Swimming (2 Viewers)

Terry_dactyl · Jul 17, 2025

Any swimmers out there?

Ive started swimming again, having swam for Cov when I was kid.
I go about 3 or 4 times a week in the morning and have recently joined a little club round by me. I’ve only been once but going on first impressions it looks like I could be part of their ‘youth set up’. I’m 48.

I had to give up football about 2 years ago cos arthritis and been struggling to fill the void it left. Fair play, I feel energised afterwards and my arthritis doesn’t bother me at all

Got myself a little training schedule and everything.

People keep telling me to jump in a reservoir or the sea (I think they’re being encouraging) but I’ve never really fancied it.
Any other swimmers on here?

Evo1883 · Jul 17, 2025

I go swimming every Monday, do 32 laps , and when im off on holiday I go Monday to Friday.

Its the exercise I enjoy most

mmttww · Jul 17, 2025

Terry_dactyl said:
swam for Cov when I was kid.

Haha! same. Training when people were rolling out of Eclipse. Haven't trained for a while but I was booked on a triathlon or two before Covid cancelled them.

Outdoor stuff is great, lidos are good if you cba to travel to one. Cambridge (Jesus Green) is fun - 90 metres long! - and some in London are worth a look.

Not many good open water spots near here that you don't have to pay for but Dosthill Quarry and Stoney Cove are meant to be decent and worth it.

oh, Carding Mill Valley reservoir is mint.

itsabuzzard · Jul 17, 2025

Been in the sea a fair amount in this warm weather. Dog's baffled as he's usually the one braving the breakers to retrieve his tennis ball.

Terry_dactyl · Jul 17, 2025

mmttww said:
Haha! same. Training when people were rolling out of Eclipse. Haven't trained for a while but I was booked on a triathlon or two before Covid cancelled them.

Outdoor stuff is great, lidos are good if you cba to travel to one. Cambridge (Jesus Green) is fun - 90 metres long! - and some in London are worth a look.

Not many good open water spots near here that you don't have to pay for but Dosthill Quarry and Stoney Cove are meant to be decent and worth it.

oh, Carding Mill Valley reservoir is mint.

Yes! Thought there might be another one. I gave up competing when those 5:30am starts started up. Not for me.

Likewise remember the Eclipse emptying out but I was playing 5 aside football in the sports centre on a Sunday morning by then. “That looks fun”, I thought to myself.

Entered a full triathlon a few years back but a football injury scuppered me. Now looking at a sprint relay one through work. 400m swim…should be easy enough right?

There’s a reservoir not far from me and people keep telling me about Pontypridd Lido but I’m against swimming in the sea, cos of the shit.

Do you have a training plan? @Evo1883 do you just swim them straight off or take breaks? stamina seems to be my main issue.

mmttww · Jul 18, 2025

Terry_dactyl said:
I gave up competing when those 5:30am starts.

I got whooping cough, had to take a couple of months off, then when I went back I'd lost so much speed that I gave up! Stuck to football, cricket, athletics and stuff after that.

mmttww · Jul 18, 2025

itsabuzzard said:
Been in the sea a fair amount in this warm weather.

where's good that doesn't tend to have loads of sewage spills? I like a few spots in Norfolk with Holkham top of the list.

itsabuzzard · Jul 18, 2025

mmttww said:
where's good that doesn't tend to have loads of sewage spills? I like a few spots in Norfolk with Holkham top of the list.

I'm very fortunate in that I'm living off the West coast of Scotland so sewage isn't an issue. I did get "jellied" down my leg the other day and that was painful.

fatso · Jul 18, 2025

itsabuzzard said:
I'm very fortunate in that I'm living off the West coast of Scotland so sewage isn't an issue.

Jesus. Are the Jocks to tight to shit now?

Terry_dactyl · Jul 18, 2025

itsabuzzard said:
I'm very fortunate in that I'm living off the West coast of Scotland so sewage isn't an issue. I did get "jellied" down my leg the other day and that was painful.

