Friday 16 February 2024

COLD WATER ACCLIMATISATION



My outdoor swimming experiences have been rather limited lately. My "swims" have amounted to nothing more than brief plunges in a friend's pool, and actually, those dips were more like prolonged standing sessions. The last time I truly ventured into open water was a casual dip in the Adriatic Sea back in October, and I won’t pretend I was battling icy waters because I wasn’t…

Let me elaborate on my hiatus – it's been a 16-month long saga with a persistent (and until last month), undiagnosed neck issue which is finally (FINALLY!!!) sorted! And as if that weren't enough drama, in an epic display of uncoordinatedness, I took an overly theatrical tumble involving my own leg and my platform Converse, which resulted in an elbow fracture. I could have swum sooner, but, I had no idea how long it takes all the ligaments and tendons around the break take to heal (ages, in case you were wondering). There's also been this nagging feeling of responsibility, knowing that despite SwimYourSwim's stellar safety team, taking a dip meant I could potentially have put others at risk should I need rescuing.


And so, back to now, and I’m ready to get back in. I know that I’ll be unable to pick up where I left off, it would be unsafe to think otherwise, and to ensure I avoid cold water shock, incapacitation and hypothermia, I know I should acclimatise myself to the colder temperatures through gradual exposure. So, I thought before I get back in, I’d start with refreshing my knowledge on acclimatisation – understanding what it is, why it's important, and how it affects my body, and I wanted to share my findings with you.


SO… to get started. Acclimatisation refers to the advantageous physiological adjustments that occur with repeated exposure to either hot or cold environments. And the reason we should acclimatise is that it lessens the cold shock's impact. It’s important to also add that acclimatisation doesn't shield you from incapacitation, swimming failure, or hypothermia. For me the Gatorade Sports Science Institute has broken it down into easily understandable language (and has some interesting research findings. I’ve added the link at the bottom), saying that it’s the biological adaptations that happen when you acclimatise that will reduce the physiological strain, such as heart rate and body temperature, improve comfort, enhance exercise capacity, and decrease the risks of serious cold-related illnesses during exposure to (in this case) cold stress. 


And the great thing is that Mike Tipton, a Professor of Human & Applied Physiology at the Extreme Environments Laboratory in the School of Sport, Health & Exercise Science at the University of Portsmouth, with over three decades of expertise in thermoregulation, environmental physiology, and survival at sea, and a staggering 400+ publications in these fields, (so he's a pretty significant figure), says that it can take as few as six, three-minute immersions in cold water can reduce your cold shock response by as much as 50% - which is like music to my ears!!!


It is important to point out that he further emphasises that the process is more intricate than a simple equation. While your body can adjust to cold conditions through repeated outdoor swims, whether this adaptation proves beneficial hinges on the body's reactions to adverse stimuli.


He further explains that there are three physiological responses linked with entering cold water that present potential risks. Firstly, the cold shock response which manifests as uncontrollable gasping, rapid breathing, and increased heart rate for approximately 90 seconds upon immersion. Secondly, the cooling of nerves and muscles near the body's surface, notably in the limbs, can lead to incapacitation and hinder exercise when cooled significantly. Lastly, hypothermia occurs when the deep body temperature drops below 35°C, typically taking at least 30 minutes to develop in an adult exposed to cold water, and each of these responses undergoes varying degrees of adaptation with repeated exposure to cold water, and each of these responses adjusts differently with repeated exposure to cold water.


So, how do we go about acclimatising?


Dr Heather Massey a swimmer and a researcher at the Extreme Environments Laboratory at the University of Portsmouth says: ‘The secret to acclimatising to cold water is just to swim in it, often – at least once a week, and preferably two or three, gradually extending the time that you stay in the water,’ she advises though to, ‘get out if you are not comfortable, and don’t set time goals for staying in the water.’


Leon Fryer, owner of SwimYourSwim, and widely recognized as a foremost authority on cold water and ice swimming, having overseen the highest number of successful official ice miles globally (currently at 124) when asked the best way to acclimatise, echoes Dr Massey’s advice saying: “Gradually. Just keep swimming. Start in the summer and work your way down (in temperature) nice and gradually…”


And that’s what I fully intend to do. There’s no doubt that there will be some pretty uncomfortable moments to start off with, it’s not my first rodeo, I already have good idea of how this will go and how my body will respond, and so to help make it as pleasanter experience as possible, I have also roped in a few swim friends to yell encouraging and motivational words at me from the lake side (this will also serve to drown out the awful swear words that will come out of my mouth). I’ve given the heads up (hinted massively – which is the same thing really) to the Swim Buddy that her home-made lemon drizzle cake will most definitely work wonders as part of my post swim recovery, and bought myself a new costume, which will be of no practical help whatsoever, but I think well delinitely help to motivate me - 100%. It was also in the sale and I liked the pattern… so there's also that... I really cannot wait!


