The good news is that after an anxious wait Paul did finally get his swim start a week later! So here here we are with Paul Newsome's full report on his crossing. It's pretty long but don't let that put you off, it's an absolutely fascinating read especially from the psychology and emotional angle. So grab yourself a cup of coffee and find out what it really takes to swim the channel!
Dear swimmers,
Well what a roller-coaster ride this last three weeks has been... and the last three years really if you want to take it that far back! This is inevitably going to be a long post (even for me!), so if you'd prefer to just see the video footage from the day then watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJZQ5Nlfeho
Or to just take a quick peak at the tough conditions out in them middle of the channel (warning - may make you feel seasick!) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SavBLTMwvE
My English Channel Swim - 12h14m in 28-35 knot S / SW winds and BIG swell (head-on) - Friday 9th September 2011 - a tough day at the office!
A Thousand Thank Yous!
Firstly, a quick thank you to all those of you who posted Twitter comments on the channeldare.com website whilst I was swimming. There were over 400 in total and it was a massive heart-warming feeling knowing that you were all there "with me" as I battled the very trying 28 to 35 knot (50 to 65km/h) winds and massive swell conditions! Interestingly enough, the Rottnest Channel swim was cancelled in 2007 when conditions exceeded 25 knots, so you can get a pretty good picture from this of what the day was like; that and the fact that Adam and Simon on my support boat were sick no fewer than 87 times between the two of them - maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but Simon was left incapacitated with nausea for a good 6 or 7 hours of the swim! He literally turned green, the poor guy. Thanks also to those of you who've sent post-swim emails through...I've tried to reply to all of them, but it is a slow process as there have been so many of them. As the famous British band "The Verve" once sang: I'm a Lucky Man!
Picking Our Slots And The Weather
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Storm force winds whipped up the English Channel during the long wait between attempts 1 and 2. |
Last Friday (3rd September) we posted out a blog stating that we should all (myself, Paul Downie and Andrew Hunt) get the opportunity to swim on Saturday 4th September. This was a known risk given the fact that it was still a large spring tide but with the prospect of bad weather coming up for our actual tidal window, I was personally really hoping to take it. Suffice to say that despite an afternoon of getting all pumped up listening to some banging tunes on the white cliffs of Dover, we were all called off literally just after we had blogged the post - Murphy's Law they call it I think?!
Dealing With The Cancellation of Attempt #1
I cannot even begin to express in words how deflating this was. We are told that we'll be put through these anxious waiting games but nothing can prepare you for what that actually feels like to be lifted up with the prospect of a swim and then blown just as quickly back down again. Given the fact that the weather was looking very bad for the next week when we were due to swim, I am not ashamed to say that I went through quite a down and depressed few days with the very real possibility that I might not get to swim at all before having to return home to Perth on the 14th September for work and also the close arrival of baby Newsome # 2 in six weeks time. How did I pick myself out of it? Well, initially I tried to calm myself down saying that it's still not even our tide and that we still have at least 10 days to wait it out but then my pilot Andy King of the Louise Jane called me on Monday after spending a beautiful day in Canterbury with my family suggesting that things really weren't looking good for the rest of the week. There would still be the prospect of then swimming on the next Spring Tide if I could extend my flights back before his next set of swimmers arrived, but how long could I realistically wait it out?
At this point panic really set in and I started to feel a weird mix of disappointment, the potential of unfinished business, a kind of disgust in myself for putting on all this weight for the cold conditions and even guilt over having put my family through all this training only to come home without having achieved the end result. It's funny how the mind works - I often tend to drift towards the absolute worst possible scenario long before the process has had chance to play out. This is something that has always plagued me through my athletic years and something that I am acutely aware of needing to change.
Luckily Shelley Taylor-Smith (open water guru, 7-times World Marathon Swimming Champion and our travelling mentor) took me under her wing at this point and posed the possibility that this was maybe all happening for a reason and that there would be some sort of lesson in all this after all. This cheered me up no end - Shelley truly is an inspiration for me personally - I've even tried to model my marathon swimming stroke on hers!! :-)
Being Cheered Up By Britain's Best Comedian
What was the lesson that I needed to learn? Well, on Tuesday I was invited by my good friend and physiologist, Dr. Greg Whyte, to travel up to Oxfordshire and have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to swim with world-renowned comedian David Walliams from Little Britain as part of his hugely inspiring and monumental swim of the 140 miles (220 km) length of the River Thames. David is doing this for Sport Relief and aims to raise over £1 million for the charity. The guy is a total legend, my personal comedy hero and certainly one of the biggest inspirations for me attempting the English Channel in the first place as David successfully smashed the Channel in 10h 29m in 2006 for the same charity. This is a totally amazing time and so it was a real honour to be invited to swim with him - I was grinning like a cheshire cat all day long and had to keep pinching myself that I was even there!
