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,
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