Before I go, I feel it's important to issue a brief, but really important, caution. Whilst there are many reported benefits to cold water swimming, as I’ve just touched on, cold water swimming carries notable risks, with cold shock being the most dangerous reaction. Please prioritise your safety by researching its potential dangers, and if you’re uncertain, seek medical advice before swimming. I’m not an expert, and am only touching on acclimatisation in this blog, so, I’ve added the details of a paper in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, offering strategies to mitigate potential risks linked to cold water immersion written by Mike Tipton and his colleagues for your reference, along with some other relevant sites to visit. 


Thanks for checking this out! I hope you found it, along with the links I've included at the bottom, informative, helpful, and actionable. 


Don't forget to give me a follow on Instagram and TikTok (yep, I've caved in), where I'll be sharing updates regularly!


 Reference:


The information covered here by Professor Mike Tipton (2022) is available to read here: https://www.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/blogs/health-and-wellbeing/cold-water-swimming-what-you-can-do-to-acclimatise-to-the-temperature

 

Gatorade Sports Science Institute website: https://www.gssiweb.org/sports-science-exchange/article/sse-153-heat-acclimatization-to-improve-athletic-performance-in-warm-hot-environments). 

 

Dr Heather Massey for OSS article HOW TO ACCLIMATISE. The science and practise of adapting to cold water at: https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/how-to-acclimatise-to-cold-water/

SwimChatSnack full interview with Leon Fryer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbB1LAYCXbA

For advice and guidance on minimising the risk: Mike Tipton et al, Cold water therapies: minimising risks, British Journal of Sports Medicine (2022). DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-105953





Friday 29 December 2023

From Injury to Immersion: Navigating the Cold Comeback in Open Waters

 




                                               




I’ve really done very little swimming (indoors or out) since the end of August. Just to clarify, my swimming hiatus wasn’t due to laziness but rather the aftermath of a “spectacular” encounter with gravity, which resulted in a pavement head-butt, a grazed knee, a broken elbow, a very shiny eye socket, and the tragic demise of a beloved pair of sunglasses (I’m truly devastated), and whilst I healed really well, it was at an infuriatingly sluggish pace for my liking. Despite being able to dip back into the water after three weeks (and I use the term "swim" quite loosely here), I erred on the side of caution by confining myself to the pool. The lack of confidence in venturing into open water lingered, and I had no intention of jeopardizing my safety or that of anyone in my vicinity.


And so, today was the chosen day for my grand return. I finally felt ready to get back in. Fate seemed to grace the occasion with a torrential downpour of biblical proportions, and I could have cancelled, waited it out for a cold, crisp, sunny day, but the allure of cake at the swim was not just any cake—it was the coveted birthday cake (and please, no prying inquiries about age). Given that it was in my honour, it seemed egregiously impolite to be a no-show, especially when Jonty had gone the extra mile of making a trip to Marks and Spencer to fetch a Colin the Caterpillar cake for me. Honestly, in all likelihood, I would have maneuvered my way through a hurricane just to indulge in a (large) slice. 

 

After faffing for a substantial period, exchanged pleasantries with my swim clan for an unusually prolonged amount of time, and receiving a gentle nudge from Leon that I was, in fact, there to swim, I eventually mustered the motivation to get my act together and got ready to get in, which turned out to not be as seamless as it should have been. Who knew that attempting to get into my swimming costume out of the boot of my car while maintaining a semblance of dryness, could prove to be a more of a formidable task than I expected? I’ll just sum it up: my hot water bottle and a lone wool sock took an impromptu dip in a puddle, while both gloves and my hairbrush somehow, and it’s still a mystery to me, fell onto the muddy grass verge. 

 

Once suited and yes, booted, I waded in. As I did, the safety crew shared a warning/dropped the bombshell about an unusual number of weeds at the entry point, and to be careful. This news was very unwelcome, as I had only planned a very short dip not too far from the shoreline whilst I reintroduced myself to the open water. 

 

I’ll be honest, an entanglement with A LOT of aquatic flora was not the welcome back I was hoping for, but after a short deliberation, and Jonty threatening to eat all the cake if I didn’t get in, I decided to be brave and swim through them. Sadly, their reach extended far beyond my initial estimation, resulting in a reenactment of Day of the Triffids. I valiantly 'wrestled' with them, but I began feeling a bit panicky, and in my typical overly theatrical manner of course (to create the illusion of greater bravery than I actually possessed, of course...). Anyway, the long and short of it was that I, in what I deemed a display of unparalleled bravery, flapped my arms around in some kind of unrecognisable stroke amongst the aquatic flora. I kept up this spectacle for a whopping 2 minutes and 58 seconds—at 6.7oc before deciding that was enough time to question both my sanity and my understanding of what constituted a reasonable ‘swim’ for my first time back. Deciding I had showcased my bravery quota for the day, I gracelessly waded back to the welcoming embrace of dry land to don whatever bits of clothing had miraculously stayed dry. 


