Blog 4: Christmas and Publicity for the Challenge

The past week has been brilliant for raising awareness for the fundraiser. My friends are slagging me saying that I’m in the news more than a local TD coming up to re-election. There was a piece about ‘Ruairi’s Swim to Recovery’ in last week’s Westmeath Independent. I was also on Midlands 103 on Monday to talk about my story and how I’ve been recovering to date.  If you’re interested in hearing more about what happened to me and how the three organisations the money is being raised for helped me when I needed it most, then you can listen back to it on this link http://www.midlands103.com/midlandstoday/78769/

This week of training was easily my worst to date. I’ve been in holiday mode since Monday, selection boxes and celebrations everywhere in the house has set me into Christmas mind-set. I’ve still managed to get into the pool twice for two long swims to ensure I don’t fall off the wagon completely. My nutrition has certainly been far from ideal, I just about peeled myself off the couch on Wednesday evening leaving a trail of sweet wrappers in my wake to get in for a session.  The Saturday morning session was fuelled by Friday night’s curry cheese chips, a combination I wouldn’t recommend even though it probably met my required carbohydrates for the session. I’ll hopefully make up for the sessions over the Christmas period, I don’t mind doing a few swims at this time as it seems to break up the day for me but it’ll be a lot more laid back than previous weeks.

The interviews for the paper and the radio were certainly novel experiences, although I was nervous about them and they took me out of my comfort zone, I was glad of them because they helped to raise awareness for the Swim Challenge and for the GoFundMe page which is useful for people who wish to donate to the fundraiser but do not have access to anyone with a sponsorship card.   https://www.gofundme.com/ruairi039s-039swim-to-recovery039-challenge

I can only imagine Midlands 103 thought there was a good idea with the swim but realised I’d get nowhere with a form of media which displayed my mug shot beside the article.  The radio interview was particularly unnerving as I knew any slip of the tongue couldn’t be taken back and would be held against me like Boyzone’s first appearance on the Late Late Show. Hopefully I’d take it a bit better than Shane Lynch anyway.

Lastly, I’d just like to thank everyone for their support for the challenge this year. I’ve been humbled and astounded by the level of response so far. Enjoy the festivities and try not to fall out with family members except when someone opens the Celebrations and only leaves behind the Bounty’s, that is a cardinal sin which cannot be forgiven.  The next blog will be out in January when ‘New Year, New Me’ shall be in full swing and I’ll be eating more kale and salads than an Instagram influencer.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Ruairi