I ended up swimming for 7 hours with David but wore a wetsuit to keep warm and stave off any potential infections from the dirty(ish) water of the Thames. The pace was pretty steady but then again David has to swim the length of the English Channel every day for 8 days in a row!! Truly amazing - here's me making a big deal out of the English Channel when Walliams is truly doing it tough. Puts it all into perspective.
I think what I learned from this experience was how cool, calm and collected David was when swimming and taking everything in his stride. He commented on how he used distraction techniques (like thinking about the lyrics for all the James Bond theme tunes) to take his mind off the pain he was suffering along the way. Also, in his very modest way he was the first to say that his amazing Channel swim time was due in part to the very fortunate weather conditions that he had that day. He went on to add that his coach (Greg) was a much stronger swimmer and yet had terrible weather when he tried unsuccessfully two days previous to cross the Channel.
I guess this made me really appreciate the fact that to set a good time you need a lot of factors on your side and given that I was still (at this point) facing the prospect of no swim at all I began to focus on the simple goal of just getting my feet wet. I cannot thank Greg and David enough for offering me that opportunity to swim with them that day... definitely one to tell the grandchildren!
"The Call" And The Emotion Of It All
But then the call came just two days later that there was a possibility of a small opening in the wretched weather but that the prospects were still grim and could easily change. The window would only suit swimmers capable of getting across in around 10 hours due to the likelihood of more forecast bad weather around 4pm that day. We had to call Andy King at 6.15am on Friday 10th September with the view of starting literally just two hours later. This made for some very frantic telephone calling to assemble our much dwindled support team, many of whom had returned back to their normal jobs / lives. Interestingly enough, nearly all the other swimmers who had been waiting it out in Dover for the weather to change had been sent home by their pilots stating that there was zero chance of a start on this tide. This made for a very gloomy atmosphere within the channel swimming fraternity in Dover and was hard to avoid feeling the effects of.
So, after we got the green light to go from Andy, we drove down to the harbour through all the thick fog. I was listening to Eminem's "Not Afraid" on my iPod and all the emotions of what I had gone through with all the hard training, the waiting around, and the upcoming challenge of swimming the Channel suddenly all boiled to the surface. I sat there and thought about my family, about Jackson and Michelle, about all my wonderful Channel Dare training buddies and support crew, the people that I coach and who have supported me all the way, Shelley and Adam's ultimate belief in me and also the burning desire to get the job done. I'm not ashamed to say that tears were flowing freely down my cheeks but it wasn't fear or sadness it was the realisation in one moment that I could do this and that I would get across to France come hell or high water. It was such a strong, powerful emotion that I wish I could have bottled it as I've never experienced so much conviction and belief in myself ever before.
Adjusting The Goal Posts
It was heartening to know that when we got down to the harbour that there was one other swimmer who was also due to set off for an attempt. Up until this point I thought I was going to be tackling the Channel alone that day. He was apparently a fireman and a former "cage fighter" with a strong swimming background, under the wing of brilliant Channel swimmer Lyndon Dunsbee who formerly held the British record for a crossing of the Channel in 8h 34m.
I immediately thought that with his bulging biceps, strong shoulders and excellent support crew (including legendary pilot Reg Brickell) that if they're making this tough decision to at least give it a go, then we've made the right decision too. Mark (the swimmer) shook my hand - actually, crunched it ;-) - immediately before we set off and Lyndon stated that he believed that in good weather his guy would go sub-10 hours (about where I pitched my own ability). However, Lyndon took one look at the weather, sniffed the breeze and very firmly stated that today he'll do 12 to 13 hours. How right he was (Mark did 12h48m as it transpired).
This brief encounter with Lyndon prior to the start was crucial for how the day played out for me as I immediately let go of any aspirations of knocking out a fast time knowing that one of the world's greatest marathon swimmers had the experience to call it even before we started with "today will be character building if anyone gets across".
I'm assuming this was the second lesson that Shelley suggested I needed to learn before my swim: patience and persistence from David Walliams and letting go of any thoughts of fast times but focusing in on the "simple" goal of finishing.