Once out and back in the cafe Jonty arrived with Colin, and given that it was my birthday, I naturally claimed the majority share of the cake. I could have easily laid sole ownership to the entire thing, but when someone puts in the effort to buy you a cake and delivers a rather unique and, let's say, interesting version of "Happy Birthday" it's deemed, at least by societal standards (not necessarily my own), the pinnacle of bad manners not to graciously share a modest slice. If only to quiet them down, of course…(I should add, before anyone thinks to lynch me, that I was warned by Jonty beforehand that it would be truly awful…), 


And so, my grand return, and ...in the midst of what I labelled some pretty "dangerous and treacherous" conditions (read: a bit too weed infested for my liking), three minutes, albeit shorter than my ideal swim duration, felt just lovely. Contrary to my expectations, there was no anticipated icy chill, or very many sweary moments and, the bit I’m most proud of, I successfully navigated through what could have been a disastrous entanglement ordeal with *minimal fuss (let's be honest, there was a fair bit of fuss). 


It's been a minute since I wrote my last blog, and so I'd like to say a massive thanks for returning, and also, brace yourself for more to come soon...




Monday 27 February 2023

Hypothermia: What I needed to know before I began swimming in cold water.

The water at the beginning of the season seemed to take an age to warm up, yet now it's nearing the end it feels like it's taken a bit of a nose dive! Not to be deterred I make the (feels like) bold decision to ditch the wetsuit and try swimming in skins. The last time I swam sans wetsuit was over a month ago, when the water was warm, the sky was blue, flowers were in bloom ...  This time, although the water wasn't so cold at 17.3oc, when you're not accustomed or acclimatised to it, it's frankly a bit of a shock when you get in.

I stood on the side of the lake as Shark vocalised many excuses and reasons why she should swim in her wetsuit instead. I reaslised she wasn't being serious when they ranged from tooth damage from shivering to the possibility of it giving her trench foot. I diagnosed a case of acute hypochondria and told her to get on with it.

In our inexperience we entered the water with extreme caution, and closely followed all the instructions from Leon, who was standing on the side. He told us we would be fine by the time we got to the first orange buoy, and he was right. I was expecting at best to have ice cream head, and at worst I'd have the shortest swim in history, however was delighted when neither happened.

We swam for 800 metres before Shark began to feel the cold and wisely decided to call it a day. I wanted to complete a mile if possible and after a quick recce (can still I feel my toes? Yes. Are my hands clawing? No.), I decided I'd be okay to carry on. I'd really enjoyed it, and wasn't feeling the cold, so I carried on. I felt great, and when I got out Shark was waiting, holding my towel and Swimzi ready to put straight on (she's a great swim bud), so I could get dried and warm quickly. I dressed, but as I said before I wasn't feeling cold. This is most likely because I had actually spent the second lap trying desperately hard to keep up with another swimmer (in a wetsuit) who at first sight appeared to be going relatively slowly, but in reality he was actually very, very fast, making keeping up impossible, however all the extra effort meant that I concentrated less on feeling the cold and more on the (fruitless) chase, and so by the time I got out I was exhausted and practically hyperventilating, but not cold.

Shark and I had decided to try and swim once a week without wetsuits for as long as we could tolerate the cold. Swimming in cold water is very much unchartered territory. I realised after our swim that I had not really much idea of how my body would respond to the cold, and actually when I should get out. Just checking if my feet and hands were cold or not wasn't at all thorough enough and so I was wanted to find out more about how it will affect me, and Shark, in particular with regards to hypothermia. Shark is the nurse, not me and if I presented the symptoms of hypothermia I'm confident I'd be well looked after, whereas Shark wouldn't be. I think it would bad form to have replace my swim buddy due to neglect, and I'm not entirely sure I'd have many takers if I'm belong honest!

I read loads, and want to share with you what I've found/discovered/learnt. Whilst I usually attempt to make anything I write a bit light hearted, and can pretty much find something (usually me) to poke fun at, when I began looking in more detail about hypothermia it's just too serious, dangerous and important topic to be jovial about. And so...

The next part in this blog has been taken from various websites and people I know. I'm aware that there are various differences of opinion, and some of which some of you will agree and disagree (as some of the websites did) in parts. I'm not an expert, but would like to share what I've found in the hopes that at least one person, other than myself, is better informed, can recognise the symptoms and get medical help and treatment as quickly as possible if necessary. The information I've included is found in the websites, and folks that I know that know far more about it than I do. I've added at the bottom (and not in any particular order - my university professors would not be happy) if anyone wants to read more broadly.

"Hypothermia is a dangerous drop in body temperature below 35C (95F)." www.nhs.uk

"Hypothermia is a medical emergency that occurs when your body loses heat fadster than it can produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature... when your body temperature drops, your heart, nervous system and other organs can't work normally." (Mayoclinic.org, 2018).

Although most hypothermia happens in low temperatures I have read that even temperatures as mild as 26oc can still be dangerous, and hypothermia is still a possibility, and whilst the colder the water, the quicker and the more likely you are to suffer (there can be other factors involved), there is no time frame for when hypothermia will set in. None of us are immune, and that includes the most seasoned and adapted of swimmers.

