Good luck, remember if you can't beat them cheat!

I remembered when swimming lessons were eagerly awaited, cherished and very much enjoyed! Well - I had a swimming lesson a couple of weeks ago - I should have been worried that my teacher was Russian! Anyway, after having swum reasonable well for 30 years, I was a little perplexed that I've been doing it wrong all that time! Ulga (yes that is her real name) - bless her - pulled my 'flailing' stroke apart and had me doing this, that and the other up and down the pool - spluttering, struggling for breath and looking like a drowning rock! Yes, rocks can drown - that's why you'll always find them at the bottom of rivers - but that's another story! Anyway - suffice to say, I got home exhausted and staggered out of the car like a drunk realising that I had made my sea sick - I kid you not! I had to spen the next hour lying down holding onto the floor with my head in a bucket trying not to be sick! If you've been across the Cook Straits in a force 10 gale you know how I was feeling!! Anyway - Ulga was a great teacher and has given me some really good tips - and some ginger ale for the sea sickness!!

Good Luck matt, I look forward to seeing you in rubber !!

Easter Monday - 6am - gleaming new wetsuit in hand - dashing down the M25 to get to Datchet for an early morning dip. Air temperature about 10 degrees but nice and sunny! Get togged up and jump in - aaaaargh! It's cold! Well actually it wasn't that bad - 16.1 in the water - toasty really - this time last year it was 12 degrees apparently - penguins had taken up residence! Anyway feeling good and fairly boyant and set off for the first of 2 750m laps - get about 100 meters and realise that being encased in rubber and in cold water doesn't help one breathe! Stop to catch my breath and work out why my lungs won't expand! get into a rhythm and it's much better. Survived low flying jumbo jets, the odd swan, cramp and loss of feeling in my toes having done a couple of laps and feeling very happy to be alive! Now where do you get a bacon sandwich from! http://www.openwaterswim.co.uk/