Mild Hypothermia in a Sauna

This week I turn thirty five - it feels like a milestone for some reason, I'm now in the "35-39" age category for petes sake! Mid to late thirties - I think it just snuck up on me! Anyhow, my parents spoiled me with a three month membership for Garryvoe Leisure centre. This means I can be from the sea to the sauna in maybe five minutes. It is funny though as no-one expects someone to be recovering from mild hypothermia (shaking limbs, teeth chattering and bloodless feet) whilst in a sauna!

This probably tips me into the wuss section of aspiring channel swimmers, but it really is bliss to be warm and functioning within a half hour of finishing a swim.

Saturday I swam for forty two minutes and Sunday I upped it to fifty, my pb for the year. Really hoping to break into an hour on my actual birthday. I was a bit spoiled this weekend with family support. Dad walked the beach while I swam Saturday. He doesn't normally look like this but it was St. Patricks Day after all!

Sunday Dean swam with me and it was reassuring that he found it cold in his wetsuit! I reckon the first time you swim in the sea in winter/ spring is going to be a shock to system even if you were in a "drysuit"!

Which brings me to discuss Lisa Cummins and Finbarr Hederman. Both accomplished marathon swimmers but still, their 3hours40mins in 10deg water is simply astonishing to me, and totally inspiring!

Two new blogs to add this week! Fellow aspirants training with Eilis are Colm Breathnach and Jennifer Lane, the latter who is training for this challenge on a vegan diet no less!

Finally, Dean reckons there are at least one pair of my togs in each load of laundry. On the plus side it means he's doing laundry! On the downside it means that i'm wearing out my togs. Quite embarrassing when you realise AFTER swimming how threadbare your pair was!