Our bodies work best within a certain temperature range, and it's important to maintain this in order to function properly. Many essential chemical reactions that happen in our body can only happen in this range, so when it alters, our body immediately triggers changes to return it back. This is the function of the hypothalamus, which is found in the brain. It collects all the internal and external information (in this instance temperature) and puts changes in place to right the imbalances, to return the body to its status in quo.

When you are swimming in water colder than you, in order to protect your vital organs, your body begins a process. Blood vessels shunt (moving blood to where it's needed) the warm blood away from your skin and limbs towards your vital organs by reducing the blood flow to your extremities. This allows more oxygen to be delivered where it's needed the most. This is to preserve heat in the important bits. Your body is working hard to try and keep your core at its normal temperature. This process is called peripheral vasoconstriction. It's the body's way of protecting against hypothermia.

"Peripheral vasoconstriction basically means the narrowing of your blood vessels that supply your extremities. This means that your blood vessels in the periphery have constricted and hence bring in less blood so that whatever blood is there in the body is diverted to your vital organs"
  
Dheeksha (studies at Mysore medical College and Research Institute (2020)) 

This process stops when you get out of the cold water and your body then sends the warm blood from the core back to the skin to warm up again. The problem though is that it also cools the blood as it does so, as it's now mixing the warm blood with the cooler blood, and then recirculates the cool blood back to the core, meaning that your temperature will drop further. This is known as the "after-drop." This doesn't happen immediately, and when you exit the water you'll probably feel great for a short time. This is because your cooler blood hasn't reached your core straight away, however within a short space of time, you will begin shivering (great piece of advice was to get dressed quickly after getting out, as it's really difficult when you're shivering).

Shivering is one of our body's immediate reactions to generate heat. Our skin sends messages to the brain, which then sets off a series of warming tricks. Shivering is one of them. It's your muscles contracting and expanding quickly to produce heat to raise your body temperature.

As symptoms of hypothermia can happen slowly, you would think that would give you time to get out in good time, however you may not be aware of them as hypothermia can affect, amongst other things, your cognitive ability; your ability to think clearly, and make intelligent choices, which means you may not even recognise the symptoms. Your brain is so sensitive to cold, and electrical activity slows down in response to it, so your ability to do things and move lessens, making it more difficult to take action. I've included a list of the symptoms of hypothermia, that are listed on several websites below, for your reference:

Symptoms of mild hypothermia include:
  • Dizziness
  • Shivering
  • Hunger and nausea
  • Increased breathing
  • Difficulty speaking
  • Lack of coordination
  • Tiredness
  • Increase in heart rate
  • Poor judgement
  • Cold, pale skin
  • Numb hands and feet
Symptoms of moderate to severe hypothermia include:
  • Shivering, but importantly, as hypothermia worsens, shivering stops
  • Worsening coordination difficulties
  • Slurred speech
  • Significant confusion
  • Drowsiness
  • Apathy or lack of concern (doesn't recognise that they are in any danger)
  • Weak pulse
  • Shallow, slow breathing
  • Paradox undressing - the person removes their clothes innapropriately despite the cold because they feel warm
  • Muscles become stiff
  • Slow pulse
  • Confusion
  • Loss of consciousness
Symptoms of severe hypothermia include:
  • Shivering stops
  • Extreme confusion
  • A decline in consciousness
  • Weak or irregular pulse
  • slow/shallow breathing
  • coma - can result in death 
Hypothermia will advance quicker in the cold water, and so it's important to get out as soon as possible to prevent further heat loss, get yourself warm, and if necessary, seek medical help. 
When you exit the cold water Outdoor Swimmer magazine recommends the following: 
  • Get dressed quickly and warmly. Immediately after swimming you may feel great as the cooled blood has not yet returned to your core. Best to wrap up warmly before it does. It’s much harder to dress when you’re shivering. 
  • Don’t take a hot shower as this will increase the rate at which cooled blood returns to the core and makes the drop faster and deeper. Cold water swimmers have been known to faint in hot showers. Wait until you’ve warmed up again before showering.
  • Don’t attempt to drive or ride a bike until your core temperature has recovered. Driving and shivering is not a good combination. If your core temperature drops too much and you become hypothermic it can also affect your cognitive abilities. Again, not good for driving.
  • Drink something hot and eat something. Shivering is a highly energy consumptive bodily function. You need to fuel it.
  • Keep an eye on your fellow swimmers. Someone who appears completely fine getting out of the water may be in trouble 10 minutes later and may need your help.
  • Get out of the water before you get too cold as you will continue to get colder after swimming – give your body a margin of safety.
In addition, here are Jonathan Cowie, Editor at Outdoor Swimmer's six tips for cold water swimming….

1. Acclimatise
As the temperature drops in autumn, just keep swimming and your body will get used to the cold.

2. Be safe
Open water can be dangerous. Only ever swim where it is safe, and make sure you can enter and exit the water quickly and easily. Never swim on your own.

