Great East Swim - 38:38

Firstly, apologies for not blogging last night, I didn't get in from the Great East Swim until 00:25! Anyway, onto the more interesting stuff...

I was hoping to blog about how good the swim was and how I loved it so much that I can't wait for the next one, but unfortunately it didn't go down like that. I was kind of nervous about it in the first place so that probably didn't help but I thought that would just go away once I got in the water. On the contrary, the combination of shock of cold water and being surrounded by people all trying to swim at the same time was a little too much for my anxiety and it all boiled over into my losing my breathing rhythm and generally forgetting how to swim.

Now, there are some situations where being scared and nervous are perfectly acceptable and could be forgiven. I don't see the Great East Swim as one of those situations, so I've made a list of reasons for and against the nervousness and I'm pretty sure there was no reason for it:

• Reasons to be scared:
• Visibility was poor
• There were lots of people all trying to swim at the same time
• A monster might rise from the deep and eat me (This really did cross my mind at one point)

• Reasons not to be scared:
• Visibility was poor, but I could still see enough to swim
• The other swimmers were trying to swim, not kill me
• The monsters were probably quite friendly

Apart from these irrational fears, the fact that I'm actually a very good swimmer should've been enough to get me through and then add to the fact that I used to be a lifeguard in my youth makes this a little more embarassing.

But given this whole thought process going through my head during the swim, I finished the course in less time than I was aiming for anyway and I've used the whole thing as a learning experience. I've got an Aquathlon coming up in two weeks and the Great London Swim in three weeks, so I'll look towards them as real opportunities to make amends for my horrible swim yesterday.