Howling at the Moon

Last night I joined the Outdoor Swimming Society for a Full Moon swim at Hatchmere. It wasn't a promising evening, with lots of cloud cover and only the occasional glimpse of sky. We arrived at the lake just before 9 - to find one swimmer already in the water. Others arrived just as we did, so by the time I'd got into my wetsuit, there were 3 or 4 of us getting in.
David, who came with me but remained fully dressed and shorebound, waved us off, taking photos of the big moment (Splash!).
I was swimming pretty slowly - much slower than everyone else, as I'm still feeling pretty tired. I was determined to do 4 trips accross the lake and back though, as this would be almost a mile and great training.
Trip 1 - can't get into my rhythm at all and I'm finding it hard to breathe properly. I have to talk myself into not panicking.
Trip 2 - getting the hang of it, feeling much better and getting a rhythm going - lovely to have company on the back leg of the trip (thanks to Vic and Nez for swimming so slowly and chatting!)
Trip 3 - begining to get dark - finding it harder to see the sign on the opposite bank that we're swimming towards, but keep going anyway. David's put lights on the beach so we can swim our way back to shore easily.
Trip 4 - it's raining! Oh well! I'm wet anyway.
David's managed to gather up the bags and put them under a tree, so our things aren't too wet when we get out. It's almost 10.30 - but it's really warm after the rain has stopped. The pub's closed and so we can't have a celebratory drink - I managed the 4 trips I set out to do - although I swam the shortest distance I'm perhaps the proudest of my swim!
It's almost midnight when I get home - and by the time I've rinsed my wetsuit and had a shower, I fall into bed very tired!

Scream if you want to go faster!

So I did a pool swim last night, and beat my personal best for swimming 1/2 mile (32 lenths) by a whole 5 minutes! I'd read another swimmer's post on facebook earlier, and he'd done a really good time (thanks Acky!) so I thought I'd try and beef mine up a bit. So with a few lengths of crawl thrown in (thanks to Dave for the coaching) and under the influence of some performance enhancing medicine that the doctor's given me to mend my brain, I fairly stormed up and down the pool.

So I'm a very happy bunny!

My Viewpoint

Just in case you're wondering (and I know it's a long shot) but this is what it looks like from my viewpoint when I'm swimming outdoors. That white thing in the water is my arm by the way, not a pale french stick or a bit or wood!

The Big Jump

Had another outdoor swim today - it was brilliant! I found out that the Outdoor Swimming Society were having a "Big Jump" at 3pm this afternoon - people all over the UK took to rivers and lakes and just jumped in.
I joined a group of hardy souls at Hatchmere in Cheshire (actually, not so hardy, it was apparently 22 degrees C!). I swam to the far bank and back, which is 400yds, so another quarter of a mile, but this was much easier going than at Salford Quays, and much more relaxed.
We were joined by a pair of swans and their 4 cygnets, and a dog with a stick who was having great fun!
Can't wait for the next one!
Take care,

Taking the plunge

The first thought that went through my head as I looked up through the murky water, seeing the bubbles rise above my head wasn't "gosh! it's cold" or even "gosh! it's a bit deep" but "what a strange colour the water is". Now that might be strange for someone who's just jumped into Salford Quays, but I don't suppose you're ever fully in control of what pops into your head.
Once I'd surfaced and caught my breath, I was struck by how clear the water is - OK, it's an amber colour, but you can see a good 6 feet down at least - so it was a bit like swimming in cold tea (only not quite as tasty, and I did taste a fair bit!).
This plunge came about when another swimmer from GNS requested an open water swimming buddy and I volunteered. Steve (my new buddy) has a friend (Dave) who used to do Triathlons regularly, so he offered to take us through some hints and tips. I'm not sure what they expected, but it probably wasn't me - a complete novice who'd never even worn a wetsuit before and doesn't swim the triathlete's preferred front crawl. And since I'm not yet back to fully fit after my recent medical adventures, I'm sure they got more (or rather less) than they'd bargained for. However, they were both lovely and very generous with their support and time. Dave did a bit of coaching with me to get me swimming crawl, and they both went the first circuit at my speed (which meant they had to wait quite a lot). I got out after one circuit - I have no idea how long this took and it was quite hard work. But it's 400m (16 lenths) under my belt.
So, with the swim only 57 days away, I've got a lot of work to do - at the moment I'm definitely not fit enough to complete the course, but I'm sure I can get there.
Massive, massive thanks to both Steve and Dave for their support and patience, and to Mick for the wetsuit! (Don't I look fetching in it? - no, don't answer that!)

Take care,

Suit You Sir

I've been lent a wetsuit to do my swim (Thanks Mick!).
Mick did the Great North Swim last year, and really enjoyed it. He's filled me in on what's it's like, and fired up my enthusiasm. So today, I tried on the wetsuit, which fits like a glove! I'll post a picture soon (when I'm braver).
On Thursday I'll be trying it out at Salford Quays, doing my first open water swim. I'll keep you posted!
Take care

Recovery Stroke

Recently, my right hand has gone strange. I've had difficulty writing and typing. It was initially diagnosed as being a stroke, and as a result I've been off work and "resting" for the last 6 weeks. As a result, I've not done much training - although to be fair it was more down to the not being able to drive than to not being able to exercise.
As it turns out, I've actually just blown a fuse in my brain, and it's nerve damage. I'm back to driving - and to training!
So I'm building back up to doing 64 lengths, and more rowing in the gymn.
Take care