3. Wear the right kit
Wear a swimming hat, or two, to help preserve body heat. You can also wear neoprene gloves, booties, balaclava or a wetsuit.

4. No diving
Do not dive or jump in unless you are used to the cold water. Cold water can cause gasping of breath and cold water shock, which can be dangerous.

5. Know your limits
As the temperature drops, decrease the amount of time you spend in the water.

6. Warm up slowly
Don’t have a hot shower as rapid warming of the skin may increase the flow of cold blood from your extremities to your core, and can be dangerous. Instead, make sure you have plenty of warm clothes, wrap up well and have a hot drink.

Swim bud left, me to the right after our swim

So this week the water temperature had dropped almost a full degree to 16.5oc, and I realise with sadness that all hope for an Indian Summer had now completely gone. Shark and I arrived lakeside and readied ourselves for the swim. We were organised and unpacked our clothes and towels in advance of getting out. Shark told me that in addition to her clothes she had also brought a flask of hot Ribena, her ski socks and an extra hat. What she didn't tell me is that she had also brought a hot water bottle, and had wrapped all her clothes around it! A little OTT? Actually possibly not. We swam a mile and at the end when we got out I realised that we are very different, and it seemed that I was able to tolerate the cold a little better than Shark (I put it down to being a farmers daughter - kind of makes you more hardy I suppose). What is clear is that we need to adapt our bodies to tolerate the cold water better (acclimatisation) so that our bodies will grow used to it as the water gets colder still (I'll write more on this in another blog), but in the mean time, I don't mind admitting that I really did feel envious of Shark's forward thinking as I put on my 'at room temperature' clothes, and fully intend to purchase a bottle in advance of next week's swim. What could be better? Other than perhaps someone serving hot chocolate fudge cake on the lake side as we got out... (for medicinal purposes).

Just a quick note, this blog was written in 2018.

Thanks for reading. I also have a "group" on Facebook. It's not really a group, as it's only me, but on it I post more regularly.  I'm also on Twitter and Instagram. You'd be very welcome. 😊



Bibliography and special thanks to:


Leon @Swimyourswim and Chris@Swimzi for you invaluable knowledge.
Jonathan Cowie @outdoorswimmer for your guidance and help.

https://outdoorswimmer.com/blogs/after-drop-is-real-and-how-to-deal-with-it
www.nhs.uk
www.mayoclinic.org
http://www.medicinenet.com/hypothermia_extended_exposure_to_cold/article.htm
risks-cold-water
http://www.active.com/articles/swimmers-avoid-hypothermia-by-knowing-the-signs after-drop-is-real-and-how-to-deal-with-it
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/182197.php
https://www.livescience.com/32475-why-do-we-shiver-when-cold.htmllow-body-temperature-symptoms-causes-treat
wildie-s-advice-on-cold-acclimatisation-t106.html
https://loneswimmer.com/2014/12/03/what-is-peripheral-vasoconstriction/
http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2016/12/the-afterdrop-rewarming-and-post-rescue.html
why-cool-down-exercises-and-recovery-are-so-important-for-swimmers
http://blog.bridgeathletic.com/the-importance-of-warm-up-and-cool-down-for-athletes
182197.php2. 
http://www.nycaquaticclub.com/The%20Art%20of%20Recovery.pdf4. http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/august/cooling-glove-research-082912.html
after-drop-is-real-and-how-to-deal-with-it
dangers-of-open-water-swimming-hypothermia-and-hyperthermia
Does-swimming-in-cold-fresh-water-affect-body-temperature
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4734854/#
airplane-1549-hudson-hypothermia
what-is-hypothermia
https://www.quora.com/What-is-peripheral-vasoconstriction
hypothalamus
hypothermia
https://www.biologyofexercise.com/images/issues/1022.pdf

Sunday 29 January 2023

'A review' of the IISA 5th World Championships -Samoens 2023

 


First swim done!
Celebrating drinking tea in the jacuzzi

Where to start...


It ought to be with the swimming part. Write about how amazing it was (and it was), how I glided through the water without making even a splash (I didn't), and how effortless and efficient I was in the water after several months of training (I wasn't), but I'm not. I'm instead starting with the swimming costume...mostly because it features heavily.


I'll wager that all professional swimmers know that competition swimwear is designed to be tight. As a non-professional swimmer (although I still have my sights on this) I didn't, and as our costumes had been delivered straight to the event, there had been no time to try it on beforehand. I had accurately measured everywhere, and ordered the size accordingly, however being a complete beginner at all of this, unbeknown to me, it turned out that racing swimwear is meant to be super tight fitting. This is because it's designed to give a compressive fit, making it really, really tough, borderline impossible if you're me, to even get it over your knees without incident... To be honest, I feared that even the Borrowers would have struggled! Anyhow, after 40 minutes of showcasing some pretty impressive flexibility and unusual positions that any contortionist would appreciate, I was (for the most part) in. I feared I would need to either spend the whole weekend wearing it as I was uncertain as to whether I would be able to repeat the same choreographed performance needed to be repeated on one race day, let alone both, or would need to consider the more drastic action of needing to remove internal organs...I decided on the lesser serious choice, and based on the back of the struggle, also that my pre-swim MO of heavy carb loading would have to cease until after my last swim. 


