That’s serious swimming. Fair play.
Christ… thats savage swimming. Well done.
Were you going backwards there? You’re a mad hoore all the same. Give up that aul shite will ya, it cant be healthy.
Not yet, but they let golf in so you’d never know what’s next
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Are you sure the big waves that you were on about weren’t being generated by your support boat?
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Was nearly finished. In every way. You can see the shore, was almost there. You could be onto something there @treatystones. I’d say he did it deliberately too, enjoying the day so much he wanted to slow things down.
It’s mainly your arms that’s doing the work there @flattythehurdler, you’re barely kicking. I don’t know much about swimming (obviously) but I would have thought that you’d have to be kicking too? Or is that just short course swimming?
Just short course really. The kegs give you far less propulsion for the effort and only really keep you balanced (at my speed)
I was told by the tri club coach not to worry about kicking. He says some can naturally, and some can’t. And it’d inefficient in any case over long distance. Too late to start now anyhow.
I was absolutely fucked by then.
Very interesting. Whatever it is about me and swimming I can’t co-ordinate the arms and legs in a meaningful way over any long period of time. Plus the buoyancy of the wetsuit would help keep the legs up. Will be in the water in a wetsuit over the weekend so will give it a go. Thanks and well done again.
I thought the exact same thing, i haven’t done open water swimming but i would have thought that the legs would be hugely important in giving you the extra momentum required, I’m a strong enough pool swimmer but when i go swimming at the beach (beyond the crowds) i find i get nowhere, cant imagine what effort is required for that, well done flatty, did you raise money for anything?
you mad bastard flatty!!!
Does every fella have his own boat with him?
Yes you have to really. They said you could share with someone of the same speed. Lest year this was grand, but this year the swell was big enough, combined with mist that came and went for a while, that you couldn’t see where you were going, so you needed the boat right alongside. Nearly landed on me once or twice in the swell the skipper said.
Id not think it a great idea to share after this year. A lad came over from Tipp with a rib for one of the lads over with me, and his daughter and son in law in another. He daid there wasn’t a boat left on the western seaboard suitable.
The generosity is unbelievable.
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Jointly for cancer care West, the main charity, and Irish Community Care in Manchester, the one I always try and raise a bit for if I can.
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The leg kick always bothered me as mine is very weak. One of the swim coaches here is a world class long distance open water swimmer though, and he said basically, whilst you can improve, some people have a naturally strong kick, but others just don’t, and not to worry about it. It may give you an edge over a sprint, but in longer distances, kicking is inefficient and tiring and is only really used to balance the stroke.
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Kicking is only important if you’re an elite swimmer to get that extra 10%. As a club swimmer the gain is minimal but the associated energy loss is huge.
The wetsuit especially helps keep you flat in the water. It restricts your arms though. I’d love to do it without, but I’m too thin really. You get really cold. Id not make it across without.
As an aside, one of the lads who came over with me, had the fastest time this year despite the fact that the first time he ever swam in the sea was the day before. He felt sick the whole way across.
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Be careful out there lads. I was just out for a swim there with one of the brothers at Portmarnock’s High Rock. He got a nasty sting from a jellyfish, quite possibly one of the Lion’s Mane fellas that have been hanging around.
There was a lady bitten on Sherkin Island the other day they had to send out the emergency lifeboat to bring her to the mainland for treatment. Nasty fuckers
I got a lash off a nasty fucking jellyfish in Vietnam years ago, fucking agony like nothing else I can describe.