Swimming The English Channel To Help Save Lives.....

For 9 months we have been doing nothing but  focus on swimming The English Channel .focusing on the 19th and 20 th July 2011....as that is when the attemp will take place,Well that date is now only 6 days away..... .!!!!  This is a short walk down memory lane as to what  adventures we have been through as a team to get ready to Swim..enjoy...

November 2010  ( click to see all  Big Ricks November blog archives )

(27/11/12).. its 6.30  Saturday Morning, its showing -5 in the Car, and its Snowing...!! 
But Nothing will stop The Channel Training.!!

 Okay,...are you sitting comfortably, Then let our story begin....!! It's 6.45 on a Saturday morning, it's dark, it's wet, it's damp and it's freezing !!!  and that's just in the changing rooms.!!!, we have talked and talked about swimming the 'Channel' as a team  for what seems likes years, but today is the day we start the 9 months of training for the big swim on the 19th-20th July 2011 ..!!!!
December 2011 click to see all Big Ricks December blog archives

                          Pauls short video on the 4/12/10...its a bit snowy
The 1st team training session took place at Walsall's Gala Swimming  Baths..5 of the team braved the cold water and began the start of the long road to fitness and hopefully glory in 9 months time .!and  after today's  swim, the road is more like a motorway ..but we will get there one way or another.!!..( blog 20/11/10 )

Captain Cash already for 9 months of hard work
4/12/10

 Its been a funny old week .The training part of week has been great, everyone in Big Ricks Team (apart from Gary with his bad back and old Flabby Chest Darran with his illness )  , really are starting to get there general swimming fitness back to level where we can really push on with the much harder and longer swim sessions  in the new year without any worries, which is great news, as the 100% Swimmers in the Team  thought  the Water Polo Boys Richard and Rob might take until the End of January  to get back up to speed.!!  but that's so not the case.., sorry for doubting you guys.... ,

Ricks Got great support of an old mate  from Walsall SC days
 Nick Gillingham ( dec 2010 )

Saturdays (11/12/10 ) swim  really was promising , We had a go at our very First hour long none stop swim, Dougy and Paul managed to do over 4000m, ( well they are both still swimming pretty much full time still , well ok 2 times a week.!! ) Richard did a great swim around 3600m and Captain Cashy was doing great until he slopped of after about 50 minutes,because as we later learnt   his good lady wife was going Christmas shopping and he was told Don`t Be Late Home Or Else.!! .! ( blog 14/12/10)

Big Ricks  Xmas Party

January 2011click link to see All Big Ricks January blogs archives 
We have managed to do 4 ( 1 and 1/2 hour ) sessions this week, the extra session  has been secured with the help of Perry Beaches Sutton Swim Squad who have very kindly given us time (and a lane) on Sunday afternoons' to train, so a 'Big Ricks Team' Thank You must go to Helen, Mandy, Gary and Keith and everyone involved at Perry Beaches for there amazing support.

