I completed the Triple Crown Open Water Swimming Challenge in twenty-two days, but how did I do it?
I set out to complete this epic challenge towards the end of 2023; although it didn't entirely consume my life, it accounted for a considerable part of my free time each week.
Before Christmas, I knew I had to take some action regarding my overall health and well-being. I was overweight, and I was miserable, even if I didn't realise it at the time. Now that I can look back at the old version of myself, I can see how negatively I was living.
How did I sort myself out?
I got my life back on track by doing the following four things:
I walked our dog at least once daily; Bertie walked, and I pushed myself around our village in my wheelchair.
I had to get some age and injury-related health concerns addressed.
I lost weight by managing what I put in my body.
I exercised consistently, swimming three times a week.
Let's explore this a little more. Bertie, my awesome Cockerpoo, obviously needs walking every day. I walk him at least twice a day on average. I'll walk to school with my daughter in the morning, then with Bertie, I'll continue my walk around the village. Bertie and I will be out for about an hour and walk between three and five kilometres. I get some exercise, and so does Bertie.
Men could be better about knowing their overall health. They may pop to the doctor if pushed, but most of the time, they'll put off visiting their GP until they have no other option.
Because of my injuries, I have a thorough understanding of overall health. However, knowing you need to change things and taking action can be difficult. I knew that I was overweight, but I didn't comprehend how bad I had got; I buried my head in the sand. I also learned that my hormone levels were dropping, which was probably due to my age and the injuries I had sustained.
I visited a private health clinic called the Men's Health Clinic based in Poole, Dorset. The clinic conducted an assessment, and I was prescribed two daily injections to increase my hormone count. This intervention changed my life; my energy levels increased, I became less tired in the afternoons, and my outlook became more positive.
Being overweight crept up on me. I didn't acknowledge how bad it had got. I could still function in everyday life, but it was a struggle. I knew things had to change when I went to London with my wife. The night away wasn't much fun at all; I was hot and frustrated with my prosthetic legs on; everything which used to be easy was now much harder.
After the festive break, I started using an app called Noom. Simplistically, it's a calorie-counting app. However, this does an injustice to the developers who have put considerable hard work into creating this tool.
I started using Noom in January and reached my initial target weight within three months. This wasn't about denying myself food; I just put the right amount of food into myself daily. The adage—a body is made in the kitchen and not in the gym—is, in my opinion, one hundred per cent accurate. We can all have healthier bodies if we manage what we put in it. The app kept me on track and gave me feedback when I was honest about what I was doing and what I was eating. Weighing myself every morning was essential to keeping motivated and garnering a better understanding of what was and wasn't working.
Please bear in mind that I was careful about what I was doing during this period, I wasn't living like a monk, and my weight didn't consistently drop off. Sometimes, it went up, and sometimes, it remained the same. Still, I was disciplined and patient, which ultimately saw positive and healthy results.
If I was to have any chance of completing the challenge I had set myself, I needed to get some distance under my arms. In January, I started swimming regularly, on average, three times a week. I had to build on my endurance; the shortest swim I was to attempt was five and a quarter miles, so each month, I tried to swim further than the previous one.
My distances looked like this:
January - 20 kms
February - 28 kms
March - 32 kms
April - 40 kms
In May, I swam just over 20 km. This reduction happened for several reasons. Life got in the way, and I found myself quite busy. I needed to tapper my efforts a little. It was too late to make up the difference if I needed to train more. I missed out on completing two long swims, which I had planned, but in the end, neither happened. I picked up a cold from the kids, so I couldn't swim.
Most of my training was based on swimming repetitions of four hundred metres. Initially, I would swim a minimum of two kilometres in each session. However, I get quickly bored and often lose count when swimming laps in a pool. To counter this, I would swim for time instead. I'd challenge myself to swim continuously for thirty, forty-five, or sixty minutes to build my stamina over time. It helped that I was losing excess weight, which made swimming more effortless and more enjoyable.
The Triple Crown Open Water Swimming Challenge:
Coniston 22 June 2024.
By the time I got to Coniston, my first challenge, I was raring to start. Coniston is the shortest event out of the three; I'm glad it was the shortest; I learned a valuable lesson. Although I achieved a respectable time, I had yet to appreciate how unusually cool the water was for that time of the year. I wore a two-piece wet suit, some neoprene shorts and a neoprene vest; I prefer wearing sleeveless wetsuits as it allows for a better range of movement. However, I discovered why this was a mistake at the two-and-a-half-mile point. I stopped for a planned feed to take on some much-needed nutrition. Stopping even for a few minutes cooled me so much that the next three miles were a struggle. I finished well, but warming up took a good twenty minutes. I knew I would need to wear a full wetsuit for my subsequent two swims.
