So I’ve not only been having swimming lessons once a week to help my swim stroke look a little less like I am trying not to drown whilst moving through the water, but I have also been following the Henley Mile Training Plan. As a complete newbie to swim training I thought I’d go with the experts and follow their plan to get me swimming the distance in time for July.

Now, it took me a few weeks before I realized that the training plan was really for those who want to swim the full mile. So I’ve been following it now for 6 weeks and just realized that I can already swim the 800m in the pool non-stop. So I now have a dilemma – do I keep following the plan and get to the point where I can swim 1.6km (just seeing that in black and white is freaking me out!) or stick to the 800m/half mile and be kind to my self?

At the moment I am most definitely erring towards sticking to the 800m – after all I’ve NEVER, can I repeat that, NEVER swum in open water before. I’ve paddled in an ankle deep river and my cut off point in the sea is mid-thigh – any deeper and I’m super uncomfortable… So, I think that the challenge for me in the end will not be a physical one but more of a mental one – can I persuade my brain to do what my body has been training to do, or will it win over and stop me from even doing the half mile? I guess only time will tell.

But if you haven’t been following the training plan I can thoroughly recommend it. I’m following the Beginners plan as frankly the Intermediate plan just frightens the pants off me… maybe I’ll follow that one next year…???