E52 - Stacey Balich - a British Fur Seal.

Today's special guest is Stacey Balich - an open-water and ice swimmer from New Zealand, a passionate educator and volunteer who swims everything from coastal crossings to sub-5°C lake swims. Stacey joins us to talk about the physical side of endurance swimming — the training, the breath, the cold — and the quieter, deeper benefits it brings to the mind including resilience, focus and calm. 

She also shares an intensely personal story: how swimming helped sustain her through a battle with bowel cancer and how getting in the water became part of her recovery and life. Expect practical tips, tough honesty, and the kind of stories that make you want to jump in the sea.  

Transcript

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Welcome to another Clevverdix podcast. In this podcast we're speaking to Stacey. Stacey's own Auckland swimmer who does most of her swimming with her first seals. Stacey's story is that she really got back into swimming after getting through a bout of bowel cancer and realizing that she really needed to keep herself healthy. We see here all about that and also some of her other adventures. She's got into colder and colder swimming and in fact is an eye-smile swimmer as well. I think you're going to find this a great story of survival and endurance and just being a great person. Cheers. Welcome to another Clevverdix podcast. In this podcast we're talking to Stacey. Welcome Stacey. Thank you for having me. Cool. Stacey, who is not of giving you an opportunity to tell us your swim story? What's your swim story? I've always enjoyed swimming. It's been more of a social swimmer with friends when the kids were young at the swimming pool and then life got a lot busier so I didn't do much swimming or exercise at all actually and then in November of 2018 I noticed there was blood in the toilet bowl when I'd been to the toilet and then I wanted to show my husband. We went to A&E and then a month later I had a conoscopy which isn't fun at all but obviously having one definitely saved my life and then during the conoscopy they discovered I'd schoom it in there and they bit me in for a CT scan the next day and then in that CT scan they confirmed after results CT scan they had confirmed that I had bowel cancer. It's quite I think it was about six centimeters big for the tumour because that was causing the blood every time I went to the toilet. I was really lucky living in Auckland and the hospital system there is amazing that I had surgery about after my CT scan I think I waited like two weeks to have surgery and then they took part of my bowel out. I was in hospital for about three or four nights I think not very long at all. The nurses and everyone was absolutely amazing that it's often extremely well and then at Christmas time we went camping and then I was camping. I got the phone call to say that I needed chemo and I chose to do chemo via tablets because at the time our children were only seven or nine I didn't want them to find out because they're only little we've gotten it was my husband and I about the English we've got no family here at all so I didn't want them to find out so I told the children that I had a disease and I needed treatment but that's all they knew. I went chemo for six months I had the tablet form you do two weeks on and then you do a week off so that's like every yeah every that cycle every three weeks for six months. That's pretty brutal. Yeah the chemo isn't fun you feel pretty I think for like one week you feel really good they want you to back into chemo chemo starts to set in your system you start to feel more more tired and then you're like a week it's just awful so take the kids to school and I'll just sleep all day and then wake up and pick them up from school so yeah it was quite full on if you take the tablets six in the morning and then again at six at night like half an hour before food and things like that um so yeah it wasn't fun um obviously I don't I wanted to make sure the cancer was completely gone and then you have like another conoscopy and CT scan and it was all clear um so yes every um every every year I was having um checkups and then I had my five year checkup and um thankfully yeah there's no cancers come back which is really good that's wonderful so how did they lead into swimming um they always say to do exercise is really good for your body and I figured that um yeah if I just kept doing exercise keep my body the chemo was bad it wasn't as bad-mitted it's because I had a healthy lifestyle so I figured if I just keep healthy um there's got less chance that cancer coming back it's a 5% chance which is really really tiny bit coming back um but if I keep myself healthy sort of yeah drink lots of water eat healthy have a healthy lifestyle um yeah look after a mental health and then surely it's gonna hopefully it doesn't come back so yeah but from there I started um to do more swimming and to a few ocean races and then I really enjoyed the ocean swimming side and then I looked into groups around Auckland and I found um the fair seals so you just use that as as part of the sort of recovery after you sorted out the cancer right yeah I just wanted to get fit again and then um it's quite such a low impact sport and I knew I loved it um and then I'll just get again swimming in the pool enter a couple of ocean swim races again um and then um I used to swim with a very very good friend uh he's also English and she got cancer unfortunately passed away so then I'd no one to swim with and then I went on to the as you do on Facebook and then I saw the fair seals and messaged them and then I met Roger fed in love and then that's yeah and then I found out all these swim events so I did a lot more once I met the fair seals oh that's that's correct it's got a lot of little stories of all these women we're full enough with you yeah so are you gulfing number two or three because obviously yeah obviously yeah yeah obviously um yeah no there's lots of us we