11.5 kilometres doesn’t sound that far. In a car you’d be done in less minutes than you have fingers. You could run it at a nice pace and be done in an hour, but swimming it….. That’s a whole different kettle of fish. 2 hours 55 minutes was my time, which I was quite pleased with, … Read more
It seems like ages since I swam in open water, though I get the same sense of timescale every year when the open water swimming season starts. It’s May, and on Tuesday I had my first open water swim of the year in an unfamiliar location, with unfamiliar people. Let me explain… I have recently … Read more
What does it take to buy a house for the first time when you’re over forty in the UK housing market today? For me it was simply dogged determination and years of planning.At the age of 44, it is kind of late in life to be a first time buyer. However, this is no longer … Read more
So summer is now officially over. The completion of the Dart 10k swim marks the official end of summer in my mind. It was a week ago that I completed the swim and already I have resorted to wearing jeans and shoes and socks for the first time since April. It feels decidedly weird and … Read more
Two weeks have passed since my last entry and it seems like a lot has happened. Unfortunately the fuel pump inside the fuel tank in my car decided to stop working, leaving me without a car for 10 days. You really don’t realise how much you rely on your car until you don’t have it. … Read more
Man what a week! It’s been hot. Real hot, which was all the encouragement I needed to make me want to get into the lake and swim, but mainly to just cool down. Monday night it was hot and sticky and I was looking forward to driving to the lake and having a lovely cool … Read more
A week on from my decision to really start training properly and I’ve been getting back into swimming in a lake. I must admit I have missed swimming in the lake so much. Although a little apprehensive about the first swim, once in the water and swimming, I found it hard not to smile. Stopping … Read more
The River Dart 10k Swim in Devon UK “Do the Dark 10K Swim” they Said….. “It’s one of the all time great swims!”.Ok I thought. I liked swimming and this has been on my bucket list for a while. THE START As I waited in the starting pen for the start of my wave I … Read more
I had my first cold water swim of the year on Saturday morning as part of my training to acclimatise my body to the cold of the English Channel. As I got to the outdoor pool at Guildford and paid my money to participate in my morning of torture. I would not be wearing a … Read more