Glutton for punishment

This is what happens when you miss 4 weeks! My head thinks 'Ooo just go again tomorrow and catch up' but my body says 'seriously?? Are you having a laugh?!' To be honest, I'm with my body on this one!

After my achievement last night, I ached like hell this morning and struggled to get out of bed, let alone move!  So when it came to 7.30 tonight I was desperately trying to think of reasons why I couldn't go to the lane swim tonight!  I failed.

Part of me was nervous about the whole lane swim thing in case I annoyed other people in the lane by being too slow or stopping. I took the plunge (excuse the pun!) and got there just after 8. There were only 4 people in the pool, it was heaven!  The most at one time was 7 and after half an hour there were only 3 of us so we just took a lane each!

Although it was lovely and soooo much better than the general swim session, last night had taken its toll and I was slower, got cramp and struggled to get to a mile....  I stuck at it though and then something in me just wouldn't let me give up after doing 2k last night so I kept going until I got to 2k again.  Those last dew lengths though seemed never ending! It was like swimming against the tide,bthe end of the pool just seemed to move further and further away! 😖

All in all though it was a big thumbs up for lane swimming and I think I'll have to try to go to that one again!

Another mile and a quarter to the tally....almost 5 miles done, 6 miles left to go!

I've got this!! 😁🏊🏻‍♀️🏊🏻‍♀️🏊🏻‍♀️

https://swim22.diabetes.org.uk/fundraising/teresa187#share-page 

Week 4 - Low expectations put to bed!

After 4 weeks away from the pool, I finally made it back tonight! My expectations were low but I was able to stay in the pool longer which I thought would help. In fact, with Billy on a school residential all week I had planned to go to the pool every night to catch up, but the pool timetable had other ideas!!  

There were no general or adult swim sessions last night so tonight was the night and I was determined to make a mile no matter how long it took me and, with the general swim and adult swim together, I had 2 3/4 hours available so as long as I had the stamina, I had no excuse!  I decided to play it safe and start in the general swim then keep going into the adult swim until I'd done 64 lengths.

As usual, the first 45 mins were a bit of a nightmare as it was so busy and I also stopped a couple of times for a chat with the 'regulars' as they hadn't seen me for a while, which was nice! Once the pool cleared a bit it was much easier and nicer and I made it to 1600m 😁

I still felt OK so carried on for a bit until nature called.  I knew if I got out I would never get back in so I made it to 2000m before deciding I really needed to get out!

I was so chuffed! 2000m (80 lengths)happy with my effort tonight! Just need to get a few more of them in now to catch up to where I should be to complete my 11 miles on time 😁

https://swim22.diabetes.org.uk/fundraising/teresa187

Week 2, Swim 2 - been there, done that, got the t-shirt!

I mean I literally got the t-shirt in the post😁👕  very exciting!

So, it's week 2, time for my 2nd swim and so far there have been no disasters today so I was feeling all positive about my swim tonight! 

A couple of weeks ago my 9year old son had a few swigs of my teenage daughter's Monster energy drink. He was bouncing off the walls and banned from drinking it again until he's older! Much older. Preferably when he's left home!  However, it did give me the idea that maybe I should have some before swimming, see if it gave me the rush of energy it gave him!  That's not cheating is it?? 🤔

Anyway, I gave it a go, had half a small can before I went in......sadly it didn't seem to have the same effect on me! Maybe it was because I had the sugar free version or maybe I needed a full can. Hmmm....a research project is required me thinks! 🤣

This week was thankfully much better than last.  One of the Ladies that Lunch (now renamed Smurf by another regular because of her blue swim hat 😂) was asking what challenge I was doing and even said she would sponsor me as it's for a good cause, bless her!

Unfortunately, swimming up and down was still hard going in the general swim session, trying to avoid kids jumping in, swimming out or just stopping in front of you, trying to drown each other (I was tempted to help on occasions!), and the bus family blocking half of the pool as usual 🤦🏼‍♀️  There was the, now also usual, eye rolling as those of us actually trying to swim passed each other.....

Still I managed 1300 m so almost double my effort of last week and now completed my first mile at least (1.289 miles to be exact 😁)! Hopefully I'll manage more next week and by the end of the challenge I'll be swimming more than a mile a week. I'll need to just to complete the challenge anyway! 😆

All in all I am counting this week as a success and another step towards my goal of a mile in an hour.  I know that's an easy goal for a lot of people doing this challenge but for me it's an effort and I will be really pleased and proud of myself when I finally achieve that goal!  

