Fiona Gray

Last week before Christmas, First swim at Palmie and Raffle Winners Announced!

I always start off with what a week! Well, its always a big week with swimming 3 times a week, I'm exhausted come the weekend. My back started playing up again so I'm obviously doing something wrong with my stroke. I had to leave the pool early on Thursday night which was really annoying. I don't like giving in but I really wanted to swim at Palm Beach on Saturday so I thought I best look after myself. I spoke with our coach Jono and asked him what I could be doing wrong. He mentioned this time of year, we all hold stress in our back (which I do anyway) poor posture can be the leading factor so it might not be me doing something wrong. I actually felt like I was "catching" my strokes for the first time this week as Tongy has been teaching me on Monday nights. Still no way near perfect but I feel like I"m doing better and I did have Jono say good job Fi for the first time!

So Saturday at Summer Bay! We didn't see Alf fishing nor John Palmer coming to our rescue but the conditions were in our favour and was flat as a tack! Great way to get used to swiming at the spot where we will be competing. We swam just over 1.4kms with 3 rounds of swimming and then finishing with a big group relay race. I was the last one in my team of 3 and unfortunately for me the last one to get out of the water! How embarrassing but in true style of the Can Tooers, the lovely Nicky held back in the water so I didn't come out alone and we exited hand in hand whilst everyone else cheered! I just absolutely love this community and can't wait to continue to be a part of it.

My beautiful Bella came down with Baz on Saturday and got into the spirit to by sporting her first Can Too T-Shirt. I was also lucky enough to be one of the first swimmers to get the new version of the Can Too Cossie in Orange, which is only thanks to all of those who supported me by donations, purchasing a swim cap or raffle ticket.

The raffle was drawn by Bella Crawford after our swim on Saturday 20th December and the winners are as follows:

1st Prize - Accommodation at the Blue Hotel

Alex MacTavish

2nd Prize - DragonFly Hair Voucher

Sian Stubbs

3rd Prize - Watch

Graham Lawrence

4th Prize - Seafood Voucher

Eilis Murphy

Rough Week 6

This week I started to look back and reflect on how far I've come. 7-8 weeks ago, 2 weeks before the program started, I ventured to the pool for the first time in years wondering if I really could swim and if I would enjoy it before I enrolled in this challenge. I started swimming 50mtrs and being buggered. 6 weeks into my program I'm now swimming 3 times a week and averaging 1.4kms each session obviously there are a few breathers in between all those laps but its amazing how far I've come. Don't get me wrong I still struggle and am very average at swimming but I'm determined.

This Saturday I woke up not wanting to go for the first time. Probably cause I was tired, feeling a little crappy and the weather wasn't so great. We didn't get our usual email to let us kmow what the conditions were like so I knew that wasn't going to be good. But as the old Fiona would talk myself out of going and I knew I had to go and pick up Raquel on the way. We got to Manly only to find the beach was closed so off to Shelley we treked. So as it was a little chilly I thought I'd try out my new wetsuit I got from Aldi. For whatever reason I've been reluctant to wear a wetsuit. Its not usually that cold and I could have probably gone without one today but I thought I'd test it out. I had some new goggles to trya out also, Robby, one of our mentors pointed out I looked like a pro with my wetsuit, garmin watch, new googles and as I've said before....all the gear and no idea!. Anyway off I went into the water with all the gear on. The wetsuit helped me float but I think it probably restricted me a little as lets face it, its not the proper swim wetsuit. I really struggled today, straight away I was breathing on every stroke and only one sided yet in the Pool I can go 3 strokes then breath and alternate between sides. I think it could have been due to the fact I was wearing a wetsuit which made me think I looked like a seal and all that kept racing through my head was....you look like a seal, you could be a meal.....you look like a seal, you could be a meal (some could argue I looked more like a whale!). We even stopped out at sea and I was feeling like a sitting duck again. Its ok when I'm swimming cause I have to focus on getting into rythm and just trying to get back to shore alive. I tried to relax which did help as I started to go back to the correct breathing again although my neck is a little sore from being so tense earlier. We swam through some quite rough, choppy water today. It was tough but I did it and yet even though I wasn't my usually excited self and I struggled I still finished and felt amazing.

Starting to make some really good friendships too. Everyone is so supportive. Its such an amazing group of people. I'm already getting ready to sign up for Half Marathon training once swimming finishes.

An another huge achievement, I reached my fundraising goal!! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who have donated or supported me by buying a swim cap or raffle ticket. Just because I've reached my goal doesn't mean I don't need any further support as I'm doing another program so I'm still having to raise another $1250 and its all for such a great cause!

What a week!

So this week started off with......guess...........more swimming! I joined Raquel and two others from my squad (Robby & Lindsay) to do Swim Squad on Monday night at Terrey Hills. It was hard, constant swimming for an hour (with a few stops for me!) but the coach Tongy really helped me with my stroke & technique.

Now most of you who know me, will find this really hard to believe as most of my current workmates did but I made it through my very first Christmas party sober! Why you ask.... because I'm that committed to this ocean swim that I didn't want to miss out on my first time trial. And it was so totally worth not drinking. I felt like a made such a big achievement, swimming 1km in 30min & 6 secs so I know I can totally blitz the ocean swim. Let's face it I'm not going to be breaking any records but I know I'll be breaking all my personal records!

