Swimming

All this machismo is all well and good but if you feel you need a wetsuit to enjoy swimming then go for it.

The panicked breathlessness will reduce as you get more used to it though.

Another lovely swim in Bray Lake this morning, swimming is rapidly becoming my favourite discipline in triathlon, not because I'm any good at it, but brin first in the water this morning, diving off the jetty into the cool water and then managing to get in the 25s for 1500m without feeling like I've given it everything is making me feel like a winter of consistent training has really paid off!

I can reccomend bray enough, it's a great facility and not that far out of London!

Another lovely outdoor swim this morning with the sun rising and my new polarised making sighting easy, coupled with a new job that is next to little marlow lake, I'll be able to open water swim within 5 minutes of finishing work in future.

Win!

^ Never known about this place. Sounds like a spin out there is in order over the summer for a dip. Any other open water spots around London?

Just thinking - I can get special rates at a hotel in Folkestone (£25 for bed, board, evening meal and breakfast) - if anyone fancies a sea swimming weekend, speak up, it can be arranged.

Oooooooh! Sea swimming is great. I'd be up for this.

Long shot - does anyone have any recommendations for wild swimming in the general vicinity of Manchester (ie. not too far in a car, so probably doesn't have to be that close to Manchester itself) that would be suitable for taking a baby along to?

^^^ heron lake, bray lake I only know my local area there are plenty of others

Cheers Ed, I'll have to check them out over the summer months.

still haven't been this year

*shame

Bray is the nicest by all accounts, I haven't been to heron and marlow is ok if a little unorganised at times.

Kicked out of the Lido after swimming 100 meters because of 'thunder' - annoying
Is swimming during thunder storm particularly dangerous?

Swimming at Shepperton tomorrow, looking forward to being back in a lake

i dont see why its any more dangerous than anything else, i suppose standing in the middle of a field in a lightning storm is a bad idea though...

debated going wetsuitless this morning at Bray, before i got in, but was told the water was only 14 degrees so i chickened out, to discover it was much warmer than that so ditched the suit for my second lap, really enjoyed it and it wasn't cold at all, weekday swimming has just got a whole load easier!

Kicked out of the Lido after swimming 100 meters because of 'thunder' - annoying
Is swimming during thunder storm particularly dangerous?

I am sure you would have been quick to complain if the pool had been struck by lightning while you were swimming.

lightning is attracted to large bodies of water is it not?

is it?

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2263/is-lightning-really-that-dangerous-to-swimmers

well im convinced.. kick everyone out of the water for 45minutes eachtime a poolboy 'thinks' he heard a rumble of thunder.

Anyway swam at shepperton at the weekend... 3 laps of the 750 meter loop.
Takes me almost an hour which is painfully slow
but the lake is bliss, nice community of swimmer folk down there too

Ramping up my swimming to an hour a day.
Improving at last, but my sinuses are complaining now - think they are reacting the chorine, its like I have permanent cold.

Keeping myself hydrated while and after I swim loads helps, but think I need to take antihistamines or summat

^ permanent wrinkled fingers!

I found i had this problem but as i've picked up my swimming volumes i don't seem to get so much in my sinuses, i have no idea how it gets in there, but sure with swimming so much you'll stop having the problem soon.

Argh, why the fuck do some people wear perfume to the swimming pool?

what does perfume do?!

Tastes perfumey.

i'm not an expert swimmer but i don't think you're supposed to be drinking the water...

Nor dabbing it behind your ears.

Nah, I can smell it when underwater.

Nice little picture show in the Grandiau the other day about lidos:

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/jun/23/uk-lidos-urban-swimming-pools-readers-tips