2) And So It Begins

Overview

Or not! Training hasn’t exactly got off to the raring-to-go start I’d anticipated. Instead, it began with a knee injury which led to a doctors visit, a physiotherapy appointment and an MRI scan.

I’ve had a painful on/off click at the back of my knee since February which I didn’t expect to last this long. One minute it’s fine and I think it’s better; next the pain is back and I’m angry and frustrated. There’s been no pattern as to whether exercise or rest helps or hinders it. The physio offered some exercises and suggested I continue light running and swimming, pain permitting. So I’m still active, but just ticking over.

April 2025

I usually swim 3 times a week (1 pool & 2 lake swims). It’s my 3rd season at one lake and I’ve found somewhere new too which isn't far from home, open more often and all year round. It’s set amid beautiful parkland and there really is no better start to the day than being in the water with the sun shimmering, a blue sky overhead, birds singing and ducks quacking on by. It’s crisp; it’s fresh; it’s invigorating and I feel completely alive!

I’m not in long; 40/45 minutes to do a relaxed couple of circuits (1.6k), wary of my knee. And yes the water is cold at 11°. Some crazy people wear just swimsuits/trunks but I’m afraid I’m not that brave as yet. I’m in a long sleeved swimsuit with a full wetsuit over the top, a neoprene balaclava, booties and gloves. I thought about shoving a hot water bottle down my front but decided that was probably a step too far! This year will be a wetsuit in cooler water; next year the wetsuit has to come off, cool or not!

I also still run 2 or 3 times a week, but only 5-7k, (I was doing regular 10-15ks before the knee issue) plus strength sessions. I workout at home with a friend once a week, visit my personal trainer for a thrashing once a month and do 100 x 18kg kettlebell swings every day to work on core and arms. 

One of my local pools closed on 1 April for 6 months which isn’t at all helpful. It was a big pool, ideal for serious training as it could be booked for several back to back hours. I did 10k (400 lengths) and 15k (600 lengths) there last year leading up to the Lake District swims and was hoping to use it for power swims this year. So I’m looking for alternatives. While open water is ultimately what I need, pools are great for technique practice.

I bought an Admiralty Shipping Chart of the Dover Strait. It’s only 18 inches across the channel(!) but when you imagine how small you’d be if scaled to the same size, you realise how far it really is. I cut out a small picture of myself and stuck it on the starting beach. Every month, I'll move myself slowly towards Cap Gris Nez. It will be a great motivator to see myself moving across the channel and a wonderful visual representation of my training journey.

Late April saw my first sea swim - yay! Very different from lake swimming - tastes of salt for one thing! I hired a coach for the lake to sea transition, who taught me about tides/timetables, wind direction, sewage, where & when is safe to swim, things to watch out for and personal safety. All very exciting!

She is an experienced sea swimmer, coach, beach life guard and RNLI crew. She told me she’d once had the channel bug. She trained, sea swam regularly and was used to salt, waves, tides & cold. However, Southend-on-Sea is an estuary and comparatively sheltered, so I’ll never forget the way she said “and then I went to Dover...” A completely different sea; an ocean; dark, daunting and very, very big! She said “I lost the bug immediately... and it never came back!”. I’m still deciding if that story inspires me or completely freaks me out! 

May 2025

I’m getting quite twitchy about not training properly. My slot is 2 years in August, so I felt I had a 4 month head start. I was hoping to be doing 5k swims as a baseline by now, with perhaps a longer swim once a week. Instead, I’m stuck doing a couple of kilometres, scared to injure my knee further. So yes, I’m ticking over, but doing nothing additional. I’m longing to get into a proper routine/plan to move forward with.

My MRI results came through: 

1. Degenerative changes in the medial tibiofemoral joint

2. Patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis

3. Tear of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus

4.  Mild knee joint effusion with synovitis

5. A baker’s cyst

Oh dear!! I’m feeling nervous of the physio follow-up next week. 

Despite the results, the physio follow-up was quite positive. I’ve had less pain the last 10 days, due to lighter runs & swims, so the advice is to extend physio exercises, slowly increase run/swim distances and check in again next month. Well that’s better than the keyhole surgery he’d frightened me with as a worst case scenario! I love that he works with me and my goals, rather than the blanket ‘rest’ advice some might expect, so I’m feeling hopeful.

I’ve continued with lake & sea swims throughout the month. I’ve increased distance without knee pain - hurrah - and decreased clothing from my long-sleeved swimsuit and full wetsuit, to just the wetsuit, to a shortie wetsuit (short sleeves & legs), to swimsuit only - yay! A tad chilly but I got there. Roll on June... I could be naked by then!

Oh no! The optimism was short lived! Right at the end of the month while running in Amsterdam, I tripped and fell on my face very unceremoniously, resulting in a badly grazed knee, arm, hip and a swollen hand. A visit to A&E once home 10 days later, found me donning an impressive hand splint for a hairline fracture and shredded muscles, with a doctor advising me not to swim. So no kettlebells either then? At least my knee will get further rest is all I can think of as a positive silver lining!

Onwards & forwards...

What have I learned these last 2 months?