2019 Crete Swim - Chania - Blog 1

The plan was to all meet in Chania (prounonced “Han-ya”) a few days before the swim. Chania is small city with a population of about 70,000 Cretans and an equal number of tourists. It is located on the north coast of Crete and it’s major attractions are the markets and shops along its quaint narrow shady alleys and harbour foreshore, as well as the cafes, tavernas and hotels that line the beach front.

Of the 18 swimmers who took on the 2017 Lefkada Swim, 12 had jumped at the chance of another memorable holiday. Fortunately, we have been joined by Wayne and Paul to make a full booking of 14 for The Minoan Trail Swim.

Even to the u trained eye, it’s pretty obvious that the intervening two years has not been kind to many of us. The crack squad of fit and highly trained swimmers, Mandurah could be proud of, was no more. Part of the problem was the total disregard of the 12 week training program recommended by the organisers and the enthusiastic take up of the Linda Ray “Zip-Zero-No” Training programme. The big attraction obviously being the focus on not swimming anymore or faster than you feel like and progressively reducing your swimming over the 12 weeks leading up to the swim. Alas, we are all not Linda Ray and many were not able to endure the rigour of such a regime as evidenced by the list of injures incurred while training, including but not limited to: 3 dodgy shoulders, 1 dodgy knee, 1 dodgy achilles, and heart problems.

Nevertheless, the Manna spirit prevailed and the last of group limped in to Chania two days before the swim to join those already busy acclimatising to the shopping, drinking and the warm water.

We are all staying at a quaint hotel right on the foreshore with great views of the bay where we have been swimming a little.

Team spirit is high and celebrating being on a swim holiday started with the same fervour and frivolity of the last trip.

To be continued ...