January kilometre

Here comes Michael, great symmetry in the water. He was doing widths with a friend and I grabbed a couple of pictures. I went for a later Sunday morning swim, the races had finished but a crowd was still gathered checking travel details and getting SLSC hats for the World Cold Water Swimming Championships in Latvia.

The two of them a bit distant but I couldn't make them swim a couple more widths. At 5ºC nobody wants to hang around in the water.

A lifeguard I hadn't seen before was busy clearing the leaves, a never ending task especially with the weather we've been having. I had decided to attempt ten lengths today, I had the time for a more leisurely swim and long sauna so why not. A chap in stripy trunks was about a length ahead of me, I set off and caught him up by about length five. By seven and eight I was feeling cold, I think my body knew this was when I'd normally be getting out. With great effort I turned for nine and ten, my feet beginning to go numb. By the end of length ten I'd caught the stripy trunk man up again, the cold didn't feel too bad so I went on to make it twelve lengths. My first kilometre of the year.

I hot footed it to the sauna, and was shivery for a couple of minutes but not too bad. A few minutes later Mr Stripy came in also having done twelve lengths, he looked very cold. He must have been in the water at least five minutes longer than me. It'll put him in good stead for the endurance race in Latvia which is 450 metres. The sauna was as usual buzzing, not least because of Inez who is ever chatty. Good news being she starts a new job next week so will be morning swimming again, she swam a mile the other day at Hampton pool.

We're just over the thousand mile mark on the way to Latvia, I put my twelve lengths in the book, helped myself to some chocolate left from the racers but decided against an early morning whisky!
Saw Alfonso on my way out, he's back from Mexico and eager to get swimming again. I think it's a bit of a struggle against the cold though, he'd managed two widths the day before but I'm sure we'll soon be racing each other up an down the pool.