Ullswater Epic Mile Swim

Sunday 14th July was upon me and after a good breakfast of scrambled egg and whole meal toast we ste off to Glenrididng, where the race would be held. Man and his kids came too, as did Mhairi's family (we opted to leave the dogs at home!  Don't think it would have gone down too well with Flirt following me around the course...)

Friends Will and Jill came to picnic and watch too, as did my sister Claire and nephew Oliver who had camped locally the night before. The kids soon stripped off and headed into the lake to paddle - the weather was perfect. Bright sun, blue skies, and not a ripple on the lake. There was already a party atmostphere, and we arrived just as the 3.8km race was finishing.

We went to register and disappointingly realised that as there were 400 nearly in our event, we had been put into seperate waves - there were 3 in total for the mile. Mhairi would go off first, with me in the second one closing after. After my initial sulk, I realised that realistically we wouldn't be able to swim together anyway, so I manned up!

Before race

Wetsuits were donned, half way up, and we headed over to the start/finish line for our briefing. I rutched myself into my wetsuit, put my shiny green race hat on, and inched my way one-by-one into the race pen. The water was so warm, you almost didn't need a wetsuit on. I gave Mhairi a hug and we wished each other good luck, and got into our wave positions. The organiser then started us off with a rendition of God Save the Queen, which could be heard all over the lake someone later told me, and the hooter went and we were off. My wave set off about 20 seconds after the first one, and I was launched headfirst into a cauldron of arms, legs, heads, hands, feet. Man - it was madness! I eventually found myself a bit of clear water and went for it, and gradually inched my way through the maddening crowd!

The first buoy was at the opposite shore, and we turned right and swam past the cows on the shore. By the time I had turned at the second buoy and started my way down the long length (think of a rectangle) I was feeling great, and had got into my rhythm. I had overtaken a lot of green caps, and none had overtaken me so far, and as I looked ahead, all I could see were pink caps from the first wave. There were some nice boats moored up, I can remember thinking!

When I reached the bottom of the straight, my arms were starting to burn, and I had had a peek to see where the finish was - not so far! As I rounded the buoy a green cap got in my way and tried to swim over the top of me! I wasn't happy - so i sped up and we ended up having a sprint finish together to the finish. It was a man (of course) and by the time I got myself upright in the shallows and my legs stopped wobbling, he had finished. I made it up the gantry and over the line, and saw my two boys and my sister and nephew. I'm not ashamed to admit I did have a little cry. I thought of my mum all around the race, and how proud she would be of me - and do you know what, i could have got in the water and done it all again if she'd asked me to.

The finish line

Back at base camp, man was there - he didn't come and support me over the line of course, and Will had a nice cold beer waiting for me. Some people are more considerate than others!

I stripped out of my wetsuit and dove in the lake - heaven! I got my breath back, had a bit of a picnic, then went home and had a good old session with friends in the pub!

The changing room!

Thank you to all my friends and family who have supported and sponsored me throughout my Wannabe Wild Swimmer adventure (not including Man here, had he has done neither), and a special thank you to Mhairi - I have enjoyed every minute, thank you for being there for me.

Just under £600 raised for the Stroke Association - job well done.

Can't wait for next year!

Day 10 in the Lake

We had our last swim in the lake on Thursday morning - perfect conditions - except trying to get our wetsuit on in 30 degrees heat. No fun in that!

My sister Jo was visiting and she was put in charge of bags, dogs, camera. No wonder she looked nervous. She hadn't met Daisy the Nutter before.

When we got in the water and set off I saw fish for the first time - brown with spots? Anyone? We swam out to the red buoy and round the headland. It was an easy last swim. I felt well prepared and Mhairi had had a hard weeks training due to a triathlon event she was competing in this weekend in Liverpool. Calm down calm down!

When we turned to head back we had company -  the dogs joined us! They swam all the way back round the headland with us, bless them. Flirt has never been so fit - i'm sure she has webbed feet now!



