I have done a couple of similar challenges in the past and was looking for something new and came across the Aspire Channel Swim.  I hurt my back in May whilst training and decided to put some effort into getting better at swimming whilst I was recovering.  Swimming was always a big part of my routine, but during that time it became the most important part of it. Now I’ve got to a fitness level I am really happy with, it’s just great to be able to do some good with it too.  It will also help me to drop a little bit of weight for when I go traveling in December.

The majority of my fitness training is around cardio and endurance training, that’s really my kind of thing. I do CrossFit on the side, and this sort of leans into that ‘never say die’ type of training where you try to push yourself to new levels.

Initially I had planned to swim 44 miles in one month but because I smashed my initial fundraising goal, I decided to up the stakes and do 100 miles in 10 weeks. I just need to commit to a minimum of 92 lengths every day now!

I always loved swimming as a kid, but completely dropped off in my teens and my weight ballooned to over 20 stone because of it. In my early 30s I lost 10 stone and a huge part of that was getting back into swimming. It’s low impact and super accessible to someone of my size and it really helped with my initial weight loss and rekindled my love of fitness. It’s stuck with me ever since.

Now I swim pretty much every day at All Seasons Leisure Centre in Chorley, Lancashire. I absolutely love it, particularly its amazing mix of cardio and endurance training. Because it's a low-impact workout, it’s a regular choice in my weekly or daily routine, when I’ll usually swim in my lunch break. In preparation for this challenge, I’ve just been swimming pretty much every day and working my cardio up to a level where I can swim 64 to 80 lengths really comfortably without the need for a break or stop.

I now have the responsibility to follow through on my promise to swim 100 miles in the time frame, as I’ve raised £250 from the generous people in my social circles. At the time of writing this, I am already over 15 miles in and hit 3 PBs in terms of my fastest one-mile swim time, so the challenge is making me a better swimmer and hopefully helping others in the process.

         

Fundraising is always tricky, especially given the economy and times we’re in, but my friends and family have really come through and made this whole challenge worthwhile. Hopefully I can raise a bit more before the end and get it over the £300 mark. I have mainly been asking people to sponsor me on social media and through word of mouth so far. It’s been really positive so I will keep pushing this!

If anyone is unsure about taking on the challenge I say honestly, just do it; it’s a great way to stick to a healthy routine and do a fun challenge at your own level and pace.

I don’t know anyone with a spinal cord injury, but I know it’s a devastating and life-changing injury that can affect anyone at any time, so it feels like a really amazing cause to take on a challenge for. If anything I do during this challenge helps the efforts of Aspire with their work, then it has 1000% been worth it.

Sponsor Nick

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