all love Roger if I was a woman the only thing that would put me off Roger is the size of his arbors you know I think that's the problem yeah sort those arbors I did okay so um so prior to again we'll ask stupid questions right if if they're not appropriate just shut but um I'm assuming you were in cruise mode with laugh um the cancer made you look at things a little bit differently totally and and swimming was like hey let me get out there and then look after my health a little bit better and and I guess just trust some new stuff right I'm hoping that's what the story was yeah I think when you get um when you get sick like chemo and silicone chemo for six months that's not fun as you just like body just so tired just for war for every day yes and I think he kind of um it's not like a second you get a second chance so actually my body is pretty cool the organs my organs all my body is functioning so well now I've got to definitely look after it um yeah as I get back into swimming I think once you join a swimming group a community it does encourage you to go more because like we always say is the only swim for an hour be good for coffee for like two hours and it's all that's chat of the boy and the joking and like I will laugh in so much a coffee after swimming today and it's just so much fun yeah yeah we we had I I always say that most ocean summers are actually coffee drinkers with swimming problems yeah okay um so through this through this journey um you've done a couple of crazy things that that I'm aware of and there's probably a couple of other ones but I know at one stage um when I first met you you guys were we're doing it was either mornings or evenings I can't remember but I was swimming in the dark a couple of times a week yeah why um what are told what it says um so what I just said about coffee um I've done ice swimming so get to get my head in the game for ice swimming we'll just you know encourage us not told us what we're doing courage is to go in the dark so I'm at this few of us um yeah at six a.m a couple of times a week to go in in the dark because you're so scared and you're breathing obviously the water's colder and you're breathing so you've got to sort of calm yourself down and that got me used to so I've done that for a few inches now and now I actually really miss it in the summer okay I miss going in the dark so yeah we go down at six a.m. swim in the dark yeah with that toe floats a little like in a toe float so the fish can chase us yes so have your head fish yes it's so funny yes they do you feel I'm touching you and they go for you and yes that's quite frightening but I've got more comfortable with it and you can smell them you can smell the fish I can't oh I can smell them and since the sun comes up the smell the water snow changes really yes that's one of the nose kept yes that's just the smell I know not just this fish yet but I do notice smells quite significant that's what changes yeah so what's the biggest touch that you've had those those little like sprouts that catch you in the morning yeah or other swimmers could I swim with ash have you met ash no oh yeah because he tries to yeah soon too sometimes the ash swimmers over you yeah you must be like a jiff yes he's going to swim like that yes he doesn't cite he's swimmers by touch yeah um but no then you just obviously come and it's lovely with the sun rising and again we have a good old yarn at the boys G and I it's we're more social swimmers who just have a good old chat and then we get him to get changed really good work hmm I swim at night time sometimes as well in the evenings okay with the kippers they swim in Tuesday Thursdays at like class five we go out and watch the sunset that's quite good if I can get a morning sunrise and then I come back down the beach for an evening I'm gonna put my hand up to come and join you guys because that's something that is also so amazing and it's so difficult to explain to people that haven't experienced it but I'm gonna try and join you once a week really good it's lovely he's amazing we just go out to the red stick let's say he's very good very inclusive lovely man we go out to the red stick we'll just swim back again yeah have a good old yarn at the red stick then up the sun's down it's dark we better swim back yeah I don't know if I'd fit in with that when I get into the water especially if it's a bit cool and then having a yarn while I'm swimming is not my favourite thing I just want to keep moving so I often feel that I'm the anti-social kind of grump in the group but once I'm out and I've got a cup of coffee in my hand then I'll move here yeah Jim and I used to go once a week pre sunrise I was about two years ago I've been done for a while we need to get that going again but Jim sort of starts off like a bed out of how when he's in the water right so that's putting into kind of roughly like an injured bat and I'll normally just sort of tuck in on the side of him and start off him and then I almost start with with laughter and choking water the one day because as I come up to breathe this fish came flying like the water and hit Jim's face with these toe floats you know because those fish are definitely attracted to the to the light of the toe float but he just took it off and carried on some of me okay that's what it is we've had August in Nexus before yes that was pretty scary that was um probably it's like where that window is so like two meters three meters oh my god that was good as a few of us like the fairsteels and we were swimming um cracker by cracker bay yes around there and then I heard Juliet scream in okay okay she was quite near me I was like I hope she's all right I looked around there's this fin yes at the water and my husband always says one day you're going to get by eating by a shark during the sea that much I was like oh no my husband's right no he said this would happen and then luckily the fin got bigger so I said all right so just an organ I was like oh my well it's actually an organ and