Me and Mhairi

I feel so ready for the event on Sunday - so in the unlikely event that a giant eel grabs me, I should be able to complete it and be proud of my achievement. I feel quite emotioanl actually, and I think that is for a variety of reasons:

1) I am proud of myself for committing to it, especially as I'm going through some personal challenges at the moment. Swimming has put a smile on my face, when quite frankly some days I have just felt like bawling.

2) I am lucky to have found such a good friend in Mhairi who has given me nothing but encouragement and has inspired me to train, swim faster and harder. She must have the patience of a saint!

3) I feel fitter and healthier than I have done in a long long time. I have lost almost a stone in 5 weeks, and I am doing the 5:2 fasting way of eating too - so I think a combination of exercise and healthy eating has done it. (I would definately recommend 5:2 WOE to anyone!) I am getting into clothes I haven't worn for ages - I knew there was a reason I kept hold of them! I no longer veg on the sofa at night - well not til about 9/10pm anyway. I exercise!

After - Before. Not sure if I look any different actually!

And 4) most importantly I feel emotional because I am doing this for my mum, and to raise money for the Stroke Association. If the money I raise can stop this happening to one other person so that they and their family don't have to go through what we have and still do go through, then it is worth it.

I'm going to share a bottle of wine with Babs this evening, and Saturday will be a quiet one - I will NOT be swayed! Then down to Glenridding for about 11am; it's a British theme so we'll be proudly flying our Union Jacks, eating cucumber sandwiches and drinking Pimms (afterwards!) Then I might just let my hair down on Sunday night? What do you reckon?! And if you've nowt to do on Sunday, why not pop down to Glenridding and say hello! Bring a flag!!

Thank you for all your sponsorship so far. if you haven't had a chance yet, please click HERE! www.justgiving.com/Moira-Dudson

Many thanks, and I'll be back on Monday to report on my swim! (Unless a giant eel gets me...)

Day 9 in the Lake

We headed down to the Lake on Sunday (7th July) to hit the mile mark again. Flirt, Daisy, Harvey and Mayson (Mhairi's son and other half) came along. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and there wasn't a ripple on the lake. Unfortunately, every man and his dog and kayak had also headed down there. Half the population of Britain must have been at Pooley Bridge - seriously! And why wouldn't they head there? Spectacular scenery, water, and fun for all the family.

I tied Flirt up with strict instructions to Mayson not to let Flirt off until we were out of sight. Mhairi stressed - umpteen times- that we must sight lots. (I guess she thinks I don't sight much!) This was to avoid the yachts, dinghies, canoes, kayaks, steamers, dogs, kids and fishing lines. We would head out to the red buoy and then keep close to shore, so we didn't get in the way of the regatta (which didn't much look fun as no wind!) And we would swim out 0.5 miles and then back 0.5 miles. Sounded good to me. I was feeling good!

We waded in, and all I could hear was Flirt yelping - obviously not impressed she was being left behind! We negotiated the group of kids in canoes, the family fishing on the shore, and set out to the red buoy. God it felt good! I was freeee! Then left towards Parkfoot campsite, and then Waterside. We stopped briefly for Mhairi to check distance, and we had swum 0.42 miles. On we went, and just as I was swimming over what looked like train tracks on the lake bed, we had reached 0.5 miles. We bobbed for 10 seconds, then turned about and headed back to shore.

We were side by side one minute, then the next all I could see were Mhairi's toes. She had upped the tempo! I kicked to catch up, cursing her under my breath as I gulped in air. I stayed with her, and we bypassed the red buoy and didn't stop, and then started to swim into shore. I made it into the shallows, and pulled up, to see Mhairi laughing! 'Did you enjoy that?' she yelled. I won't type the names I called her. She thought it was hilarious! The good news was, I had swum a mile in 29 minutes!!!!! Whoa-ho cowboy!! Not bad. In fact, having googled last years Ullswater epic event, I would've been 4th female in the age 40 group over the line!!

