Ross Edgley - The Art of Resilience

COPYRIGHT

HarperCollins Publishers

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First published by HarperCollins Publishers 2020

FIRST EDITION

Text © Ross Edgley 2020

Illustrations by Liane Payne © HarperCollins Publishers 2020

Jacket design by Sim Greenaway © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2020

Front cover photograph © Andrew Brown

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

Ross Edgeley asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

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Source ISBN: 9780008356989

Ebook Edition © April 2020 ISBN: 9780008356965

Version 2021-03-22

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Page numbers taken from the following print edition: ISBN 9780008356989

DEDICATION

Thank you to my dad, the most stoically strong man I know.

CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Dedication

FOREWORD by Ant Middleton

PROLOGUE

PART 1 | LIFE ON LAND (BEFORE THE SWIM)

CHAPTER 1 |WHY DID I DO IT?

CHAPTER 2 |WHY THE BODY DOES NOT BREAK?

CHAPTER 3 |WHY THE MIND DOES NOT QUIT?

PART 2 | LIFE AT SEA (DURING THE SWIM)

LESSON 1 |STOIC SPORTS SCIENCE IS PHILOSOPHY FORGED IN BATTLE

LESSON 2 |LEARN THE POWER OF SPIRITUAL SPORTS SCIENCE

LESSON 3 |THE BODY BRUISES AND BLEEDS BUT CANNOT BE BEATEN

LESSON 4 |TO WALK YOUR OWN PATH, WRITE YOUR OWN PLAN

LESSON 5 |MAKE THE BODY AN INSTRUMENT, NOT AN ORNAMENT

LESSON 6 |BUILD RESILIENCE BY ‘GETTING WINTERED’

LESSON 7 |FAST CAN BE FRAGILE AND SLOW CAN BE STRONG

LESSON 8 |STRENGTH IMPROVES STAMINA AND STAMINA IMPROVES STRENGTH

THE GREAT BRITISH SWIM TRAINING PLAN

LESSON 9 |LEARN HOW TO CRUISE OR KILL

LESSON 10 |LEARN TO LIMIT LIMITATIONS

LESSON 11 |THE TWO WAYS TO PROCESS PAIN

LESSON 12 |COMBAT FEAR WITH ‘FERAL FEAR THEORY’

LESSON 13 |LEARN THE POWER OF A HIGHER PURPOSE

LESSON 14 |ACCEPT THE UNCONTROLLABLES

LESSON 15 |CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLES

LESSON 16 |RESILIENCE CANNOT BE RUSHED, BUT QUITTING CAN

LESSON 17 |YOU’RE STRONGER WHEN SMILING

LESSON 18 |YOU CAN SLEEP YOURSELF STRONGER

LESSON 19 |HEROICS IN HUNGER

LESSON 20 |RESILIENCE IS BEST SERVED WITH FOOD

THE GREAT BRITISH SWIM DIET

LESSON 21 |STOMACH OF STEEL

LESSON 22 |RESILIENCE IS SUFFERING STRATEGICALLY MANAGED

EPILOGUE

Endnotes

List of Searchable Terms

Acknowledgements

About the Publisher

FOREWORD

By Ant Middleton

You only have to look at the numbers: 1,780 miles, 157 days at sea, half a million calories burned, over two million swim strokes completed. Staggering. And do you know what’s even more mind-blowing? Zero sick days.

Here was I thinking it would be hard enough to sail around Great Britain: who whould be crazy enough to swim all the way around it?

That’s why I wanted to be one of the first to congratulate Ross when, after five months out at sea, he got himself back to Margate beach at the end of his mammoth Great British Swim. One of the things I remember most about that day was that he was exhausted, he was hungry, he looked like an alien from another world … and yet he had this huge smile beaming across his face.

One of the key mindset principles that has got me through life is positivity . And for those who know him, you don’t need me to tell you that Ross has that in bucketloads. It means you have more mental energy. You’re smart. Your positive mindset can get you out of those dark places (and when you’ve read this book, you’ll see that Ross has been to a few of those).

What gives you the motivation that drives you through the pain barrier and the resilience to cope with any obstacles that nature throws your way? What is it about the mind that is so powerful it can lead you to achieve incredible things? How did Ross find the unbelievable strength to go against the grain of human nature and tackle something which has never been done before?

When I think of the answers to these questions, I reflect back on my time in the Special Forces and how training taught me how to play the odds. So in a combat situation I would be thinking about what would happen when I went through that door with an armed enemy on the other side. Is he going to get me before I get him? What are the risks of me getting a bullet through the head that kills me instantly? In most situations I’d calculate the chances were slim, so I’d say to myself, ‘Fuck that, the odds are with me, I’m going in.’

Ross overcame all the odds. The jellyfish in the Corryvreckan, the tankers crossing his path, the treacherous currents and tides, the winds and the waves, the storms. It’s a wonder the odd Atlantic shark didn’t decide to join the welcoming party!

With his physical and mental capabilities, backed up by his professional sports science qualifications and understanding of nutrition, if anyone was going to make the Great British Swim a success, it was Ross. You could be the best swimmer in the world but you wouldn’t make it past the first week without mental fortitude, resilience and flicking yourself into survival mode.

The transformative lessons you can learn from this daring endeavour are countless. Don’t let other people define you. Overcome that fear of the unknown. Purge your mind of everything apart from you against the water. Crack on, get in the zone, and get the job done.

Ross is one of the most humble and inspiring individuals you could ever wish to meet. From reading this book, the message that comes shining through is this: you can achieve anything .

Who dares swims. Good luck, mate – I couldn’t be prouder to call you a friend. You are one of a kind, a true British hero and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for your next big (and hopefully dry) adventure.

PROLOGUE

It’s 10.00 a.m. on 31 January 2018 at the Royal Marines Commando Training Centre in Lympstone, Devon. I had just completed a 48-hour training swim (covering 185 km in the centre’s training pool) in preparation for my quest to set the record for the world’s longest current-neutral swim in an ocean, sea or bay. I was planning to take on this challenge around Bermuda where the waters were warm, the food was great, and I knew lots of people with boats so plenty of support would be at hand.