Christmas day, 2013, a bright and breezy morning. Dyl and I drove over Exmoor to meet up with Erin and Steve, lovely people that they are. Snowball fight on the moor was an unexpected delight- only to be followed by a swim in the sea less than an hour later! That’s how I roll! Less than 6′ water, boisterous to say the least. Surprisinlgy easy to get into, the water felt inviting. It truly is about attitude. Knowing what cold feels like is nothing when you are giggling, everything when you are moaning. The prospectof jogging into the water on the 25th December, in nothing but a bikini, well, you gotta laugh, right? We certainly gave a couple out for their Christmas stroll something to talk about!

Erin is in her virgin year of losing her wetsuit and this was her first real cold water swim. She did amazingly well. Timing her in and then out again between sets was interesting, and she managed beautifully, turning and dashing back out so we weren’t nobbled by a healthy sized set right on the break line. I t made her work for her Christmas lunch. As Brucey would say, didn’t she do well!

The water being that comfortable made the Ice Milers seem not quite so crazy as I had erstwhile believed them to be… adn it’s at the back of my mind that it fits perfectly with my ethos of exploring what I’m capable of…what the body can take if the mind is willing. We weren’t in that long- 10mins all told as Erin was being sensible about it all, as well she should. But I hardly shivered at all, felt perfectly fine and not even in need of a hot shower. And that was without being able to swim to keep warm. I was too busy keeping an eye on Erin- fearful that her first cold swim put her off due to the liveliness of the water. But no, she’s made of stern stuff, that one! Laughing all the way.

Third year in a row, I’ve swum on Christmas day…think that makes it a tradition, right?

      happy swimming all.