The Plan

As we ploughed round towards Samphire Hoe, Andy took the quick decision to change our starting point to Shakespeare Beach instead, which is literally just around the corner of Dover harbour wall. Reg Brickell and Mark (the other swimmer) employed the same tactics and before I knew it I was greased up and jumping into the water which was 16.2 degrees at this point - chilly, but much warmer than we've been training in. I've grown to like the cold actually, despite the weight gain (which helps massively from a thermal perspective), I like how invigorated it makes me feel - a kind of electric charge through the body. Andy and Reg had placed a bet on whether Mark or myself would get across to France first and all I remember Andy saying is "don't let me down son!" as he looked hard into my eyes. The race was on! I'm a sucker for competition... it was exactly the right scenario to get me off to a good start.
Those Critical First Few Strokes

Motivation, Tactics and Feeding

During my Channel swim I wasn't allowed to wear anything more than a cap, some goggles, very standardised bathers and grease - the Garmin was banned as a pacing device. Instead I asked Adam to blow a sharp blast on the loud-haler every 7 minutes to signify the same milestones as I'd done with the Garmin in training. The sound of the loud-haler was instantly obscured by the force of the wind, so we had to go with plan B - holding up a red umbrella every 7 minutes instead. Adam, Paul Caunce (who'd travelled 5 hours down from Doncaster on a whim the night before, hoping that I'd get to swim - legendary commitment) and Simon (editor of H2Open Magazine) did brilliantly doing this 105 times (!) through the course of the swim and took great dedication and an understanding of just how important it was for me to keep this going. I would cite this as the biggest single motivation technique that I used out there during the swim - aside from all your Tweats, emails and SMS messages of course! ;-)

I alternated between 250ml of Gatorade on stop #1, then 250ml of Gatorade and a GU gel on stop #2. This I repeated over and over again for all 25 of my fuel stops. On a couple of occasions I'd ask for something different (Turkish Delight, Boost Bar, Annette van Hazel's amazing fruit cake...) but I generally stuck to the plan and only ate these things when I felt like I craved the action of eating rather than slurping! I had two Nurofen at 4 hours and 8 hours to help with my shoulders but didn't drink any pure water at all and had one quick sip from a bottle of Coke. Aside from that it was Blue and Red Gatorade e-numbers all the way to the post-swim toilet... I'll leave that thought right there! ;-)
Swinging Both Ways
As you know I am super pedantic about bilateral breathing for endurance swimming. When I started the swim the swell and chop was coming at us from the front and to the right. Andy (my pilot) expertly positioned the boat to shelter me from the main effects of this such that the boat was on my right. Right is my preferred side to breathe naturally, however, this asymmetry in my stroke from years of unchecked unilateral breathing is also the primary reason why my left shoulder is always the one that gives me grief on long swims as I generally don't rotate as well to my left. As I had to try and maintain visual contact with the boat, I started to breathe more and more to the right but as the waves were still hitting me hard from this side I was swallowing a lot of water and not getting a proper breath in. The waves were so strong at this point that I was also being pushed away from the boat and then frustratingly having to readjust my position. I didn't feel totally relaxed and at just two hours into the swim my left shoulder started to let me know it was there.

Flying Along
As there are no land marks when you're halfway across the Channel, it is very hard to judge how well you're moving in terms of pace. I felt like I was totally flying along for the entire swim and this was evidenced by a super consistent 75 to 80 strokes per minute for the whole swim. The video clips in the link above were filmed at 8 hours into the swim and you can see that I'm still moving really well. I do not think for a minute that I could have swum this Channel crossing any better or faster than what I did given the conditions I was presented with...my pacing was perfect, stroke was consistent and I felt strong the whole way. I am entirely happy with my efforts and the end result. Geoff Wilson said of his epic 15h15m swim back in July that if he had have been forced to swim further he could have done given how physically well prepared he was. I'll admit that initially I even found this hard to truly believe but when out there I also felt this amazing energy that would just seemingly go and go. I've never experienced anything like it and it just felt amazing.
You all know how pedantic I am about pacing in training sessions and the reason for this is because I know how bad I naturally am at it and is something I've worked incredibly hard on the last three years. On this swim all that effort paid off - it went totally according to plan and when the weather really picked up at 7 hours into the swim, I lifted my game even further - I wasn't going to let Mother Nature beat me now!

