Something New!

It's not often I do something new but tonight I squeezed myself into a wetsuit and went swimming in a lake in the rain!
It was brilliant!!
I'm doing the Great North Swim in a couple of weeks (after a couple of failed attempts last year and the year before!)
I have never actually done any open water swimming (see above failures!!) and as I am determined to actually get into Lake Windermere this year I thought I'd better find a lake to swim in!
Miss K suggested a lake just the other side of Oxford where she has been quite a few times. I drove to hers - in my wetsuit because I just couldn't face getting the bloody thing off! - and we headed over together. In the torrential rain.
I was amazed to see how many people there were there - it's like a whole world I know nothing about!
Trying to look as if I knew what I was doing I donned my hat (loaned by Miss K) and goggles (a birthday present from Miss K) and waded in. I was pleasantly surprised that it was nowhere near as cold as I was expecting.
And then the freezing water seeped in through the zip!
I plunged in and headed for the first buoy. Which I could hardly see because of the rain on my goggles. By the time I got there I could hardly breathe and felt as if my wetsuit was even tighter then before - if that's even possible!
But I didn't panic, just carried on slowly and made it round the 300m course. Slowly!
After a couple of minutes rest I did it again. Slowly.
And then I amazed myself by doing it again. Even more slowly.
It was ace! It was amazing to swim outside in the rain.
And I didn't drown or have a panic attack or have to be rescued!!
Woohoo!! I feel quite proud of myself.
Next week I think we're going to aim for the 1100m course round the lake rather than the smaller loop. Eek!