Serpentine Swim

yes, i did it!! after much procrastination, i finally overcame the inertia; got up at 7am in the morning and packed myself off to the Serpentine in the pitter patter of the rain (horrible dreary, london weather). i guess that wouldn't be possible if i had not arranged to meet my polo mates there. it's always easier if you have pre-arranged it with someone and so, it makes running away from it even harder.

i know you guys must be thinking i'm crazy. even for having the sligtest thought abt wanting to try it out. initially when i first heard abt it during winter last year, i felt the same way too. 'siao arh. so cold, so dirty, you pay me 1000 dollars i also won't do it' but lo and behold, the thought of swimming in the serpentine became more appealing as the weather looked up and i got egged on by pple who have done it before.

how it all started: the serpentine siwm club was started at least 40 years ago if not longer. these pple range from undergrads to pretty old pple, some of them even with greying hair. guess it's the passion that keeps them going, cos come rain or shine or snow, these pple will turn up faithfully in full attendance at 8am every saturday. the swim is conducted in the form of races and sometimes, you get staggered with weaker swimmers staring out with handicaps.

the swim: it's hard enough standing in the cold in just your swim suit waiting for the race to start. and i cheated by wearing two costumes! but no, that's not the coldest yet. on the blow of the whistle, i was totally hesitant abt jumping in, but pride made me do it eventually. no way was i going to turn back at the last minute. i was startled by the icy cold that hit me when i dived in...it was FREEZING COLD that i found it really hard to breathe. immediately, i struggled to get my head out of the water and was gasping for air most of the time. and because it's so cold, my body went numb and i couldn't feel my legs and hands. all i knew was that i just had to keep kicking and keep pulling, if not i'll never get anywhere and i'll just suffer from hypothermia or sth.

needless to say, the water is really murky. it's almost impossible to see where you are going. i could only see my fingers in front of me. other than that. everything ard me seemed black. i figure if i swum head down all the way, i would feel terribly lost. in the end, swam head up most of the way. which is a good thing too, helped me to keep the river water out of my mouth. it's just so hard trying to swim with your mouth closed when you are actually fighting to take in large breaths of air. it is only a 400m swim that takes abt 10min or so. but easier said than done. going against current makes the going feel like eternity. of course, with the current its easier as well.

at the end of it, i wasn't particularly warmed up prob cos the swim was too short and i was still struggling to get used to it. so, leanne and me went on a warm down swim. bobbing ard...doing egg beater kick and chatting....in the serpentine!! haha... i think if i had been a passer by, i would be disapproving of what i saw. i discovered that backstroke is actually the best way to swim cos you get to see where you are going, breathe normally and not swallow any disgusting serpentine water.

the 10m walk from the serpentine to the changing room seemed like ages. it felt so painful walking bare-footed cos my feet was so cold. every step was just excruciating i tell you. there's no showers ard. so i quickly changed and took off. Was shivering as i walked. Really should have worn more layers. i thought i was smart wearing two shirts and a windbreaker today. and i thought my friend was mad cos she wore like 5 layers and a windbreaker. well, what do i know.

took a LONG HOT shower. was quite a while before i started to 'thaw'. my room is a perpetual sauna now. the heaters are turned on to their maximum. i've made myself hot chocolate and a hot bowl of soup. come to think of it, it was quite an experience. hee. maybe i'll do it again sometime. =)