Frances Anderson - Channel Swim 2008

2008-12-18T02:08:00.000-08:00

2008-12-18T02:03:00.000-08:00

2008-12-18T01:26:00.000-08:00

2008-12-18T01:22:00.000-08:00

My Swim Route - Slightly longer than anticipated!!!!!!

2008-07-30T07:10:00.000-07:00

I did it!

2008-07-27T06:12:00.000-07:00

Hi I made it ! Landed north of Calais after an epic 19.46 hours of swimming . My shoulder packed in at hour 2.5 and addef a lot of time and pain to the swim! My chart of the swim looks like a double s shape! The journey was definatly the hardest thing I have ever done and I was helped by an amazing pilot and crew and my support crew without all of whom I wouldn't have made it! They also all white lied brilliantly to keep me going and told me I had an hour to go and it was just around the bend etc just enough to motivate me further ! I kept thinking this mile I have to swim is a bloody long way! I was followed for a long time by a seagull who kept turning up at my darkest moments! Sitting bobbing on the water a foot from my head! There were a lot of scary moments and I lost the plot several times at one point I was so cold I thought I was at school which scared me then I had a warm drink and poured some on my hands and down my front whic seamed to work and the next thing I knew the water started to warm up and I knew France was nearly there and I had to work hard for it ! It was at that point I decided the only way I was getting out was if they pulled me out or I reached the end. Which I did and boy did the sand feel good on my toes! I will write the swim up properly when I can . Thankyou to everyone who has sent me such wonderful messages and once again thank you to the people on the boat who made the swim happen! Dave Whyte and Joan Colin therese Brian Paula laura and abi also Thankyou to Shep my partner for looking after us all on our return and to Evelyn and David for everything they have done xxx

The big swim

2008-07-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

The journey has just begun. Frances has set off from shakesaphere beach at four o clock,
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Off in the morning

2008-07-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

Heading to France 3.30am in the morning!!!!!

Laura, Abi and Paula will be on the boat feeding me and by the sounds of it singing me motivatinal swimming songs! Yikes!!
I am anticipating it will take at least 14 hours but I am looking forward to swimming into the sunrise!!!!

Thankyou everyone for all your support, messages and sponsorship it really means alot to me
Love to you all
Frances xx
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Fw: Live tracking

2008-07-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

-----Original Message-----
From: francesanderson@btinternet.com

Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:39:33
To: Blog<go@blogger.com>
Subject: Live tracking

You can track my progress live on the shipping which is
http://www.shipais.com/currentmap.php?map=folkstone
My boat is ocean breeze
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Live tracking

2008-07-25T05:39:00.000-07:00

You can track my progress live on the shipping which is
http://www.shipais.com/currentmap.php?map=folkstone
My boat is ocean breeze
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Waiting!

2008-07-24T23:53:00.000-07:00

One day to go ! If the weather is right I go tonight ! I will be meeting the pilot at 2.30 am who then takes me around to Shakespeare beach. I swim to shore and clear the water then after they sound the horn I start my swim! Yikes! I am starting to feel a little nervous now! We could see France from the top of the cliffs last night and I stood watching the ships working out where the shipping lanes went and thinking from up here it doesn't look too far knowing that it looks and feels so different from on the boat or in the sea! My pilot thinks I will take 14 hours! Hope so as we have booked a table in a restaurant for tomorrow night and the puddings look good! So today I will do a very short swim. And brief my crew Paula laura and Abi . Shep arrives tonight and my parents tomorrow for the finish! Then its rest for the. Remainder of the day and waiting for the swim to be confirmed tonight !
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Dover bound

2008-07-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Dover this afternoon with Paula and met up with Abi and laura who are also crewing for me. Dave and Joan the pilots for the boat came over to talk through the swim and the weather is now looking better for the weekend so the swim has been changed to starting out at 3 am on Saterday morning weather permitting! There have been some swimmers out today who have had hard work to land as the tides were very strong. Anyhow for now its rest and prepare and eat pasta!!
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At last an update and only 10 days till my tide!!!

