Over the Hill Challenge

 Chris goes above and beyond to complete his Over the Hill challenge to swim a 10k.

That’s my “Over the Hill challenge” done – I wanted to do a 10k open water swim this year as a bit of a challenge and to see what it was like to do a longer swim and it ended up being 7.1 miles.

So this morning – I was in the marine lake west Kirby, at just after 5 am (tide fully in - Terns flouncilly flying and diving everywhere - feeding on shoals of little something or others and making a right old grating-racket – contrasting with the complete lack of song from any land/garden birds now that spring courtship activity has waned away for another year).

The Lake was flat calm, bit of rain in the air – water felt really warm after diving in and after 13 lengths of front crawls in about 3 hours 43 mins (last 5 lengths slow going). Shaun Hodgekiss appeared with a mug of tea and with a salmon toasty he had made just as I was finishing – massively appreciated!

I had at first thought about a coastal or river swim – (but another one of those vested interests demythologised)- but they use the current to carry you so its more the current/tide than your efforts – with a tide/current assist you could easily double the distance with little extra effort at all – another hushed myth exposed!! Unlike running, with the views etc, the time ticked by very slowly being cocooned behind steamed goggles and opaquely staring into water that’s same colour as Lincoln Pea Soup – but the last few lengths were almost therapeutic and meditation like – with body just mechanically going through by now well-rehearsed motions

So in the end the distance was 7.1 miles or 11.5k.. Un like marathons which tire joints – this has just tired and stiffened shoulder and neck muscles and the approaching 4 hours in salt water has given me a tongue that feels like a swollen and salted Razor-Clam..

Anyway another positive experience to tuck away and with confidences that can be applied elsewhere??

Chris Shaw

CEO, Adovcacy in Wirral