marble pool that I visit whenever in town.

I do structured sets (1000, 400, 200 repeats) and a lot of mindless 'dog meat' swims where I go for 3km or 5km without stopping. It works for me.

February in the Channel, about 8 or 9C; 20 minutes max