Race day, and I was up early. After a final medical check, I was given the green light, well sticker actually, to swim. I walked into the ice village hall to find many swimmers had already arrived and were doing some quite strenuous warm ups. I felt pretty confident that my walk to the venue carrying a swim bag would be a good alternative to a more structured warm up, and I based this on the fact that my bag was far too heavy with far too much kit that I didn't really need,  as well as a ton of food (mostly Fat Rascals - if you know you know, if you don't Google them... THE best food ever (IMO), which I would not be able to eat based on the aforementioned swimming costume 'issue.' 


I'd been there for a short while when Jonty informed me that Stu (also known by his other name; Coach Ragnar - who coached me during my Windermere 2 way swim) had just walked in. I knew he was joking as we had seen him the week before and he hadn't mentioned it, only he wasn't joking. There he was stood in front of me as large as life telling me he had come to give me a last minute pep talk. I'm still not entirely sure whether this was actually why he was there, but the pep talk was gratefully received, even if I forgot everything he had told me during the race... too many other things to think about, like getting in in one piece and not breaking anything, remembering the 'do not touch the ladder' rule and how to swim... 


After settling in, locating the coffee tent, and being briefed on the why's/wherefores ect, I was ready for my first race. It wasn't long before we were called, and that's when my sartorial panic set in. What would I go to poolside wearing? Just my coat? coat and towelling robe? Just CROCS? CROCS and socks?Eventually, I decided to throw on everything, which I thought was a great idea (not because of how stylish the whole outfit looked, but because with this many layers, there no way I would get cold). I was poolside when I quickly realised that I was very overdressed for the expected time between the announcement to 'disrobe' and 'get in the water," which was incidentally a nanosecond. My fellow swimmers were waiting by the ladder to get in, waiting for me as I attempted to take off my robe without dislodging my goggle, at speed, along with my footwear, gloves and coat. Goes without saying that I was all flustered by the time I eventually got to the ladder. Despite this, I knew I needed to focus, and quickly... wooden stairs and I have history - one which included me headbutting a wall at a.n.other swim venue many moons ago. I needed to have my wits about me in order to not have a repeat performance whilst a crowd watched on.

 

Again, within miliseconds of successfully entering the water the buzzer went off and we were swimming. Interestingly, I really didn't feel the coldness of the water (3.7 degrees celcius), which my left eye really appreciated as it was submerged in it for the duration of the swim thanks to my aforementioned dislodged goggle, which began leaking the second I put my head in. Despite this, all the hours, days, months of training, and the moment was finally here, and gosh it was swift. It felt like it was over in a heartbeat, before I knew it the race was finished. 

I had managed to avoid the disqualifying ladder, and finish the race in what was for me a pretty decent time (obviously not in terms of the faster swimmer's standards, but for me, I was thrilled and in my excitement, combined probably with a bit of relief that I hadn't cocked it up, I lost my step getting out, grazing my nose on the side of the pool. It has been noted before that I am rarely the epitome of style and grace, and this would be yet another one of those occasions where once again I was not. Nonetheless, I couldn't have cared less, I was jubilant, and once I had warmed up, I headed over to the jacuzzis where I partied hard for the next 20 minutes, I say partied hard, I sat in it with Cathy Monro, or Fast Cath(y) as I named her, on account that she was an incredibly fast fellow swimmer in my heat, basically gold medal AND world record holder in her age category kind of fast (and also called Cathy, which I hope goes without saying), with a cup of tea talking about the swim, swimming in general and debating as to whether cake (me) or scones (Fast Cath (y)) were the ultimate post-swim treat. Cathy is lovely, as well as fast, but (IMO) my choice of treat by far exceeded hers. And less messy. 


