Story

Update 21st April 2010 With the support, motivation, moral boosting and love of those that donated so far I have completed the Channel Swim in just thirty three swimming days. Your generous donations are still more than welcome and very much needed. Please scroll down to my swim diary if you wish to be bored :)

Help me swim 21 miles in 12 weeks........ scroll down to my swim diary and catch ups :)
This year I want to make a change, not just for myself, but for others. Please support me as I take up a personal challenge to attempt to do something incredible this year that makes a difference.

I may not be the fittest, I may not be the strongest but this year I want to find a way to support others that struggle on day to day with dignity, whom show more strength and courage than I have done in my 28 years.

I know I may not be in tip top shape, but that is the point, every meter swam, every ache I may experience is nothing in comparison to those whom this sponsorship will benefit.

The Challenge.....
The distance between Dover and Calais is 21 miles. In a 25 meter pool this means 1,344 lengths, this means 112 lengths a week, which means between 14 and 18 lengths a day depending on drowning, doggy paddling or sinking. Thats 33600 meters!

Starting 10th March, every morning or evening I will determindly swim a minimum of 14 lengths. By the start of June 2010 I will of breast stroked, doggy paddled, and front crawled the distance of 21 miles.

Why as little as a pound will make a difference.... and Why your support will keep me swimming day after day.....
The annual running costs of St Gemma’s Hospice are over £7 million, more than half of which must be raised from donations and fundraising initiatives. Please help me add to this.
Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer.

A Little About Those Whom Support Daily Challenges.....
St Gemma’s Hospice provides specialist medical and nursing care for people with life threatening illnesses, predominantly cancer, along with support for their families.

The services provided by St Gemma's Hospice are free of charge to patients, families and carers.

Families and carers are also supported by the Hospice’s specialist bereavement workers who provide support to all including children & young people.

St Gemma’s Hospice was founded by the Sisters of the Cross and Passion and opened in 1978 in Moortown, Leeds. It is the largest hospice in West Yorkshire and the fourth largest in England.

Care is provided by a range of specially trained staff; nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, spiritual care team, dietician, pharmacists, complementary therapists and others who work together to ensure the needs of patients and carers are met.

St Gemma’s continues to seek ways to improve palliative and end of life care for patients and carers.

I plan to keep this page updated with every mile I manage. A swim by swim account.

So please dig deep and donate now, a pound a penny, a sweet covered note found from down the back of a sofa.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Sarah's Swim Diary

For the evidence of my swims :) Ticket receipts are updated into this album http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=776505598#!/album.php?aid=403497&id=776505598

Day One, 10th March. 20 lengths non stop. 500 meters.
Managed to annoy the other swimmers by swimming at the pace of a drowning snail. :) but still proud of myself... by the end my goal is to be in the fast lane hehe
time taken 35 minutes.

Day Two, 11th March, 20 lengths non stop except for once while trying not to crash into schoolboys underwater with goggles .. ermm.. examing my breast stroke ...
time taken 3 ermm 38 ish
32625 meters left i think :S hurts my head :) lengths is better hehe 1304 lengths left!

Day Three, 12th March. Really enjoyed today's swim..... happy bunny today:) kept a nice pace up, not pushing but enjoying it instead 18 lengths though..450 meters:( maybe need to pace it better. 1286 to go 32175 meters remaining

Day Four, 13th March. Early morning swim, bumping into people in a rather busy pool :D serves me right thinking it would be quieter hehe. 20 lengths nice and smooth today 30 minutes. 1266 left :)

Day Five, 14th March. Mothering Sunday spent at the pool. I loved it today. Kept pushing myself to one more length. Varied the speeds and strokes today. Felt the burn and rather enjoyed it :) 600 meters 40 minutes. maybe did more hehe but stopped counting after 600 was having too much fun. 1242 left

Day Six, 15th March .Actually over took swimmers in the lane today and had to pull my pace back so not to swim into peoples space today:) feel my pace is increasing even on my relaxed gentle strokes. 500 meters 30550 left. Really confident I can achieve this now. My only wish is I could be raising more for the Hospice. I am saving all my change from shopping in the charity coin box and hoping that will add more.

Day Seven, 16th March

Two Mile Marker Today :) Moved into the next lane today too :) im on medium hehe rather than slow now :) Today 500 meters 20 lengths. 1202 left.

