Despite the overwhelming desire to run inland and to use the loo on a frequent basis, I conquered my fear today and went for my first sea swim. I can't believe I can write that now. Gone was the panicking flower that needed to hold people's hands just to paddle, here was a determined woman who marched to the waters edge with purpose in her eyes (behind her goggles).
It helped that I was being accompanied by Alan 'Ironman' Reid, the RNLI's Senior Lifeguard at Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth. He's a swimming coach with two clubs, Truro City and Helston, and a founding member of the Gyllyngvase Surf Lifesaving Club. A good bet then when you take on your biggest fear and your biggest challenge!
So he remained calm, chatting away as I spluttered and gasped my way through the surf line and into open water. Now here's the odd thing - when you're in a wetsuit it feels like your feet are going to take off over your head. It's a buoyancy thing but its very strange and slightly unnerving at first. Out of the window went all my new style training and off we went out to sea.
We actually made it to a buoy offshore and then back again. I don't think anyone expected me to do that but once I sensed I could manage this I was off. We chatted and swam and admired the beautiful cornish coastline and agreed we were the luckiest people alive for that time that it was just us, the sea and the sun.
Next weird thing - when we got back to the shallows I had lost my land legs. I tried to stand up but I was all wobbly. So I just had to hold Alan's arm for a moment and gather my balance. Then came the big news - Alan reckons we swam about a mile today, so I've done it, cracked the mile before the big event on Sunday - yippee!
Two footnotes for you: Alan did the Ironman 2008 at Sherbourne in Dorset - just a 2.4mile swim, 112 miles on a bike and then a marathon length run and all in 11 hours and 32 minutes.
Whoever invented the wetsuit didn't think about middle aged women with Mummy tummies! It took about three poeople giving advice to battle my way into my wetsuit and what an undignified struggle. My lovely daughter, Elen told me that all the top surfers use what is known as the surfers dance to put their suits on. Well I fell for that and entertained most of the unsuspecting people around the lifeguard hut.
So here I am, proud as punch with aching arms and my wetsuit on the line outside so everyone can see I've become a sea swimmer (of sorts).
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