I was shattered all day- but soon felt energised again after watching Andy Murray win Wimbledon. Wowser! My 5:2 fasting is going really well too. On the days I fast when I swim, I feel incredible - apparently a side effect of fasting. I've lost 4kg, I have a waist again, and feeling great!

2 more swims to go until the event, and I really cannot wait! I am so excited. Please please please sponsor me if you haven't already, and help me achieve my £500 target sponsorship for the Stroke Association.

www.justgiving.com/Moira-Dudson

Day 8 in the Lake

So last night (Thursday 4th July) was my 8th swim,and Mhairi and I planned to go down to the lake with no kids, men or dogs, so we just concentrate on swimming, and not panic about dogs/kids drowning and men getting bored. I was determined to go all out and swim a whole mile, just to make sure I could actually do it!

I was fasting yesterday, so I had to make sure I had eaten enough before we swam, as I didn't want to flake out in the middle of the lake. As we didn't leave Greystoke til nearly 7pm, I'd had a nana nap and actually by the time we got to the lake I really didn't feel like swimming...

The lake when we finished

BUT - on went the wetsuit, and seriously it honestly isn't any easier getting it on. We decided we would swim left out past Parkfoot and Waterside campsites and then come back, past the red buoy all the way across to the pink buoys by Pooley Bridge pier and see how far all that was.

Man it was cold!! We'd only swam a couple of minutes when Mahiri pulled up sharply. 'What's up?' I shouted. 'That bird!' she yelled back. Wtf? I looked at the shore, which was only about 6-7 yards away and there was some kind of bird perched at the waters edge. Looked like a mini vulture, and Mhairi was convinced it was going to pounce as we swam by! We got by it unscathed and I managed to get all the way to Waterside without stopping. Mhairi had bought me a different pair of goggles, as I was sick of swimming with one eye shut, and they were spot on.

I actually felt... what's the word??? FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC! I couldn't believe how good I felt, like a fish, streamlined and smooth, breathing easily. We turned back at Waterside and went all the way across to the pier, stopping at the red buoy to see how far we'd done. Unfortunately Mhairi's watch wasn't picking up satellite signal (how far things have come on eh?!) and it wasn't picking up our metres, goddammit! It said we had only swum 0.87 of a mile, when we had clearly swum more than that! We set back off, having bobbed about for earth to mars to connect, and I managed all the way to the pier. You know, I felt like I could've swam all night! We decided to head back in and see how far we'd done then. I really pushed myself, so was steaming by the time we got back to the shore.

Nice men in tight wetsuits...

0.87 miles.... Phht! I had no choice but to keep going. I wasn't getting out until the watch ticked over the 1.0 mile mark. By this point there were other swimmers in the lake, so we had to watch out for them. It was a busy little pool last night! We headed back out to the red buoy, which is about 200m out from the shore. Once there we noticed other swim hats bobbing about, and stopped to chat to 3 men who were having a rest. Niceties over, we headed back in, and hallelujah, we had swum 1.08 miles. I was elated!!



'I managed a mile!' face

While we dried off, the 3 men we had chatted to out in the lake, came in, and untied their dog from the fence. We commented that had we tied our dogs up like that, the dogs and the fence would be half way round the lake by now!  Now, I am not one to ogle, but they were obviously very fit lads, and I'm just saying that they did look good in their wetsuits. We didn't hang around to see if they had anything under them. Mhairi wanted to, but I didn't....

This open water swimming malarky is quite good fun! Next swim is on Sunday. The forecast is awesome, so really looking forward to that.

You can sponsor me by clicking on here - www.justgiving.com/Moira-Dudson

or text MDUD68 £(amount) to 70070. All money raised will go direct to the Stroke Association. Many thanks x

Day 7 in the Lake

The route! 1 mile is the full circuit...

