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Earlier this year I was lucky enough to meet and swim with Ireland's new Queen of marathon swimming Lisa Cummins .After 35 long hours in the water she became the Ist person to swim the Channel both ways without a solo .She finished in Dungeness which about 40 kms from Dover so just think about that for a moment .What I like about Lisa apart from her incredible swim is her never ending smile and from all reports she told her crew that she enjoyed her whole swim.Lisa may be in Australia early next year and the Black Ice team would love to have her join us for a dip .
1: Name: Lisa Cummins
2: Age: 26
3: Resides: Cork, Ireland
4: Swimming Highlights: Completing my two-way English Channel Swim, Sept 2009
5: Biggest influence and coach: Eilís Burns. She's fantastic :)
6: Swimming Idol: I admire anyone who sets themselves a big goal and works hard to achieve it.
7: Pool or Ocean: Ocean would be my preference on all except on those really cold winter days when I really appreciate being able to get into the pool and not have to worry about how long I'm going to shiver after!
8: How many kms a week: 50-100km when I was training for my two-way, about 10km now that I'm resting. Until I decide to do something else!
9: Longest swim and how many hours in the water: My two-way English Channel swim, 35 hours.
10: Favorite place you have swam: I think it would have to be Sandycove Island, my regular training ground.
11: Coldest place you have swam and temp: 6deg C, Sandycove, February 2009. It was snowing. Unsurprisingly I trained with someone on the shore that day-noone else wanted to be in the water!
12: Roughest swim: Probably sometime around Sandycove. Not a clue of wind speeds or wave heights though.
13: Swimming goals: Tons of possibilities but nothing that I'm going to reveal just yet!
14: What or who motivates you: Facing a challenge that I'm not sure if I'll be able to complete or not.
15: How much is Physical/Mental: At least 90% mental. The body can do amazing things if the mind will allow it to.
16: Favorite saying: "It's kind of fun to do the impossible" - Walt Disney
17: Biggest fear swimming: I used to have a big fear of jellyfish and seaweed but Channel training got me over both of those! Now my biggest fear is failing to finish what I start.
18: Swimming close calls: I came quite close to a ferry in a river swim last year. My own fault really-it was coming across the river towards me and I thought I wasn't going to make it so I stopped to ask my kayaker about it and then almost didn't make it as a result! Lesson learned-trust the kayaker!
19: Tips for other swimmers: Train hard. No point in realising on the day of a big swim that you could and should have done more!
20: What would you eat and drink during a swim: Maxim, and lots of it! Some solids to change things up-banana, mini rolls, jellies. Tomato soup is lovely for a change of taste too.
21: Worst place you have swam: My worst swim was probably my 6-hour qualifier in Gozo with Swimtrek-swimming through shoals of jellies with a lightning storm a few miles off is not exactly pleasant. The place was beautiful though! And it got me over my fear of jellies pretty quickly :)
22:Worst injuries: Left shoulder after the Channel. It was seizing up for a lot of the second leg of the swim and I couldn't move my arm for two days without terrible pain. It's getting better though!
23: Favorite food,drink,music ,movie and holiday destination
Food: Basmati rice, ice-cream, chocolate
Drink: Water, tea, Baileys
Music: Anything I can dance to!
Holiday destination: California
24: What do you think of when you are in the water for hours:
Everything and anything...on my two-way swim I thought a lot about the year's training for the swim and the people that supported me. In general I tend to sing in my head quite a lot, it's a great way to get through those long pool sessions!
25: Where is one place you haven’t or would like to swim: The list is endless!
26: Three people you would invite to dinner: Any of my friends that I haven't seen enough of all year because I've been training like a crazy person :)
27: Cold water tips: It gets easier, stick with it. But always make sure to be safe-I never trust my own judgement when it's very cold, I always have company in the water or on the shore to make sure that I'm not getting hypothermic.
28: Toughest competitor: Myself, without a doubt. I'm too lazy to compete with anyone else!
29: How much is weight a factor on long distance swims: This year I went from being about 15kg overweight to about the ideal weight for my height. Not by choice, just through training. I found the cold water much harder to deal with when I lost the weight. I eventually gained back about 8kg for my swim and I never felt cold. The weight definitely made a difference to me anyway!
30: Pet hate: Negativity
31: Biggest thrill: Landing back in England after 35 hours of swimming :)
32: Favorite sport besides swimming: I loved rowing but had to give it up for exams and never got a chance to go back to it. Maybe someday!
33: Who would you like to sit next to on a plane: Anyone once they don't try to start a conversation.
34: Car you drive: A 1995 Ford Fiesta. Looking out for a VW Beetle though...
35: Next swimming challenge: Doing 1,000m without shoulder pain. Once the injuries have gone then I'll start making plans!
36: Occupation: PhD student. Almost finished hopefully!
37: D.O.B.: 15-Dec-1982
38: Favorite Pet: Our dogs, Fallon and Storm. They're my babies!
39: Reasons for attempting the Channel: I wasn't sure if I could and there's only one way to find out!
Alby.
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