Today I have the dubious honour of swimming in the rowing
strip at the National Water Sports Centre, Holme Pierrepont.
There are three distances on offer: - 5k, 3k and 1.5k. No
prizes for guessing which one I’ve gone for. L has opted for 3k and this starts
at the very human time of 2.30pm. We head down a little early to check of the ‘Expo’,
which is mainly for the Outlaw Ironman Triathlon on Sunday. The place is literally
buzzing, mainly with folk getting ready for the Outlaw, racking bikes etc, but
there are quite a few of us there purely to don some rubber.
We check in and are asked to show some photographic
identification, as if anybody would pretend to be me and steal my place. We are
then issued with a wristband (no idea what the purpose of this is), a timing
chip and a coloured swim cap. Blue for the boys, red for the girls.
Then before long L is in the water and away. We have been
briefed that the swim route is very simple. Straight up, round two orange buoys
and then back, in a clockwise direction. Simple, as long as you can swim.
L has to do this circuit twice, with a little run along the bank
in between. So almost an aquathon. Having seen her complete her first circuit,
I start to get ready for my date with the water. Then they announce that my
start has been delayed from 4pm to 4.30pm to give the canoeists a break from
the sun. Which is fine, if only they’d told me before I’d struggled into my wetsuit.
It’s very warm today and once the wetsuit is on, you start to melt from the inside
out. I suppose what I actually need now is a cooling dip in the lake but as
this is no longer available, I choose to take the suit off again. At least now
I will get to see L finish.
Then it’s my turn. Everything starts off much better than at
Windermere. Firstly they give us time to acclimatise in the water and I make
sure I’m one of the first in, to maximise this. We also actually start from
within the water, which also makes it easier.
I almost enjoy the start and the early use of elbows as I jostle
for position in the pack. I think eventually I get spat out the back of it, which
I’m not too upset about. Then I realise I’m about to head butt the bank because
I’m way off course, which is probably why no one considers me worth an elbow
any more.
Clearly my ‘sighting’ (e.g. looking where I’m going) needs a
bit of work but stroke wise I feel I’m close to getting the hang of it and I manage
to do front crawl throughout. Wetsuit #3 also doesn’t seem to be choking the
life out of me, which helps. Oddly though, I’m breathing almost totally over my
left shoulder, which is something I cannot do in the pool where I almost exclusively
use the right. I have no sane explanation for this.
The breathing also involves spitting loads of weeds out,
which is an unexpected bonus but thankfully I don’t come across any supermarket
trolleys. Thankfully because I know they have it in for me.
The main problem now is that someone appears to have moved
the orange buoys because it’s a bloody long way. By the time I get there, I
have cramp in both calves, which is a bit inconvenient. It comes and goes but doesn’t
pass. At least, as I discover, in a wetsuit you don't need to kick your legs
for buoyancy and can simply drag them uselessly behind you.
After a few more attempts at head butting the bank, which is
accompanied by the unjust feeling that by doing all this zigzagging I must have
swam twice as far as everyone else, I see the finish line.
As I reach the finish, I am more than happy to crawl up the
slip way to the finish gantry but the marshals insist on helping me to my feet.
Then they repeat this kind gesture after I have toppled over backwards as my
legs temporarily decline the offer of terra firma.
35 minutes it took me, which is 10 minutes better than
Windermere for 100m less. Sort of good I suppose.
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