Day Eight, 17th March St Paddy's Day. I was rather naughty today and pushed a little too hard I think. 50 minutes 26 lengths. Loved it though. Decided to tense all my muscles as I stroked, think it helped me moved faster and steadier. Gave myself the shakes after I got out the pool today. a lesson in making sure I bring a piece of sugary fruit and water for after I think. 1176 lengths remaining :)

Day Nine, 18th March. Due to a issues :) could of stayed in today but was pacing like a tiger with the want to go and swim ...only managed to squeeze a 20 minutes trip to the pool in .. was happy in a way as it made me push a little harder to try to get the most out of the time. 16 lengths only but happy with the swim in the time allowed. Will enjoy longer in the pool tomorrow. 1160 lengths left.

Day Ten, 19th March. Was bliss to slip into the pool today after a jogging session... felt so welcoming to my aches and blisters. Adored each of the very busy packed pool 30 minutes and did 22 lengths, made up of half lengths so i had to use my brain to add them up hehe.

First day off Saturday 20th March

Day Eleven 21st March I am feeling a little tender today, but made an effort to swim today as missed yesterday and was glad she did. Near empty pool felt like her own personal swimming pool. 26 lengths nice and slow
Thank you again all that have motivated me so much so far by donating to the hospice. It means a lot not only to me, but to St Gemmas. 1112 to go :D
Finding it is your support that pushes me on.

Day Twelve 22nd March. Back into the habit after my day off. 24 lengths today. hit the FOUR MILE MARKER too woohooo :D 1088 lengths left to do :D Remeber you can keep track of my swimming recipets and daily entering the pool times at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=11677965&id=776505598&saved#!/album.php?aid=403497&id=776505598

Day Thirteen 23 March become a little addicted.. even starting to time my lengths and get the guards to help me count.I am a swimming nerd which is even funnier as I am the most unfit in the pool hehe 30 lengths today as managed to sneak in a few extra minutes, blaming my lateness on pool cleaning hehehe.I am still painting a large blue rectangle on my lawn to con overhead airline passengers into thinking I have a swimming pool

1058 lengths remaining.

Day Fourteen 24th March (sorry was naughty and slow to update this entry) 28 lengths today possibly more but I am a nightmare and lose count so often I think I end up counting lengths 3 times. hehe do a 16, then the next three lengths I still think are sixteen hehe. Enjoying getting to know other swimmers now, as we reconise each other more and more as the days go on. 1030 lengths remaining now. 25750 meters to go .

Day Fifteen 25th March. 30 today.. decided to rename today as 'Thirty Thursday' hehe. No breaks in my sets today, no 10 seconds breather,every four, but constantly kept the pace and lengths today. Meant I did end up losing count after twenty eight so saying thirty as a safe bet :) 1000 lengths to go !! 25000 meters :D

Day Sixteen 26th March. come come help me keep going.. into the three figures of lengths left now! granted..its 968 of them ;) and 24200 meters.. but hey whos counting.. oh me :D xx

32 lengths today and a come on by an old walrus of a man :) well its my name in my head for him as he reminds me of one, with his big tash :D A gentleman I have started to race down the lengths while on his way to exit the pool, informed me 'I can think of much more vigorous and exciting strenous exercise (wink wink, slide against me on the pool edge). ' I think I looked appalled as he then said'Of course you are too young to know of such things' my reply.. 'if only' polite smile.. him ' Ayyyee lass if only rawrrr' ( the rawr was for added affect .. dramatic changes:P Means I will be swimming much faster and many more lengths in order to escape a repeat performance of being pushed against the side of the pool... yucck

Day Off 27th March

Day Seventeen 28th March. in need of a rub and a massage, enjoyed the fifty earlier :D but feeling it a little tiny bit now :D, think i should of waited until the vodka left the system first hehe 918 left thats ermm 22950 meters

Decided to extend the daily swims to about an hour. Really enjoyed today and now feel that I want to add to the pressure and the satisfied aches. My body seems to have become accostumed to the pace and length of time I set now, and as such, I feel an increase is a good idea :D

Day Eighteen 29th March :( fifty lengths i think :( 868 to go :( 21700 meters. feel like crying today, why do people think its ok to make advances and make others feel like meat.. still going to go an hour a day, then at least will get it over with faster and less days having to feel watched. might even go to the six am lane sessions instead....

Day Nineteen 30th March fifty four nice and solid and no stopping .. well a few 6 second breathers :) about 60 minutes in the pool. 814 left to go, thats ermmm 20350 meters jeez it never seems to go down :D off to swim early early tomorrow to avoid the walrus man and his goggles. Really do like the pool and the atmosphere, and the way the staff look after us. Even roping off a separate lane for a person who was visually impaired.

