I tried! I got up much earlier than usual and was at Salford for 8.30am this morning, hitting the water before nine (and was within the first 50 to go in!), but dear me, it was cold. Actually it was 11oC, so 2.5oC warmer than last time, but there was a really cold wind blasting down the docks and it was completely overcast for most of the time too. I can stand colder water when the sun is shining; the wind and cloud seem to sap me more than the chill. I managed two laps of the short course (800m in total), which is ok, not great, but I tried out a few things and I have a better idea of how to get over the cold-induced faceache now. So it was certainly more of an experimenting day than a work out. 14 and 12 mins respectively; I'd really like to aim for under 10mins when things warm up a bit. I found the drag from my gloves very tiring, too, but it was a case of "suit up or don't swim", and "don't swim" is unacceptable with Windermere just six weeks away.
I must admit I'm still a bit achy from the 5k last Sunday. I went and did a quick km on Tuesday just to keep everything loose, and I look forward to that again next week even though I get terrible lane rage at times. On the other hand - or leg, rather - my hip is still in trouble and I was stiff with cold when I got out today. The physio I'd intended to see suddenly cancelled all appointments for a fortnight, so I've booked in with the Sports & Spinal Injury Clinic at Bolton University instead. I'm very anxious to get this sorted out now; it's been at least two weeks of pain with every step and as the evenings get lighter I'm missing the chance to have a run. The lack of running is definitely showing in my overall fitness.
