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| Swiming past Hogwarts - because why not ? |
We cover at least two swims a year, and the Adur 5k swim is one of them - organised by Raw Energy Pursuits as usual to their high standards this has grown to a 300 entry and 250+ taking part on the day event.
I'm not a swimmer (yes I can swim, but it's not my sport of choice, although a girlfriend in my 20's was, and that taught me a thing or two - mostly - respect for swimmers!!) so it's hard to know the mental processing going on before and after an event like this - judging from the looks on their faces of deep concentration before entering the water and the general deafness caused by thinking too hard about important things like "oh god this is going to be a long way" and not "what did the marshal just say about getting into the water?" - I'd say that a 5k swim, even downhill, is a challenge even for the most prepared. And there's sandbanks to navigate as well. But in a wetsuit and with a current - you can always just bob...
I write it like this mostly for my friend Jacquie who can swim 2miles in a pool, happily runs a half marathon in training without really considering any sort of energy plan, is still getting animated about the final 6 seconds of her parkrun (because she runs 21:06) but is now also quite worried about her Serpentine 2mile swim coming up. Jacquie - at any point in the Serpentine - you can probably stand up. You'll be fine. There's no current or sandbanks. The biggest worry you have is Ecoli, so make sure you have a bottle of flat coke to drink afterwards... or the cormorants... you'll be fine.
Compare that to the following fine photographs of these fine people putting themselves on the line in the name of "fun"...
Fun fact - if people wore their barcoded number bracelet (on the outside of their wetsuit - obviously) - we can identify who's waving at us from the water as they swim along ! (Face recognition ? nah - not a chance with this sport)..
Anyway the free download gallery is here:
https://gallery.sussexsportphotography.com/gallery-collection/2024-08-17-REP-Adur-Swim/C0000ky3vNTkrYEQ
Pictures - in no particular order
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| The joy of finishing |
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| That was nice ! |
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| high fives everyone ! |
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| Happy times out of the water at last |
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| I CAN STAND ! |
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The long wait at the finish
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| It's tough work at these events |
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| Here's the start if you're wondering - before the chaos |
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| Here to rescue... |
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| Sponsors show no fear of a little 5k swim.. |
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| Final entry plans made by the marshals |
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| Good to go ! |
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| She's just fooling, she wasn't THAT scared |
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| vitory will be hers ! |
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| Confident sponsor striding into the start |
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| big double thumbs up - we love it |
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| All ok here |
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| The double thumbs and in we go |
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| Final safety checks, and ready to go |
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| Once they were all gone, we ate the remaining blackberries |
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| Oi I said *naaaah photos !!*** |
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| Raw Energy Pursuits giving us a wave |
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| mind your balance and taking a tumble... |
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| Our Graham lends a hand |
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| Thinking "that was easier than I though" |
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| YAAY for the win |
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| can you believe it ! |
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| stopping your watch before you cross the finish line is a crime |
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| Well done Tam !! |
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| Tasty ! |
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| Please don't leave me |
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| Stings a bit |
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| One of those smartwatches with an ear button |
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| The pre-race gathering at the start |
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| They'll save your life if you ask nicely |
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| 7 go swimming |
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| it wasn't that crowded, it's just a busy shot thing |
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| *waves back |
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| swan lake |
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| Super splish |
So all in all it was a fantastic event - and everyone made it out safely this time too...
...and shout out to the sponsor Oatopia as their food is super yummy:
https://www.oatopia.co.uk/collections/flapjacks
In other news - you've missed the chance to get your last second entry into the Arundel Scouts 10k. Entries closed at 2pm today Thursday - sorry about that - it's going to be about 400 people and the weather looks fantastic. See you there...
I'll be looking to see everyone putting in a shift on Sunday to be putting in the effort as a replacement for me not being able to go and watch a daughter competing as a guest at the Manchester International Athletics as an under 20 on saturday... which brings to mind a bigger and more real reality - work-life balance. (or Life-work balance as I prefer to say - because Life comes first!).
This summer I've had work take over all the time I could have had with my kids. Friday driving to events that are all weekend and getting back late on a sunday - is not conducive to a family life, especially one that is mid-divorce and with co-parenting in separate houses. I think I've had 4 weekend days with the kids over the past three months, which is frankly - poo.
So something has to change. Urgently before next season.
For those of you who are familiar with my neurodivergent journey - a lifetime of subconciously coping with it and then after a late life diagnosis and then using neuroplasticity to alter/speed up those slightly slower bits of my brain that resulted in the neurodivergency - and then not have neurodiverse sensory overwhelm and actually be able to exist in a normal world...(and also reduce all my NAS diagnosis scores below the Neurotypical limit significantly) it has come as a bit of a realisation that almost all of my photography has come about as a coping mechanism - both sensory and socially.
And now whilst I'm good at it (apparently) - I no longer actually need to use photography for my welbeing as a coping mechanism. So the bigger question - does it make me as happy as it used to ? or was my happiness actually just a "less stressed" situation and therefore because that stress no longer exists - can it make me positively happy ?
So - when I'm now faced with the bigger question of how to restore my life-work balace for the kids next school exam cycle next summer - so that I can be present for my kids (which is why I left corporate life in the first place) - I'm really challenging myself and my whole life motivators, and my entire reality of what I do for work, and indeed - why !
Which is a bit of a big question to ask of oneself - as a lot has moved on in these past 17 years since the children first arrived...
I have an MBA, a specialisation in customer engagement and influence, which is a big facet of advanced marketing, and the ability to take the odd picture or two...
What sort of thing would you suggest I have a look at ? or how do I change the business here to make sure I'm present for next years revision and exam season ? (and the three years of exams after that too). The brain is starting to try to work out the future without throwing it all out of the window !
Answers or probing deep introspective qustions to info@sussexsportphotography.com ! (and thank you too for the suggestions of which races to talk to last week).
In the meantime, see you at the Arundel Scouts 10k on Sunday morning, and then we get back into the final Five Mighty Hikes of the year, plus the rescheduled national cross country championships- which is quite a large job too...
until next time, and good luck dear Daughter guesting at the Manchester International Athletics... *proud Dad*
Anthony
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