I drove down and wasn't excited or even fearful. Usually I feel sick with nerves before an event like this....Anyway it rained on the way, big black clouds, lots of torrential blasts of rain and then the satnav took me to Richards address. I parked up and was greeted at the door by him in his wetsuit and his wife still eating breakfast...but they are a lovely couple and make me feel very welcome.
I got changed into my swimming kit and gathered up the hat, wristband and luggage tag. Sue drove us to the top of the hill overlooking Bournemouth Pier...this is my first view of the Pier and in the far distance you can see Boscombe Pier and that is where we have to swim to....
As we neared the pier there were lots of swimmers in wetsuits milling around and a few wthout but not many. Registration over and time to hand your luggage to the man with the van, who will drive your luggage to Boscombe Pier...I feel like asking for a lift too..lol
I apply as much aqua glide as I possibly can to my neck and a little over my face as that always dries up in the sea. Also I take four puffs of ventolin...then my luggage is handed over and i'm left with my hat and goggles...!! It's all about to happen, no turning back.
A young girl asks me if I need any help pullling up the zip of my wetsuit, but I thank her and say I'll be ok. I don't want anyone doing up the neck as I now am becoming paranoid about it. I remember the swim earlier in the week with Mark, where I ended up having to take it off because my neck hurt me so much,. If I get to that point today, I will have to exit the water.
Richard and I stood on the sand for a short while and then I wanted to acclimatise myself in the water. A quick dip and I made sure I was used to the temperature...the waves were rolling but not huge, so made the decision to go further out to sea. We were chatting on the sand again when one of a group of girls next to us, which included the young girl from earlier caught my eye and we both smiled, laughed and said hello...she was Celine from Beyond the Blue and I had been swimming with her the week before at Shore Rd. It was nice to have a friendly chat before the start as it helped my mind think about nicer things!
The safety brief went ahead and then the claxon went off and the people at the front ran into the water, while the rest of us walked slowly behind...
Richard and I walked slowly out to sea, until I was up to my shoulders...we then decided to turn left and swim...unbelievable...thought I was at a January Sale...I was pushed, barged, kicked, people swimming over me, umder me and around me...shocking!! :) Next year I will be last !!
In the scrum, I lost Richard...I found a clearing and stopped...I looked back and could't see him, took my goggles off and looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen. So I turned and started to swim. It was an awful first 200m as there was just too many people...I was weaving in and out and around everyone...I moved closer to the jet skis so that I was out of the way and swam from there...I felt good and strong in the water. I was sighting other swimmers rather than the pier...I couldn't see the pier it was just a line on the horizon, my main worry was keeping clear of the other swimmers. I swam for quite a while and the pier was becoming a bigger line in my misted goggles...and at one point I stopped completely and lifted my goggles to see...The pier looked like I was about half way, but when I looked at the pink watch it said 17 minutes...So I reckoned on time I was only about a quarter of the way, so head down and carried on swimming...I did front crawl all the way, only the occasional breaststroke to get around people...all of a suddden I seemed to be at the groynes...I must have been swimming diagonally....great sighting eh? I stopped again and lifted my goggle ans the pier didn't seem far away at all....I reckoned it was about 20 lengths of the pool. I was feeling very confident, very strong, wasn't tired and put my head down again and upped my speed slightly...in no time at all, I could see the pier and the swimmers to my left were standing up and wading in...I felt a rush of emotion...I had done it, it was over. I felt very proud of myself..stood up and could hear the shouts and screams of my family amongst the line of people along the beach
My smile is even bigger when I look at my watch and see the time...I just couldn't believe it and thought it wsn't working or i hadn't set it right ... duh!!!
While collecting my medal, I hear someone ask for the time...a lady says "ten to"...my brain starts ticking again...we started after 10am, I waited until I was in position to swim and then set the watch so HEY!! YEY!! It's right...I did it in 43 minutes 41 seconds...an unbelievable time...so fast...I am now so proud!
No comments:
Post a Comment