The Sea Breezers in Poole - 28 April 2012

Mastering swimming in the Sea was always going to be the toughest step. So apart from our one Dover swim in September 2011 and our various holidays this was the first Sea Breezers swim. Whilst the weather on Friday was glorious blue sky and gentle waves, 7am Saturday morning proved a little different, the rain, wind and cold returned during the night to sap any warmth we'd built up from the toasty bagels and hot tea breakfast.

Bob Holman, our new best friend, chairman of the East Dorset Open water swimming association, and all round fantastic guy met us, in the rain, on the beach at 8am, an incredible response to my 'fair maiden call for help'. This, after my Uncle Paul (and Aunty Mary who we were staying with), said he would not support us going into a new sea without a clear picture of the tides, the risks and the areas we should swim in. Thank goodness we did, Bob guided us in the route to swim, walked along the shore to keep an eye on us, and coached us on how to cope properly in the cold (stay fit, so you can keep up the stroke, which means the core stays warm) - "Seeemples", Big hats off though, as confident as the four of us were, the safety and assurance of having an expert close by was just wonderful.

Thank Bridget for taking the picture!

So, what of the swim? We made the decision to wear wetsuits, in the rain, wind and cold, we decided it was more important to do the swim, learn about our reactions to the waves, the cold on our heads and the gagging from salt water, rather than get too cold and only last for a short time. An hour in, just under 2 miles, and the only one swimming straight was Sarah, why doesn't the sea have lines on the bottom!!

Niki's parents also joined us on the beach, Richard being stir crazy after a hip operation (and then marching around on the sand with his crutches!!), and Susie being a great mum ready with the umbrella and a hug, and then looking after Moralee's wetsuit (yes she went in for the last 20 minutes in a swimsuit - she's well hard). One swim down, Chilblains, Frozen limbs, Bruised chafed necks, but all worth it, Brighton in 2 weeks, Eton 3k swim in 4 weeks, and the schedule continues...getting in the sea proved that we can all do it, we can swim for an hour, and that the rain, the choppy sea and the cold are just part of the ever changing landscape, in the words of some great philosopher

Go Big or Go Home

A year can make all the difference....

I walked into the heated pool area had a 20 minute chat with Pete Frost my new swim coach, and after an attempt to swim a length of breast stroke, he uttered the now immortal words 'OKAY! Let's start with the basics, floating, rotating and breathing, before we even consider swimming frontstroke'. That was 22 March 2011.

Moralee and I walked into the heated pool area, said hello to the Gnarly Nutters tri club and joined them for a 1 hour swim including 15 x 100 meters off 2 minutes. A quick sauna and a break for 45 minutes and back into the pool for exactly an hour and 150 lengths. A quick banana break for 30 mins and then back in for a final half an hour of 15 x 100 meters. 2.5 hours nearly 7 kilometers. That was 17 March 2012.

Lemon and I walked into Hyde Park, as the sun peeked gently through wispy cloud, and we watch 2 men with pink hats and pink skin swimming past us in the serpentine, we spot the other two 'sea breezers' waiting by the club house (Moralee and Gisby) and squeal excitedly before stripping off to our swimsuits, giggling at our madness and heading for the steps.

That was today, 7.30am Saturday 14th April 2012, we lasted 20 minutes, in 10 degree water, (if you want to know how that feels, just dip your head in a big tub of ice cream...my twin Andi and our friend Dibs may recall doing that aged 13... )and then had the shakes so bad we could hardly drink our tea! (From the left:- Niki Lemon, Bridget Gisby, Sarah Moralee, Nikki Watkins)

One benefit of swimming in the river was we met some of the fantstic serpentine team, chatted about the channel and got additional ideas for how we're going to approach it, the naked men in the shared small changing hut were a little surprising (not much to see after the cold water though:) heh heh, but when you realise how cold your body is, your modesty leaves you and getting the wet swimsuit off is all that matters...thanks John for your old dressing gown, we'll all be looking for old heavy towelling robes now! Mum hand them over:)

Anyway, a year does make a difference, I've learnt to respect water with its variety of temperatures, flows, tastes, and buoyancy. I understand more than ever that the mind does matter, I've discovered proper fuel is required or my body doesn't work, and today I discovered the absolute pleasure of swimming parallel with my sea breezer team, able to see their bodies and faces and to feel the collective energy of this powerful group of women, I am so proud to be a part of it!

Roll on our shared sea training sessions, go large or go home.