The Glorious Second Mile

Last year I wrote about getting beyond the second mile. I forgot the wonder of actually doing the second mile.

This year I've been struggling to get beyond a single mile. Life has been a pattern of busy, sick, busy, sick, busy - you can see the cycle of destruction.  And then there's been the English 21st century weather. Swimming in the rain is not a problem, swimming in the open in thunderstorms is not so sensible. And thunder and lightning has been predicted almost every day of the "summer." When I have been in the water, it's been time squeezed into other things.

Last night changed all that.

Beyond the second mile - a water problem

About a year ago I promised to write about going beyond the second mile. According to my records I first achieved this on June 6th 2014, reaching 4k in a not very fast time of 1 hour and 50 minutes.

I started writing something last year and never completed it. So I forgot the lessons I meant to learn.

Ten tips for outdoor swimming acclimatisation

If you plan to take up outdoor swimming, you need to think about acclimatisation. I mean, how you acclimatise your  friends and family to what you are doing.

This applies especially if you are of a certain age (anything over 30) when the words "mid-life crisis" may be frequently whispered in your ear-shot.

One: make a discreet start on holiday. Make it look as though you are swimming from one point to another for a purpose - for instance to explore a rocky island.

The 15 tribes of outdoor swimming

You've taken the plunge, donned a wetsuit, fitted some goggles and you start to come across other people indulging in this strange sport. Here's a secret - they are not all the same and they are mostly faster than you.

Here' s a quick guide to the strange types who like to swim in cold water:

1/ The Novices. These have only just learnt to swim and, now they can, they want to get the most enjoyment out of it. They love paddling out into a lake or a sheltered bay.

How I lost 20 points from my blood pressure and ate loads of cake

...and also lost a stone over two years by eating more, not less.

View across Ullswater, Lake District

It all started about two years ago. I won't say three years ago as that was when I went for my NHS Health Check. I ignored the results, which said I was overweight and that my blood pressure was starting to get high. And I ignored the offer of a visit to the doctor to discuss them. I still don't know what the blood test found. If it was serious I'm sure the doctor would have called me.

It may have started about six years ago when I started going on snorkelling expeditions with my  teenaged children in our summer holidays - and began to realise I really wasn't fit enough.