you just see it come out and I couldn't see Juliet because the orcas between us and it was like so scary you're hoping that was going to eat you well I think it I'm thinking they're all in wet suits I've been brightly colored tugs obviously I'm plastic like don't eat me but no he did it too I was two of them the one came for another one they just came around and went off and we were just like oh can I just scream in each other and then we went for coffee afterwards and all checked all our watches and all our garments just massively spiked we'll see our heart rates in real but yeah then we just swam back and we kept checking everyone okay because none of us could we just all flight you for a bit to watch the walker which is pretty cool yeah you're going back yeah I found breeze yeah so it's really awesome yeah so last weekend because I've bugged up my shoulder so I was standing on the beach while the salty dogs were out swimming and when they all got back I was like hey guys did you all have a good swim did you see anything on there what was happening I don't know I must have been 12 what dolphins no I heard it speak put up but yeah in our defence they must have been at least 200 metres away they were like two metres away you know so yeah but we got reasons still that's a big mammal that's got short teeth yeah and they saw nothing in the water right but on the land there was like what's your bath draft post yeah yeah in the water you uh completely and aware of what's around you right well I got home I said to my kids I get because as before I got I called them for them into school and so you could be head on and have a look I was like I was so you're so in shock you don't even think about that you just floated and just watched them yeah they're no it's incredible and they'll find us in their eyes and teeth I might have been look I reckon I would need to have changed my talks after that you can talk or begin mainly but I would have I'm with you on that one yeah I haven't seen or swung with dolphins often but I do remember one time I was just off my rainy bay and I was swimming along and I picked my head up to sight and I saw this fin ahead of me and I put my head down and I thought oh my what is that you know stuck my head up again oh no that's dolphin fins you can calm down yeah oh goodness can you see lots of yeah egg or ace you see them frequently hosting races yeah yeah fine just some yeah just swim away from them yeah so that doesn't bother me in some fish okay hello swimmers I'm Shannon Keegan U.S.-based founder of intrepid water and host of the podcast stories from the water my friends at swimscape in Auckland New Zealand are the proud ambassadors of Auckland's most iconic ocean marathon swim the 20 kilometers around rangito to volcano in the hierarchy golf this is a very achievable marathon swim that like all long distance swims will live in your memories forever I don't know about you but I've got this swim on my bucket list for when I get to visit the beautiful land of the kiwi jump on swimscape.co.nz or email info at swimscape.co.nz to book your slot see you in the water so somebody gave you some bad advice and told you to get involved in some ice water yes I think that might be Roger um no wasn't we had a coffee once and a guy came I can't remember his name he was talking about the ice swimming I thought that sounds pretty cool and then I thought because I'm not a fast swimmer I thought potentially so I wouldn't the cookstrap that doesn't appeal to me because that's if that's incredible um and I thought I could do ice swimming because I do like swimming up toxon so it wasn't like the summer yeah yeah with toxon wow I did some of Janine and we have a great time down at ladies base and times um and the swims in the mornings see there's another group yeah another group of swimmers um there's always different groups of swimmers isn't there yeah um but yes I thought I'd do enjoy swimming yeah with toxon they're just enjoying up yeah water so I ditch the wet suit in the summer um and then I entered St. Bathins the first time that winter and then yeah go over it go for the only that yeah the 250 500 and 1k yeah but yeah it's fine it's different to swim with that wet suit so it's a thicker water just like even going over in slower um yeah and that's awesome I love I can't bear putting a wet suit on now yeah okay the thought of it yeah oh yeah no I think one day I might get back into it but I'm really enjoying um yeah it is I never dislike wearing a wet suit I'd just like the the fef around exactly I get changed so much quicker every one of the wet suit fast around there socks off and then yeah everything I get dressed you don't I don't know if I get changed so don't wear a capy there because again Roger encouraged me he said ditch the cap to try and get as cold as possible for St. Bathins now when I put because I don't wear a capsule winter I get headaches and I put them back on again now so I haven't worn a cap for ages so I don't wear a cap through summer because same story it just gives me a headache but uh you have the sun lotion do you put I do in summer but lots of sun lotion on here but you still get nailed back on on the back of my neck but in winter to avoid the tiredness of a silicone cap I wear a neoprene cap which is a little loose a little bit more comfortable um gym reckons it's cheating I think that's cheating oh my god oh my god I was doing this one I had cheaty pants on yeah some people call them core shorts are like they're just cheaty pants no it's fine how the toys are nice it makes it makes it makes the decision enjoyable yeah well you get you in the water right well I do get massive the brain freeze for the first 100 meters oh yeah but like now because it's 14 degrees it's fine so that first trip to St. Bathins I mean what what did you take home from that's like how you know what was your your feelings about us remaining we like that's that I've done it I've ticked the block I'm not going to go in vain obviously yeah