I can’t get enough of swimming in the open water now. The effect of the cold water on me is such a buzz, though it is starting to warm up a bit.  I arrange to met with the marvellous Cath Pendleton at Lake 32 she is training for a marathon swim, I am hoping to swim 600m today! She is so supportive and funny, shouting my name across the water and giving me the thumbs up as she laps passed me. Love it that she remembers my name!  Going out semi alone is good for me, I only need to think about myself and my breathing. Breast stroke is no problem but I really want to be able to switch it with front crawl when I am at Henley.  I have a go at doing front crawl with my face in the water, but I am catching my breath quite a bit. I manage to do 600m but my breathing is a problem. Just then a swan dives over my head just a couple of meters near me, followed by it’s swan buddy who is chasing the first. So amusing that nature is not remotely bothered about us humans bobbing around them, they just carry on with their business. Nature at it’s finest!

Following week I have my first coaching session on Bradford on Avon River with the lovely and patient Julie Chilvers recommended by Filipa, my new This Girl Can pal.  This is also the first time I have swam in a river.  We meet at a beautiful quiet spot, with just a bunch of cows as my audience!  The experience is exhilarating, so different swimming against a current in a thinner bit of water rather than a wide lake but I am totally getting a kick out of it. Julie spends a while with me talking about breathing and different techniques. When doing front crawl I thought the correct technique was to breathe out of water every third stoke which was leaving me breathless and sucking in vast amounts of air when I come up. ‘Why don’t you breathe when you need to Amber?’ It’s like a light bulb moment, I breathe the same side for 10 strokes then swap sides, it’s working, I can swim front crawl, very slow but it’s so much more comfortable.  The best bit was turning back and swimming with the flow back to our start point. The sun on the water, the complete peace and quiet except the sound of us swooshing is addictive. Loving every moment!

On a roll now, I manage to book myself onto a Vobster Quay intro session which is a guided swim around the lake. I meet so many other budding open water swimmers and what does not go unnoticed is the number of women there compared to men, out of roughly 30 of us, there are only two men. What you also can’t miss is the sound of laughing and squealing of delight and we all get into the water. I am in my element and pretty much skip all the way home afterwards, mentally planning the next date with the water!