          short Video of  teams 1st session of 2011 @ David Lloyds GymThe Team were all very  lucky when Santa came knocking on Christmas Eve.. Everyone got Micro Fins, Nick( Mr Average) got a matching pink Pull Buoy and Kick floats off Mrs Pee, he also along with the Badger (Gary) got very nice cute Waterproof MP3 Players.!!! Mm mm (no team comment yet.!!). and talking of cute The Gimp (Doug) has had a nice pair very "very" brief and skimpy  trunks off his older partner Lisa...(don`t worry a picture will be forth coming)!!! ( blog 9/1/11 )
This Weeks Sessions..
Monday 10/01/11 & Thursday 13/01/01
Warm Up...
X 2 ( 400 FC 10r, 300 Back as 100`s K,D,S 10r after 300.)   (1400m)
Pre Main..
12x 1 Fly Kick Underwater (33m pool) with fins.. Rest Heart rate + 50%  (400M)
Main Set..
3 X 1000 FC...30r.....(3000M)
Swim Down..
400 Gentle FC and Back.
Wednesday 12/01/11
Warm UP..
300 FC, 200FC,100FC..3 x(4X1 Medleys), 100 easy swim (1000m)
Drill Work.
5x 100 backstroke . 1st V catch up, 2nd arm by side Catch up,3rd spin out back,4th twist back with fc 5 stroke back turn on your front 5 fc and so on. 5th ( 4x1`s) sprint kick.
5x100s fc ( broke down into 4x1s of 25 second per len, 4th 1 choice..)15r per 100. (1000m)
Main Set
3X 300 FC of 4.15 .. good even paced swim.
followed by easy 100 recover (1000)
Sprints.
4 x 50 choice..race pace of Starting  blocks...times to be taken and Noted..!!100% effort.(200)
Warm Down 
200 easy Back.(200)
Saturday 15/01/11
warm up
400 fc/back gentle work out (400m)
Main Set..
1hour 15 minutes straight swim..( working on an even paced..its a hard swim to do) (5000m)
Warm Down.
easy gentle 400m choice (400m)
Sunday 16/01/11
Warm up..
200 easy FC followed by 4 x 100 ( broken down into 50 at 50% effort, 50 at 75% effort) (600)
Kick
8 x 50 ( alternate 50 at 100% effort, 50 at 75% effort) (400m)
Pre main
4x 50`s ( 25 easy 25 100%)
4x 50`s ( 25 100% 25 easy) ( 400m)
Main Set..
4x 500 ( 50 at 100%,  200 at even race pace , 50 at 100% hard, 200 at even race pace)
this is a hard swim if done right..looking to hard of race pace...! then recover back then 100% again) (2000m)
Swim Down
400 gentle Back and FC....
HARD WEEK..!! over 20,000m done..but we did it ,!


February 2011 click link to see ( All Big Ricks February blog archives)

This week started with a bang ( well a team 24,000K swim), as  Big Ricks Team  Were proud to take part in the World Wide ' Swim For Your Heart Day '....We Have to give a Big thank to Antonio Argûelles. who runs The Martí Foundation in Mexico...who kindly sent us Swim For Your Heart Swimming Hats, which made us all feel like we were really taking part in the event, Antonio had over 1400 swimmers taking part in a swim on the 14th February  in Mexico all in the aid of the Heart Foundation...!!.. Check out the website...we made the front page. www.swimforyourheartfeb14.com ( blog 16/2/11)


March...Big Ricks March blog archives

channel forms signed and sealed.. France here we come..!!!!

March 28th...training session at the Walsall Gala Swimming Baths

Big Ricks Team have been challenged..!!

Well it seems like Big Ricks Team have been challenged ..!!!, Well i love a challenge ,as  do most , especially in this Team...!!!   

.see attached email from The Swimming Times.Editor...Peter 

well i  see in this month's edition that a team of six is chasing an
"unofficial" record for a six-person team with an average age over 40years.....
I am sure we have a statistician who'd know the answer, but at the
risk of causing upset to what is, in any case, a very worthy cause,
I'd throw in the 9hr 40 of the Lido Legends, August 2005 (Seafarer,
Chris Osmond) as one swim that clearly beats the record.
The average age of the team was 45 and would have been much higher if
it were not for the youthful Emma France. With other ladies from the
team being correspondents on this group, a full listing of ages is
available only by private email should documentary proof be requested!

So, can anyone beat that?

If not we'll hang on to the record until further notice then....
I’m sure they will see it if you put some sort of reply in the piece in Swimming Times

Thanks
Peter 

Swimming Times Editor 

The Magnificent Seven
Nicky,Richard,Rob,Paul,Gary, Stuart ,Darran

April...Big Rick April blog archives.

1st Open water swim 3/4/2011 at Swan Pool Birmingham

Paul,Rob,Dan( Channel God)Nicky,Gary,Richard

         Breaking the Ice at swan pool...first time cold water.. April 3rd

okay...so Dan gave us all a 10 minutes briefing before we got in the water.. all about safety and  how we would freeze like a ice cream if we went to far the first time , you all the normal jokes  one uses ,  just to make us feel that little be more worried than we all ready were.. but seriously Dan gave us great advice, he could see we were worried, but with a few well chosen words he gave us all the confidence that we would be okay !!