and it's so much fun the people are amazing because our swimming community is amazing yeah great um and then seeing people do the mile was just inspirational yeah actually I'm gonna I really want to do that next time so new I wanted to do it again definitely yes it made me want to do more training yeah kept going through the following winter um and then ready for St. Bathins this year the fuck I know you don't like it too sweet so I didn't stir it is that sugar left the block so what does your husband your husband have to say about all this crazy stuff that you um I have been in kissing I'm just crazy now they don't yeah they don't come with me because they don't want them to see me oh okay so they'll freak them out I think it would yeah yeah but I think they would look at you in a different light um they think I'm crazy no I don't think like a crazy light I think they would look at you with like like moms are superior um yes no yeah I just think oh you would freak out yeah the kids would find it because it is quite scary yeah I bet you we need to see your friends because easier because we all know that it doesn't last for long we all know it's going to be fine I know the medics like I trust everyone there and I know everyone's got my back and you can push yourself to such an extreme that's cruel though but you're better on the boat than Duncan Duncan's like Paul Paul I'm like I'm really fine you don't say things are Jim you're like go Stacy he's like come on I could have talked I would have done I'm like Duncan it's not helpful that's good for you it's fine could it keep you going um but like you obviously yeah no I'm going to take it you're great don't I most of it it's almost as much fun being on the boat and supporting swimmers as I don't know where that swimming is fun I think the after the swim I really enjoyed but yeah it's it's super cool just watching people um achieve you know something that they really wanted to do yeah yes I get a lot out of it it's definitely the bucket has to do it but yeah no it's awesome and I enjoyed swimming while you're swimming while I'm doing this you might enjoy it because so you're so numb isn't it you just try and think in your head because I think about six times I was like this is not I'm gonna get out I'm like no like to suck it up as fine to keep going was this when you were when you were doing your mile yes I was like this is just this is hard because in 42 minutes in there yeah because I'm not fast I'm like I need to get faster for next time yeah that's yeah that's an option um so if you if you're to swim you know if if uh for example if the one kilometer was a six out of ten with regards to hardness what would you rate the mile as in comparison to the kilometer I don't think they're both exactly the same so like the 250 I think it's like the worst out of all of them I agree with you it's a worse swim because you don't even get used to it yeah I'm going it's too you've got to do it to yeah it's I know it's a process but that was horrible don't found a rhythm you can't and then I think every time you go longer you just yeah you just get used to it it's hurts anyway yeah the first three minutes of pains I'm real then you just go numb yes they're not okay yeah you're like okay it's not going worse I've got this yeah yeah I just think that the you know the cold gets into your brain and you go stupid and then it doesn't matter yeah I just try and think different things I think in my head of like walking to school as a kid or just like little things walking around I had a full rash spot class day just going he said about he tells the marathon swimmer's about what to think through so I just yeah in my head I walked from my house as a kid to my grandparents or to school and trying to think all those old roads it just keeps me focused on looking at houses what can I remember they just keeps me guys probably asked my strokes though slow I'm like walking around yeah I get my own little world yeah but notice we say it's like hit after it doesn't I'm definitely addicted to winter so I swim more in the winter than the summer just because of that coldness in the summer it's just yeah yeah you the next couple of hours after the swim you different on a higher yeah get to work all dressed up in like simulas yes let's get changed again what do they think of your whip no they're pretty good they're pretty they let me talk about it and yeah yeah so they're pretty good I get to work so to get warm get a cup of tea I can remember going back must be 12 13 years ago we were training also newbies and we were training for one of Rams I swam standing in the Cape yeah Cape Town in South Africa and we had found a local quarry up in Johannesburg in the number of winter and the water was only like the coldest it would get to us was maybe nine or 10 degrees was the coldest that we could find but for us there was a you know you we'd spend most of our time in the pools and we'd have a swim before work and like literally whatever 20 minutes 30 minutes jumping the car draft to work sitting traffic you know and you do that after drop story and the shaking in traffic and I can remember driving shaking and you know beanies and snot and 14 layers of clothes and and thinking you know if a cop pulls me over now I'm going to really struggle to explain to him why I am looking you know so obviously I don't enjoy the cold swim before going to work because I just find that you know you get into the office and you know my job in vote is kind of a desk kind of job and I just it will take me so many hours to actually feel normal because you're as if it's on a weekend I'll go and I have some coffee but then I'm doing things walking around I work outside so I teach kids outside in the bush so get to work get changed into my out yeah range uniform and then I walk around up and down yeah yeah I would find that easier but just going going into an office I I worked out it wasn't me that's the thing with knights him in there because you get back at night