DIVE RIGHT IN, THE WATER IS LOVELY
After many months without the smell of chlorine on my skin and in my hair we get the news that we have been waiting for – training is back on starting tonight, what a joy!
I go to my wardrobe where my kit bag and sports gear have been laid untouched since the last time I swam with my swimming club which was sometime in back in February. I have used a swimsuit, swim cap and goggles in the interim, once during a long weekend in Lanzarote where I managed 2 quick swims in the fabulous open air 50m pool in La Santa and again for a sea swim in Cornwall where I decided to join my son, sister and niece in a ‘gentle’ paddle across the sea front from Newlyn to Penzance.
In Lanzarote the beautiful bright yellow sunshine beat down onto the 50m pool, the crystal-clear deep water inviting me to take the plunge, an invite that simply could not be denied. Swimsuit – check, silicone swimcap – check and goggles – check and then…... that heavenly feeling of diving in for the first time when the water devours you and you drift in your own silence, revelling in the sanctitude and blissful silence before eventually surfacing and taking the first stroke, it’s a heavenly feeling but one I would imagine only felt by those at home in the water. 3k complete and a reluctance to leave the pool
Fast forward four months to Cornwall where Penzance provided a difference challenge altogether. There were stormy skies, a racing incoming tide, murky, seaweed filled saltwater and submerged rock formations to contend with but it was a challenge we were equal to so we chose our half hour of optimum water depth and headed for the white lido walls. I was the only one without a wetsuit so whilst my swimming was less restricted, the cold was more evident and I was happy I’d had the presence of mind to put in a silicone swimming cap which provided not only a barrier against the cold but also kept my hair from knotting up and out of my eyes. The visibility on that swim was non-existent, not only because of the wave turbulence and the long strands of seaweed forever attacking our faces, necks and arms but also because the goggles were old and the anti-fog lenses clearly past their sell by date.
And so to my first training session since Covid 19 stopped sport in its tracks. We’re told we must turn up in our swimsuits so rather than put normal clothes over the top I grab my swim parka and take my clothes for afterwards. This familiar 25m pool is geared up for the return, they have the fire exit door open on poolside and we must enter and then sign the book just in case there is a need for track and trace. I put my poolside shoes on and grab my cap and goggles and make my way to the end of the pool, I pull on my silicone cap, twist the hair left outside my cap and proceed to push it up into the back of my cap, my goggles are next and I realise they are the same ones I swam last time in the sea with – I must get some new ones. The session is written on the white board and we commence the session. Ouch! Everything aches, I’m missing the wall on tumble turns and my arms and legs are in bits, not to mention being out of breath at the four length mark – what is that all about! The main thing is we are back, swimming and smelling of chlorine.
After the swim we are permitted to walk back to our belongings and walk to the changing rooms where we are NOT permitted to shower but may dress in a cubicle and then make our way out of an
