The water outside is getting colder. Not to cold to swim – that would be ridiculous – but maybe nearly too cold to get a proper amount of exercise in; maybe the swimming I do as muscles get cold is a bit rubbish too. So on Monday I visited the fishtank. Simply having fun swimming around lakes has done nothing for my speed, apparently. This picture is what I felt like attempting to do a kilometre in 19 minutes. Last winter I could do this in 18 minutes. The first time, I managed it, the second time a little slow, the third time…  was only a half kilometre and it nearly killed me. But today I was back in the fishtank, and I can report a small increase in speed and a significant decrease in the feeling like it’s going to kill me score. But the water is far too hot in there.

I would add that I am not trying to get faster: I have given that up some time ago. But I don’t like to get slower either. I would also like to add that of course I shall be swimming outside as well, but it’s a different sort of activity in the winter: less exercise, more survival, more cake. And there will be pictures.

In the Fishtank