Everyone doing this challenge are at different levels, with different stories and their own personal goals to reach within the challenge.  Whatever our abilities, we are still getting in the pool when we can and doing what we can and all for a great cause.

We've got this!! 😁

https://swim22.diabetes.org.uk/fundraising/teresa187#share-page

1st day of the challenge and gutted!

I had great expectations for Day 1 of the challenge.  I should have realised early in the day fate had other ideas!.

After feeling rough and being awake half the night I got up feeling less than enthusiastic about swimming!

Still I decided once I was there I would be fine and would aim to get as near to 64 lengths as I could. But going downstairs after work I managed to pull/trap/do something to me sciatic nerve. In the words of Victor Meldrew, unbelievable!!

Typically the kids had to be dropped off in Wigston for cubs tonight, which still left me just enough time to get back for the 7pm swimming session. I hadn't banked on all the roadworks though....After queueing through numerous sets of temporary lights I finally made it to the pool and hobbled my way in, looking the picture of health and really up for a mile swim! Hopefully the swimming would sort out the trapped nerve!

My expectations by the time I'd got in the pool and dropped drastically! I just about managed a few lengths when the lifeguard stopped me to ask what locker number I had. It turns out there was a problem with the locker above mine so I had to get out to go and help.....I was very tempted to just give up then!

But I didn't......

Back in I got and tried to carry on but the pool was really busy. Bus family were there again, a group of teenage lads being annoying teenage lads and kids with noodles who walked into me and hit me with their noodles so many times they lucky to make it out of the pool in one piece!  I have discovered you can easily get pool rage like you do road rage.......

Disappointingly I only managed 31 lengths (thought I'd done 32!) so way off my target but, given the way the day had gone, I was pleased I had at stuck with it for as long as I could manage and it is at least the forst almost 1/2 mile done!

I wish everyone taking part the best of luck for the next 12 weeks and a huge well done to everyone who has logged their first swim of the challenge today!

https://swim22.diabetes.org.uk/fundraising/teresa187

Last training swim.....Yikes!!!

I am sooooo not ready!!!

I had ambitions of improving by 8 lengths to 56 this week, leaving me another 8 to increase by to 64 next week for my first proper challenge swim.

That was the plan.

As you've probably gathered by now, things did not go to plan!

I am going to make my excuses now! The pool was busy. Really busy. Lots of people there really need to look up the definition of swim.......yes I know I sound grumpy and no, the other people there don't know I'm training for something. Even so 'general swim should still mean mainly swimming right?? I don't mind the Ladies that Lunch because they do chat and swim at the same time. Even Butterfly Man and The Shark were struggling tonight! The Bus Family just parked themselves across the middle of the pool as usual, chatting and messing about, which again I don't mind as such but do you REALLY  have to take up half of the pool? Afterall there are 'fun swim' sessions too......

OK so you're maybe thinking, shut up moaning and go to the lane swim sessions if you're that bothered. Well, I would, but they are all late and I can't leave the kids at that time so, in my defence, this is the only hour a week I can do whilst the kids are at Cubs.  It's just frustrating....

Anyway, that's my excuses out of the way!  I did in fact still improve on last week by 4 lengths, going up from 1200m/48 lengths to 1300/52 lengths.  Short on what I was hoping for but still an improvement nevertheless!

Which means next week I need to up it again by 300m/12 lengths...hmmmmm 😳

I was so tired when I got out of the pool I took my watch off to open the locker 🤦🏼‍♀️  Luckily I realised before actually trying to put it in the lock!  There were so no cubicles free and I didn't have time to wait so went into the communal room.

This is when the best thing ever happened.

Now, for anyone who remembers Katherine Tate's 'Nan', she walked into the changing room! I kid you not! In the words of my teenage daughter...I actually like literally did a double take! In she came in her pj's (yes pj's!) and she was the spitting image of Nan, even her mannerisms. I thought it couldn't get any better. But then she spoke! 

Oh. 

My. 

God. 

She even talked like her, the only thing missing was the laugh! She was talking to her friend about her doctor and her bloody foot. It was killing me to not laugh out loud! It just made my evening and the pain of the swimming session was forgotten!! 

