Swimming at Eastleigh Lake with Bayside Tri

 At last this was a chance to get into open water....my head is still buzzing with inspiration. I change into my wetsuit and I'm raring to go....only when standing at the bank did I start to panic. I have completed the Great London Swim twice before, but both times in breaststroke. I joined the newly formed Bayside Tri in February so that I could imporve my front crawl as my dream was to complete the Great London this year in a faster time and in front crawl.

My crawl has improved dramatically thanks to Erika Tavener, our coach and the lovely members of Bayside Tri. They are all so friendly and supportive...and to think in the few weeks before I joined them I thought they were all intimidating as they thrashed up and down the pool looking so fit..!!

Back to this evening....here I am waiting on the bank looking very apprehensive...well the water looked so cold!

it's all looking very scary!

However I did get in and here I am 6th from the left!

Once I was sort of acclimatised I started swimming, initially doing front crawl but the water on my face felt like a thousand needles....so I did some front crawl, some breaststoke, a lot of treading water and I definitely need new goggles!!! I went round the lake twice...WOW...but it is only 300m a circuit...BUT every journey starts with a single step and this was mine :)

Here is a snap of us all enjoying our tea and cake afterwards :)

And this is the lake