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Its Not All in The Numbers

by Sophie, posted in Adaptive Swimming, challenge, chronic illness, chronic pain, coaching, Disability Swimming, Disabled, English Channel, friends, Life in a wheelchair, Living with a Disability, marathon swim, open water, Open Water Swimming, outdoor swimmer, Outdoor Swimming, psychology, teaching, Training, Wheelchair User

If you read the latest article/blog on the STA website you will recognise most of this content, if you haven't - enjoy my training from last month and see what I achieved!

Dover Channel Training Conference Part 2

by Sophie, posted in English Channel, Events, Family, marathon swim, open water, Open Water Swimming, outdoor swimmer, Outdoor Swimming, psychology, safety, Training

Day 2 started with me wanting to stay in bed and my sister staying in bed, not the best start.  The morning sessions weren't overly relevant to my sister and after the faff with trains and a busy day on Saturday I was kind enough to let her sleep...aka I couldn't wake her up! The … Continue reading Dover Channel Training Conference Part 2

Dover Channel Training Conference Part 1

by Sophie, posted in Open Water Swimming

On Thursday 2nd February it was time for my first adventure of 2023, this time it was to Maidstone, where, may I add, I was born! Channel swimming isn’t all about swimming, there is so much more to it and I have always been a believer of knowing more about something means a better potential for … Continue reading Dover Channel Training Conference Part 1

Making a start

by Sophie, posted in Adaptive Swimming, challenge, chronic pain, Disability Swimming, Disabled, English Channel, Lake Windermere, Living with a Disability, marathon swim, open water, Open Water Swimming, outdoor swimmer, Outdoor Swimmer Magazine, Outdoor Swimming, Training, Wheelchair User, winter swimming

check out my latest blog about my channel training

Spoons, Sacrifice and Channel Training

by Sophie, posted in Adaptive Swimming, chronic illness, chronic pain, Disability Swimming, Disabled, English Channel, Open Water Swimming, Training

Training for a channel swim, no matter which channel it is, is tough. Its mentally and physically hard and involves multiple sacrifices and as odd as it may sound, my biggest sacrifice so far have been my river swims and dips. Now, that may seem bizarre, given that I'm training for a swim in open … Continue reading Spoons, Sacrifice and Channel Training

2023 Channel Swim Introduction

by Sophie, posted in Adaptive Swimming, challenge, chronic illness, chronic pain, coaching, Disability Swimming, Disabled, English Channel, Events, Lake Windermere, Life in a wheelchair, Living with a Disability, marathon swim, open water, Open Water Swimming, outdoor swimmer, Outdoor Swimmer Magazine, Outdoor Swimming, psychology, Races, teaching, Training, Wheelchair User

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity" Albert Einstein The beginning of the new year is always something to celebrate, we look back on all we have achieved the previous year and, perhaps, most importantly we look forwards and plan for the new year. For me, the plan is simple; to be the first person … Continue reading 2023 Channel Swim Introduction

Reflections

by Sophie, posted in Adaptive Swimming, challenge, chronic illness, chronic pain, coaching, Disability Swimming, Disabled, Events, Family, friends, Living with a Disability, Mental Health, open water, Open Water Swimming, outdoor swimmer, Outdoor Swimming, Training, Wheelchair User, winter swimming

New Years Eve is typically when everyone looks back on the previous year but for me, this year, I am not looking back just one year. Instead, I am looking at how far I have come over the past few years and I have to say, if I hadn't lived it, I'm not sure I … Continue reading Reflections

The end is in sight – Dover Part 3

by Sophie, posted in Adaptive Swimming, challenge, chronic illness, chronic pain, Disabled, Events, friends, fundraising, marathon swim, Mental Health, open water, Open Water Swimming, outdoor swimmer, Outdoor Swimmer Magazine, Outdoor Swimming, psychology, safety, Wheelchair User

Everyone (that was awake) was excited. We were pretty sure the 3rd swim would be our final swim and I think as a result, subconsciously, we had all decided to give it absolutely everything we had.  Dean was up and went in smiling, had an amazing swim and came out looking like the Cheshire cat and … Continue reading The end is in sight – Dover Part 3

The Channel Relay Begins

by Sophie, posted in Adaptive Swimming, challenge, chronic illness, chronic pain, Disability Swimming, Events, friends, fundraising, marathon swim, Mental Health, open water, Open Water Swimming, outdoor swimmer, Outdoor Swimming, psychology

The boats engine started, and we were off. My first thought “make it to Shakespeare Bay without being sick”. Then it was “please, please just make it to Shakespeare Bay before being sick” and then “please, please, please just make it to Shakespeare Bay before being sick” and by that time we were at Shakespeare … Continue reading The Channel Relay Begins