Since starting this adventure 50 days ago I have:
- Driven 768 miles, and visited places in London I’ve never even heard of
- Been accompanied by 30 people including: colleagues, a whole swimming club, old friends, several of whom I haven’t seen for years, two complete strangers who just wanted to share my adventure.
- Swum 89,841m – 56 miles or thereabouts. Sometimes I have just not been able to resist swimming a little more …
And yet. I wish that I still wasn’t feeling constantly inadequate – I feel an impostor as a swimmer: slow with bad technique and arms that cross over when I crawl, with a distinct lack of “high elbow”. I wish that I felt elegant and graceful and lithe, or powerful and fast. I wish I wasn’t faintly embarrassed that, when swimmers have joined me along the way, that they have almost always finished their accompanying miles before me. I wish that when people have said, ‘Wow, you are inspiring,’ that I could understand what they see. I wish this 50-day adventure wasn’t over yet.
But my 50 days of swimming have reminded me a few things:
It’s possible to be completely stubborn about a goal and not give in to tiredness or boredom or even misery. You can just refuse to give in. Of course it’s good to listen to your body as well, if you are training it to be faster or more effective. But if you are trying to train your mind and body to be less weak, then just being stubborn can get you far.
It is possible to find the good in every situation. People have asked me which pools has been my favourite. They imagine I will pick the vast ones or the glamorous marble-clad ones or the empty serene ones. But they all have their own personalities and challenges. For every luscious, quiet pool there has been a mobbed one, stressful to swim in but thriving and full of life. For every spartan, suburban municipal pool there has been a swimmer who has exchanged a friendly word of encouragement or who has laughed with me about lane etiquette. And for every super-heated leisure pool there has been a friendly chatty lifeguard or receptionist. You can find a bit of good in everything if you really want to.
There is so much goodwill out there that you need never feel grumpy or cross or fed up for long. That even though you may feel plain or middle-aged or slow or inadequate; and have a wonky left arm and still can’t breathe bilaterally, having a bit of a sense of fun or adventure counts for something. And sharing that with others appears infectious.
4. London is amazing, warts and all. Historically, culturally, architecturally and socially I’ve seen so much in the past seven weeks. I feel lucky to live in a city so rich and diverse. It’s easy to forget to explore your own environment – especially if you have lived somewhere for a long time. But you don’t have to visit tourist attractions to reacquaint yourself – you just need to visit a new pool in a new neighbourhood every now and again. Always pack your swimming things ready for a little adventure.
My last week
Sunday 12 April, Tooting Bec lido, 90m
As a guest of South London Swimming Club, this lido is where I first started my love affair with winter swimming. The longest swimming pool in London by a mile, and usually the coldest. An 11C mile felt warmer than Brockwell lido two weeks ago.
Monday 13 April, London Fields lido, 50m
Jam-packed and a struggle to swim a mile peacefully until it got dark and the fair-weather swimmers started to leave. Swimming in the dark, floodlit, is wonderful.
Tuesday 14 April, Jubilee sports centre, 25m
Joined by intrepid American swimming buddies Jon and Fran in Queens Park, I narrowly averted disaster by completing my mile just before closed the pool half an hour before advertised. My protests fell on deaf ears.
Wednesday 15 April, Acton Centre pool, 25m
I had to fill in a form with my full name, age, date of birth, phone number, email address and full postal address before I could swim here. (Apparently because child services are housed in the same building.) A lovely pool but a nightmare of rules and regulations.
Thursday 16 April, Cally pool, 25m
A lunchtime dash – fine and empty and just what I needed after several really late nights. A lane to myself for the most part, it’s hardly Islington’s jewel in the crown, but this pool serves the community well.
Friday 17 April, Mile End Park leisure centre, 25m
There was absolutely nothing leisurely about this swim. I knew as soon as I entered the changing rooms and heard the volume of noise coming from the pool that it was going to be bad. There were about a hundred children in the water – complete pandemonium. Lane swimming was slap bang in the middle of the free-swimming area, filled with youths trying to swim fast and race one another by wildly swinging their arms. I really wanted to get out after 20 lengths but was so close to the end of this challenge that nothing was going to deter me.
Saturday 18 April, Parliament Hill lido, 60m
Unequivocally my favourite place to swim in London. A stainless-steel twinkling jewel of a pool. My happy place. Many friends from along the last 50 days came to join me in a celebratory swim with cake afterwards. It was lovely.
Sunday 19 April, London Aquatics Centre, 50m
I finished my 50th swim by taking part in the Swimathon – swimming with young and old, novice and experienced swimmers in the amazingly beautiful Aquatic Centre. Everyone must feel like an Olympian swimming in this environment. What a way to finish my challenge.
What next?
When I’m not beating myself up about my inadequacies as a swimmer, I think that perhaps people see me as an everywoman. Easy to identify with, an ordinary joe doing a bit of a not-so-ordinary thing. Maybe that’s where the pleasure in following my story has come from for some. Blimey – if she can do it, anyone can do it. Which of course is the beauty of swimming a mile a day. Anyone can do it. It does take some effort of course, but it’s perfectly possible if you have the right attitude. I’m hoping to continue at least till May 7th, just not in different pools.
I’d be crazy to say it’s not going to be a relief to not have to travel miles and miles a day to swim. Now I am free to swim wherever, and wherever, I chose. And for now I have many new possibilities – and will definitely revisit some of my new found pools. In the meantime I have a 10km outdoor river swim coming up in June that I need to train for. I have to get my arms used to turning over for several hours – and miles – at a time. After that it’s several more months till my 50th birthday. I’m sure I can hatch another plan to keep me on the straight and narrow.
Unexpected generosity along the way
Speedo kindly donated some training aids and a swimming costume – I’m looking forward to trying them out now that I have a bit more time.
And Better – which runs many of London pools – have kindly offered me a birthday present of a year’s swim membership. Now I have every excuse to swim all over the city.
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