I finished Coniston in two hours and fifty minutes.
Windermere 27 June 2024.
Windermere is the longest of the three swims, at ten and a half miles. On reflection, it was definitely my favourite event. This event usually happens at the end of August. However, I had family commitments, so I chose to swim a guided option, which was a great decision. My Windermere started with disappointment; the accommodation I had booked was inaccessible, and I had to find a different hotel upon arrival.
After a good night's sleep, I was up early to start my second challenge. I arrived with my support crew; my friend, Mark, helped sort out my nutrition during my swim. Also, Stephen filmed me throughout the day; he captured some great footage.
I was escorted by David, our pilot, and his rib on my guided swim. This was a game changer; I didn't have to do anything besides swimming. Before we got to the business of swimming, we had to get to the start line. I had a lovely ride from Ambleside to Fellfoot, at the southern end of Windermere. I've never seen the lake from this point of view; it was breathtaking.
All too quickly, it was time for me to get in the water. There is little to enlighten you about sticking your head in the water for ten and a half miles, but a few things made the day easier. As I've mentioned before, having the rib was a game-changer. I didn't need to navigate; I just had to keep the rib on my right shoulder. I wasted little energy not worrying about where I was in the water. When it came to fueling my body, Mark told me it was time to feed. I had made some peanut butter and strawberry sandwiches on seeded bread. Loads of complex and straightforward energy all in a tasty sandwich. My secret weapon? A flask full of hot chocolate, which warmed me up as well. Lastly, I had a bag of Snickers bars, which I had chopped up. Mark stopped me every forty minutes, I ate and drank, but I didn't faff about; I wanted to get my head back on the water and on my way. There isn't much to do in the water; my mind wanders, and I think about random things. I have fantastic ideas that I soon forget as the next thing pops into my head. If I struggle, I have this mantra that goes from left to right arm as I swim through the water. I repeat the following, Marisa, Sophia, Leo, Emilia, Luna and Bertie. I think about my family and how proud they make me. I was surprised in the water by my friend Jude and her daughter; they had stolen a speed boat to come and see me swim. I'll always be grateful for their support.
I had a super day in the water and finished in five hours and fifty minutes. I was exhausted when I finished and had to be helped out of the water and onto my wheelchair.
Ullswater 13 July 2024
In the run-up to Ullswater, I was excited but wary about my last event. This ended up being my most challenging swim by far. I wore a full wetsuit for this event, just like I had for the Windermere swim. I couldn't afford a new wetsuit; I needed a new one; the one I wore didn't fit well.
Ullswater was a challenging swim for everyone. The water was cold, it was windy, and the conditions were harsh. I don't know how the athletes who swam 'skins' completed Ullswater. I later found out that seventy swimmers didn't complete the swim, and I understand why. It was a tough day.
I had a few problems with this swim. My goggles leaked constantly, and I had to stop regularly to fix the problem. I stopped to feed well into my swim; I tucked into some chopped-up Snickers bars while sorting out my goggles. Somehow, I dropped my goggles, which promptly sank. Initially, I panicked, searching for them. But, one is none; I always pack a spare pair of goggles in my tow float.
The finish line couldn't come quick enough for me. I struggled to get into my wheelchair and then had to be pushed up the steep incline. I had nothing left to give. I smiled while receiving my medal. I wanted to return to my van and sort myself out. I was exhausted. After getting out of my wetsuit and getting on warm clothes, I called my family; I couldn't string a sentence together. I just wanted to hear their voices. I had completed the Triple Crown Challenge, and I was pretty emotional.
Again, I was supported throughout this event. Pete put me up in his camper van and fed and watered me. Mark and Pete helped me before the event, at the start, and at the end, helping me out of the water. I finished the swim with their help, and I'm truly grateful.
I finished Ullswater in four hours and forty-three minutes.
I wanted to complete this challenge to support and raise awareness for two fantastic charities.
Team True Spirit is a veteran charity committed to helping wounded, injured, and sick veterans get back into endurance events. TTS has supported me in my challenges for many years; I wouldn't have been able to enter them without their support.
The Pinder Trust is a Winchester charity local to me that financed the building of the Pinder pool at the Winchester Sports and Leisure Centre and provides grants for disabled people to access waterborne activities.
I want to leave my fundraising page open for a few more days. If my challenge has inspired you, please donate and help me support these charities.
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