I started a new job on Monday and on Friday I’m heading to Ullswater to swim the length of the lake. This is a practice swim for Windermere. Ullswater is the second longest lake in the Lake District and the event is organised by the same company who are organising the Windermere swim.
It’s the first week in my new job and I’m already asking to finish early on Friday to make the 3 hours plus journey so that we can make registration the night before.
Wave Times: I needed to get my wave changed; I was in too fast a wave which started later than the wave I needed to be in and I was in danger of missing the cut-off if I didn’t get it changed. Luckily the lovely volunteers at Chillswim let me change my starting time. Once sorted, we head to our AirB&B to prepare lots of pasta to preload for the day ahead.
Event Day: It’s not a too early start which I was happy about as with it being my first week in a new job it had been a full-on week. The event is set up so that you park at the finish and buses take you to the start of the swim. This part is definitely nerve-wracking. I felt ready – since the 11k summer solstice swim, training had been going well. The nerves were more about the unknown of what the lake conditions, currents, boats etc may be like.
Fuel for the day: This consisted of Tailwind energy drink, chews and energy bars all tucked away in my tow float. The event provided hydration boats each mile which had High 5 nutrition and jelly babies. I mainly used my fuel but did use the boat once. Our wave set of the weather was perfect and the lake on the surface was still and calm. Swimming felt really good. I arrived at the first feed station, which was way over the mile that we were told it would be, but everything was good.
Dreaded Cramp!! Cramp set in at mile 3. OMG it hurt! Thankfully, the team on the safety boat helped to relieve the cramp, which set in twice in the same calf, allowing me to continue swimming as I was worried I’d need to get out. This definitely affected my pace but I could carry on which was the main thing. At mile 5 the cramp on the other leg set in…and I had to call on the safety boat again as it was so painful. I carried on though, as with summer solstice I just needed to keep swimming over the distance
At points it didn’t feel like I was moving, the current underneath the water was strong. “Just keep swimming” I tell myself “keep holding onto the person in front”. Gradually I overtake some, others I don’t. Just keep swimming and that’s exactly what me & Sal, my swimming buddy, do until we reach the big inflatable duck that marks the finish.
But I’ve got to stand and walk which is going to be a challenge with my cramped calves!! I struggle but am helped from the water by the lovely volunteers. But my goodness, I was smiling, feeling great for completing the swim. For the length of the swim, it was just me & my thoughts mostly, apart from speaking to the safety guy on the boats and the odd word to Sal at the feed stations. A totally different experience from any running or triathlon long-distance event I’ve done. And despite it being very tough at times, the one thought I definitely had was to keep swimming, this is for charity and it’s raising money for disabled children to have swimming lessons. I’d already had some pretty generous donations so I had to just keep swimming.