Not Afraid
I would say that I remained in a happy place 98% of the entire swim and for me this is the single biggest achievement of the swim. It's amazing what can be achieved when you can keep yourself in this flow-state of positivity. I was doing all that I could do to get across to France and I vividly recall thinking at about 7 hours in that if the predicted storm does really kick in now (and that they have to drag me from the water for safety reasons), I'd be very happy and satisfied with my efforts even if I wasn't able to finish. Whenever an ounce of doubt crept into my mind, I'd start singing "Not Afraid" by Eminem and think about my son Jackson and doing it for him. I know that all sounds a bit cliche but having this anchor to go back to in the tougher moments was so useful.
I read Des Renford's book in the days before the swim (19 x Channel Swimmer and Australian swimming icon) prior to my attempt and in it he stated a couple of quotes which had helped him:
"Even the darkest hour still only has 60 minutes!"
...this was also brilliant to refer back to, as was another:
"A man who wants something will find a way; a man who doesn't will find an excuse!"
Getting On With It

Eventually the light started to fade and we paused briefly to pin on a Glow Stick to make me more visible in the water (like my Hot Pink Funky Trunks weren't loud enough?!). I knew at this point that I was getting very close and decided to stop for an extra feed just 6 minutes after the last which was to be my final surge of energy for the push to the finish. I could see the boys readying the dinghy to escort me to shore and at this point I knew I had made it, bar disaster. Little Andy (Big Andy's first mate on the boat) escorted me in and witnessed me finishing on the rocky beach in complete darkness and a little fog. I didn't get chance to savour the moment unfortunately (not even a photograph) as I was being beckoned back onto the boat so we could get back to Dover as the temperature was dropping.
Despite being neck and neck up to the four hour point with Mark I eventually finished 34 minutes clear. As such, Andy won his bet with Reg and we all felt quite chuffed with ourselves - what a day! Sharing those conditions with Mark was a real privilege.
Will I Ever Do It Again?
In a word, no. Job done, next chapter, move on. The training and preparation was excellent. I couldn't have asked for a better training crew to train up with for this mammoth undertaking. Wayne, Ceinwen, Paul D, Andrew, Lisa and Geoff were all amazing and we always kept each other on track and the vibe was fun, enjoyable and supportive. I've had the privilege to train with some of the world's best athletes in a former life living in the UK as part of the Triathlon World Class Program, but can honestly say that I've never trained with more dedicated and committed athletes than these guys.
Adam's (Young) support through this whole thing has been legendary, especially given the monster work tasks we set ourselves with Swim Smooth. Surviving the sea sickness on the boat was a big thing all in itself. Shelley's (Taylor-Smith) encouragement in these last few weeks in particular has been outstanding. Not all elite athletes make great coaches and mentors but I can categorically state that Shelley does. She's been brilliant and both Adam and Shelley were right there when I needed them to help me turn around what was becoming a period of despair after our first swim attempt was cancelled.
My boat support crew of Big Andy (King or "Grumpy" as he is known), Little Andy, the CSA observer (Mick) and of course Adam (Young), Paul (Caunce) and Simon (Griffiths) were legendary. All pilots have their own ways of getting swimmers across the Channel but what really stood out for me with Andy King on the Louise Jane was how quietly confident he was in his own judgement, methods and experience. Andy always got back to me within a few hours on email even going back two years ago when I registered with him for the swim. He'd answer any questions that I had and dealt with me in a professional and courteous way at all times. He calls a spade a spade and for a challenge like this, I personally believe that this is what is needed in a pilot. He was determined to get me across the Channel in a fast time but when the conditions looked as though they wouldn't give me an opportunity to do that we switched to Plan B and focused on making the best of a very small window between two strong weather fronts.

Varne Ridge Holiday Park is where we stayed for our entire trip and I have always been intrigued as to how good this site would be given the tremendous amount of positive feedback I have heard about the site itself and owners David and Evelyn. I knew from the instant we arrived that we'd be well looked after as Evelyn came bustling in offering us loads of free food and supplies to get us started before the grand trek to Tescos supermarket. David and Evelyn are truly wonderful genuine people who were the perfect hosts for our time in Dover. They know so much about the Channel and always have a calming effect on you when you're worried about whether or not you're going to get to swim. We all thoroughly enjoyed our time there.
Finally, to my parents Linda & Steve, Shaun & Catherine, my sister Sheryl and close friends and of course especially Michelle and Jackson without whom I wouldn't have been able to do any of this and accomplish a boyhood dream. I am totally in awe of how Michelle does what she does, looks after me and copes with me when I'm tired and grumpy and manages to look after our beautiful little boy Jackson whilst all the while carrying around a massive lump in her belly. I haven't seen either of them for nearly six weeks now and can't wait to get back to Perth for the big reunion. Mish, you're a legend and Jackson, maybe we can do a Duo to Rottnest one day soon?