Epic Swim minus two weeks (Sunday 30th June)- we had planned to do a mile in the lake with some other swimmers, this time getting in from the opposite side to where we normally swim. However, having driven past the lake from Patterdale that afternoon, and having experienced the wind all afternoon at the Ullswater Show and seen the size of the white horses on the waves, I messaged Mahiri and said 'Not on your Nelly!' Her reply was 'It might be windy on the day!' Me - 'I don't care - not getting in that!' Anyway, we decided that it was indeed too windy to go in without safety boats (thank the lord) and opted to go in on Monday instead, at 3.30pm.

I changed in to my costume at work, to spare my modesty at the lake, and was concerned I had a major VPL, as I had to dash to Aldi first. Half way to Aldi, Mhairi texted to say the lake was still very choppy, but as the wind was supposed to die down by 6pm, we decided to go later. Great. That meant trotting around Aldi in my cossie for nothing! I felt 10 years old again, and couldn't help wonder where my knickers were...

My man had left for Bridlington to work that morning at 3.30am, and I hadn't really gotten back off to sleep, so it was a struggle to keep going til 5.30pm. In fact, I didn't sit down. Prepared supper and pottered about, as I knew once I stopped that would be it. Swim over. I was talking my 15 year old son Nick into coming down to the lake with us, and we could take the dogs to have a play. You would honestly think I had asked him to chop his right arm off and eat it bit by bit the faces he pulled.

I intervened and asked his friend Olivia to come too, as he obviously wasn't capable of doing it on his own, so off we set, 2 swimmers, two teenagers and two dogs (Noah's Ark...?!), with a bribe of a can of coke for the kids afterwards - easy pleased!

After an initial kerfuffle of Flirt and Daisy not wanting to leave us, and running back along the shore before we'd even set off, Olivia and Nick managed to get them under control (of sorts). We did our usual route - red buoy, Waterside, red buoy, pink buoys and back around the boats and in. 0.7 miles in 22 minutes. Not bad going, and hardly any rest. I was goosed though, and felt the colour of our  mate the red buoy. My back was aching too. The suits are bouyant and I find my feet lift a little higher out of the water than usual, combined with 'sighting' (lifting your head to check you're not going off at a tangent) it makes me more 'banana' shape. More stretching on land me thinks.

Flirt and Daisy enjoy the lake!

That was enough for one night, I still had supper to make and it was 6.45pm by the time we got out and headed home. Thoroughly enjoyable, and had a lovely healthy supper to follow, paprika chicken, stuffed peppers, broccoli and sweetcorn. Mmmmm and zzzzzzzzz!I felt like I had been hit by a bus this morning - Mhairi must have turned the speed up last night! Today I got an email from the event organisers giving all the instructions we needed: briefing times, parking etc etc. The mile swim goes off at 12.30pm, with a deep water start from Glenridding. And it's a British theme - so I must bring a picnic and a Union Jack flag! Hoorah and Tally-ho!

 



Day 6 in the Lake

So, my 6th swim was on Wednesday 26th June - 13 days after I started my epic open water swimming adventure. It feels like I have been doing it forever! Mhairi was back and we enlisted the help of Babs this time, and her teenage daughter Amy, as we also took 3 dogs and 2 kids! Mhiari's (mad) dog Daisy the Labrador came as well as Blue and Flirt, and Mahiri's two kids Hope and Harvey. Not quite sure who was looking after who on the shore, but they were all still there when we got out, which is always a bonus!



This was day 1 - I will post an updated one soon - see if there's any difference!!

It was lovely evening again, and we set off out to the red buoy, along to Waterside - with a little hiccup in the way of Flirty dawg following on behind again around the headland! So we had to swim back with her and get Babs to distract her with a ball so we could escape again. She's going to manage this swim better than me at this rate!

We had a great swim, and managed 0.78 miles in 32 minutes. I feel like I am getting into a good stride, but really need to get a mile under my belt before 'The Swim'. On the plus side Babs' sprained ankle is coming on a treat with the cool water - before we know it we'll have an influx of injured locals paddling the shoreline to reap the benfits of Ullswater's healing waters! The dogs have never been as clean, and combined with my new 5:2 fasting eating habits, i am 'feeeeling fine'!!

Summer evenings have never been so lovely!

