First open water swim

I headed out along with a very, very good triathlete this evening to Camlough Lake for my first ever proper open water swim! Peter has years of experience and is one of the top in the sport here in Ireland and I have to say that his calmness and encouragement were greatly appreciated.

I was quite nervous - not so much of the swimming part but more so of all the unknown. How much will I be able to see? How cold? How will the wetsuit feel? How will I cope with sighting and staying on course.

Peter took me around for my first lap (750m). It wasn't as cold as I expected, but cold enough to affect my breathing. Visibility is basically zero in the water - you can barely see your hand in front of you. It's just green. I really struggled the first lap and had to stop quite a few times. Breathing, currents, sighting, the cold, getting used to the wetsuit etc all took their toll.

I took a breather while Peter went on to do his second of three laps. Then I went in and did a whole lap myself without stopping once - well, I had a brief pause just to get lined up with the buoy marker again. I felt much more comfortable this time around - breathing and sighting improved a lot. I still am quite slow compared to most others but I'm happy to have got around - twice.

Thanks to Peter and Paul for their advice - it was greatly appreciated! Although, I wish they hadn't taken me around the bike course....I think I was better off not knowing how hilly it is!! :)