you sit on the sofa and then I have to struggle I have to move around to keep warm yeah swimming in the evening because you've got you sit down you're starting to get ready have dinner sit still I need to keep going otherwise I don't get warm yeah yeah yeah I can you just lie in the couch and get my dog hug him warm me up yeah yeah get your dog here just try to keep walking around where do you work as a ranger um I work as an educator but where then you've yeah out in the white academy yeah and then also that's like a dream job right oh I love it absolutely love my job and then I've got a couple of pot time jobs I work for um the disabled schools as an educator in the white academy at Long Bay yeah it's your way saying as well and then I work for Rachel Rower Islands so I teach her there which I saw you yes yes so do you mind this family on the ferry and then I also volunteer on two today so yeah I'm always outside I'm never ever inside not an inside person that's all birds and trees all the time mmm and so all of this outdoor adventure sort of tough uh occupations have you ever had to change a puncture yeah so yes I went out so because I was worried about the bridge traffic today I got here early so I sat on the beach just looking out to sea um and then yes as I went to leave without a flat tire it's like gym around gym first not either yeah I know it's just getting a beautiful man I would have I can fight all the tools yeah so luckily gym came to my rescue and come and help me we charge we do charge we do you'll get the bowl in the okay so what's kind of next what what what else do you want to do with swimming um I think I'll do I want to do the simbathons again in two years time yeah it's larger doesn't the pool swim inside around swimming doesn't it pull to me because I'm just on my speed I'm just not far enough to do what champs look at that um yeah I'd like to do some baffins again over I do the mile again or potentially go longer I need to take my coach to pool swimming is what you do is you work out what nobody else is doing and then guys go and do 50 meter fly and say yay I won! I really struggled with pool swimming I'd went this week and it's just so boring I know we've got to do it for drills and stuff for fitness and technique but I just get really bored I do really have to yeah really it's not fun you're thinking of doing any longer swims I would um see I'd like to do longer at the champs if I can get faster first I was just thinking in general I don't think so at the time you know you know thank you Vinnie I don't know because that's a lot of training isn't it there's quite a big commitment the training is a lot of that I was really swimming twice a day oh it's really like every now and again that's not like every day that's anyway it's like a beautiful walk and I'm like oh I can't not swim because I volunteer until you're on Thursday so the boat comes in I'm like that water looks so good like mark with me like get home and run down the beach um the yes and yeah but that's like that's incredible man distance that's the only thing and I quite like I enjoy doing triathlons yeah I know a couple so I'd like to potentially do a bit more of them so try and do a bit more running I need to get more comfortable running longer distances however if your 10k run is actually just a 10k rather than on the word does a 10k run so you just sort my mind into that and then I'll give more of those longer triathlons ago oh that's nice like people's triathlon yeah they're those short ones yeah which is fun I caught like those great atmosphere yeah they're always really good so I really enjoy those but yeah my doing a bit more longer ones I just need to get better at running or more comfortable running so your kids interested in triathlons at all or they've got other sports my husband's pretty awesome so he's done a few half-time mints but yeah it's got a bit of a problem is near the moment so he's not doing much running at the moment but he doesn't like ultra marathons as well so I've done a couple of I've done a half marathons yes you do yeah the kids have done the tri the the trope peoples try the kids one they've done a dog has done a couple of those yeah yeah she enjoys those but we'll see I think they they'll they all are football so they play football all the time that's their thing oh yeah well you've got to enjoy a sport ride yeah yeah so who knows what happen later on isn't it yeah but if they do running a bit but not great deal have you like since you started swimming till now you noticed like any changers like is it growing is it is it about the same as what it was like you know what's the has the sport changed in like the last sort of eight years or so that you've been busy with it did it get growing I think the ice swimming and not all the ice all the just in all events or general yeah I think it was quite the past couple of years isn't it events the swimming events have been quite because of definitely not just back hey because of during the lockdowns when we were in so it's pens and stuff that was a nightmare was it as a big lot of you guys to organize that's horrendous but for you um yeah I don't know I don't think it's skinning but they are like I set my other pocket I should talk about financially it does cost a money in which I understand that it does cost their money for coast guards and that's I know where the money goes but it isn't quite expensive um especially the Auckland ones which we do all the time as a group yeah so it's almost like if there was an incentive to go and do a new swim somewhere outside of Auckland I don't know we do it because you want to I've entered a few because I want to support Dan yeah yeah so if we do them that they are good fun and everyone's there isn't it it's a great time to catch up with people yes yeah it's just again it's for the coffee well I'm a city event so those events I really enjoy the social side but I just I don't enjoy that many people in the water around me yeah again my grumpiness my