Swimming 5.2 Miles Down Coniston
Kate Beattie - SwimWod Client
Kate has been a SwimWod client for nearly 2 years now. I met her through coaching her children at Stockport Metro and she wanted to get some lessons and a programme of her own to do in her spare time. She is inspiring, she is an ex GB Rower, and since leaving rowing has taken up Swimming and Tennis to learn new skills and still feed her competitive spirit. She is a very driven lady and works really hard. She always has goals that she is working towards and it has been a pleasure watching her progress. When I first met her she could swim pretty well, including butterfly, and it was all self taught! Since then we have fine tuned her technique and she has made loads of improvement. For the past 3 years she has swam the length of Coniston (5.25miles) in the Chillswim event – a seriously impressive distance! I have coached her for 2 of those years. This past year was a little bit different because COVID messed up all of her training and she had to do lots of “land training” instead in her garden… but she still made it through the 5.25 miles! Oh, and she does all of this whilst raising 4 children too! Incredible! Have a read of the below to find out how she found the swims and her comparison of the two.
1) How did you train for your Coniston swim in 2019 pre covid? What sort of training did you think benefitted you?
2019 I trained by..... swimming......lots! 4-5 sessions a week. I followed Emma’s plan to the letter, working on technique, speed and stamina. I loved the pool sessions but with hindsight I would have benefited from combined them with land training as well.
(SwimWod also offer strength and conditioning programmes to assist you in your chosen field. Contact for more information)
2) What was your main goal last year (2019)?
I had 2 race goals:
To get my outdoor mile under 30mins ✅ and to swim the length of Coniston 5.25miles ✅ the longest swim I’d ever attempted.
Then I had other related goals- to feel stronger, to combat the effects of the menopause, and of course to look 10yrs younger and 2 stone lighter! Sadly I didn’t quite achieve those goals! ;)
3) Were you nervous going into the swim? If so, what were you nervous about, and how did you deal with the nerves?
I was a bit nervous about the conditions on the day, but I knew I had prepared well for the distance in the pool. I hadn’t ever swum that far in one go so I knew taking on drinks was going to be necessary and I was a little worried about getting cramp. I don’t really get anxious during races but I wasn’t looking forward to the prolonged cold!
4) Did you encounter anything unexpected during the event or any difficulties?
It’s the Lake District so I was ready for cool water and rain but not winds so strong they postponed the start and had to move all the drink stations onto the shore! Actually having to stand up and walk a little at 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 miles was not a bad thing, although it will have slowed my time.
I was quite confused when I finished, which I wasn’t expecting. I didn’t manage to find my shoes, left my medal and lost my goggles! I could have done with a friend to help me!
5) How did you do? Were you pleased with the result?
I did it in 3hrs 18mins, slightly slower than I had hoped but I’m perhaps always wanting to do better than is realistic! Especially given that I came to swimming late in life (aged nearly 40).
I came 11th in my age group, 99th woman overall which I was quite pleased with.
6) What advice would you give to anyone wanting to take part in this event or similar events?
Go for it!
Have extra warm kit, hood, boots, extra neoprene vest- it’s a long time to be in cold water.
Try and practice outdoors as much as possible, it’s different and if you want to carry over your stroke improvements made in the pool you need time outside.
7) How did you feel afterwards? And what was your go to food of choice once you were done?!
Once I’d warmed up I felt pretty pleased with myself, then remembered I had 4 kids running feral on the campsite so found them and we celebrated with mugs of tea, caterpillar cake and porridge.
8) What training did you manage to do this past year, during Covid times?
It was really difficult, I barely swam, literally only 8 times in 6 months! I did start a home land programme with Emma’s help, combining strength, flexibility and aerobic fitness but without swimming it really wasn’t enough preparation!
9) How did you feel going into the event in 2020, having done very little swimming training compared to normal?
It felt like entering a marathon when all you’ve done is jog round the block! I had an underlying confidence in my ability to just keep going, I’ve never given up or dropped out of a race, and I really wanted to get my hands on the race hoodie!
10) How did you find the 2020 event in comparison to 2019 and were you pleased with how it went considering the year of training?
I was so pleased they managed to run the event and they really tried to meet the required covid restrictions. Getting changed in the car in a muddy field was a challenge! Again I could have done with a friend to help, I ended up with a very sore blistered neck from not being able to apply the anti rub stuff properly!
I was so determined to finish, I was doing ok until the last mile and then I hit the swimming ‘wall’ and each stroke was a struggle, I just counted each 10 strokes and added them up to make a length, then 10 lengths , then half a mile. I could sense the safety kayaks watching me but there was no way I was going to be dragged out!! I am really proud that I did it.
11) What are your goals for 2021? Will you be entering the event again?
This year I am really hoping to combine swimming and strength training and see improvements in my speed in the water. I will be doing the 5.25 miles again, with a goal of beating my 2019 time. I’ve found a really lovely outdoor (heated) pool to train in so I’m really looking forward to swimming outdoors through the winter. And I’d still like to look 10years younger and 2 stone lighter........
Yes! Great aims, apart from the last 2 which are not needed… you look and are amazing. Love working with you and can’t wait to see what you achieve during 2021!