Really?
Is this a newsflash to anyone?
Anyway, what it means is that as from earlier this week (the end of April) until after I (hopefully) climb out of the water at Watsons Bay on 19 May, I'll be giving alcohol a miss. In other words, July will not be dry, but (the first 3 weeks of) May will be.
Doesn't really sound like much of an achievement, I'll admit.
What they don't tell you about are the side effects:
I guess that's a risk I'm just going to have to take.
The fundraising really has moved on now. Over $7,000 raised! I'm so thrilled about this, and I know Glaucoma Australia is too. Thank you again to all who have contributed.
We're really getting down to the business end of things. The swim is just two weeks away, so both training and logistics for the race are a frenzy of activity.
On the training front, last weekend Robbo, Doug, Kevin, John and I swam from Bondi to Bronte and back to Bondi. A round trip of circa 4.5km in open water.
To say that conditions were great would be an understatement. To say that I'm praying for conditions like that on 19 May would be the understatement of the year.
Crystal clear water, water temps of 21c, minimal swell, no wind, bright sunshine. Just heaven.
This was then followed by no swimming at all for a few days while I attended a work conference in the Hunter Valley where, as it turns out, there is not a single 50m pool open at this time of year.
Hard men like me don't get out of bed for 25m pools, so I was left with no alternative but to take the bike and get a few early morning rides in. Ourimbah, Awaba, Singelton - a singletrack trifecta worth doing if you're ever up in that part of the world looking for somewhere to ride.
When I got back in the pool for my usual Wednesday morning swim - with Boy Charlton closed for the winter, now relocated to the secret, concrete, underground bunker also known as Cook and Phillip Aquatic Centre - I found I had pretty much forgotten how to swim.
No kidding. Ok, well kidding a bit.
But the point is, it was a major struggle to squeak out 60 laps or just 3km. Was I being punished by the swimming gods for skipping my Monday swim? Seems a bit harsh. Was it the repeated late nights and early mornings of the conference catching up with me? Maybe.
Whatever the reason, I was somewhat perturbed, unsettled, disconcerted and certainly a bit discombobulated.
Fortunately, my swimming mojo returned for a Friday morning swim, and I punched out 2km at a pretty quick and consistent pace.
This weekend we step it up another notch. Saturday's plan is Bondi-Coogee-Bondi, circa 10km all up, which is pretty much race distance. We'll be accompanied by Fred in the Ozpaddle kayak to practice mid-race fuelling and communication.
On the logistical front, race day run sheets have been drawn up (including important notes to self such as "0840 hours - apply sunblock and vaseline") and gear lists prepared (for a sport with little or no gear involved, I have somehow come up with the need to pack 3 separate bags of equipment).
Most importantly, the commanders-in-chief of each of our modes of transport (boat, kayak and self-propelled) held a high-level tactical meeting to discuss the necessary procedures for race day. Here's an action shot.
Well, Doug, Fred and I got together for a chat anyway.
So, as you can see, there are a bunch of people putting in a whole lot of time and effort to help me pull this caper off. Let me say again how grateful I am to everyone who is supporting this effort, in all the different ways that you are doing it.
Anyway, I will hopefully have an interesting report on an epic training swim to share with you next week. Or - given my tendency to prattle on a bit - it might turn out to be an epic report on an interesting training swim.
Either way, until then.
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