DAY TWENTY! 31st March 50 something ish today so lets go with fifty as i may of lost count after 48 :S hour in the pool, and and and oh yes guess who was in the fast lane!!?! do bebebebdodbedoo lalallalal go me go me go me,granted there was only 4 other people in it, but it still counts!!it was one of my goals and even if i am back in the sl...ow lane tomorrow i am happy. 764 lengths left, a mere 19100 meters to go cmmmonn! x

very excited in the fact that in twenty one days (swimming days non counting days off hehe) I will of swam halfway across the channel.We are at halfway people!!! over ten miles. So excited about tomorrows swim :)

Day Twenty One 1st April get ready the rocky eye of the tiger music!! duruduuurrudududunnn half the channel has been swam .. OH YES! hehehe silly happy today. was good timed and counted properly today, fifty five minutes, fifty lengths, including backstrokes, but damn my body is feeling those, my little squishy muscles arent used to that stroke. Middle lane queen again today. total remaining 714 lengths 17850 meters.

For those of you that have been clicking onto here to read my swim diary and to have a little peek at how I am doing, lord knows I thank you heheh as it must be boring, but I thought I would give you a little catchup so far.

When I set out to start this swim challenge, I think I knew within myself that it was more than possible, but looking at where I was probably thought it would take an imense kick up my behind. I needed a change not only for me physically but mentally, and the idea of helping other people gave me such a drive to motivate me to move my curvy backside.

I remember sitting down to write this page, the evening of a 'trial' swim and thinking should I set myself more lengths or go for an easier achieveable goal. Well, believe it or not setting my daily target at 14 to 18 lengths was a challenge, I gave myself thirty minutes and I needed every single second of those, looking back, it seems an age ago. Hard to believe before the 'trial' swim, I had not dipped one foot into a swimming pool for over ermmmm oooo a long time.

As the days pass I can feel my body and squishy muscles growing stronger, allowing me to move faster in the water (not leaner though mores the pity ), I found myself staying in the pool, a little longer every day, until I had noticed I wanted to be in there for an hour. Thirty minutes wasn't enough, I had found I grew to like the ache I got in my muscles, and it was wearing off. It was time to make the decison of an easy life, or of pushing ahead to achieve more. I decided I wanted the aches to remind me of the good I was doing for my own well being, but also of those at St Gemmas. No one would know I could do more, or the lenghts were becoming easier, but I knew, and so it was an easy choice to decide to swim for an hour a day opposed to thirty minutes.

I want to thank the people that have placed faith in me, it truelly is one of the reasons I look forward to my swim everyday. I find I dont need any more motivation, I want to achieve and I am proud of myself. Truelly the support touched me in a way I didnt think it could. People had a belief in me.

I woke up this morning so excited.. I mean who would of thought it, me .. swimming the length of the English Channel, and here we are half way across it in a space of time a hell of a lot shorter than I would ever of expected.

This little challenge has grown, it has helped me to grow, I am already thinking of my next 'thing'. I just want to thank you for instilling a belief in me, I walk into the pool proud happy and feeling beautiful :) not worried or scared or thinking I need to get in the water fast incase people see me in my swimmming costume. May seem a little thing, but is monumental to me. That is not as I am more streamlined (if only) its because I found I started to believe in myself as much as you all have.

I hope I am making you proud, and I hope together we are making a difference to peoples lives with your sponsorship to St Gemmas.

It has made a difference to my life, you have helped make that difference. I am proud and happy, and knowing I have done something incredible to make my daughter proud one day, and that every penny raised will make a difference.

So here we are, half way across the channel, and I promise you I will embrace every meter to come. xx

Day Twenty Two 2nd April my helpful lifeguard timed for me:) five minutes off of my last swim. fifity lengths in fifty minutes :D fifty two in all. 662 remain thats ermm 16550 meters rawrrr

3rd April day off to try to cleanse the chlorine from my pores :D

Day Twenty Three 4th April I'm all happy and smiling, I have done my first sixty lengths today in sixtyfive minutes, not tooooo bad. The Bad thing is my nearly newish costume is a little looser now and things aren't behaving when I swims, I swear the time it takes to readjust 'things' I could of swam another few lengths.

