Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Swimming the English Channel!?

Options
  • 07-09-2009 10:43pm
    #1
    Iron Enthusiast
    Registered Users Posts: 189 ✭✭


    I'm planning on taking a trip to the states next year and while there hopefully doing the Alcatraz swim. I came across this article about a cork woman Lisa Cummins who is going to attempt to swim acroos the English Channel twice! in a few days time:

    http://www.endurancesource.com/#/swimming-the-channel/4535528647

    Just wondering if anyone on these forums has ever done / would ever consider doing a channel crossing themselves or even a relay crossing? (which I believe is an option):eek:


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    Woddle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,492 ✭✭✭Woddle


    Zuppylurk completed this last year, Dover to Calais I think, here is the report
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055378277&highlight=english+channel
    A very good read


  • Options
    #3
    mad m
    Registered Users Posts: 9,002 ✭✭✭mad m


    Would love to give the Alcatraz a go,how far is it? ....Julie ann Galloway completed it recently in 9hr 51mins...

    You can read all about it on her blog....Just do a search for her name and you will find it...


  • Options
    #4
    hunnymonster
    Registered Users Posts: 5,365 ✭✭✭hunnymonster


    Alcatraz is only about a mile but strongish currents can be the problem there. It's a pretty straightforward swim compared with the channel. The non-wettie rules are what puts me off about the channel, but maybe the arch to arc appeals some day.


  • Options
    #5
    Zuppy
    Registered Users Posts: 872 ✭✭✭Zuppy


    Lisa has committed big time to this. She is the first Irish person to ever sign up for the two way. Huge undertaking. So far the mileage has run into silly figures. Hope she makes it.

    Alcatraz has a lot of history to it and from all I know who have do it, its a great swim.


  • Options
    #6
    Seres
    Registered Users Posts: 1,900 ✭✭✭Seres


    ZuppyLurk wrote: »
    Lisa has committed big time to this. She is the first Irish person to ever sign up for the two way. Huge undertaking. So far the mileage has run into silly figures. Hope she makes it.
    what do you mean by silly figures , thought that was the norm for serious endurance athletes


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    Zuppy
    Registered Users Posts: 872 ✭✭✭Zuppy


    Well it differs from athlete to athlete but a single way channel attempt might see you swimming up to a million meters. (that figure is based on a friend's calculation and is off the written training plan we did, meaning it was probably more).

    I don't think we will ever know how much training, as you swim in the pool for meters and in the open water for time. Since Lisa is sitting in Dover waiting, lets ask her when she is back. :-)

    But she is probably planing for at least 30hrs swimming (so the training for that) and at least one night of swimming through the dark. And I presume her training entailed prep for that. Ergo SILLY :-)


  • Options
    #8
    hunnymonster
    Registered Users Posts: 5,365 ✭✭✭hunnymonster


    or put more simply, if you have to give up work/college/life to facilitate your training, it's silly hours


  • Options
    #9
    Mickeybags
    Closed Accounts Posts: 42 ✭Mickeybags


    I did the channel back in the year 2000.

    My training back then was based on interval sessions in the pool and sea swims to build up tolerance for the cold.

    Over time I built to a weekly average distance of 25k. Compared to competive swimmers at international level this is not a lot. Those guys swim in excess of 100k a week to swim maybe a 100m race.

    In the pool I remember building up to a 40 by 100m set off 1.30's and in the open water doing a 6 hour followed by a 4 hour swim the next day a couple of weekends before my crossing


  • Options
    #10
    KentuckyPete
    Registered Users Posts: 420 ✭✭KentuckyPete


    Word is that poor old Lisa is still stuck in blighty waiting for the appropriate weather/tidal window. Apparently they now reckon she'll be good to go on Thursday... must be terrible waiting and waiting and trying to stayon the boil...


  • Options
    #11
    hunnymonster
    Registered Users Posts: 5,365 ✭✭✭hunnymonster


    I've moved the off topic stuff about endurance training etc to another thread.

    Latest I've heard from Lisa (FB) is that things are looking calmer from Thursday on. Logistic issues (people can run out of holidays very quickly while hanging around Dover) are becoming more important.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #12
    baza1976
    Registered Users Posts: 1,145 ✭✭✭baza1976


    hunnymonster wrote: »
    I've moved the off topic stuff about endurance training etc to another thread.

    Latest I've heard from Lisa (FB) is that things are looking calmer from Thursday on. Logistic issues (people can run out of holidays very quickly while hanging around Dover) are becoming more important.

    heard she completed it yesterday. took over 30 hrs which good i would have thought.

    well done


  • Options
    #13
    KentuckyPete
    Registered Users Posts: 420 ✭✭KentuckyPete


    baza1976 wrote: »
    heard she completed it yesterday. took over 30 hrs which good i would have thought.

    well done

    That's great news - well done Lisa! Some consolation for the Cork crowd after yesterday :)


  • Options
    #14
    pgibbo
    Registered Users Posts: 4,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭pgibbo


    I heard it on the Ray D'Arcy show this morning. 35 hours. They had Lisa's coach, Ailish from Silver Springs Health Centre I believe, on for a chat. The training sound incredible. Fantastic achievement and great to hear it getting recognition on the national airwaves. Incredible really when you think about. It can't have been easy to get back in after the first crossing. They reckoned with currents and going off course, etc that she probably swam the equivelant of 80 miles. :eek:


  • Options
    #15
    gaelforce09
    Registered Users Posts: 25 ✭gaelforce09


    she on today fm now


  • Options
    #16
    baza1976
    Registered Users Posts: 1,145 ✭✭✭baza1976


    http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0921/channel.html

    I know it's swimming again but it's endurance also.
    See ink above, a 16 year old guy completed the channel swim yesterday in just over 10hrs:eek: the youngst irish person to do so.

    Well done Owen


  • Options
    #17
    swimforever
    Registered Users Posts: 131 ✭✭swimforever


    ZuppyLurk wrote: »
    I don't think we will ever know how much training, as you swim in the pool for meters and in the open water for time. Since Lisa is sitting in Dover waiting, lets ask her when she is back. :-)

    I'm back and finally getting a chance to do some normal stuff like surf the net for a while!

    I estimated my total swim metres in the year that I trained with Eilis (from the start of October '08 to the end of August '09) to be about 2.5 million. At the height of my pool training in March I was doing 70-75km per week and one day in the sea at the weekend. At the height of my sea swimming I was probably doing about 50-60 hours per week in the sea. Crazy when I look back on it but it felt like normal at the time!

    I'll be putting a blog post up about the swim soon if anyone has any interest (http://swimmingthechannel2009.blogspot.com).


  • Options
    #18
    Enduro
    Registered Users Posts: 3,620 ✭✭✭Enduro


    Well done. Fantastic achievement. You have my utmost respect and admiration!


Advertisement