Donate to the Stroke Association by sponsoring me at www.justgiving.com/Moira-Dudson

Thanks!

Day 5 in the Lake

So Day 5 in the Lake I had a new swimming partner (not Flirt this time)- well I use the term 'new' loosely, as it was Neil, who swam with me the previous week. He was training for 'A Day in the Lakes' half ironman, and needed a partner, and I did too, as Mhairi was away. So we teamed up and met up at Pooley Bridge, in the car park, stripping off and donning wetsuits. I mean, is it just me that thinks there is something very wrong about that last sentence....

Neil filled me in on his rise to open water swimming, and how he couldn't even do the crawl to begin with, or put his face in the water. I thought 'There's hope for me yet then!' He also has a fancy garmin watch which would tell us how far we had swum, so we set off from Pooley Bridge and headed out to a red buoy first, then towards Waterside campsite. We stopped for a breather, and I had a fiddle with my new googles, which weren't doing what they said on the tin - still leaking! I adjusted my hat and had a brief panic when I dropped an ear plug - but hey - they float! You learn something new every day!

We then began the long haul back towards Pooley Bridge and the steamer pier, where two pink buoys sit. Man, that feels like a loooong swim! But, it's good to get a bit of distance in, and I can tell I am so much fitter, even just after 4 and a half swims! We didn't hang about the pier end, as it's surprising how much colder it is down there. We made our way back to the red buoy, then back in to shore - all in all 0.87 of a mile - the furthest I've managed so far!

I felt like I was beginning to get the hang of this open water swimmimg....

Sponsor me at www.justgiving.com/Moira-Dudson in aid of the Stroke Association.

Many thanks x

Day 4 in the Lake

Sorry for the lapse in blog updates - I've been a busy bee, but am determined to get it all up to date today!!

So on my 4th swim in the lake I had to be brave and 'Go In On My Own!' When I say, 'On My Own' that means I took my friend Babs and our dogs - Flirt the Labradoodle and Blue the Collie, with me to keep me safe from drowning - from the shore. How this was supposed to work I have got no idea, as Babs was fully clothed and doesn't swim. Much. But it made me feel a hell of a lot safer just having her there.

It was a lovely sunny evening and the lake looked stunning. 'Doesn't it make you want to get in?!!' I yelled across to her as I was (still) struggling into my wetsuit. er - NO! she shouted back... Fair enough...  She did paddle, as she has sprained her ankle and the 'cool' water felt nice (think ice bath).

So there was a buoy about 40 yards out, and I decided it probably wasn't the best time to attempt an across the lake swim whilst being on my own, so I opted to swim out to the buoy and back a few times, sprint out, little rest and easy back to shore. In I dove, and set off like the clappers towards the buoy. Once there, I bobbed about for a bit, enjoyed the view and turned around to swim back. I got the shock of my life! About 10 yards away from me was my dog! In proper DEEP water, doggy-paddling like her life depended on it to get to me! I mean that takes separation anxiety to a WHOLE new level! 'You stupid hound!' I yelled, and set off slowly back to shore, with her splish splashing beside me. Babs was standing watching from the shore - not a lot she could do was there?! I had visions of me having to go into lifesavers backstroke mode and tow the dog back. It would have made a lovely picture - me and my swimming partner - move over Mhairi -you're out, Flirt's in!

Flirt didn't seem too bothered by her open water swimming, and she ran off to play with Blue, and left me to get a few more 'lengths' in. I found I was swimmimg into the reflection of the sun in the water, and I have to say, it was a beautiful feeling. I felt so free, and relaxed! I only swam for about 20 minutes, but I was pleased I did it - I could've just as easily not gone as I had no partner. I was feeling pretty damn pleased with myself!

Please don't forget you can sponsor me by clicking on this link www.justgiving.com/Moira-Dudson
 -even just a pound or two. I really want to achieve my target of £500 for the Stroke Association - you can read my story of why I have chosen the Stroke Association on my Just giving page.

Many thanks!