The sea scares me! Bloody freezing too. I went off the coast of Pembrokeshire a couple of years ago…lasted about 30 seconds. Proper Wim Hoff temperatures.

itsabuzzard · Jul 18, 2025

fatso said:
Jesus. Are the Jocks to tight to shit now?

No, it's a small rural population so most people have their own septic tanks. No big treatment plants or associated outfalls.

itsabuzzard · Jul 18, 2025

Terry_dactyl said:
The sea scares me! Bloody freezing too. I went off the coast of Pembrokeshire a couple of years ago…lasted about 30 seconds. Proper Wim Hoff temperatures.

It is easy to let your imagination run riot about what lurks beneath, but I swim off sandy beaches and stay well within my depth, so I can see the bottom and any approaching sharks!
I usually wear a 3mm neoprene wetsuit but toughed it out in just my cossie the past couple of weeks, and it was surprisingly OK. Sometimes swim in the freshwater lochs as well and they're fine in the summer as they're a good bit warmer than the sea. Neoprene boots are de rigueur though as there's a thick layer of silt, peat and organic debris on the bottom - bit disconcerting in bare feet!

nicksar · Jul 18, 2025

Terry_dactyl said:
Any swimmers out there?

Ive started swimming again, having swam for Cov when I was kid.
I go about 3 or 4 times a week in the morning and have recently joined a little club round by me. I’ve only been once but going on first impressions it looks like I could be part of their ‘youth set up’. I’m 48.

I had to give up football about 2 years ago cos arthritis and been struggling to fill the void it left. Fair play, I feel energised afterwards and my arthritis doesn’t bother me at all

Got myself a little training schedule and everything.

People keep telling me to jump in a reservoir or the sea (I think they’re being encouraging) but I’ve never really fancied it.
Any other swimmers on here?

I'm way older than you at 71 but as a youngster I also trained early morning and evening 6 days a week and represented Coventry as well as Warwickshire ASA and the Midlands ASA...got selected for pre Olympic training squad as well but never made the grade....won loads of Warwickshire age group competitions though...swam Freestyle and Butterfly.

Terry_dactyl · Jul 18, 2025

nicksar said:
I'm way older than you at 71 but as a youngster I also trained early morning and evening 6 days a week and represented Coventry as well as Warwickshire ASA and the Midlands ASA...got selected for pre Olympic training squad as well but never made the grade....won loads of Warwickshire age group competitions though...swam Freestyle and Butterfly.

Yeah freestyle and butterfly were my strokes too. Sounds like you were a cut above me. I made the Cov ‘A’ Team Squad a fair bit but my focus was on football by the end. Reckon I gave up when I was about 12 or 13. But I started when I was 4 so was there a good while.
Doing all that made me feel like I lived in Cov Baths! Such a shame to see it not being used nowadays.

Seems like 50m pools are dying a death in the UK generally.
They badly messed up in Cardiff. They built this new, fancy complex down the bay for the Olympics/commonwealth games, including a 50m one to replace the old Empire pool. Amazingly they built it exactly 50m which means they couldn’t use it cos they didn’t account for the ‘timing boards’ they have to put in for competitions. Dickheads.

Swimming (2 Viewers)

Terry_dactyl

Well-Known Member

Evo1883

Well-Known Member

mmttww

Well-Known Member

itsabuzzard

Well-Known Member

Terry_dactyl

Well-Known Member

mmttww

Well-Known Member

mmttww

Well-Known Member

itsabuzzard

Well-Known Member

fatso

Well-Known Member

Terry_dactyl

Well-Known Member

itsabuzzard

Well-Known Member

itsabuzzard

Well-Known Member

nicksar

Well-Known Member

Terry_dactyl

Well-Known Member

Users who are viewing this thread

Swimming (2 Viewers)

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Users who are viewing this thread

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency