A Few Chilly Numbers
The temperature of the swimming pool is usually about thirty-one degrees Centigrade.
Yesterday, however, it was only twenty-eight degrees. We all complained to each other how cold it was and showed off our blue hands and feet and hopped about complaining about cramp.
From time to time we'd have to dodge a piece of floating ice as it drifted past. Occasionally a shout would go up "Polar Bear!" and we'd all have to get out of the pool and run for the changing-rooms.
Okay, perhaps I'm exaggerating a tiny bit. But it was COLD, okay? My mother had to get out after half an hour and that's way before she usually does.
Today it was back to thirty-one degrees and I could happily go back to complaining that it was too hot for proper swimming, it was like swimming through treacle, blah blah.
But these numbers worried me slightly.
When I do the Great North Swim on September 4th, Lake Windermere will be about fifteen degrees. I'd never given this much thought before - I've swum in a lot of very cold sea around the British Isles and never really minded it.
But that was before I knew the actual numbers. Now I know that twenty-eight degrees can feel cold, all I can say is - - - well - - - BRRRRRRRRRRR!
By yesterday I'd swum a total of sixty miles this year. My friend Kate said "Hey, that's the distance from my house to Scotch Corner." So having swum so far up the A1, I've set off to swim back again, and so far I've done one mile. I might have to dodge a few lorries. Think I'll stick to the B roads in future.
Yesterday, however, it was only twenty-eight degrees. We all complained to each other how cold it was and showed off our blue hands and feet and hopped about complaining about cramp.
From time to time we'd have to dodge a piece of floating ice as it drifted past. Occasionally a shout would go up "Polar Bear!" and we'd all have to get out of the pool and run for the changing-rooms.
Okay, perhaps I'm exaggerating a tiny bit. But it was COLD, okay? My mother had to get out after half an hour and that's way before she usually does.
Today it was back to thirty-one degrees and I could happily go back to complaining that it was too hot for proper swimming, it was like swimming through treacle, blah blah.
But these numbers worried me slightly.
When I do the Great North Swim on September 4th, Lake Windermere will be about fifteen degrees. I'd never given this much thought before - I've swum in a lot of very cold sea around the British Isles and never really minded it.
But that was before I knew the actual numbers. Now I know that twenty-eight degrees can feel cold, all I can say is - - - well - - - BRRRRRRRRRRR!
By yesterday I'd swum a total of sixty miles this year. My friend Kate said "Hey, that's the distance from my house to Scotch Corner." So having swum so far up the A1, I've set off to swim back again, and so far I've done one mile. I might have to dodge a few lorries. Think I'll stick to the B roads in future.
posted by Daphne at 9:29 pm
2 Comments:
Regarding the coldness of Windermere - what you need is a man skilled in applying Vaseline to ladies' bodies and you are in luck! This is something I have always been good at. Just contact my secretary at Pudding Enterprises Ltd and a reasonable fee will happily be arranged.
My friend and I had to abandon our local swimming pool because it is too cold. We could only dream of soaring temperatures like 31 degrees. I don't think the publicly boasted temperature was ever higher than 28. We put up with it. We had no choice especially when they told us it was kept at that temperature because it's a 'training pool'. What finally drove us away was the day the showers dropped below freezing. I hope your chilly B road swimming route has a hot shower at the end of it.
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