Dan would not let us just go off and do laps of the lake, as we thought we would easily do ,,  as he knew full well we  would not make it  half way round the lap at best, ..so we kept in simple...swim close to shore..., between the 2 closest buoys ( about 25m apart ) that way if we had any problems we could get out no problem..!

Captain in pain

So lets do it , we stripped to our trunks on the lakes edge...which gave the local dog walkers and watching sailing club a good laugh.!! and stepped into the less than inviting water.!! first thing that came to mind...was OMG  ...this is cold..but as we dived in that feeling soon passed,  as the real cold set it...!! its  hard to describe in words what it was like, we have  done loads of open water swimming for years, but always later in the summer and mostly with wet suits on..so they came as a bit of a shock to the system for all of us..!!

Doug with the only safely whistle 

your body feels like its on fire.!! its really strange feeling, you are cold but your legs feel warm., Your face goes numb for the first minute or 2 then it feels great,!! we swam for about 15 to 20 minutes , just up and down between the buoys , all of us were feeling okay...but after 20 minutes or so really started to feel  cold, could not feel my feet, hands and strangely my shoulders..! started to find it hard to swim.., so we called it a day , and  tried to walk out ,so  funny we were all over the place...even more funny was trying to get changed as the shivers came in...we were shaking that bad could not even hold and cup of tea...just kept spilling it.!! the whole experience was strangely enjoyable for us all, well  if jumping into a freezing cold lake in early April can every be enjoyable  that is. , its a good job really as we have to do it all again next Sunday and for the next 3 months..!!!

Royal Wedding Swim @ The Swan
Friday 29th April

                         
This has to be watched....Its Nickys Royal walk of Shame out of the Swan 29/4/11


May..Big Ricks May blog archives

All Smiles  after the 3 hour Channel test swim is Over.!!
Apart from Gary, who i think has fallen asleep standing up.

All Day........!

Sunday the 22nd of May was the day of Big Ricks channel test swim... we planned to do  three x, one hour swims with an hour rest in between each, if was planned like this to see if we were all up to the challenge of the swimming an hour then trying to get warm before having to swim another, just like we will have to do come July in the Channel..!

Conditions on arrival at Swan pool at 8.30am  were far from ideal as you can see in the Video above.., but as Ricks channel coach  'The Mighty Dan Earthquake'  told us ..these conditions would be seen as normal in the channel..!! think he was trying to cheer us up , as some of the team were looking a bit nervous...!!

Not Sure what to say about Captain Cash Here...either someone has just told him we are swimming for a third hour..? or This is what 2 hours of swimming in freezing cold water looks like when all you have to eat is egg fried rice.!!

we did it....over 3 hours , for 18 laps , getting on for 15k swam and god did it feel further...everyone in the team swam great, if it was never in doubt that we were fit enough to swim the channel but now having swam this test i know we are  mentally ready to swim for hours and hours if needed   

The Boys in their very fetching Dressing gowns 
 are all smiles after finishing the test..
it was a job well done.

 And All Of The Night........!  

Big Ricks Night Swim @ The Swan..
( 10.15 at night ,froze but we can still smile )

Okay...a day after our test swim, ( Monday 22/5/11) and we are back at the Swan at 8.30 at night., getting ready for a practise night swim...!! all of us are still very sore and tired from the previous days 3 hour swim , so maybe it was not the best timing to do this tonight, but with bank holidays etc coming up over the next week or 2,  it was now or never , plus it was the only time we would be able to do it safely with Dan .

still another hour to wait

the water was colder...or it felt colder ( Dan said it was all in our minds ) but when we got out everyone had the shivers big time..! this swim was very use full do for all of us, as we know if we are to swim a fast time in July we will have to start very early ..about 4 or 5 am most likely when it will be Dark....!! Big Thanks to Dan and Paul for their help and support tonight , and making it enjoyable and safe..!!


June..Big Ricks June Blog Archives


to be continued asap 

        Only 3 days To Go.......

Big Ricks team are swimming the channel in aid of Cancer Research UK and The British Heart Foundation . If you wish to Support us in anyway ,then just click  link below and Please give what you can. Every penny you give  will go to help save Lives..!! 

                        

                               Big Ricks Channel Fundraiser Page