Swimming day 522 - Friday 20th July 2012

19 days to go ….

Mid (almost end) July and wearing a sweatshirt after my swim; rubbish weather!  The sky was thankfully dry, although chilly, and the sea was flat as a plate but again chilly.  The temperature today was down to just 14.1 degrees, that is a drop of almost half a degree since we did our two hour swim on Tuesday.  These cold temperatures really do pile on the pressure in terms of our training and our possible success; the success rate for the CSA swimmers this year still sits at one of the lowest ever on record; pressure for us indeed.  Mind you a wise man once said that pressure is a positive thing as it focuses us and makes us work harder; pressure after all is what creates Diamonds!!

This morning Bob and I were in the sea by 6.45am (starting early to give us more coffee time afterwards!!) and we swam clockwise around the pier, then passed the two fishing buoys that are about 50 metres out further from the head of the pier, then diagonally across to the two buoys at the far end of our beach and then in.  Total swim about 40 minutes and we really did work hard to do that.  Despite the sea being very flat and a very low tide (knuckles dragging on the sand by the time we reached the last buoy) the tide was coming in which meant a very strong tidal pull to the east to swim against.  A decent swim in a calm sea, but a hard workout at that time in the morning.  Coffee very deserved!

The forecast for the rest of the day is very clear sky’s until about 3pm and then rain; and lots of it.  Typical really because at 3pm my Relay team are meeting at Brighton Marina for a boat ride out into the depths and then a swim from the boat between 4pm – 8pm.  Of course if the sea chops up then the ability to swim form the boat will be limited and it will simply be a get thrown around on a boat experience only! 

On the positive side (gotta search out the positive at all times!) the weather people, those strange being who seem to know what the shape of a cloud really means, are still predicting a summer for us.  Apparently, if they are to be believed, the summer will start from this weekend and could run throughout August; providing respite for the Olympics and our Relay; both important milestones for the Country of course.  Let’s please all pray to the weather gods and their earthly disciples that this may come true.