So that's it until next week - Week 1 of the challenge! 

Please follow the link to sponsor me for this great cause if you are able. Either way I hope you are enjoying following my journey!

Take care all!

https://swim22.diabetes.org.uk/fundraising/teresa187

Swimming smug time!!

I am feeling very pleased with myself! 

For anyone who doesn't know, just over 4 1/2 years ago I was in Papworth Hospital having a pulmonary endarterectomy operation (removal of lung lining) to get rid of stubborn bilateral PEs which did not want to go away, their favourite game being trying to stop me breathing!

Anyway with that and covid, I hadn't swam properly for a few years until about a month ago.  I went and was pleased that I managed 32 lengths in about 50 minutes.  Not long after I saw the Diabetes Swim22 challenge advertised and decided to sign up. It would give me something to motivate me and work towards whilst raising money for a very worthwhile charity.  My sister is a specialist diabetes nurse and I have a few friends who behave diabetes so it's nice to be able to do something to help, even if only in a small way.

Having only managed 32 lengths in a hour I signed up to complete 11 miles in the duration of the challenge, meaning I need to complete around a mile a week to achieve this.  A mile is around 64 lengths aoni would still need to double up what I'm doing or find time to go twice a week, which would be difficult around the kids, work and times the pool is open for general swimming!

Tuesday nights are perfect as the kids are at cubs, the pool is only 5 minutes away so I have time to get there, swim for an hour and get about the same time as them 😊

Last week was my first training swim since signing up for the challenge and I managed 36 lengths in an hour. Speed-wise that was probably about the same as my first trip a few weeks before but on that occasion I physically couldn't have swam for another 10 minutes so I took that as a slight improvement!  I'm sure I could add on another couple of lengths for all the zigzagging around other people and kids in the pool too! Especially avoiding 'The Shark' whizzing up and down the pool with complete disregard for everyone else, according to the 'ladies that lunch'!  You know who you are!! 🤣😂  Anyway, I doubt if the ladies that lunch will ever acknowledge me again after seeing me talking to the shark, which I am sure was seen as me colluding with the enemy.........oops!

So tonight my aim was to try and stop less for, less time, and swim 40 lengths in the hour.

I have to say, after completing 600m (24 lengths) in half an hour I was feeling fairly confident!  I find myself using strange distraction methods in the pool to stop thinking about how many lengths I've done, from people watching, inventing stories about the other swimmers, singing along to the music playing for the aqua aerobics class (only in my head don't worry! Although it could be a way of clearing the pool a bit.....🤔). Tonight it was singing the alphabet (again only in my head!), seeing what letter I got to at each end.... usually between V and Y on the second time through if you're interested!

I managed less breaks and didn't stop for as long when I did break, apart from the times I had to stop because I was choking from swallowing water, something my lungs aren't very good at coping with!!

I was really pleased to see I'd matched last week's 36 lengths in 45 minutes, which spurred me on and I complete 1200m, 48 lengths in just second under an hour!

How chuffed am I!!  I was grinning like an idiot to myself when I finished so any other people watchers in the pool have probably now labelled me 'the crazy grinny woman' 🤣 Do I care? Nooooo!!

If I can improve at the same rate over the next 2 weeks (although I'm not under any false illusions that is actually possible!) I could be just up to mile a week in time for the start of the challenge!!  I really hope so as that would be such a great personal achievement too!

Thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far, your donations really are greatly appreciated! 

https://swim22.diabetes.org.uk/fundraising/teresa187

fundraising link

Thank you!

Thank you very much to whoever just made an anonymous donation to my Swim22.  It is very much appreciated, and you're right, swimming will never catch on! 😂 xx

https://swim22.diabetes.org.uk/fundraising/teresa187

First training swim complete!

Well I might not have done as well as I'd hoped but still more than my previous session so happy with that!

I managed to sign up for a swim membership without any problems! I now have a nice swipey card to use so no more hassle with cash/contact less payments!

First things first, I had to work out how to work my new Honor 6 band.....I eventually found the workout menu, the swimming activity and set to 25m. It automatically started and it took a few seconds to work how to pause it. That may well make me sound stupid but I behave never had a fitness tracker/watch before so have no idea how they work!

