Wednesday 14th August - something was missing - that yellow ball of nourishing energy that is the sun, for starters, and lake Manly had also disappeared..... and after 1055 days, it is with gratitude that we appreciate the enormity of Guy's daily efforts to inform us of the temperature, and with his unique gift, weaving in a story - sometimes raw, always authentic, stories of reslilience, persistence, determination, perseverance, courage, sadness, and also happiness, joy, kindness and fun. We all have our favourites - I cant choose only one, however the fun Christmas themes, the happy rainbows, the anzac day commemmorations, the celebrations of our Olympians are definitely high on my list (and the ice cubes - reminding us that we are all a little crazy - in the best way!)!
Photo: Jon Howard
Creating something new every day takes energy - sometimes a lot. I think its more ultra than an ultra marathon. We must take Guys' baton and continue to creatively find a way to challenge and motivate ourselves into the water each day, channelling kindness and courage, with gratitude and salty joy. Guy - we hope you are feeling wrapped in all our love as you prioritise you. Your reminders to be kind, support each other and look out for and after each other, to be grateful for what we have, to challenge ourselves to be better versions of ourselves, and so much more, will be forever part of the Bold and Beautiful community.
todays stats:
water temp - a "guestimate" in the low 17's
air temp at 7am: 15.9 degrees (with a "feels like" 17.3, approximately the same as the water!)
conditions - a restless ocean
vibe - few swimmers... mirroring the mood set by the rain drops, rain clouds and wondering where our perfect acquarium went?
Speaking of challenging ourselves, quite a few swimmers in the B&B community constantly test their capabilty, resilience and perseverence (and patience), in, on and out of the water. I decided that the topic of todays blog would be exactly that.
In the spirit of the theme, this morning i dragged myself (emphasis on the drag) out of bed at stupid o'clock to join the morning "vladswim" squad (also, i had an office day and the traffic is too awful to both swim and drive to the office!)... if one has goals, one must form a series of habits to give one the best pathway to achieve them (refer to Atomic Habits by James Clear if you would like a refresher on Habits!).
The Vladswim squad is full of inspiring swimmers (who are also incredible humans), supporting each other, no matter how fast they swim their laps, to achieve their goals. Chatter includes encouraging fellow swimmers to attempt this or that event, showing up is the first step, and then, in the words of legendary skiier Michaela Shiffrin, "onwards". The above picture includes Christian Renford who in a few weeks will swim the English Channel, and he will be the first 3rd generation in one family to achieve this feat. A recent article on Christians quest is here:
https://www.swimmersdaily.com/2024/08/how-to-swim-the-english-channel-as-an-amateur-the-australian/
Also included in this photo is our own B&B swimmer, Christine Freek. Christine started swimming with the B&B in 2021, and her first open water swim was accompanied stroke for stroke by Ian. Christine has since caught the marathon swim bug. Last year, she completed the 20km Swim around Great Keppel Island, and this year, rottnest, Palm Beach to Shelly beach and recently the Gibraltar Strait, with 2 other Vladswimmers, Tim and Jo.
Christine and team mates touching land in Morocco
After this mornings pool session, Christine kindly shared her inspiring story for todays blog - a reminder that we can all do hard things! She and her team mates Pascal, Tim and Jo (from Vladswim squad) each individually (swimming together), completed the 15km swim from Europe to Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar: Spain (Tarifa), to Morocco (Punta Cires) in a time of 3 hours 46 minutes.
Pascal, Christine and Tim receiving their completion certificates back in Spain (not pictured, Josephine who also finished)
Our search of the records shows this crossing of the Gibraltar Strait is the equal 4th fastest time by Australian females, but Christine says “It’s not really about the times, every swim is different so it’s hard to compare, it’s about getting it done, embracing whatever conditions are thrown at you and having fun.”
Christine started swimming with B&B in 2021, and while a pool swimmer all her life, growing up in regional inland NSW meant she only really took to ocean swimming when she moved to Manly in 2021 and started swimming with us!
“I still remember my first swim with the B&B,” Christine said. “Ian met myself and a friend at 7am and swam with us to show us the ropes, which really helped us gain confidence and skills in the open water. The B&B community has a special place in my heart”.
Christine receiving her first B&B cap from Ian in May 2021, alongside now good friend Helena Sracek.
Christine is still a regular at B&B, but spends most of her mornings swimming with Vladswim, under the coaching of Vlad Mravec, and a community of fellow marathon and ultramarathon swimming enthusiasts.
Christine is no stranger to a long swim, having also completed the 26km Palm Beach to Shelly Beach swim along the Northern Beaches (8 hours 14 minutes) earlier this year, a 20km circumnavigation of Great Keppel Island in Queensland (5 hours 49 minutes), the 10km South Head Roughwater from Bondi to Watsons Bay, 10km swims at Lake Argyle in Western Australia, and was a participant in the 19.7km Rottnest Channel solo swim this year which had to be abandoned mid-race due to deteriorating weather conditions.
We asked Christine a few questions!
What was the highs and lows of swimming the Gibraltar Strait?
The best part was absolutely doing it alongside my team mates and good mates, it truly is a team sport, and taking this on together was really special.
The low was getting really sea sick on the swim, something that hasn’t really happened to me before, but I was vomiting most of the way across – character building hey?
Which swim are you most proud of and why?
I’d say Palm to Shelly. It’s our home long-distance swim and one that meant a lot to me to finish. If I’m honest I was also very apprehensive going into it, knowing it was going to be my longest swim yet, and the water temperatures (in April) were starting to drop, so I knew I’d be working hard to manage the cold. But I think that’s what makes me most proud of it, because I genuinely wasn’t sure at the start line if I’d finish, so I learnt a lot from that swim. You can do hard things!
Christine at the end of the 26km Palm to Shelly swim in April 2024
What’s been your biggest learning from your swim training?
That getting to the start line is the real achievement (the finish line is great too). There’s a lot that goes into these long swims, both in and out of the water, and I think completing the training programs and seeing yourself growing stronger physically and mentally is the best achievement of all. It’s all about the journey! As our coach Vlad often says: relax, smile and be happy!
Any advice for fellow B&B’ers who want to get into long distance swimming?
Surround yourself with the right people. It’s truly a team sport, and we have such an incredible community of swimmers here in Sydney! Team work truly makes the dream work! I’d also say don’t be afraid to start – my favourite quote is that ordinary people can do extraordinary things – it just takes a lot of hard work, determination, and persistence.
Edit - will we see Christine with a Winter Without Wetsuit badge next year?
If you’d like to learn more about Christine’s swim journey, or see some videos from her swims, jump on Instagram @christine_freek or @vladswim to be inspired by others training for long swims!
Edit: I can absolutely attest that the "bug" for long distance swimming is definitely infectious... and somewhat contagious if one finds oneself in the company of many..... and there is no known antidote! One of the hardest things I have had to get my head around is that there's no talk of "failure", in fact, every swim is an opportnity to learn no matter the outcome. And safety is paramount. Many of the B&B swimmers undertake amazing extraordinary activities (like marathon swims), and future blogs will feature some of them!
as always, stay kind, stay safe, look out for and after each other, and have a wonderful wednesday!
Jocelyn
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