What Next?
Well, Baby Newsome # 2 is due at the end of October so I'll go fully back into "Dad Mode" then. We also have several exciting projects on the go with Swim Smooth that we're due to roll out in the next six months too. I'm currently weighing in at around 80kg and would like to drop back down to 72kg within the next 9 months. I'll do this by getting back into a bit of running and cycling (which I have missed dearly) and maybe even the odd triathlon. The Rottnest Channel Swim Solo 2012 is probably off the cards at this stage but never say never... I am however super excited about the prospect of assisting many prospective soloists train up for this magnificent event, potentially even with the view to a crack at the English Channel themselves down the line.
Thanks again for the opportunity to undertake this challenge - it is without a doubt the very biggest and best athletic achievement I have ever completed.
Cheers,
Paul
19 comments:
Awesome! Well done its great to complete something that you have thought about for a long time. Unfortunately I'm too old and my swimming isn't good enough for a channel attempt but I have managed to complete LEJOG and swim the length of Ullswater in the last 2 months so I have some idea of the elation you must have felt. Keep up the good work Swim smooth is a great idea and I always look forward to reading all your tips with the hope that someday I will be able to swim properly! :-) Good luck to your wife hope everything goes well with baby no2. Andy
Amazing and inspiring! Nice work.
Very inspiring story, and Congratulations Paul! Always enjoying your blog and Swimsmooth video.
YY,
Tianjin, China
Fantastic effort. Didn't recognise you from the Swim Smooth DVDs with the extra weight. Your new arrival should prevent post event blues.
BW
A
Well Done Paul! (Somehow this doesn't seem quite enough).
Enjoyed reading your personal insights as well.
All the best to You & Michelle as you wait for Junior to arrive.
So inspiring to a wannabe IM! Congratulations and enjoy your newborn, who's already been swimming much longer!
Brilliant Paul. Well done on a successful crossing.
Cheers
Gary Bradley
Hi Paul - just read your report - truely inspiring. Very well done to you and a big, big, big congratulations. Keep up the good work with Swim Smooth. It's thanks to you you and Adam that I now swim freestyle well enough to be training for a first triathlon.
Congratulations ! Weldone ! Beautifully written and I welled up a few times.
One day......... One day.... I hope to be given the chance to do this.... Nothing is as hard as parenting though surely !?? ;)
Hi Paul! Many, many congratulations on a fantastic achievement! To make it across in conditions like that is truly superb.
Several of us early morning sea swimmers at Brighton Swimming Club had our fingers crossed for you as it was rough for so many days and we didn't know how long you could stay in Britain. We're keen followers of Swimsmooth and you're really helping us improve our crawl, so please keep up the good work.
Do give Ironman another go - after the Channel swim it'll feel easy and crossing that finish line will give you another great memory (I don't know what the crowds are like at Ironman WA but they're terrific at Challenge Roth in Germany).
All the best for future achievements and for the safe arrival of baby #2!
Naomi
A true achievement Paul. Interesting how you used the Garmin and your stroke rate is something to aspire to for an IM athlete. Keep up the good work with SS !
Ivar
Said it before the swim and I'll say it again: Newsome - you are a legend! Now it's time to lose that puppy fat ;-)
Stephen, Manchester
Absolutely brilliant achievement - remember "Fail to prepare, prepare to fail!". As long as all the plannings done, the swimming is easy!!!!!!!!
You´ve done it mate.
Congratulations! fantastic time and great achivement.
J. Carrasco. Spain
Really inspirational. Congratulations. Frances. New Zealand.
Well done Paul! Great achievement! Enjoy the well deserved rest and the time you can now spend with your family!
I would like to say a massive thank you for writing down your experiences. I read your email the day before my first ever Ironman (Challenge Henley). Reading about what kept you going during your channel swim, how you got through your lows and stayed positive despite the hostile weather conditions as well as hearing about what went wrong on your IM race helped me enormously!!! You are truly amazing and inspirational! Thank you so much! Keep up the good work! Wish you all the best!
Andrea
Thanks for all your well wishes and support everyone. Its messages like these above that got me across to France on that day through all the nasty weather, so thanks very much for taking time to write in. Hopefully it will inspire you guys to take your goals that one step further towards completion.
Cheers and thanks again!
Paul
Well done! There are some tips which I thought your readers would be interested in :) http://bit.ly/1lOHMdp
Unique perspective. Thank a lot for doing such a good job. I will come here to read more and tell my friends about your website
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