I was ready to swim! What I wasn't ready for was how cold the pool was!  Still in I got and off I went.  I found it harder than I thought I would and amused myself by constantly checking new toy, which I have to say was very accurate.  I am very impressed! I managed to do my previous 32 lengths/800m and then managed another 4.  I really wanted to go for 40 lengths/1000m but, by the time I'd done 36/900m, there were only 2 minutes of the session left and I knew there was no way I'd get 4 more lengths done in that time!  I checked my watch and stopped it, happy th my efforts 😁

So, not the best, but it's start!

If anyone feels able to donate then please see the link below to my just giving page or just a few words or encouragement will also be gratefully received!

https://swim22.diabetes.org.uk/fundraising/teresa187#share-page

🎶Just keep swimming, just keep swimming🎶🐠

So New Year, new start with the exercise regime. OK, OK so it's not exactly the start of the year but hey, better late than never!

A couple of weeks ago I saw a post from Diabetes UK about a sponsored swim, Swim22, taking place from 22nd March to 22nd June.  

💡"Oooo that's a good idea" a little voice somewhere in my brain piped up and before I knew it I'd signed myself up! 🤦🏼‍♀️  My sister is a specialist diabetes nurse and I also have a few friends with diabetes so it will be good to raise some money for Diabetes UK.

Now I do like swimming, and a few years ago I went quite regularly.  Time to dig out the old swimsuit and see if I can still squeeze into it.....thank God they're stretchy!!

Off I went to my new local pool, which I haven't been to for years! On that occasion I paid by card to save taking cash and even remembered my locker coin. Get me!  But then l came to use the lockers.....So I was changed, shoved all my stuff into the locked and put in my locker coin, only for it to jam because, on checking, they are 20p lockers not £1 lockers. Now I had a dilemma, leave my stuff in an unlocked locker or get changed again to go back to reception for help.....

Thankfully a very nice lady came in, took one look at me and asked if I was OK, I explained what had happened and she kindly gave me 20p.  This is where things got worse and she probably decided I was a complete idiot.  First, let me explain my, possibly slightly illogical, thought process....

I had put a coin in the locker which, ideally, I wanted back but was stuck. With a correct coin I could push my coin out and the correct coin would release the locker key. Seems straightforward enough right? Wrong. 

I'm sure all of you intelligent people reading this saw the error in my logic straight away.  I popped the 20p in the locker and yes, obviously that then got stuck as well.  I then turned to the kind lady, who was looking at me with an expression somewhere between disbelief and fear at the crazy lady she just tried to help as she said "have you just put that in the same locker?!'  I gave a small smile and tried to explain my rationale as she side stepped me telling me an attendant was on his way anyway.  I felt so stupid!  Two attendants did then come in and I explained my predicament. One of them pressed the reject button I hadn't seen and both my coins fell out as I received my second 'are you stupid?' look of the evening.  Things were getting off to a good start!

When I finally made it to the pool I did actually manage 32 lengths, which I worked out was half a mile, so I was quite pleased with myself! The nice lady was in the changing room when I got out so I was able to thank her and give her the money back 😁  I had chatted to her and her friend in the pool and think I'd managed to convince them I am actually fairly normal!

My plan after that was to swim every week when the kids are at cubs. The next week was half term so I missed that week but the following week off I went again.  This time I was determined not to make a fool of myself so I went with cash so I could pay and get the correct change for the locker without any hassle.  There was an issue with a customer when I got there so we had to queue for ages but finally I got to the front keen to pay and get going.  Offered my fiver for the session, which was regarded as though it was something that had never been seen before. The receptionist looked at me, pointed at a sign another side of the desk and aid "it's contact less only".

End of session 2!

Tomorrow I am hoping to get it right! I have my card ready and a stash of 20p coins, surely nothing can go wrong?!

I have tried to be realistic with my target. There was a choice to aim for 11 miles, 22 miles or 44 miles.  I would love to go for 22 miles, however, realistically I can probably only go swimming once a week and there are 13 weeks to complete the challenge.  That means that if I can double my lengths per session, which will be a challenge in itself, then I will complete 1 mile a week.  So I am aiming for 11 miles and may even have to fit a few extra sessions in to achieve that BUT, if I can do more I will certainly try.

If anyone feels able to donate then please see the link below to my just giving page or just a few words or encouragement will also be gratefully received!

https://swim22.diabetes.org.uk/fundraising/teresa187#share-page