grouchiness comes out I just hang at the yeah I don't like swimming with people so I just hang at the back or to the side even like the people strafflin yeah there's no etiquette with triathlon swimming not like ocean swimming so it's really bad so I'll just keep that away and a lot a lot of the triathlon swimmers are pool swimmers yes so they can't sight and they're like going to the front of you and you're like oh my word this wouldn't happen in those swim it's really bad so I don't enjoy the peak the swimming side for triathlons I just go miles round yeah yeah yeah I do it because I enjoy it not just I don't I'm not gonna yeah yeah and get time already feel that I just do it to complete well that's yeah that's that's me I'm a participant yeah and it's quite yeah I just think I've never thought of doing this ten years ago this is insane yeah this is what I go and watch my husband do and now I'm doing it which is quite weird it's quite crazy he's supporting you yes but she's funny he's like the transition going hurry up he's like I'm like okay um because it's hard because the swimming events they all come and watch me but they don't you can't see anyone so they can't see you there's a triathlons a lot better yes they can see you a bit more which is nice hi listeners Jim here you probably know that Duncan and I have a little business called Swimscape Swimscape supports swimmers doing marathon swims but we also support groups doing relays the little group that we're with did a relay swim the length of tarpo a couple of years ago and we had such a good day and it was a real fun experience so if you and your friends want to do a relays swim or if you need description and need some support please drop us a line at info at swimscape.co.nz and we can talk about it come on you know it's going to be fun I don't have to come watch is I see don't springing back the the the swim run yes yeah that looks good which looks awesome I mean you would love to do that yeah that'd be good that's a real adventure because he's swimming from sort of Ireland to Ireland and running and swimming with your shoes that you have to and then you've got to swim or you're going to do the whole thing with whatever you start so husband's got shoes are you these the aqua ones he's been doing anyway when I do the swim events and he swims in his shoes okay yeah so he's quite used to doing that okay yeah which he does yeah which is all sculptures he's got shoes mmm we were chatting to somebody the other day that was they um because obviously the shoes created on a drag so they just take the extra minute to take the shoes off tired to the back of the toe float or something kind of what it was and pale also I think it was okay and they reckon that they make you know because everybody's really struggling on the swim with all the shoes wait yeah and make up yeah there's just practices isn't it get in the water practicing with the shoes to get back eight or yeah different strength Jim and I did a like a bit of a strength session we were experimenting with a couple of months ago um we just sort of went out and did a lap of you know swimming in a in a pair of long trousers for example um just for drag and and then swimming with some pedals and then swimming you know just try to break it up a little bit yeah we should put shoes on the list yeah yeah we should yeah yeah we can wear medicines high heels do you want to do that do that I think your high heels are not that high so they'll be okay yeah I'll be part of that yeah I think some different different things yeah because I've seen people one guy saw he almost had like shoes that were almost flippers and you know they were kind of he could run adequately in them but then they kind of worked better in the water yeah they look very strange I have to say yeah maybe running like a pair of jettles or something right so these protect your feet on the run and then just tuck them in your in your togs or something like that oh yeah okay so like when you when you don't swim for example or let's say you've got flu or whatever the case might be how do you know how do you deal with that just to paint for my family um yeah so I had a bit of a couple of weeks ago but it's quite hard not going swimming all the time yep um yeah I just try I'm lucky I'm 10 minutes from the beach anyway so I've been at the dog for a while just getting the water away I'll just see the water okay but yeah I do it is good for mental health for sure like I feel yeah the buzz from it I feel a lot more happier after a swim actually a morning swim look at what I'm such it makes such a big difference what's happened I've ever got oh I don't know is Yorkshire Terry of Bees on beautiful little fur baby boy or girl little boy treebacker and does he swim with you uh he does get on the kayak so when I swim my husband comes a kayak he will go on the kayak he's got a little life jacket oh very cool yeah so he does like the kayak in it's not really into swimmer too many many years ago when I started there was a Labrador that would actually do some of the ocean swim events um I used to swim with with the owner and so my very first swim my goal in life was to beat Rosie the dog is it that's I didn't didn't care about anything else and I scraped scraped in the head of Rosie yep I think you know we're pretty handy having Chebecker with you if if an orca appeared yeah I think you'd be just like say the dog yeah no no no what's the dog like yeah like the orca and she's a lot she's pretty chilled I don't have to chase anything I don't have to chase birds or obviously he's a conservation I don't yeah I don't encourage anything like that um so I don't think he would I think he's just happy he just sits there and chills out on the kayak hmm so he swam at all the islands that you go hey have you swam around around swam around TT yeah Roger organized that a few years ago yeah which is pretty awesome yeah was that a poolette and there's like seven and a half yeah yeah got a couple of him the kayak on the