Saturday training was amazing as it always is. I always look forward to my Saturday mornings hitting the beach. I just wish I started doing something like this when I was a lot younger! So today we duck dived under waves, went out with the rip and for the very first time I felt like I was so far out and when we all stopped, started treading water whilst listening to our coach, I felt scared! I just wanted to get going, felt like a sitting duck waiting to be taken by the very thing I fear in the water....a shark! So we finally got to shore and what did we then have to do???? Do it all over again, this time not stopping. All up I swam 1.4kms today so I'm now thinking once I've completed the 1km in January I might back up and do the 2km!

I'm starting to find it really hard to leave the beach, we have the 2km group start training after we finish and after a quick break I just want to get back out there again! Until next week....

Snot the best day....turned out to be even better than I thought!

After waking up with really bad sinus I wasn't sure whether I should tough it out at the beach today but I"m loving the ocean sessions so I just couldn't stay away. I went down thinking I would just be there for support and watch but soon as I got down there my Team Leader Lindsay, waked a number on my arm so I didn't have much choice but to swim!

I'm so glad she did because I think I would have talked myself out of it today. It was such a great morning, I learnt to body surf (something I still need to practice) but being able to catch that first wave into shore was an amazing feeling. Then it was time to try our first distance swim by swimming from South Steyne to Ferry Bower approx 500mtrs (half way). And in 18minutes I made it, wasn't puffed, felt amazing! The only thing I struggled with was bumping into people or people bumping into me.

And to top it off it helped clear most of my sinuses!

Loving this ocean swim stuff! Bring it on!

Charity Barefoot Bowls Day Sunday 14th December 2014

To raise funds, I am holding a charity Barefoot Bowls day on Sunday 14^th December at Belrose Bowling Club.

Please see invitation below and respond with your $15 donation/deposit by making a donation on my page for $15 per ticket required and in the comments enter your full name & how many tickets you are after (the $15 Donation/deposit is tax deductible so you can claim it when you do you tax return!)

$10 is payable on the day

Please also feel free to share with your friends & family.

I’ve already started to get some amazing prizes & raffle items so I do hope you can make it, if you can’t please make a donation anyway!

If you would like assistance in obtaining your ticket, please contact me on 0419 618 928

Struggle week 3

Week 3 has been a struggle. I was really exhausted at training Thursday night in the pool after 2 really late nights with the work crew at conference. I felt like I was not meant to be there that night and the more I struggled the more upset I got with myself which really affected my breathing. Especially when we had to count how many laps, how many strokes we did per lap and also concentrate on breathing! Too much for my brain to handle. Luckily I had the great support of a really close friend who I also work with, Raquel. I then had to back up and play Soccer (we lost) :(

I got over that by Friday once I got back in the pool at lunch time with Raquel & Adele from work. Then it was time to get pumped for our Saturday session at Manly. After seeing the news a couple of nights before and knowing a great white shark had been caught in nets off Bondi really made it more apparent there are Sharks out there which freaked me out just a little just when I thought I was dealing with it really well. Anyway, I'm determined not to be seen as a weakling so I toughed it out swimming at Shelley Beach this week (see image) It was a little choppy but was strange swimming over scuba divers and seeing some of the beautiful fish. I'm nearly keen to go back out with my snorkel set just to view it better again!

3 days straight of swimming and my shoulders & neck are hurting quite bad so I decided whilst I wait for a Physio appointment I'd go to the mall and get a massage. Oh my! I've never felt so much pain in my life! The crazy thing was it hurt so bad but afterwards it felt a little better.

So to avoid another episode like Thursday night and after doing some research to enable me to learn better in the pool/outdoor swimming and for future runs like the half marathon in May (maybe lets see how training goes first!) I invested in a Garmin 910XT watch. Mainly used for Triathalons and I found it quite amusing when the shop assistance asked me if I did Tri's. I felt like saying does this body look like I do Tri's! hehehehe. So know I can concentrate on my stroke to make my swimming more efficient and let my new toy count all the rest. After all I deserved to give myself an awesome present for not smoking for 2 months!

As they say.....all the gear and no idea! Oh well I can only try!

2 weeks in & loving it!

2 weeks into training and I'm amazed at what I have achieved so far. I've always grown up around water and liked going to the beach but never felt comfortable venturing out in the water past my waist as I've always had the fear of sharks so to be able to enter the water at all let alone jump in a rip, swim out past the waves and then attempt to surf waves back to shore all in my first 2 training sessions at the beach is amazing. It really is amazing what you can achieve when you put your mind to it. Another 10 weeks and it will be race day! Still lots more to learn but loving every minute of it!

PS - its now been 2 months since I quite smoking! Never to become a smoker again!

I'm training with Can Too for the 1km Ocean Swim!

I am training for an event with Can Too, a health promotion organisation that engages and inspires individuals and the community to achieve personal health, wellbeing and altruistic goals.
 
Beginners and experienced athletes alike are given professional coaching as part of a team to run or swim in endurance events- including 10km, half-marathon and marathon runs; as well as ocean swims and triathlons.
 
In return, I am raising valuable funds that go towards innovation in the prevention, care and control of cancer. In 2014, our Can Too community has supported 19 early career researchers through Cure Cancer Australia.

Thank you for supporting me!
 
‘It’s so much fun and I can’t believe I’m going to achieve this goal that I never thought possible. A great program and team support is making it possible. You Can Too!’