This week I’ve been on a SwimTrek trip to Mallorca that involved about 14 hours and just over 36.5km of swimming. It was hard work, but probably the most gratifying thing was that it wasn’t that hard.
This is what we all came for: the six-hour swim certificate.
The trip is SwimTrek’s Long Distance Swim Training (or LDT for short) trip and is designed for those that want to get a lot of miles in – especially channel swimmers, with a six-hour swim being the focal point as that is the mandatory qualifying swim for a solo channel attempt.
The group I went with contained not only some amazing swimmers, but some lovely people too. It was great to share experiences, learn from those that have already got a successful channel swim under their belts, but also support and work together with swimmers with less experience.
The guides were great, the swims were beautiful, the accommodation good, the organisation second to none and the whole week amazing. And I’m not just saying that because SwimTrek’s General Manager was on our trip and I was trying to persuade her to use my PR agency!
The group of swimmers before we set out for one of the day’s trips.
If you’re tempted by a channel attempt or another long swim I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s not for the faint hearted, but if you put in the effort you’ll be rewarded.
For me it has given me huge confidence for my summer swims. I now have experience of sea swimming for the channel relay (as well as more cold water exposure). But for the other swims I now have the confidence that I can not only complete them (which was my only ambition last time round), but I can actually compete this time. The competition may only be with myself, but I can attack my target times with a sense of purpose and belief.
And not only that, but I now have a group of swimming companions that I can chat to and swap stories and advice with should I ever need a morale boost.
**For more information on the Channel & Long Distance Training, Mallorca click here.
