Swimming the Channel – Aspire, #f450 the next challenge…
When I finished the Great East Swim I knew I wanted to make sure I carried on exercising, but wasn’t sure what to do next. I am now a regular at the gym, pool and Fritton Lake and cycle to work. However, come the Autumn the lake will no longer be possible and heavy weather can reduce the cycling days. It seems impossible that could be the case, as it is currently blisteringly hot here. However, living on the edge of a prairie means winds that whip up and make the cycling commute very hard work.
When I asked blog readers and twitter friends for suggestions several were put forward, including swim the Channel. Then a fellow Fritton lake swimmer and member of Sport Suffolk sent me a link to the Aspire Channel Swim. The basic idea is to swim the 22 miles that equate to a Channel swim, over 12 weeks in your local pool. You raise money for Aspire, a charity which works with people who have spinal cord injuries. They send you a kit in super quick time, which includes a hat and fund-raising pack. Then between 13th September and 5th December you plough up and down your local pool. For me this will equate to 148 lengths a week.
This is the challenge for me; it will keep me swimming at a decent rate, during a time when outdoor activities become more difficult. It will set me up ready for training for next year’s Great East Swim and I have another challenge that I might add next summer; more later if I decide to commit. The charity is certainly one I support and will be my Christmas Charity this year. I have set up a JustGiving page here if you are interested in donating.
Anyone else up for it? If you want some music to whet your appetite – try this playlist, which I have used before
Posted on July 9, 2010, in #f450, swimming and tagged Aspire, swimming; #f450. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Comments.
Grethic's Grethicia 
The Playlist in full for non Spotify users
Laura Marling – Alas I Cannot Swim
Relaxation – Ambient – Along The Swimming Pool (Le Long De La Piscine)
The Whispertown 2000 – Atlantis
Mum – Behind Two Hills…A Swimming Pool
Elvis Presley – Bridge Over Troubled Water
Chicane – Bruised Water (Michael Woods Edit)
Bobby Freeman – C’mon And Swim
Aim – Cold Water Music
Laura Marling – Crawled Out Of The Sea (Interlude)
The Big Pink – Crushed Water
David Gray – Dead In The Water
Portishead – Deep Water
Seal – Deep Water
Flood Of Red – Don’t Sleep, Swim
PJ Harvey – Down By The Water
Antony & The Johnsons – Dust And Water
Mum – Faraway Swimming Pool
Bloodhound Gang – Fire Water Burn
Coldplay – Glass Of Water
Foals – Heavy Water
Black Stone Cherry – Hell and High Water
Seabear – I Sing I Swim
Eluvium – Indoor Swimming At The Space Station
Badly Drawn Boy – Intro/Swimming Pool Part 1
Veil Of Maya – It’s Not Safe To Swim Today
Brand New – Jaws Theme Swimming
Laura Veirs – Lake Swimming
Arthur Russell – Let’s Go Swimming
Arthur Russell – Let’s Go Swimming – Walter Gibbons Remix
Foals – Like Swimming
Norma Jean – Like Swimming Circles
Elvis Presley – Moonlight Swim
Incubus – Oil And Water
Live – Run To The Water
V V Brown – Shark In The Water
The Delgados – Sink Or Swim
Mum – Sleep/Swim
Deep Purple – Smoke On The Water (1971 Recording)
The Notwist – Solo Swim
Delain – Start Swimming
Summer Hymns – Start Swimming
Erlend Bratland – Still Water
William “Bootsy” Collins” – Summer Swim
In Flames – Swim
Madonna – Swim
Jack’s Mannequin – Swim
Bic Runga – Swim
Ralph Falcon – Swim (With The Dolphins)
The Owens – Swim For The Trees
David Fonseca – Swim II
Morten Abel – Swim Like A Fish
Little Dragon – Swimming
The Wave Pictures – Swimming
The Court and Spark – Swimming Endlessly
Jeniferever – Swimming Eyes
Meat Puppets – Swimming Ground
Siouxsie And The Banshees – Swimming Horses
Bluetech – Swimming In A Feverdream
Owl City – Swimming In Miami
Robbie Gennet – Swimming In The Fire
Passion Pit – Swimming In The Flood
Julien Jabre – Swimming Places [Original Mix]
Freezepop – Swimming Pool
Kate & Anna McGarrigle – Swimming Song
Vetiver – Swimming Song
Tahiti 80 – Swimming Suit
Tsunami Bomb – Swimming Through Molasses
Falling Up – Swimming Towards Propellers
Popface – Swimming Triplets
Ricky Van Shelton – Swimming Upstream
Solar Fields – Swimming With Stones
The Rasmus – Swimming with the kids
Japan – The Experience Of Swimming
Remember Remember – The Swimming
Loudon Wainwright III – The Swimming Song
Feist – The Water
Bright Eyes – Train Under Water
Bob Dylan – Wade In The Water
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Walking On The Water
Daniel Merriweather featuring Adele – Water And A Flame
Handel – Water Music – Air
Dire Straits – Water Of Love
Kim Wilde – Water On Glass
Islands – We Swim
Busted – Year 3000
Motörhead – You Better Swim
Kristiina Wheeler – Your Swimming Trunks
Good goal to keep you moving towards F450
I’m going to send the link to my friend in Colchester who swims quite a bit so I will encourage her and you from the side of the pool. Off you go now, you can do another length etc etc!