When I entered the competition I was pretty confident I would not get chosen so when the call came it was a big surprise. My first thoughts were ‘great!’, ‘wow!’, ‘fantastic!’ followed by ‘oh no, what have I done?’ and ‘where is my swimsuit?’.  The responses from my family and friends were wide ranging –  from huge support and encouragement to a warning I might drown and should not do it (thanks mum!) and lots of jokes including the suggestion that I could just float to the finishing point rather than swim it (plan B in case plan A fails).

Now, about 3 weeks later, the thought of swimming the Henley Mile is no longer instilling the fear it did in those first few days. I never did find the swimming costume but have bought a new one and I have discovered the wonderful Hinksey Outdoor Pool in Oxford where the water is surprisingly warm for the time of year and being outside has been wonderful. I have been swimming a couple of times a week and have gone from swimming for 20 minutes to 45 minutes. So far it has been great!