I.B one of the ranges there um she came in the kayak as well and kayak round as we pool it together yeah so that was awesome that was really fun it's lovely seeing the island from a different different angle yeah yeah and I'm gonna hear all the birds all the time which is pretty awesome yeah I've done that twice around there's a couple of times with the kippers and we're setting yeah yeah that's a nice swim that's a good yeah after you swim around it you have some youth that's six crazy yeah so it's smaller yeah but the um my favorite one they are nice on the islands but I just um it does get upset and you don't see much marine life because of the overfishing yeah which is pretty and all the kin are there so what I do we went to the dusky sound that was a Roger holiday the February this year so that was pretty amazing and we're all gonna Roger organized a holiday for us to go down we're down to Queenstown for a couple of days and then we went got to do Tim but it's not too hard with the name now Tiano we've got there we've got a helicopter into the onto the boat and we send the boat I think it was four or five nights four nights and we just sum every day if I can do like a three or four case in the morning a couple of candy afternoon or go for a walk or go on the kayaks it's awesome all on the boat with no phone reception just wildlife what about go to Ireland he's from go to Ireland I've some I'm sorry I'm trying to book in to do that it gets cancelled because of weather or I need to do that actually I'm done that one yeah because we we sometimes just go up and just yeah I just do ourselves just do it ourselves what does it normally in the week and then in the summer time my work it's busy yeah because of the work yeah do you work weekends during the summer no he not so I don't know we go in the week days a week so I need to yeah do come up or we'll have to let you know yeah well we need to go because yeah we we've got a beautiful fish there yep yes you do see a lot of moving life it's very very cool couple of caves that you could say to the caves and have a panic attack in a cave do you need to always go into caves it's shocking we go swimming I'm like well she's gone now she's gone into a cave I'm not going in there because I do get fined as a seaweed because I because you don't know what's in there like dusky was different because it's clear water but here in Auckland it's not that clear you just see this sea wind I can't don't know what's in there so I like go when we got to sticks it's too late tied well I like go miles around then I'm by stasing I'm like going yeah no if you need we'll go over it goes she gets lost she's a nightmare go no islands pretty clearing so that'll be fine I don't mind that because I can see it's often clear sometimes you get around the salt in it yeah so that's fine as long as I can see what's around yeah it's just all what it's murky at this seaweed no it's usually pretty clear yeah yeah that's very cool there's so many there's so many awesome swims that we're going to do right yeah they're talking all about that do you have a swim that you reckon was just your best ever as in of anything whether it's a smile or a scenery and whatever yeah I think dusky for sure yeah um just because of the birds and the trees like there's such old trees and there's this amazing island called anchor islands got lots of conservation history with Richard Henry and so that was like amazing for me just to get there and because you know that not many people go there it's not been touched by any humans it's just left as it is and the birds and yeah no I loved that and you could just the fish there as well are amazing yeah that was pretty awesome penguins dolphin seals seals everywhere what kind of temperature was the water that you swimming in there's about 1617 so it wasn't like yeah it wasn't wasn't too cold no yeah yeah sounds very pretty cool it was awesome and the company was great like it was a lot of fun yeah was a dusky sound earlier in the year that there was a conservation camera in the water that found the shell yes luckily that story came out one more back yeah that was on a pure salt boat as well so we did we do the trick through um fit and able free Dan yeah with Penelope and Chloe who are absolutely amazing health and safety yes everything was just amazing are they the amazing woman um but yeah Dan was in there he was on that trick yes I haven't met him I know they are they do a great job yes as it was brilliant such a good holiday I definitely do that again um but yeah then we got back enough it was a week later that came out the shark yes of course it's going to be sharks because the ecosystem is fish there so obviously there is going to be but it was just such a classic video clip hey oh no that's yeah so did you see the video joke no don't yeah so literally there was like an underwater camera and the water was pretty damn clear yeah and there's just this massive great white that cruises up and almost like noses the camera and then just forms off you know because I don't worry too much I think that you only really get sharks if the water's salty so I think they shot all around us all the time and we are just blissfully unaware of them so what makes dusky amazing is because it's all fresh water it's all like it's like a tea color turn color at the top oh yeah so when you get near the sea get near to see the water gets clearer so there you can't see anything either so it gets colder by the waterfalls that's pretty fun yeah yeah yeah um you can't see much in like all the fjords until you start swimming out to the silver boat like guys near at the sea then either water is clearly because I see the fish and obviously there's more life and must see weed I don't want to ask me of a swim I did a swim in uh still in Bosch in a damn or a lake or something like that and still in Bosch is obviously a one region in in South Africa and when you stand on the side and then look at this water it's red from all of the I don't know what