Tea in the jacuzzi


Reflecting on it, I realised that I had not followed the race plan I had practiced countless times in the weeks leading up to the swim. The only thing I did the whole swim was to chant (in my head, obviously - ACTUALLY saying it would have resulted in me drinking half the lake. Also, they had drone coverage, it would have looked weird) 'do not get disqualified by touching the ladder,' which definitely worked, so there's that. I knew our relay was soon after, and so had quick bite to eat (replenishing calories obviously) of 3 chocolate biscuits, 1 slice of French apple tart and a substantial amount of very strong coffee (there's extensive research conducted that found that caffeine consumption is associated with an increase in performance, and therefore I was expecting great things in the relay...). You would be correct in thinking that after my swimming costume issued that I should probably not eat quite as much, and you'd be right, but I wouldn't be wearing it for the relay, on account that it was still wet. Instead, I would be wearing my spare, non-internal organ squashing costume - or so I thought at the time, and after I had finished, I was very quickly informed that any photos taken of the swim we would look more 'teamly' if we were all wearing our official GB costumes and so very reluctantly, and slowly, put it back on. It wasn't long after when Jonty announced that the VIP relay would be in 30 minutes, and asked as to where Lara (one of our teammates) was. Some unsuccessful frantic and panicked phone calls, texts, announcements on the tannoy followed, with still no sign, before eventually she appeared looking sightly dishevelled with her muddy costume in her hand. Unbeknown to us, she had finished her swim, and whilst undressing had taken a tumble, droppping her costume in the mud as she had gone to grab one of the Swimzi flags in a bid to save herself from hurting herself, and any public humiliation. Her tactic didn't quite pay off, and she informed us that she 'went down like a sack of potatoes,' not naked I should add, thankfully she was wearing her changing robe, swim coat, a woollen deetstalker and a leg warmer/ugg combination, before hitting the deck and hadn't realised that whilst she was busy trying to style the whole incident out to the gathering crowd, she had eleventy billion missed calls and messages asking her to hurry back, as we needed to head to the pre-race holding area. 


She eventually arrived in a flurry, and after a quick reminder from Jonty that unless she was planning on swimming naked, which would definitely result in an immediate disqualification for all the team, she would be best putting it on. I shot her a quick look. We had already dicussed how tight our costumes were, and both knew the odds of us getting her into it in the short space of time we had was slim, and would no doubt need to include some manhandling and possibly rejigging of her intestines to get her in. 


Before I go on, I first should explain the VIP relay. The relay consisted of 4 teams. 3 of the teams included some of the best of the best ice swimmers in the world, with a history of accomplishments, including; olympic medal winners, world record holders, the winner of the WOWSA Award for Woman of the Year, one of the world's 50 most adventurous open water women, the expedition leader of the Antarctic 2020 Internatonal swim, and the founder of IISA. The other team, the one I was in, consisted of 4 residents of Yorkshire with a shared passion for Fat Rascals. 


Anyhow, back to the enfolding drama. The team (Jonty, Emily and I dressed and ready to go, and Lara dressed in part, but definitely not ready for action) moved to the holding tent where several of the other teams swimmers were either talking strategy, warming up, having a quiet completetive moment (probably visualising their swim) and getting ready. Our team, on the other hand, were busily erecting a makeshift tent out of a towel and a swim coat to put around Lara as she put her still wet and muddy costume back on. After several failed attempts I joined her to assess the problem, and several frantic minutes later Lara emerged, looking no worse for wear (if you don't include the broken finger nail), with it securely on. 


Onto the swim. After discussing swim order, and of course the ladder rule, we decided to follow the lead of the other teams and talk tactics, however, after deciding that we couldn't think of any, we waited to get in. Swim order, first Lara, who did a pretty impressive first leg in breast stroke. Unfortunately, as all the other teams had opted for front crawl, and as they happen to be mostly olympians and ice swimming Titans, Emily, who was next in had a bit of catching up to do. A sterling effort followed, in fact Jonty slightly underestimated how fast she was and almost didn't get in the water in time (a bit trickier and time consuming to climb down a wooden ladder to get in with only 1 leg). Jonty was fast, and was holding his own racing against the other teams. Unfortunately, he was racing their 4th, and final swimmers, and as he completed his 2 lengths for me to swim our final leg, they had all finished and were getting out to celebrate, whilst I, on the other hand, had to swim 50 metres in the pool. On my own. With probably the whole village of Samoens watching. Several cameras. Oh, and a drone. I admit, as we were last anyway, and as I was about to swim it on my own, I would use this to practice my race plan for the following day's 50 metre swim and try to not cock it up by dislodging my goggles or swallowing half the lake. As I came to the end (avoiding the ladder at all costs obvs), I was pleased to see Jonty still in the water, and whilst I was touched that he had stayed in to cheer me in, he later admitted he was just having a 'rest break'... I cannot articulate how relieved I was (not a deliberate pun, but it fits) that my practice swim was successfully executed and not a drop of lake water was swallowed. 


Despite coming last, we were nonetheless over the moon, and celebrated with an impromptu photo shoot, lots of jumping up and down with our Yorkshire flag, and shared some Betty's biscuits in the jacuzzi. The sharing extended to rival team member Henri Kaarma, oh, and several other swimmers/supporters who also celebrated with us by also sharing the remainder of our biscuits, before dispersing once they had polished them off...


Team Frozen Roses and Henri Kaarma
celebrating 4th (and last) in the VIP relay

The final day, and my final swim. The 50 metres. My costume, towel and fur lined CROCS were now dry after spending the night on the ski boot drying contraption (note to self - fur lined CROCS are amazing if your feet are dry. Less amazing, and very tricky to get your feet into when they are wet and cold.  Also, when conditions underfoot are wet and muddy the risk of trenchfoot is high. 


