As you stumble out over slippery stones onto the mat and under the gantry, you are elated to have swum a mile for the first time. What an achievement – to go from short, shivery dips and 30 maybe 40 lengths in the pool, to this.
The start line was nerve wracking; the other swimmers around you were excited and confident, chatting away. The starting horn blew, you ignored those running and diving in, swimming furiously to the front, and walked in only to find yourself bouncing around in the melee. But you love the open water, so much freer than the fumes of chlorinated pools and unpleasant lane rage. This way you get to swim as part of the stunning natural world.