you call it from from all of the vineyards like alongside the water there's like run off or something but literally that meter that you're talking about in this damn was was red and that was a difference because you know you're looking at everybody you know almost your rose colored glasses yeah that's just from that stuck with me but because it was you know and lake you know I wasn't too nervous about any dodgy stuff which was pretty good it is a nice thing about lakes I mean you know nothing so there's going to be a nearly all but otherwise well nothing will don't change that for me now don't not miss my stomach yeah yeah you don't want to go swimming lake Karee but then no is that in South Africa it's in Zimbabwe yes so it's full of tiger fish oh yes you know in New Zealand there's nothing yeah well nothing it's going to hit you in New Zealand right I swam in like my now we want and the so the the five hundred meters sort of closest to shore is considered dangerous because of the hippies and crocodile so depends on which lake we're talking about right yeah I'm sure there would be some so yes but New Zealand's pretty sure yeah okay so what's what's on the bucket list um I'd yeah so I think just try and go longer for ice to me an extreme ice one yeah so we're talking up two k's as as a goal yeah probably yes probably and then yeah to get just improved my running for travel ones um okay we're not interested in you know otherwise I think it'd be the two K that would be that would be such a such a cool thing to do but I think there'd be more of us doing it next time those and I think it'd be quite few of us wanting to do that now yeah yeah yeah so there's not so many people with a mile under their belts and then it's kind of the what next yeah that's something that'd be good yeah so I think we've got a cater for quite a few miles just the miles are you know obviously that's the the goal um and definitely what did we have this year three extremes was it three no it was more than that um we had six six extremes I think so yeah okay so yeah probably that again or another two or so on top of that because that's when the safety becomes even trickier right the further and the longer in the water the the more the safety yeah yeah it does get a bit stressful I was you know that swim with Brent I was yeah I I was shattered afterwards I really was shattered because I was trying to work out yeah do I let him stay in and finish it which he did or should I pull him out which I should have um yeah it was it was funging yeah and motion is quite tiring yeah yeah yes because you're cheering everyone on and yeah mentally I was too in fact just the swim itself is more more mental than physical for me and of course I don't you know well you're lucky you don't think about it one was late in the day so I had a whole day to think about it and uh yeah I can't turn my brain off yeah I was worried about the bit where you come in to land off the K I don't want to get out and I thought because I knew I don't want in my head to walk out so I was sitting at the other end the other boy turnaround so trying to manifest just get him around there and then getting back in so I was just trying to yeah yeah yeah yeah cool um I know you can't just have time but maybe just for um you know for for I guess women in general stay here and maybe people that are covering from from cancer or going through some some tough times like in the any advice in any any sort of words of wisdom um I think yeah getting to your cancer is not it's not fun definitely it's quite scary but the um I had a once I got told the system was amazing not great so amazing support um I had really good counseling which really helped that made a massive difference as well but getting into sport and then having goals to achieve and just um appreciate actually how strong your body is and what you are capable of and definitely stimming um I think I got cold war because I know it helps you mental health as well so it used to listen to podcast and things of bowel cancer you get a lot of set and cry but now I can just support us and be a lot more grateful because things actually have survived this is good I'm winning yeah I'm lucky um but yeah I think that's definitely the summons helped me in the sun rises the sun sets help me to definitely see yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah I'm not a negative person yeah so I'm not a negative person anyway but yeah I think just of it's like just be grateful yeah very very lucky it's awesome and it just makes me yeah makes you feel happy and healthy nice that's cool I was being such a nice chat thank you so much for coming over and and surviving a punctured wheel really appreciated you coming and having this yarn with us yeah of course thank you so we're going to a couple of days we're going to go to islands from that we'll play and we've got a nice one that we'll play and they'll become up for there yeah yeah yeah not as top your weather yeah and and we'll be more than likely we'll be on the boat looking after on your experience from the time ten oh no 18 months time yeah we've got the 29th of November your swim I'm coming up for that well I've got far but um I've bitten for there cool so that'd be fun nice yeah so that's one just for reference to the listeners is 12 by one mile on our every hour at Waikibits 12 Bay for means made to laugh yeah thank you awesome thanks for your time thanks everyone hi my name is Caitlyn I'm Riley I'm the youngest person who have completed the Ocean 7 Challenge of this really cool podcast has helped you learn something new maybe it's introduced you to new swimmers made you smile um then please state the opportunity to subscribe to Duncan and Jim's channel I'm sure they would absolutely appreciate all your support cheers thanks Caitlyn well as always you can give us feedback on our Instagram account at Clevdix or send us an email Clevdixinz at gmail.com we'd really appreciate hearing from you and cheers we'll speak to you again soon