2008-07-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

OK so I have proved that i am completely useless at updating this blog!!! In my defence I have been spending most of my time in the water or at work which in reality are more important than the blog ! Anyhow I will now attempt to keep it up to date in the run up to the swim and have managed to work out how to post to the blog from my mobile so my crew can post from the boat as I swim....well that's the plan anyhow!!!
Ten days to go before my swim tide 25th to 31st July and it suddenly feels like its all happening really quickly. It doesn't feel like that long ago that I was having to cancel last years attempt and reschedule to a date a year on which is now suddenly a reality and racing towards me! The good news is that I am ready or at least as ready as I am every going to be. My shoulders are now strong I have had hours of physio over the year and lots of exercises to do to strengthen up but it has all paid off. Cold water training has been going well in the lake at Druridge Bay Country Park Lake and the North Sea. I am now busy collecting sponsorship for charity - North of England Children's Cancer Research Fund. People have been so very generous. The plan is to head to Dover on the 23rd and then wait for my swim!
All the children at the schools I work in have been asking questions which have made me giggle and it makes a change from the Will you be wearing grease question which is nearly always the second question asked!!!! These are from Year 6:

Which Channel will you be on?
Are you wearing full body Armor?
Are you wearing Floaters?
Will you have a tank?
How long will it take?
Are there fish in the water?
How do you do a pee?
How are you going to breathe?
What if an evil dolphin comes to get you?
What about evil sharks?
Will you be embarrassed with everyone on the boat looking at you?
How cold will it be?
What if you freeze to death?
Who said you are allowed in the water?
What if you fall asleep?
Will you have goggles?
What if a big boat knocks you out and slices you in half?
What do you get when you finish?

Anyway - off to do shoulder exercises and then bed as I am up early for a kite flying day at school tomorrow with 250 children all flying kites all getting in tangles I expect but all good fun!!!!

2008-07-08T13:50:00.001-07:00

late update!!

2007-11-06T12:07:00.001-08:00

Ok so I am completely rubbish a keeping this blog up to date but better late than never!!!! I have been making good progress with building up my swimming and my shoulder again. Had a bit of a blip last month when I hurt my neck but thanks to physio and rest it is all sorted out now and I am back in the pool and inflicting my swim schedules on everyone else in the Triathlon Club!!! Not really much to report on the swimming of any interest at the moment as lake swimming has now finished as the lake is closed for the winter and I can't get anyone else mad enough to jump in the sea with me and pool swimming is Sooooooooo boring in comparison. Over the winter I am concentrating on interval training in the pool, sorting out technique, also lots of kick and land training (pilates) for core stability. I am looking forward to a trip down to London in a couple of weeks for the Autumn pool / pond crawl around the Lidos and ponds in London followed by the Swimtrek party a chance to do cold water swimming and catch up with friends - brilliant!!!

So here goes.......

2007-09-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

So here goes my first post on the blog which will log my journey toward my Channel swim! I have been meaning to set up a web site for ages and haven't got around to it.....I am avoiding the huge to do list and pile of work I need to get on with hence setting up the website!!!!! I cant tell you how amazing it feels to finally swim pain free again. I was so disappointed to have to cancel this years swim but I now know I made the right decision. I have spent months of just doing kick in the pool to try and keep the fitness going and doing shoulder strengthening exercises. I have had to try and change my stroke to prevent further injury and I am now finally feeling like it has all paid off. I have finally been doing pain free swim sessions YIPEE!!!!!! I now need to build up the distance and the speed again but at a sensible pace (that is the hard bit - sensible hummmmmm!!!!!!) I have a physio session this evening for assessment after the summer so we shall see what she says - hopefully she will see a difference - I know I can feel a difference!
I spent some time in Dover this summer seeing Lynne after her amazing successful swim. Birgit was over from Germany and we were were getting texts and messages from Ali (Queen of the Channel!) as her swim progressed. We were driving down from Northumberland and the speed she was swimming I was worrying that I wouldn't get down in time to meet her off the boat!!!!!! It was so exciting being there and sharing it with her. Being in Dover, sharing that experience and swimming again in the harbour, I felt that Dover Channel excitement again and feel energised to begin my training with fresh enthusiasm. So here goes!...............