I booked online with Midland Open Water swimming. The session cost £7 and my time slot was 10-11am.
Top tip: I put my swimming costume and wetsuit on at home because there are no changing rooms on site, and it saves time and saves getting cold before the swim. May seem pointless as I am getting cold anyway, but I do feel that the less time I spend cold the better.
A bright swim hat and a tow float are essentials so that you can be spotted in the water. The tow float is also useful to hold on to if you need to catch your breath. Which I definitely needed today.
Outside temperature was 9 degrees Celsius when I arrived, water temperature was 12 degrees Celsius. Below 15 degrees Celsius is classed as cold water swimming.
And finally...in the water! I need to update the date settings on this camera as it should read 29/10/23 and was approx 10:10am
Great advice is to try and breathe slowly, even though your body is telling you the opposite. I have to keep reminding myself of this. I did need to get out and have my inhaler at one point. If you have any underlying health conditions please get clearance from a healthcare professional before you swim in cold water.
Sound is difficult to capture because the camera is inside a thick waterproof case so please turn your volume to max to hear the audio on the video below. I took the camera off my head and turned it around so I could talk to you.
I lasted 30 minutes in the water, with a brief inhaler break in-between.
Thanks to my friend for taking these photos from the shore.
Thanks also to my friend for creating this image of my worst nightmare 😆
When the camera was on my head unfortunately it didn't record today but I have included footage from last time at the end of this blog post.
As there are no changing rooms, getting changed is a bit of a faff. I hide behind my car.
It reminds me of getting changed after PE when I was at school, awkwardly pulling on clothes to hide body parts. A dry robe or dressing gown can be your best friend here.
Don't just leave straight away. Take some time to warm up because the body experiences a second cool down after a swim which can take you by surprise.
I brought a onesie, a hot water bottle and a flask of tea. With the car heater on too I soon warmed up. Happy days.
Back home for an egg and bacon sandwich (low salt bacon, grilled, Tesco finest oat & barley loaf, an egg fried in spray oil plus ketchup & brown sauce).
8/10/23 swim footage
05/11/23
Coldest swim yet. 11 degrees Celsius in the water. Will I get to single digits this season? Perhaps but I do need to invest in some gloves and boots because my hands and feet were immediately cold meaning I couldn't use that as a gauge as to when to get out and ending up feeling faint when I exited the water.
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Best wishes
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