Going the Extra Half Mile

Since the Great North Swim was cancelled because of blue-green algae, one thought's been bugging me. Could I have done it? Of course, I certainly should have been able to - I've been swimming a mile several times a week since December.

But things are different out in the lake and I've kept thinking - - what if I didn't complete it? I had a wonderful weekend in the Lake District but even so, I didn't get that feeling of achievement that I was really looking forward to - if I'd completed the swim, that is!

Today when I went swimming the pool was amazingly quiet. I started off - for the first time ever - swimming in the "fast" lane because the middle or "medium" lane where I usually swim was the busiest part.

After a little while in the fast lane, I realised that some people who swim there are there, correctly because they're fast. Others just think they're fast - - and also think they're more important than everyone else so are very likely to plough into you.

Because it's been the actors' agency's monthly meeting this afternoon and I needed to prepare, I didn't want to be too long. But it was lovely in the pool and when I got to sixty-four lengths, which is a mile, I thought - - oh, well, I could just go to eighty-six, which is two lengths longer than I have ever swum before.

I changed back to the middle lane when it cleared a bit and carried on swimming. I felt fine, and when I got to eighty-two lengths I thought - - - well, if I just did another ten, then that would be a mile and a half in total.

So I did! Ninety-two lengths, which is a mile and a half. I was really pleased that I could do it without any problem. It took me an hour and a half, and when I have time I'm going to try for a hundred lengths.

So I'm going to keep telling myself - come on Daphne, you know you could have done the Great North Swim.

I'm hoping that, next summer, I will.