Swim For Hope 2013

After The $12.84 Singapore Bay Run, now the sequel; the $10.7 Swim for Hope (6th Oct) The target was set since last year when through some misunderstanding, I was disappointed for not achieving my goal in the Swim For Hope 2012. After months of consistent training, I am determined to reach my goal. Waking up to a cool morning with an overcast sky on the morning of 6 Oct was not the best gift. Online, the weather man predicted showers in all areas! This is for charity, can’t You make an exception this time???.....just once?.......how about clearing all the clouds for the duration of the event?” It was a good prayer but on hind sight, the choice of words wasn't very wise; He did cleared the clouds, in fact He did so well that I paid the price later…. Any long duration/distance event is always a good time to reflect upon life coz the event itself is a close mirror image of life. Water cuts us from our normal sight and sound and we have all the time in the world to reflect and analyse…... The swim started at 10.30am and it was hot and near madness! So many bodies cramped into the narrow lanes. It was draining dogging the bodies ahead and watching out & giving way to those coming from behind. Pushing my body harder than I planned to avoid being swam over! Life Lesson #1: Some people just don’t care about others. To achieve their goals, they would swim over others, knocking, elbowing and kicking others in the process. They don’t even care if that person is a lady. Their philosophy is “Success at all cost”; as long as I am successful, I don’t care who I step on or in this case swam over. Life Lesson #2: Some people don’t pace themselves well; they are like burning the candles from the both ends. They started off brightly then faded quickly. They pump their legs hard like propellers and fling their arms even harder, creating lots of bubbles & noise and moving quickly. But after a while you don’t see them anymore. Likewise, if we don’t pace ourselves wisely in life’s journey, we can’t last long and will miss the meaning of life and fruits of our labour. So after the energy sapping 20 laps burning more reserves than planned, receiving many knocks and a cut on my lower lip, I was beginning to wonder whether my goal was achievable today…..would I have anything left in the tank when I hit the unknown territory??? After 1 ½ hrs, the “live life recklessly” ones were gone. Leaving us with more room for movement. Slowing down my pace to a more sustainable speed for the long run. Trying to get into rhythm whenever possible. Occasionally, many bodies would appear from nowhere and disappeared after a few laps. It’s like the occasionally strangers who cross out path, some are welcomed while others are a pain in the ass. Some people it seems are born to give us a hard time; we just have to learn to handle them. Occasionally, I met swimmers whose pace was almost the same as mine and we would keep pace with each other as a motivation to push a little harder and to go a little further. They are like family members/good friends who give us a little push and helping each other to keep moving when weariness sets in. Just like in the waters, words are at times unnecessary. 4hrs 18mins: I was relief to reach my 10km goal, the longest distance I ever swam!....Wondered if I can go all the way till the end and swim 2 times the Kapas distance……the unknown can be inspiring. I found out that 1.5 Litres of water were not enough for such a hot day and headaches started to set in. Left arm began to ache, legs feel like cramping…….and I wondered how could a 64yrs woman swam from Cuba to Florida???.....160km in 53hrs!!! Switched to using other muscles in my pull; our back muscles below the shoulders are strong and can propel us for longer distance. So arm after arm, kick after kick, lap after lap……life goes on….. Long distance sports event is a lonely event; the longer you last, the lesser participants you meet. The familiar trunks & costume faded away. It’s like losing our family members and friends as time passes. The longer we live, the lesser friends we have……. The most amazing people on earth are those who keep on going in spite of whatever life throws at them. Most memorable was this guy in blue tights, his strokes were awful; the hand entry & pull were ineffective and the kicks were powerful but erratic; lots of noise and bubbles but very little forward movement. So much energy expended but with very little return. Amazing thing was I kept running into him every few laps. I expected him to drop out long time ago but he kept going and going…….until the end of the event! These are the strong ones whose spirit triumphs over their handicap. Whatever talents or the lack of it, they more than make up with their undying spirit…….”Find a way!” After 6hrs, I was glad it was finally over……glad that I was in a pool on a sunny day and not in darkness and in some far away cold sea…….. How did Diana Nyad do it for over 2 days and 2 nights without sleep in the middle of the ocean? My humble little swim is only about 8% of what she did but I am happy coz I achieved what I set out to do with whatever talent I have or don't have. I did swim from Kapas and back! No more, no less……exactly 260 laps