Just checking in really, with a small update on the Ironman Journey.
First of all, I would like to say a massive well done to my Tinpot compadre, Rhys, for his efforts in the recent Swashbuckler half Ironman. An awesome achievement! Well done boyo.
As for me, well training has been going well of late. I have upped the hours per week and feel like I'm starting to get somewhere. I've been doing a lot of swimming in the pool, which is all well and good and I'll continue to do so, but what I really needed was open water.
I had a nice new wetsuit for Christmas and it has been waiting for its maiden voyage for months. I have been to Tenby twice with the sole intention to go sea swimming. The first time, a beautiful sunny morning, turned into thick fog, rain and stormy seas by high tide.
The second time, the conditions were lovely. Only problem was, I left my wetsuit back in Gloucester. What a muppet!
Anyway, I asked around, and did some research online to find some open water swimming locations around Gloucester, and there are plenty!
So, last Sunday, I grabbed my gear (including wetsuit) and headed over to Lake 31 of the Cotswold Country Park and beach at South Cerney.
The lakes at South Cerney are a lovely part of the world, with small beaches, parks, places to barbecue and many different water sports to try your hand at.
Lucie and the boys came with me, which was nice, and there was lots for them to do while I took the plunge.
I was a little nervous as this was my first open water swim, and first time in my new wetsuit. I got changed, and chatted to some of the other swimmers. It was good to know I wasn't the only one new to open water.
I made my way out, dropped my bag off with the family and headed on in.
The water was a balmy 15 degrees, and it didn't take long at all to acclimatise.
Goggles on, and I was off. I decided to make my way round the 750metre course and take it from there. It took a little while to get used to these alien conditions, and my sense of direction seemed to desert me, twice nearly swimming into the wake boarding area which runs alongside the swim course.
Once I rounded the first marker, I seemed to find my bearings and a decent rhythm and ploughed on.
I made it back to the start with my watch reading 787 metres (the extra metres probably due to my constant course corrections). I adjusted my goggles and headed out for another lap. This one felt much better, although my sighting still needs a fair bit of work. The first two markers came and went with no drama, and I started on the final leg. About half way across, the water became very clear, and at first I though I was looking at rocks on the bottom. On closer inspection, it was a vast forest of pond weed a few metres below, and how much further it went down after that is a mystery, but it was bloody creepy and I must confess, my desire to get back increased along with my pace!
In total, I cover 1.6km in exactly 30 minutes. I was quite happy with this for my first open water swim.
I really enjoyed this swim, ( a bargain at only £5) and am a big fan of swimming in a wetsuit! I can't wait to get back out into open water, specifically a sea swim in Tenby, which Rhys and I have got planned for early June. So watch out for our report after heading off to Tenby to have a closer look at what we are up against!
