NORTHERN PLANNER

By the way, I managed to do my swimming challenge. It’s official, in late December I was as fast as I was at fourteen. It’s taught me one or two things:

1. I’m not young anymore. At fourteen, getting out of bed at the crack of dawn and diving into a cold pool to work every muscle until it begged for mercy was easy. I used to play football at lunchtime and cycle to school too. Now, training at the same intensity was just about possible, but it hurt, really hurt. I had to do twice as much stretching to ease my stiff body.
2. My Dad is great. My Dad used to get up before 5am and take me swimming in the morning, or he would do the evening run after work. In between, he did a demanding job and never complained once. I found fitting in work and training quite tough, and it made me realise what a sacrifice he made when I was young.
3. Life looks different when you’re tired. Of course you have to watch your temper a bit more, but it’s the concentration. Making decisions becomes harder, you’re more likely to make an error of judgement.
4. It’s great doing something well. I’m a naturally clumsy person, but in the water I’m co-ordinated, graceful even. Swimming is a bit pointless, but the feeling of gliding past ordinary mortals and knowing this is something you can do better than most makes it worth doing just for the sake of doing. After years of training, week in, week out, I was heartilly sick of swimming and never really bothered. This excercise has made me fall back in love with the thing I’m best at, so while I won’t be killing myself, I won’t exactly stop either.
5. I will buzz and fizz after a particularly good session. Sometimes everything feels perfect and you don’t want to stop.
6. Take the good days with the bad. Some days you just fly, some days it’s just a slog. It’s finishing on the days that are a bit of a grind that matters.
7. I find peace of mind when I swim. Life can be complicated sometimes and we all need somewhere to switch off. There’s something about being underwater that’s utterly peaceful. It’s not like the gym with pounding music and endless queues for machines. Just you in your little world. Excercise has always been my number one way to relax, swimming’s the best.
8. Everybody changes with fashion. I don’t really care about the latest trends anymore, but I don’t want to look stupid. The last time I trained like this, everybody wore tiny little speedos, usually a size too small. Then, the advantages of being able to see semi-naked women were balanced by the very visible effects of cold water. Now I wouldn’t be seen dead in anything but proper shorts, and nor would anyone else I know. It’s a bit like flares – my Dad couldn’t give two hoots about fashion but he doesn’t own any flares anymore.