The time of the swim had changed, and was now later leaving me time to chat with some of my fellow team mates, and when I say chat, I mean that several of them came over to help me eat some of my edible supplies under the pretext of 'chatting.' Anyhow, once suitable fuelled, my race was called, and I headed to the pen. This time I had ditched the socks as well as the towelling robe, and was more appropriately dressed for getting into the water at speed. The temperature was difinitely cooler than Saturday, and I was worried that despite me really not feeling yesterday's water temperature (I'm assured that it was the adrenalin that made it feel nearer to 20 degrees), I would feel it today. I needn't have worried, again the pace was so fast, and I really had no time to think about the temperature, I was too busy trying to remember to fit my goggles on correctly, to execute my swim plan, avoid the ladder, not slip and fal in and not cock it up in general really. 


The swim felt far more relaxed than yesterdays, and although definitely not a world record, was pretty speedy for me. I celebrated once again (once warmed through in the warming room) in the jacuzzi along with Fast Cath (y), Kate Steels (also fast) and Millie Bell (again, really fast), where we stayed until Cathy's hands went pruny and I declared I was ready for food.


And just like that, I had finished. No world records, no medals, (although IF I do this again, alongside my training, I will definately consider growing my nails really long to see of this helps with my placing. Don't want to miss a place by a milliseconds), but what I did have was a massive sense of accomplishment, pride and patriotism. 


Before I finish, I would like to say a massive thank you to my fellow Yorkshire swim camp members, Jonty Warneken, Lara Fawcett and Emily Smailes with whom I have had THE best time with. We have laughed until I nearly coughed up a lung, danced until I almost strained a limb, cheered until our throats hurt, shared several indecent exposure incidents (all Lara, I'd like to add), shared all of their amazing pre- and post swim snacks (not including the boiled egg - Lara) and they kindly forgave me when I shared none of my own (mostly because I ate them on the way to training camp), lost several ear plugs between us, 1 hat, 1 CROC, a pair of UGG boots and 3 socks (mostly down to the dog stealing them), talked and talked and talked (mostly to put off getting onto the cold pool), became fellow cheerleaders, (non-illegal) partners in crime and made the whole getting into really cold water every day bearable and fun (in its loosest sense).


I give you
The Frozen Roses

Finally, I had met/caught up with some fabulous people, to name a few:


Nick Hungerford - 50% Australian and 50% Londoner on your normal average day changing to 100% Australian when competing. 


Just to confirm that is not some kind of growth on Nick's soulder. It's Nigel photobombing.


Fenwick Ridley (and his fiancé) - Part Viking, part dolphin, and  thoroughly decent person (people), who will try and win by any means necessary. I give to Millie's lucky belt, the ice swimmers equivolent of heather/4 leafed clover/rabbit's foot/shamrock/horse shoe/elephant...




Millie Bell - uttery amazing swimmer, and the lovliest of girls - also from Yorkshire, bringing hope several well deserved medals, so absolutely of course gets a mention.


Robyn Dyson - swimmer of all distances, stroke and temperature, and despite her young age, imparted one of the best pieces of advice I could receive over the weekend 'try really hard not to hit the lane ropes - it stings. A lot.' Thanks to her I was mindful in all swims to stick to the middle of my lane. 


Nigel Robertson - team GB manager, who successfully managed my self inflicted high drama moment and turn it into something resembling a low farce. 


Kate Steels - utter legend, who, I can confirm (because she told me I had to) that despite how the photo looks, is not demanding that Fast Cath(y) elevates her hair above the water whilst she enjoys the jacuzzi. I recal there was a legitimate reason for it, which escapes me, but she did tell me it was absolutely NOT because she was being a princess. 




Evidence of the non-princess like behaviour 

Casually hung around with Chris and Liam Tancock (as in Olympian/world record holder Liam Tancock) from Swimzi. I've known them for ages and ages, but am still unable to persuade Liam (or Chris for that matter) into the water. 


Ram Barkai - founder of IISA, and from all accounts a relatively okay swimmer (I'd heard he's quite modest, and really wouldn't want me to list all his accomplishments, so I won't, but if you've an hour to spare at any time, there's an extensive list on openwaterpedia that I don't have room for. I did ask Jonty if I should courtesy when I met him. He said no. I did anyway - just in case Jonty had got it wrong. Here's the link.  https://www.openwaterpedia.com/wiki/Ram_Barkai


Ram's Sam (Whelpton) (as she was introduced as, and will be for me forever known as that) - utterly lovely and also happens to be pretty fast when it comes to ice swimming. Thankfully, as I am a gazillion years older than her we will never be in the same age category, as I fear if we were, I would have my a** handed to me on a plate! 


And last, but by no means least, the GB Team - we've had an absolute blast!



Team GB preventing anyone from going up or downstairs for the best part of 20 minutes.
Herding cats would probably have been easier!
 

And, that's it. If you'd like more regular swim updates, as well as finding out what's next, follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook group Open Water Woman.




Some of the photos are my own, others are credited to @marketing adventures