Lovely morning swimming today though, very quiet and a nice peaceful atmoshpere, as long as I didnt half drown the man floating aimlessly around the pool on his back. Oddly seems a nice thing to do heheh

:( grr 602 lengths remain 15050 ,thats 15050 meters:) not cm, inches, or mm

Bank Holiday Monday the pool was closed :(

Day Twenty Four 6th April 550 lengths remain after todays 52 :) thats ermm only 13750! not much to say about todays swim think I ended up accidently swallowing most of the pool today. ..but another 50 down and the odd 2 ;) it was annoying me, so I needed to swim that extra to round it off hehe

Day Twenty Five 7th April MY BIRTHDAY!!! I was good, for those of your tracking it :P 60 lengths even on my birthday meaning 490 remaining 12250 meters grr trying hard to get it done before 'the' holiday :D

was a brave lady today and went knowing full well the walrus would be there, but fed up of hiding and planning around his normal swim times, decided to meet the issuse head on. Knowing he was there as I climb into the pool in a way spurred me on to do faster lengths not even using the ends of the pool to push off from, just reaching it touching as I was already turning to swim back down the pool. Inevitatably I did get trapped, but anaged to keep his body away from touching mine. Even after ignoring him, then being cold he still asked again and tried. Oh well at least I tried :)

Day Twenty Six 8th April nice gentle 56 today :) bringing the remaining totals down to 434 lenghts and 10850 meters meaning about ermmm ermmm ermm counting toes and fingers roughly seven miles to go :D:D only one backstoke length today :( naughty lazy me

Day Twenty Seven 9th April lost ocunt after 48 today I know I did at least fifty but I seemed to swim my fifteth about 6 times hehe . Did encounter the walrus today he doesnt even deserve mentioning :(

but besides that !!! guess what we are into four figures of meters remaining! 384 lengths and 9600 meters

Day Twenty Eight 10th April YES ITS A SATURDAY heheh couldnt resist swimming this morning, I know I should give myself a day off but now the end is in sight I feel the urge to push push push, and since I was told to curb the time spent in the pool, my sixty length swims are a little rarer. So every day counts. 50 today :D meaning 334 lengths! 8350 meters :D Felt really sluggish and slow in the pool today though :(

Day Twenty Nine 11th April managed a slow and sluggish 50 bringing totals to 284 lengths still needed.

I have been a little unwell :( and not able to swim at the start of last week, then had a lunch date :s and been slow on being active to update this page, however please do not think that I have not been kicking myself and pushing even when a little sore and tender. Remember all the recipts are loaded up and updated on an album open to all on my facebook page.

Day Thirty 16th April Sixty lengths done, left so refreshed after my absence I missed the pool more that I realised. Slipped into the water and my body seemed to of taken over before my brain had caught up with what I was doing hehe nice easy sixty today. 224 lengths remain.

Day Thirty One 18th April, feeling like I had to fight to swim today, feel drained 54 lengths though it wont beat me.
170 lengths left. pushed a little harder when my body said to stop as i hate the little odd numbers on the remaining total.

Day Thirty Two 19th April. Hard day again today only 50 done :( So close to the goal but feels hardwork but I dont want to rest not yet. 120 remain.

Day Thirty Three 20th April... so so so so so so so close I am all smiling and grinning. Pushed to sixty tonday but loved every minute of it, So glad I have regrained my love for it again. Left with a satisfied ache in my arms and thighs, as had to be moved into a faster lane as idiots were messing about in my own so had to up my normal stroke pace. So happy today means tomorrow I should of swam the channel!!!!!! sixty lengths remain.. jeeezzz that feels good writing.

Day Thirty Four 21st April ~i swam the channel nahanhanha lalalal! nahanah duiuiumm in just over one month YAYY come on baby!!! lalalalala. On a serious note thank you to every one that has supported me :D and the good folk at St Gemmas. Your kindness has touched me very deeply and I mean that with all of my heart. and and and and YAYAYYyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy As a side note, I swam just under 70 lengths today, as I promised someone that I would push an extra few aches in, just incase I missed out any lengths in my calculations.

Looking back at my goals, and seeing each one achieved, it all seems a little unreal still. To be told. "wow you swim to fast " and be chatting to people just starting to come to the pool and seeing them all worn out hehe made the journey never loose its rewards. (I am not fast heheh)

It was only when I came to say goodbye to my fellow swimmers that have become a regular fixture in my life, when the smile started to hit me, it has not left my face yet, they are all very proud of me too. I think that swimming is now so much part of me that I will carry on .

My special thanks goes to Toni Codd Barbara Matthews Ryan O Hare John Whitehouse Rhiannon Day Christoper Shaun Wood Jaroslaw Bogusz & Duane Dade, due to these peoples belief in me,support,motivation,moral boosting & love I have completed my Channel Swim, this belief in me pushed me on every single day & I am very indebted to you all. Thank you xxx

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The Channel Challenge - Please support me in not only an incredible personal challenge but in support of others, whom have to face their own personal challenge day in day out