Charles Cartier - TNT shore-to-shore we can Challenge
Blog 3 - 20th August 2010
I have now been in the UK for five days and have experienced the difference in water temperature from the Indian Ocean to a lake in what is known as the Black Country in the heartlands of England.
My new team mate Owen introduced me to what I call 'Swan Lake' in the Sandwell Valley Park. We went there at six o'clock in the morning and Owen was telling me to expect the water to be no more than 14 or 15 degrees. I was apprehensive - the water temperatures rarely dip below 18 degrees in Mauritius.
Here was my big test. How would I react to the cold?
It seems I am made of stern stuff - amazingly the cold had little or no effect. I swam for maybe 20 minutes and I was both relieved and pleased that I seemed able to adapt to the temperature without any adverse effect.
I was ready and raring to go for my second cold water session on Thursday. Having run for 30 minutes in the hotel gym I was well prepared. I found I could go much faster in the water, my confidence levels were high and I covered 2 km within 40 minutes.
But it wasn't all plain sailing - I found that although not impacted initially by the cold, my body gradually succumbed to it and after 40 minutes it was 'seeping' inside, making concentration difficult as I focused on maintaining a strong stroke.
But now with just 48 hours to go I am ready. I am determined and I am happy with my new team mates. The weather has been appalling all week with torrential rain and my only fear is that the swim might have to be postponed if the conditions are too dangerous.
I hope not - it's a long way to come to be deprived of the opportunity to conquer the English Channel. Still I can't control the weather but I can control my diet so it's time to load up on the carbohydrates - I'll need plenty of energy come Monday morning.
Charles Cartier, 20th August 2010
Blog 2 - 5th August 2010
We are now just two weeks away from, the day when we will set foot on the beach at Calais, France - our very own version of D-Day.
This week has been the most intense. I have been swimming around 16kms and running more than 35kms as I step up my training regime to the max.
The water temperature is the coolest it can be in Mauritius but still nowhere near cold enough to be comparable to the English Channel. I am now counting on the final week of my training programme over in England to help me acclimatise to the elements. It will come as a shock no matter how mentally prepared I feel.
It's imperative that I adapt…and quickly. Once in England I hope to build up my confidence and my resistance to the cold. Mauritius is a wonderful wonderful place, but it's no friend when I am trying to imagine the stark contrast all those thousands of miles way in the Channel. That having been said the swimming conditions this week in Mauritius have been a stern test with strong currents and choppy - almost rough - water conditions
In the initial stages of my training I had to get used to swimming with ear plugs and a cap covering the ears. Initially It felt very strange but, after a few sessions, you get used to it. The fact I will be wearing a swimming cap in the Channel could be a big bonus as it should reduce the heat loss from my body by nearly 20%.
I'm comfortable with it now so I am going back to swimming without the cap in order to really feel the benefits and the heat retention when I get to England and the grey unforgiving Channel water.
Last, but definitely not least, I have to say that my morale is boosted by the fact that 182 of my fellow Mauritian colleagues have each contributed on average of Rs100 - our local Mauritian currency (approximately £400) - which might not seem a huge amount when converted in GBP but is highly significant when taking into consideration the local standard of living.
Charles Cartier, August 5 2010
Blog 1
The Channel Swim will be something very different for me, even though I am an accomplished 'Iron Man' having competed in gruelling tests of endurance in both Mauritius and Australia.
I'm the 'odd one out' so to speak because, although I am part of the TNT UK operations, I live and work out here in Mauritius, where the Indian Ocean is a world removed from the English Channel.
Obviously I cannot train with my half-dozen UK-based colleagues who are thousands of miles away, but the distance between us doesn't diminish my commitment to swimming the channel and doing all I can to help mentally, physically and socially disadvantaged children.
We're heading into winter and the water temperature in Mauritius is dropping but it's still much much warmer than what lies ahead in the Channel. I know I have the endurance and fitness needed for this swim but the cold is the big unknown factor!
I am taking cold showers before training and then swimming at 5am when the water temperature is at its lowest as I try and acclimatise but still I can't really replicate what awaits me in the Channel.
Whoever would have thought that living in what most people regard as a 'tropical paradise' could be a drawback!
The weekly training regime is intense - three sea water sessions averaging 5km per session, plus two running sessions of 1-hour each plus an 80km Sunday bike ride - but going well.
My motivation is high. I want to create a momentum here in Mauritius and raise the social consciousness of my colleagues to help a noble cause - that of raising funds for under-privileged children.
Charles Cartier, July 2010