Decision Time.
Decision Time.
For me, it wasn't so much 'why are you swimming the channel?', as 'why have you waited so long?'
Childhood questions as we crossed the sea for a family holiday, wondering what it would be like to swim "in there". Teenage dreams as swimming became more serious - one day I will do it.
And then.... nothing.
Still swimming, still into endurance events, but the Channel had faded firmly into the back of the mind, overtaken by triathlons, not to mention work, family and responsibility.
Two people changed that.
The first was a Scottish mountaineer from 1930s. WH Murray is not exactly a 'big name', but he was very much at the heart of opening up the most commonly used route to Everest's summit, and that used by the successful 1953 team. His famous quote is powerfully dangerous:
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
Begin it. Commit. We're all used to Nike's urging for us to 'just do it', but decades earlier, WH Murray had beautifully conveyed the same thing: just sign up, book the info pack and commit yourself. Because when you do, all manner of things then follow: I'd better train; I'd better talk to some people who've done it; I'd better re-jig a few priorities. That simple decision to sign up sets you on a trajectory that deep down you wished you'd been on all along; all it took was a decision, made in a moment.
The second key person was actually another Scot: Graham Kennedy. GK or 'big dog' is a wildly enthusiastic, extremely hairy and relentlessly positive Maths teacher (although you wouldn't know it. The Maths bit, that is). When he moved down to Brighton as well, we started swimming together again, enjoying the anonymity and lack of attention that two freezing cold men in speedos can only probably enjoy on Brighton beach. As long as I swam 'shark side' he was happy; he brought tales of close encounters with Scottish seals which would - we were sure - be more emotional than anything the channel could throw at us. 'I've been thinking about a 2-man relay swim to France; are you keen? It was our WH Murray moment. There were loads of reasons why it was going to be logistically difficult; work, young families, cost.
All it took was a decision, a moment of commitment and we were launched on our own adventure into a brave new world: we could never have know how cold we would get; how excruciating the chill blains could be; how magical the winter seas could be. With one decision - to sign up - our lives were changed and whatever might lie ahead, we knew they were changed already for the better.
For me, it wasn't so much 'why are you swimming the channel?', as 'why have you waited so long?'
Childhood questions as we crossed the sea for a family holiday, wondering what it would be like to swim "in there". Teenage dreams as swimming became more serious - one day I will do it.
And then.... nothing.
Still swimming, still into endurance events, but the Channel had faded firmly into the back of the mind, overtaken by triathlons, not to mention work, family and responsibility.
Two people changed that.
The first was a Scottish mountaineer from 1930s. WH Murray is not exactly a 'big name', but he was very much at the heart of opening up the most commonly used route to Everest's summit, and that used by the successful 1953 team. His famous quote is powerfully dangerous:
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
Begin it. Commit. We're all used to Nike's urging for us to 'just do it', but decades earlier, WH Murray had beautifully conveyed the same thing: just sign up, book the info pack and commit yourself. Because when you do, all manner of things then follow: I'd better train; I'd better talk to some people who've done it; I'd better re-jig a few priorities. That simple decision to sign up sets you on a trajectory that deep down you wished you'd been on all along; all it took was a decision, made in a moment.
The second key person was actually another Scot: Graham Kennedy. GK or 'big dog' is a wildly enthusiastic, extremely hairy and relentlessly positive Maths teacher (although you wouldn't know it. The Maths bit, that is). When he moved down to Brighton as well, we started swimming together again, enjoying the anonymity and lack of attention that two freezing cold men in speedos can only probably enjoy on Brighton beach. As long as I swam 'shark side' he was happy; he brought tales of close encounters with Scottish seals which would - we were sure - be more emotional than anything the channel could throw at us. 'I've been thinking about a 2-man relay swim to France; are you keen? It was our WH Murray moment. There were loads of reasons why it was going to be logistically difficult; work, young families, cost.
All it took was a decision, a moment of commitment and we were launched on our own adventure into a brave new world: we could never have know how cold we would get; how excruciating the chill blains could be; how magical the winter seas could be. With one decision - to sign up - our lives were changed and whatever might lie ahead, we knew they were changed already for the better.
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